February 20, 20187 yr Author 14. BE RIGHT BACK Average: 7.6 Highest: 10 (Calum), 9.5 (Dexton) Lowest: 6 (ionderella, Oliver, Iz) Martha's boyfriend is killed in a car accident. After discovering she is pregnant, she tries A.I. that imitates him by using all of his past online communications and social media profiles as well as uploading photos and videos. This A.I. initially exists over the phone but then is transformed into a body. Be Right Back is quite... not mundane but more gentle/low-key than other Black Mirror episodes. It largely focuses on Martha and the A.I. and of course the concept of grief. It was a really effective episode in that way as grief effects us all and you are always left unsure of how to deal with it. This episode explored what feels like a real concept, and something that could happen any moment now, but would it be good for us?? Parallels with real life: the Luka chatbot (inspired by this episode), the Eterni.me, Crystal and the BINA48 are all A.I. that intend to preserve people in a virtual A.I. existence.
February 20, 20187 yr Author 13. PLAYTEST http://cultfix.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/black-mirror-302-playtest-600x338.jpg Average: 7.91 Highest: 10 (Dexton, Oliver, Liam), 9 (Calum, lotitia,jafetsfiginns, HausofTroye) Lowest: 6.5 (Dandy*) 6 (Josh) Cooper is travelling around the word and needs some extra cash and so accepts a one time job offer from a video game company so that he can return to America. He is there to test new technology that uses augmented reality to alter his senses... I feel like this is an episode with lots of potential but for some reason that I can't fully put my finger on, it didn't pay off as much as it should have done. I do like how it is Black Mirror does the traditional haunted house story and that it is sort of similar to those flu test jobs but, again, with technology? I thought the ending was shocking too and really dark once it was all explained but it seemed to happen a bit too fast and sudden, particularly with the double twist as the rug gets pulled from under your feet twice? I don't think there was a great a pay-off as there should have been. Still it helped explore a very real developing technology with a scary element as we were immersed in a world with events that very much did not happen as we believed they did.. Parallels with real life: virtual reality is ofc a very real thing, although there's no implants...yet
February 24, 20187 yr Author 12. FIFTEEN MILLION MERITS Average: 8.00 Highest: 10 (ionderella, Dexton, Botchia, ) Lowest: 3 (jafetsfigins) In an enclosed world with video screens for walls, people earn their living by riding stationary bikes to generate power in exchange for merits. Bing has inherited millions of merits and spends 15m on Abi so that she can enter a talent show as he has nothing else to spend them on. The judges feel she is better placed on a porn show, causing anger from Bing... First of all, can we appreciate that this episode is co-written by Konnie Huq!! (also starring newly Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya) Unfortunately, the episode doesn't seem as far out as it possibly should appear as our lives become dominated by technology and we become more enclosed in by it. I guess there's another comment on society as well as people due the most mundane things just to get by. There's obviously the comment on reliance on talent shows/aspiring to be an overnight star too! It is one of the more dystopian episodes of Black Mirror as a regimented regime is in place.
February 24, 20187 yr Author 11. CROCODILE Average: 8.15 Highest: 10 (ionderella, BridgeCow, lotitia, Botchia, Josh, Severin, HausofTroye) Lowest: 5 (HarryEzra), 1 (LewisGT) Mia helps her friend cover up a hit and run death and, many years later, her friend comes to her to tell her that he is going to tell the police. Mia kills him and, whilst covering up that murder, she witnesses a road accident. This creates a downward spiral as an insurance investigator has a Recaller machine that visualises memories... This was a surprise highlight of Series 4 for me as I knew absolutely nothing of the episode coming into it. It turned out to be pretty divisive amongst fans but I really loved it. I loved the downward spiral journey that Mia goes on as you are sympathetic for her at the start but the lengths she goes to trying to cover up her actions means that your afflictions change. It really is one of the darkest Black Mirror episodes even if the whole thing is played quite low-key. I find it interesting that the technology seen is portrayed to be quite old-school with its design and the way they talk of its problems even though, in essence, it is very advanced. Of course being Iceland, the scenery is also absolutely beautiful. Parallels with real life: Recaller devices look to be a bit too advanced at the moment but the self-driving pizza van that creates many of the problems in the episode (for better or worse) is becoming a reality by Pizza Hut!
February 24, 20187 yr Author TOP 10: Black Museum Hang the DJ Hated in the Nation Nosedive San Junipero Shut Up and Dance The Entire History of You USS Callister White Bear White Christmas
February 24, 20187 yr A pretty much entirely correct top 10 there! I did enjoy Fifteen Million Merits, despite the confusion of the actual world, it hit home pretty good with some of it's points. Pleased to see Crocodile out, I should've loved a Black Mirror Scandi-Noir and it was beautifully shot and thrilling to watch, but the technology was nothing the show hadn't covered before and it felt quite empty as it just seemed like ongoing shock value for the sake of it (especially the ending), rather than really making you think about yourself and the world around you like other similar dark episodes have succeeded with.
