I've been wanting to post about this show for more than a year, but couldn't decide whether to do it on Facebook (where it would vanish into thin air after a day or two) or in one of my blogs (where only a few people would see it). Where I really wanted to post about it was on FTC. And here we (almost) are.
For those who haven't watched it, Black Mirror was initially a UK Channel 4 original anthology series that wound up finding its widest audience on Netflix, so it's now a Netflix original. It's the best and most intelligent representation of short form science fiction that I've ever seen on television. The episodes are almost all written by Charlie Brooker, who I gather has a high profile in the UK as a "presenter" (what Americans would call a "host" if we called it anything at all) on a number of TV shows.
The plots all involve a minor (or major) extrapolation on modern communications technology, any device (computer, smartphone, iPad) that has a black, mirror-like screen when turned off. Now that Brooker is being forced to turn out a full season's worth of episodes each year (the first Netflix season already has as many episodes as Channel 4 produced over several years), he's coming up with an amazing number of variations on this premise and they're all beautifully made, and often deeply affecting emotionally.
For anyone who hasn't watched it, I suggest you watch the episodes out of order, skipping the first (and least representative) episode, "The National Anthem." (When you see it later, you'll thank me for suggesting you watch it last.) Go straight to "Fifteen Million Merits" or "Be Right Back" or "San Junipero," which I thought were the most powerful episodes of a powerful show, though you might find that you prefer others. Even the first episode is powerful, but in ways that might have the wrong emotional effect for some viewers. (I turned it off halfway through the first time I tried watching it and only went back to it later myself.)
If you have watched it (or want to know more about it first), jump right in! And note that you don't need to be a science fiction fan to love this show. It's accessible to anyone who knows what a smartphone is.
This is another series I've been dying to watch and somehow never get 'round to! Huge amounts of my friends have sen it and agree with you: some of the best television out there at the moment (though it is a Channel 4 production, not BBC ;) )
It seems it might be a piece of TV that is completely and totally of the moment; interested to see if it holds up in 20 years or so.
Quote from: Leighton on Jun 24, 2017, 05:03 AMThis is another series I've been dying to watch and somehow never get 'round to! Huge amounts of my friends have sen it and agree with you: some of the best television out there at the moment (though it is a Channel 4 production, not BBC ;) )
It seems it might be a piece of TV that is completely and totally of the moment; interested to see if it holds up in 20 years or so.
I was so sure it had said BBC in the credits that I didn't even bother to check. That'll teach me to get overconfident. 🙀
Yeah, some of the episodes will probably date quickly, but that's true of science fiction in general, especially science fiction set in the near future. On the other hand, the production values are so high that it's going to be a long time before it has the cheesy look of an old TV show, which tends to date television faster than the premises do.
On the third hand, some episodes will probably be described later as "eerily prescient," even if they only land in the general ballpark of something that actually happens, the way you could say that H.G. Wells'
The Island of Dr. Moreau was an eerily prescient description of genetic engineering, even though he got all the details wrong. Amy immediately noticed that the episode "The Waldo Moment" is an eerily prescient description of Donald Trump's campaign in America. Of course, it gets all the details wrong, but in this case that doesn't matter.
And the human aspects of the show will never date. Those are what will make people want to see it 20 years from now even after it's apparent that the speculative aspects are wrong.
You really should watch it. I think it's the best thing on Netflix.
I might just chuck a couple of episodes on tonight and see what al the fuss is about ;)
I really enjoyed the series. Some episodes more than others. VERY Twilight Zone ish. I would love a second season of it.
I love the original Twilight Zone, so hoping this stands up (or surpasses!) :)
Quote from: Leighton on Jun 24, 2017, 12:06 PMI might just chuck a couple of episodes on tonight and see what al the fuss is about ;)
If you only have time for one episode, make it "Fifteen Million Merits," the second episode of the first season.
Quote from: Leighton on Jun 24, 2017, 12:16 PMI love the original Twilight Zone, so hoping this stands up (or surpasses!) :)
What I like about it is how much UNlike
Twilight Zone it is. Serling tended to stretch about five minutes of plot into a half hour episode and padded it out with pseudo-Shakespearean monologues by overly chatty characters, while
Black Mirror lets the visuals work for it. And
Twilight Zone relied heavily on surprise endings to make the story work, while
Black Mirror plots are interesting (and gripping) in themselves, though they often have surprise endings.
I have just started with the first episode - enjoying it immensely. I should think I'll watch all three of season 1 before bed!
Quote from: Leighton on Jun 24, 2017, 01:29 PMI have just started with the first episode - enjoying it immensely. I should think I'll watch all three of season 1 before bed!
Good plan! (But very brave to start with that first episode. ;) )
Well, it appears to only be half a step removed from what our actual former Prime Minister did in his youth. I can stomach it ;)
Quote from: Leighton on Jun 24, 2017, 01:52 PMWell, it appears to only be half a step removed from what our actual former Prime Minister did in his youth. I can stomach it ;)
Yes. I saw some news articles that commented ironically on the resemblance. ;) (A good example of the show being "eerily prescient.")
I ♥️❤️♥️ Black Mirror ❣️
I have just binged the first three episodes, and have decided on one more before bed! It is gripping, and beautifully acted, and gorgeously written. I think The Entire History of You was my favourite of the first three, though all three were superb.
I'm so glad I got my arse in gear tonight and watched them.
