4 ms·

I found this entire season to be sophomoric. A lot of the previous episodes were dense in subject matter that's not too often explored; the subject matter in t

I found this entire season to be sophomoric. A lot of the previous episodes were dense in subject matter that's not too often explored; the subject matter in this season has all been going on for the past decade or two and you would have to have not been paying any attention to the news while maintaining absolutely no interest in transgender topics for this to be meaningful. !!!!!! SPOILERS FOLLOW !!!!!! Episode 1 - "a guy explores his gender in a video game and finds that he enjoys a gender different than the one he's playing in real life. His friend finds that he enjoys his friend in that gender despite not being gay." Big deal? People have been doing this in real life without the aid of video games for decades now. Episode 2 - "a guy gets addicted to social media and (potentially) kills his significant other because he was paying attention to his social media while driving. He coerces the CEO of said social media into talking to him, CEO pays him some lip service after "triangulating" who this guy is through minimal information. Guy dies. Life goes on." I mean what's surprising here? Who hasn't looked up a blind date with Google to figure out whether or not they're a psycho? Laymen already have this information easily accessible to them. I've done a background check on myself, out of curiosity, and I found my address, phone number and email by just looking up the city I'm from and my name. Social media profiles are even easier to find. Or was it the fact that the CEO paid convincing lip service to some guy and then doesn't follow through with it? Or was it that life goes on after you die? Big whoop? Episode 3 - I mean why bother, it was just another feel good episode on a topic black mirror already explored.

bduerst 7y ago
I think the problem is that people expect every episode to be San Juniper now. Does nobody remember the first episode of season 1? The show has come a long way. I've only seen Episode 1 of season 5, and it explored the gender bender aspect of a fully-simulated virtual reality. Solid concept, but it probably could have been more relevant to pop-culture if they had incorporated catfishing as well, rather than a best friends love-triangle or whatever. Would have cinched it too if there was a Pina Colada song ending, which they set themselves up for.
- IIAOPSW 7y ago
  season 1 ep 1 was the episode where the PM porks the pig. People remember it because it became shockingly relevant. IMO seasons 1 and 2 were the best. Seasons 1 and 2 gave us things like the Waldo incident, which seemed to predict the rising tide of populism and data driven politics. They gave us white bear which is a brilliantly deep critique on crime and punishment in technologically advanced societies. The worst episodes can all be summed up as "the bees". The bees episode didn't have any deep or interesting point about micro-drones. It was just bad guy does terror thing and good guy hunts him (with some fletching about social media thrown on top). Same thing with Crocodile. The idea of a memory reading device and the issues of surveillance and privacy are interesting, but that episode completely skirted giving us anything to ponder in favor of a plain old cops and killers story that may as well be a CSI rerun. black mirror has two problems. 1. Netflix. 2. Charlie needs a technologist. Before the Netflix acquisition the ending was usually dark or uncomfortable. Each episode was like we had wished for some technology on a monkey's paw and got it. After Netflix came along it seemed like a rule that half the episodes had to end at least bitter sweet. I think they might be executive meddling with the formula. Perhaps Charlie could do a "screw you" episode about how a data driven TV production company leads to a world of incredibly bland art. Charlie Brooker is a journalist / comedian. After visiting the well of "social media kind of sucks" 3 or 4 times, he's clearly running out of ideas. He needs to work with someone more up to date on the trends.
  - NeedMoreTea 7y ago
    Thoroughly agree, though don't forget White Christmas - the special was great too! Netflix brought larger budgets, no impact any more and 15 minutes extra to explain points over, and over, and over. Like Nosedive. The extra 15 minutes was entirely devoted to "have interaction, rate it". Two or three explanations of this difficult concept would have been plenty. San Junipero was more Disney than Black Mirror. Even the better Netflix episodes feel like they are pulling their punches.

bduerst 7y ago

I think the problem is that people expect every episode to be San Juniper now. Does nobody remember the first episode of season 1? The show has come a long way. I've only seen Episode 1 of season 5, and it explored the gender bender aspect of a fully-simulated virtual reality. Solid concept, but it probably could have been more relevant to pop-culture if they had incorporated catfishing as well, rather than a best friends love-triangle or whatever. Would have cinched it too if there was a Pina Colada song ending, which they set themselves up for.

IIAOPSW 7y ago
season 1 ep 1 was the episode where the PM porks the pig. People remember it because it became shockingly relevant. IMO seasons 1 and 2 were the best. Seasons 1 and 2 gave us things like the Waldo incident, which seemed to predict the rising tide of populism and data driven politics. They gave us white bear which is a brilliantly deep critique on crime and punishment in technologically advanced societies. The worst episodes can all be summed up as "the bees". The bees episode didn't have any deep or interesting point about micro-drones. It was just bad guy does terror thing and good guy hunts him (with some fletching about social media thrown on top). Same thing with Crocodile. The idea of a memory reading device and the issues of surveillance and privacy are interesting, but that episode completely skirted giving us anything to ponder in favor of a plain old cops and killers story that may as well be a CSI rerun. black mirror has two problems. 1. Netflix. 2. Charlie needs a technologist. Before the Netflix acquisition the ending was usually dark or uncomfortable. Each episode was like we had wished for some technology on a monkey's paw and got it. After Netflix came along it seemed like a rule that half the episodes had to end at least bitter sweet. I think they might be executive meddling with the formula. Perhaps Charlie could do a "screw you" episode about how a data driven TV production company leads to a world of incredibly bland art. Charlie Brooker is a journalist / comedian. After visiting the well of "social media kind of sucks" 3 or 4 times, he's clearly running out of ideas. He needs to work with someone more up to date on the trends.
- NeedMoreTea 7y ago
  Thoroughly agree, though don't forget White Christmas - the special was great too! Netflix brought larger budgets, no impact any more and 15 minutes extra to explain points over, and over, and over. Like Nosedive. The extra 15 minutes was entirely devoted to "have interaction, rate it". Two or three explanations of this difficult concept would have been plenty. San Junipero was more Disney than Black Mirror. Even the better Netflix episodes feel like they are pulling their punches.