February 24, 20187 yr Wish Crocodile could have made top 10, I think it's become my favourite of Series 4
February 24, 20187 yr Be Right Back would be an easy 10 if it was just a bit different, the concept and portrayal of grief were both top notch but the ending really marred it and the execution wasn't as on point as it could have been, it plodded in places only saved by Hayley Atwell's performance. A Million Merits was fab, I'd definitely have it top 10, and Playtest certainly should be as it's one of my absolute faves. As a gamer I think it's one of the ones that hit me most as we can just look at how real VR can already be and how easy it is to imagine things going further. I couldn't stop thinking about if it was real, how it might manifest in my head etc,., after watching it.
February 25, 20187 yr A very decent top 10! I really think USS Callister should be top 3, but I saw some people do it dirty with their scores.
February 25, 20187 yr Author 10. THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF YOU Average: 8.2 Highest: 11 (BridgeCow, HarryEzra, HausofTroye) 10 (Calum, Josh) Lowest: 6 (ionderella, Botchia), 5 (Iz) Society can now have implanted 'grains' in their heads that record everything that they see and hear, allowing them to reply scenes of their life. At a dinner party, Liam finds his wife, Ffion, talking to a man that he doesn't recognise. Later, Ffion admits she used to be in a relationship with him before meeting Liam but Liam becomes more paranoid... The last of Series 1 falls now, but it shows that the series got better as it went along. It is the only episode of the show not to have at least been co-written by Charlie Brooker! The episode plays into the paranoia that relationships can sometimes bring but enforces it through the opportunity of being able to replay scenes, thereby increasing your thoughts of the situation. Being able to rewind and watch scenes of your life is a technological ability that appears brilliant and incredibly useful on paper but would be very dangerous in practice. The two leads, including the 13th Doctor, really help push the story. Coincidentally, the episode helped inspire Crocodile which is one place lower! Further, the episode was optioned to be potentially made into a film by Robert Downey Jr. However, that was in 2013 and there has been no news since... Parallels with real life: Google glasses, snapchat lense etc allow us to record what we see
February 25, 20187 yr The Entire History Of You should be WAY higher It is just perfect in every sense, performances, story, characters, cinematography :(
February 25, 20187 yr TEHOY's good idea is ruined by a rather clichéd storyline. one person cheats, another finds out, it's sad. i wanted something along the lines of crocodile. DARK. DARKER. DARKERER!
February 26, 20187 yr Yeah I agree with the above. With a lot of Black Mirror's weaker stuff, it's a good concept not executed as brilliantly as it could have.
March 3, 20187 yr Author 09. BLACK MUSEUM http://opiniaocult.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/black-museum-600x400.jpg Average: 8.26 Highest: 10 (Dexton, Oliver, Botchia, LewisGT) 9 (ionderella, Chez Wombat, Jack, lotitia, jafetsfiggins, ) Lowest: 6 (lewistgreen, Iz) Nish visits the Black Museum whilst waiting for her car to charge. She meets the proprietor, Rolo who gives her a tour. He tells the tale of a doctor that got an implant that allowed him to feel the physical sensations of others but soon meant he got off on feeling pain. The next story he tells is off a man who shared a consciousness with his dead wife until she is transferred into a toy monkey. The next story is the main attraction of a hologram projection of a convicted murderer where visitors can put him in the electric chair over and over again. We then learn that Nish didn't accidentally venture into the Black Museum as we first thought... Black Museum is the second Black Mirror episode to feature a trio of mini-stories and the highlight for me was all the little easter eggs that referenced previous episodes, including White Bear, Arkangel and Fifteen Million Merits. It was interesting to see that the episodes could all be taking place in the same 'universe' but I think the easter eggs are as far as I'd like to see that idea being taken. I did also like that we sort of saw a face behind some of these technology inventions and how dark that character also was. As for the stories, my favourite was the teddy bear one. It was reminiscent to one of the features of White Christmas and I find it so dark for a person to be internally trapped with no real voice! I know a lot of people's favourites was the doctor one but it didn't capture me as much as everyone else, I think it served its purpose within the short story. It was great that it all came together and Nish's true intentions were revealed, although I'm sure any Black Mirror fan would know that something was up with either her intentions or Rolos!
March 3, 20187 yr Author 08. SHUT UP AND DANCE Average: 8.8 Highest: 11 (LewisGT, Josh) 10 (bridgecow, lotitia, Iz, HausofTroye, Liam) Lowest: 6 (Calum) A teenage boy is blackmaied into committing different acts, including criminal, by a mysterious hacker who has possessed a video of him master-baking. In these acts, he is joined by a middle-aged man that the same hacker is blackmailing over infidelity. I think this is the most 'real' Black Mirror episode as it is something that uses the technology that we have today and could easily be DONE today. It therefore pushes morality questions of how far would you go to protect a dark secret. In that respect, I found it really test and I loved the performance of Alex Lawther (omg you need to check out The End of the f***ing World!!). It is such a great build-up to a really shocking final act as all your perceptions are turned on their head! The simplicity of the episode really helps and often that makes it even darker.... Parallels with real life: well, hacking and blackmailing are two common parts of today's society and so can happen right now! Lots of celebs erm private videos have been hacked and released.