Quote from: Leighton on Jun 24, 2017, 03:37 PMI have just binged the first three episodes, and have decided on one more before bed! It is gripping, and beautifully acted, and gorgeously written. I think The Entire History of You was my favourite of the first three, though all three were superb.
I'm so glad I got my arse in gear tonight and watched them.
I'm glad you did too. BTW, Robert Downey, Jr., according to Wikipedia, has taken an option on the movie rights for "The Entire History of You." I don't know if he plans to star in it, direct, or just produce.
The company that manufactures the "grains" (Granular, maybe?) pops up again in a later episode.
Black Mirror is very self-referential, implying that all these stories take place in a common future. This becomes most obvious in what Netflix lists as the first episode of Season Three (though it's actually Channel 4's "Christmas Episode" of the show).
I am looking forward to a few more - though I also started GLOW last night and binged three episodes of that. It is also excellent - very funny, a bit sad, and it feels like a properly lived-in world.
I am a big wrestling fan, so that appeals, but if you like OITNB you'll probably like this - many of the same team.
Black Mirror Season 4 comes out on December 29! This AVClub article (https://www.avclub.com/7-things-to-know-about-the-new-season-of-black-mirror-1821031992) attempts to discuss it without spoilers but still gives away some of the subject matter, so I've only skimmed it. I'd already heard about the Star Trek episode (with Jesse Plemons, of all people, in the William Shatner role) and am curious how the show can squeeze the subject matter into its general theme. I can only assume that it takes place on the set of a Trek-like TV series. Given that all Black Mirror episodes supposedly take place in a shared, near-future world, that's the only possibility that makes sense.
Hooray!! What better way to ring in the New Year with a positive outlook than by binge watching Black Mirror on New Year's Eve?!? ;D :)) ;D :D
We just finished watching Season Four. This is probably the show's weakest season, but with something as good as Black Mirror that still leaves room for it to be pretty great. The main problem is that some of writer/producer Charlie Brooker's writerly quirks are becoming obvious. There is, for instance, an episode where someone is subjected to repeated, even eternal, punishment for the same crime, something Brooker did earlier in "White Bear" and "White Christmas." There's an episode that begins with a pair of people doing something that seems increasingly inexplicable until you get the explanation at the end and it makes perfect science-fictional sense, which could also describe earlier episodes like "San Junipero" and "White Bear."
On the plus side, there's an episode that consists of three tenuously related mini-episodes, which Brooker also did in "White Christmas." This is something I hope Brooker continues to do in the future, because it allows him to take ideas that really aren't sufficient for a complete episode and still base a clever vignette around each of them. And there's an episode with numerous references to other Black Mirror episodes (also previously done in "White Christmas"), proving once again that all Black Mirror episodes take place in a common universe.
Star Trek fans (I know we have at least a couple of those here) will probably like the first episode, "U.S.S. Callister," about a virtual reality Trek-like MMORPG. (For non-gamers, that stands for "massively multiplayer online role-playing game.") And Twilight Zone fans will probably like "Metalhead," which reminded me a lot of that TZ episode where Agnes Moorhead spent the entire half hour fighting a tiny spaceship, except the robotic enemies in this one are a lot more interesting than Twilight Zone's flying saucer and miniature spacemen. It's even filmed in black and white to look like an old television show, with an oddly cheesy (but very effectively jarring) musical score that sounds like something from The Outer Limits.
Not the show's best year, but still well worth watching. (Okay, there was one episode that seemed confused and fairly pointless, but I won't say which one it is.)
I agree that this was Black Mirrors weakest season. I did love a couple of episodes. Though most people didn't care for it, Crocodile was my favorite. I think I just like really dark shit. Black Museum was back to the feel of traditional Black Mirror and I enjoyed the homages to other episodes from the season. The others were fun, but not that great for me. Hang the DJ was sweet. USS Callister, was fun, but not very Black Mirror esque.
Ready for season 5 now.
I'm one of the people who didn't care for "Crocodile," mostly because I felt the two plot threads (the murderer and the woman investigating insurance claims) didn't mesh very well. They come together in the end, but in a very forced way that made the episode seem clumsy. I'd like to see Brooker use the memory-reading technology again, though.
For some reason AVClub hated "Black Museum" while I actually thought it was one of the best episodes of the season, if only because it pulled together so much of the Black Mirror world into one story. And, unlike the AVClub reviewer, I was actually surprised when I realized what was actually going on.
And I did like "U.S.S. Callister." You're right that it felt a bit different from other Black Mirror episodes, but I loved Jesse Plemons' impression of William Shatner. My theory is that he did that impression in front of Brooker at a party and Brooker wrote the entire episode around it.
I'm glad that Brooker seems to be including one episode per season that has a happy ending. (I'm not going to say which episode it is so I won't spoil it for people who haven't watched this season yet, though last season's was the wonderful "San Junipero.") It's a relief from the general bleakness of the show and I hope he continues doing it.
Black Mirror is back, with a special episode for the holidays (though it doesn't have anything to do with the holidays). This one is seriously gimmicky. It takes a Choose Your Own Adventure approach that requires you to use your TV remote to make decisions at branching points in the story, from what cereal to have for breakfast to whether you should murder your father. There's a lot to like about it, but it gets repetitive at points and there's clearly a throughline that writer Charlie Brooker wants you to follow, whether you choose to follow it or not. Still, it's worth watching just to enjoy the rather unusual ride.
Returning June 5 for only three episodes. (I guess Bandersnatch counts as the rest.)