
‘Black Mirror’ and the Horrors and Delights of Technology - r0h1n
http://nytimes.com/2015/02/01/magazine/black-mirror-and-the-horrors-and-delights-of-technology.html
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lchengify
For anyone who hasn't seen it, I would highly recommend it. It's basically a
modern day Twilight Zone.

As some of the other comments have pointed out, episodes 1 and 2 are good but
not great. There's a review on AV Club [1] that address it really well, but
the general sense is the producers were not quite sure what tone to strike.
They tried to mix shock value with sci-fi, a bit of audience pandering and
some humor, and it ended up kind of flat.

Episode 3 is where it really takes off. I won't give spoilers but it hit so
hard I later realized I wasn't prepared for it. I watched it twice to see
whether or not it still had value outside of the "shock", and even the second
time I found that it was a fascinating look at where we might be going.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, Robert Downey Jr. bought the rights to turn episode
3 into a movie. The story will center on a widower who uses the technology to
reconstruct a vast conspiracy. [2]

[1] [http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/black-mirror-the-national-
anthe...](http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/black-mirror-the-national-
anthem-105464)

[2] [http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/12/robert-downey-
jr...](http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/12/robert-downey-jr-black-
mirror)

~~~
randomnumber53
One thing I have noticed from reading reviews and comments about the show is
that there is little consensus about which episodes are the best. Many people
(I being one of them), actually think episode 2, "Fifteen Million Merits" is
the series best.

Personally, I love every episode, and I even think the "The Waldo Moment,"
which is by far the messiest episode, made some important points about the
dangers of bad and lazy criticism.

This AV Club review of seasons 1 and 2 ([http://www.avclub.com/review/black-
mirror-is-a-brilliant-cal...](http://www.avclub.com/review/black-mirror-is-a-
brilliant-call-for-connection-in-106003)), which contains fewer spoilers than
the episodic reviews, really captures the goal and the value of the series as
a whole (see: its title.)

I'd say some other things but want to refrain from spoiling anything. While I
usually hate it when people care too much about spoilers (as you note, a work
should still stand up upon re-watch), this show at some points relies on the
viewer's lack of knowledge to create a tone/mood/point.

EDIT: Grammar.

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zedpm
Brilliant show. Black Mirror is a bit cerebral, thus not everyone's cup of
tea. The episodes I've seen seem to show one sort of technology that's
different from what we have, but reminiscent of something common. By the end
of the episode, you find yourself wondering if the harmless tech you use is
really so harmless.

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JeremyNT
I find it intriguing that the author of this article places "Her" in the "path
of least resistance" camp. Specifically, the author states that "Her":

> focuses more on the male protagonist’s inability to connect with other
> humans than the implications of unleashing such powerful programs on the
> world

I thought "Her" had an incredible amount of restraint, and the story of the AI
itself was told through a human _lens_. This is actually exactly what I
observed in many episodes of Black Mirror: normal people living their daily
lives, and an exploration of what happens when human nature is enhanced or
challenged by advanced technologies.

Really, when I first watched Black Mirror, "Her" came to mind immediately.
"Black Mirror" is perhaps more overtly bleak, but I feel that's a choice of
_tone_ rather than a decision to take a somehow more difficult path. "Her"
raises a lot of the same questions, even if it doesn't judge quite as harshly.

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platz
Either its about art, or its about the loss of innocence caused by technology
forcing us to pit moral values against each other that we didn't have to
before due to technology increasing the available options.

[http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2015/01/01/black-mirror-as-hell-
is...](http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2015/01/01/black-mirror-as-hell-is-other-
people-futurism/)

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nosuchthing
White Bear , S2E2 was as good as I could imagine a modern version of the
Twilight Zone can be. Blurring modern day life, SciFi, surrealism,
entertainment, and 4th wall breaking oddities.

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hitchhiker999
If you appreciate the underlying vibe, you might also like the 'weekly wipe'
series. Different format, it's news / political satire. It's created by the
same guy - Charlie Brooker.

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benbristow
Don't forget 'Dead Set', a really good zombie TV series set in the Big Brother
house (Very critically acclaimed).

Also 'A Touch of Cloth' is funny, essentially British 'Police Squad'/'Naked
Gun'.

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burnte
Terrible show. I can't speak to episode 3 and beyond because I didn't watch
it, 1 and 2 were so bad. I only saw the episodes that were available on
Netflix. Episodes 1 and 2 (PM Pigfucker and Reality TV Ad World) were HORRIBLY
paced, slower than molasses in January, with so much wasted time that should
have been either cut, or filled with more story. Instead, we're given the
basis of the episode in the first few minutes, then we get that concept beaten
like a dead horse for 30ish more minutes, then a completely unsatisfying
ending. There was a minor twist in 1 that could have been more enjoyable were
I not so annoyed at how bad the rest of the episode was, and the twist in
episode 2 was just obnoxious and completely unoriginal. There were so many
moments they could have done interesting things with what happens in the
episodes, but instead, they just leave half finished statements all over the
place. A complete waste of time, money, and talent.

It reminded me of Blair Witch, which was a fantastic 20 minute short film that
for no reason was padded out with an additional hour of footage of snotty
college kids crying and yelling "FUCK!" in the woods.

~~~
csandreasen
I took the advice of some reviews on Netflix and just skipped the first
episode altogether. I didn't find the second episode very believable (the
setting seemed really over the top), but thought I'd try one more episode. The
3rd and 4th were _significantly_ better.

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Rapzid
I didn't get that advice. There should be a warning on the site. I didn't find
the episode shocking, just plain dumb. The rest of the episodes were much
better but I do agree with the parent that the end of 2 was a bit meh.

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kbrwn
What did you find to be dumb about the episode?

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Rapzid
The Prime minister screws a pig on television to fill a ransom demand. The
shocker after the ordeal is the victim was released an hour before he did.

That's setting the bar pretty low. And for me, there were no redeeming
qualities to raise it back up.

~~~
untog
Well, for me, the shocker was the public reaction to it. That people thought
it was hilarious and goaded the Prime Minister into doing it, making it into a
viral sensation. It was only as the act began that they realised the horror of
the situation.

More to the point, someone could have found the victim within that hour and
stopped the whole thing, but no-one did because they were too preoccupied
watching it on TV.

~~~
ashark
Exactly. The "oooooh" moment isn't when we find out about the early release.
It's when we realize that the people the camera is showing you during the, ah,
_main event_ aren't the ones watching the most disgusting and degrading thing
happening at that moment—that pleasure's been reserved for us.

Then there's the framing and lighting on that last shot, which made me sit up
straight and go, "oh, crap, I need to start paying closer attention to the
film-nerd details in this show!"