March 3, 20187 yr Author 07. HANG THE DJ Average: 8.98 Highest: 10 (lewistgreen, ionderella, Calum, Dexton, Botchia, LewisGT, Josh, HausofTroye) Lowest: 7 (Oliver, Harve) Amy and Frank are two people in an enclosed system that have a digital Coach that trials romantic relationships. Coach dictates how long partners spend together, collecting the data which helps it to find their ultimate compatible other. Amy and Frank are paired together but only for 12 hours before being paired off with others for months or years but their attraction from those 12 hours persists... I feel a lot of Series 4 (with its episode structure) paralleled Season 3 a bit but this is the most 'obvious' with a comparison to San Junipero as it is another romantic drama with a happy ending because of the technology. It still stands very strong in its own regard though and I was questioning what the whole circumstances etc were throughout! It was a very interesting but odd premise as you are thrown into this world where the people are put on blind dates that you are forced to be on for months or even years. I think the chemistry between the two leads was very strong and helped to sell the story really well, meaning that the ending had a strong impact. The resolution is in fact one of the strongest. The only thing that did bother me (especially after USS Callister) was, do each of those 1000 incarnations have real feelings/awareness etc, isn't that torture to have 1000 incarnations of yourself going through years of misery just to find your perfect match?? :mellow: Parallels with real life: Tinder and Siri are the two biggest examples of the inspirations of the technology in the episode. If only the technology here did exist so we could all find our perfect match!! http://www.businessinsider.fr/content/uploads/2016/10/tinder-blog-450x338.jpg
March 3, 20187 yr After watching The End Of... I feel like I’d enjoy Shut Up And Dance a little bit more :lol: I liked it when I first watched it but it didn’t really seem as dystopian as most Black Mirror episodes, as it kind of is an issue which happens in our society today (to a lesser extent obviously but still). Hang The DJ is amazing too, actually prefer it to San Junipero if that’s its season 3 counterpart
March 9, 20187 yr Author 06. WHITE CHRISTMAS http://www.planocritico.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/black-mirror-white-christmas-600x400.jpg Average: 9.03 Highest: 11 (Klaus) 10 (ionderella, bridgecow, Chez Wombat) Lowest: 6 (lewistgreen) Two men are stationed at a remote outpost in the middle of a snowy wilderness. They tell each other their respective lives whilst preparing Christmas dinner, forming three mini-stories. In the first part, Matt tells his story of being a dating coach using an augmented reality device implanted in his client's eye whilst several other single men watch over the internet. The second story is also told by Matt as he explains his profession is using a chip that is implanted in a person's brain, creating a copy of the consciousness that is placed in a device to run a smart house. The third story is told by Joe as he explains his partner blocked him after she wanted to abort a baby. These all link together for a chilling conclusion. I love love LOVE this episode as I feel each story is SO strong that they are able to stand up by themselves and each leave a lasting impact. In particular, I feel the 'cookie' story is so dark for me as its the living consciousness that is left in a place with nothing to do. Its when he skips for several months, I always just imagine how torturous that must be for the consciousness! The twists in all the stories and the overall ending are just so good and the best of the show. There's not one bad part of the whole episode for me. I love the whole personal aspect to the third story and how it culminates in a shocking reveal as his daughter isn't actually his daughter and that he actually ends up indirectly killing her! Then you have that now traditional double twist as your perceptions are turned on their head as Joe's consciousness is being tortured and Matt being blocked by everyone! omg its just so good, I don't think I've mentioned that yet. It should be higher!! Parallels with real life: Smart Homes are trying to be a thing, helped by home assistant devices such as Alexa. Hopefully, people's consciousnesses aren't living inside them!a
March 10, 20187 yr Author 05. HATED IN THE NATION http://img1.readhouse.net/20161024/14772812188253403.jpg Average: 9.16 Highest: 10 (lewistgreen, ionderella, Calum, Chez Wombat, lotitia, Dexton, jafetsgfinns, dandy*, Botchia, Iz) Lowest: 7 (HausofTroye) DCI Karen and Trainee Blue are investigating some deaths. It is revealed that these deaths are as a result of mechanical bees that target their victims as a result of a 'Game of Consequences' where writing #Deathto could actually cause the death of someone. It is a race against time to prevent there being a next victim. This is definitely Black Mirror: the Movie as it is the longest (i think) episode and it does have that movie feel about it. It has obviously become known as the one with the killer bees but I think it is such a good comment on social media as we're so much more keen to show and express our hate, not even dislike, on platforms like Twitter and Facebook. It's so much easier to hide behind a screen and there's so many death threats that fly around for the smallest of things. If someone has been in the public eye, there is a guarantee that they will have received a death threat and how is that even normal? ANYWAY, I think it deals with this issue so well, starting off with a Katie Hopkins type figure and moving onto some very realistic 'hate figures' as every now and then social media (and the media in general) targets people who have done something wrong, sending all sorts of threats only to forget about them two weeks later. It all builds up to a brilliant finale. Parallels with real life: The research group of Eijiro Miyako at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan is currently working on Materially Engineered Artificial Pollinators using micro-drones. The killer bees are coming!!! http://static.dailygeeknews.net/images/544drone-pollinisateur-1024x583.jpg
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