Black Mirror depicts how technology affects us
While technology seems to be taking over everything around us, it is very rare to see depictions of technology as it exists now in media. You either see futuristic and fantastic technologies in a kind of hopeful way or you see it in a context where technology has rebelled against the creators and we are better off without it. This is exactly what makes Charlie Brooker’s anthology series, Black Mirrors unique.
Black Mirror is an anthology series of unrelated stories set in a universe that is not too different from ours. Like Brooker’s earlier series “How TV Ruined Your Life”, each episode focuses on single facet of modern society and the technologies within our grasp that affect them. Themes range from privacy and marital fidelity and the technologies range from social media to creation of full body dolls of deceased people with the memories of the original one gleaned from their social media profiles.
Brooker’s talent as a writer of twisted narratives shows itself in full glory in this series. You can see him weaving narratives which shock you and hit you with the twist endings that rival those of The Twilight Zone. In the episode “White Bear”, for example, the twist ending is so far removed from what we were led to believe the story would go, and should have gone if it were any other series, that once it hits, you are awestruck. On a re-watch, you would be able to look at every tiny little clue that you disregarded earlier as an important plot point later on.
The series is more like a mini-series. It consists of two seasons of three episodes each that aired in 2011 and 2013 respectively and a feature-length 2014 Christmas special. Rumours of a third season abound, and more recently, Netflix has announced that they have ordered a third season of twelve episodes. With no other news on when this third season will materialise, fans like me will continue waiting for the new installments. As the episodes do not share casts, but only a universe, I shall endeavour to review each episode individually here.
“The National Anthem” concerns the British Prime Minister and sees him being coerced into doing unspeakable acts to a farm animal on live television, forced by masterful handling of social media. Despite the boldness of British television, this was still pushing the limits. The episode touches on how instant access to information can force knee-jerk responses from the public and how within hours, a beloved Prime Minister can lose everything just because of social media campaigns. The episode gets a solid 4/5 from me for its masterful handling of a tasteless subject.
“Fifteen Million Merits” discusses the human need to buy stuff and how we are turning that into buying stuff that is not even physical anymore. Taking cue from the auctions of in-game items in various online games, this episode explores a world where that is all you can buy while you are stuck in a small cell, bombarded with advertisements and forced to ride an exercise bike while your “avatar” moves on a screen in front of you. This weaves a heartbreaking tale of a love lost, and the even more serious issue of commercialisation of dissent to make it a commodity into a beautiful narrative that will have you crying your eyes out. This episode gets a full 5/5 from me because of how close to home it hits.
“The Entire History of You” is your typical jealous husband/cheating wife story on its face, except it is not. In this world, there is technology that allows you to record every living moment, and lets you replay and analyse it at your leisure. This technology, combined with the classic jealous husband plot makes for a very interesting combination that sees the protagonist, a respected lawyer, lose everything that is important to him over the course of a few days. The episode deals very intelligently with the themes of infidelity in the modern world. The real kicker is the final moments where the protagonist keeps replaying the good moments of his life as he walks through a house that is now empty and in disarray, stuck in his past. This episode too, gets a 4/5 because of the tactful handling and some very hammy acting.
“Be Right Back” is about what we are, not in the shadows, but in the light. It is about who we pretend to be on our social profiles and how we interact with others, and ourselves. The episode deals with a woman grieving for her boyfriend, who discovers a service that can simulate the departed at increasingly accurate levels. Using social media profiles, they make models of what the person would say. It goes from simple texts, to get closure, to a full body double of the person. But in this way, it also prevents the grieving person from healing. The exploration of the theme of grief and pretension make for a very interesting combination and the acting of the protagonist makes it even better. The episode gets a 4/5 as well.
“White Bear” is a classic bait and switch story. What starts as a comment on our voyeurism and psychopathy, as people would rather take selfies and make videos of a horrible event than help, turns into a broader commentary on the prison system and the human need for revenge rather than justice. It can be summarised very easily as: “What if the online witch hunts were real and legal?” A chilling comment on the human weaknesses, this episode gets a 4.5/5.
“The Waldo Moment” is commentary on the breakdown of the political system in the west. It deals with a cartoon character that is offensive and somehow can run for election. The comedian that voices Waldo goes along with the concept but when he realises how this is being hijacked, he balks at the concept. As is evident from the tone of the series, it ends badly for him as “Waldo” becomes an international political star while he is left homeless and without any benefits from his creation. With the political commentary, this episode gets a 4/5.
“White Christmas” is a feature length episode that has three smaller stories joined together by a broader narrative thread. The three parts are stand alone stories that introduce more technologies of this universe. The first part deals with the protagonist talking a guy through online link into seducing a beautiful woman which leads to the guy’s death. The second part introduces the “cookie”, a copy of a person’s personality that can learn to control the appliances in the home and raises some very interesting questions about personhood and torture. The third story deals with the technology that allows people to “block” others in real life, meaning they can’t see, hear or interact with each other. The story deals with a broken relationship where the father now pines to reconcile with his partner and their daughter but can’t. All in all, it is a mind-blowing exploration of themes of personhood and privacy in a world that does not seem too far away from where we are now. With that, it gets a 5/5.
As technology encroaches more and more of our life, we need to ask ourselves a lot of questions about the morality and legality of these things and what effect they may have on us. Black Mirror asks a lot of those questions but does not give us the answers. That way, it avoids being preachy and overly optimistic and allows us to think about the role of technology and gadgets in our life. This very intelligent drama is a must watch, no matter what you like watching.
Black Mirror is created by Charlie Brooker. It aired from 2011-14 on Channel Four in the UK in two seasons of three episodes each, with one Christmas special episode.
Rating: 5/5, Must Watch