5 ms·

‘Black Mirror’ and the Horrors and Delights of Technology

83 points by r0h1n 12y ago

burnte 12y ago
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.
- TrainedMonkey 12y ago
  Terrible comment. I can't speak for previous comments because I did not read them, but this one is really judgmental. First sentence clearly communicates the point of the comment, yet it drags for two more paragraphs completely beating around the same dead horse that could be summarized in one sentence: "I did not like the show because I did not agree with pacing of the story or understand why directors made certain stylistic choices."
  - burnte 12y ago
    I was clear that the show started off so poorly that I skipped the third of the three episodes available to me. This is called "honesty" and lets the viewer know exactly from where my comment comes. They can then chose to say, "Wow, the first two were so bad he quit there!" or "maybe it gets better later, I'll skip those two" rather than me bashing the entire series with people think I saw every episode. Your summary is incorrect. I enjoy a deliberately paced show or movie, I felt the pacing here was BAD, not that I didn't agree with it. Also, I at no point felt that I didn't understand the stylistic choices, I felt the writing was terrible. That's not a stylistic choice by the director. Visually the shows were very well done, and I thought aside from pacing, which was a flaw of the scripts, the directors did great jobs. Your comment is just snark for the sake of being snarky. I gave an opinion on the show, you're free to disagree, but don't be a dick just because you can. That impresses no one.
    - xtrumanx 12y ago
      I love Black Mirror but I don't understand why people feel the need to downvote you for expressing your opinion. I've been noticing more and more perfectly acceptable comments greyed out that I'm starting to wonder if I should just create a bookmarklet that just ungreys them all since I can't trust HN users to use their downvote privileges properly any more.
      - mercer 12y ago
        I agree about the trend, but in this case I do agree with the downvotes. OP states that 'the show is shit' and then makes it clear they have only seen two episodes. In the context of discussing the show, that seems like a comment of very low worth to me.
        burnte 12y ago
        There were three episodes available to me on Netflix. I said I skipped the last one and why. Isn't that me just being honest? I'm explicitly telling you that I'm only references the first two episodes because I made a conscious decision to not watch the third based on the terrible quality of the first two. Rather than ripping it all for no reason, I'm telling you EXACTLY what I didn't like and why, and how far that opinion should be taken. I'd think that's a legitimate expression of opinion.
      - burnte 12y ago
        Looking at the thread as a whole, I'm the only commenter stating they disliked the show. I think I'm just being downvoted for an unpopular opinion. I'll live. :)
- csandreasen 12y ago
  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.
  - Rapzid 12y ago
    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.
    - burnte 12y ago
      Maybe I'll jump back in to later episodes. It's hard to get things right directly out of the gate.
    - kbrwn 12y ago
      What did you find to be dumb about the episode?
      - Rapzid 12y ago
        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 12y ago
        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.
- gojomo 12y ago
  You should probably stick to fast-paced shows with satisfying endings, like Scorpion or CSI: Cyber.
  - burnte 12y ago
    I appreciate your comment, but I prefer well paced shows and movies, and good writing. Slow pacing is bad, deliberate pacing is good. "There will be blood" is a deliberately paced movie. "Django Unchained" is a deliberately paced movie. "Fargo" is a deliberately paced TV show, they're all good. Slow is when the audience is looking at their watches wondering when the end will come.
- copsarebastards 12y ago
  If "Black Mirror" is too slow for you, you have the attention span of a gnat.
- untog 12y ago
  Well, you have a large number of people telling you that the other episodes are well worth watching. What you do with that advice is up to you.
zedpm 12y ago
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.
platz 12y ago
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-other-people-futurism/ http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2015/01/01/black-mirror-as-hell-is...
lchengify 12y ago
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-anthem-105464 http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/black-mirror-the-national-anthe... [2] http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/12/robert-downey-jr-black-mirror http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/12/robert-downey-jr...
- randomnumber53 12y ago
  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-call-for-connection-in-106003 http://www.avclub.com/review/black-mirror-is-a-brilliant-cal...), 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.
nosuchthing 12y ago
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.
hitchhiker999 12y ago
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.
- benbristow 12y ago
  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'.
JeremyNT 12y ago
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.

83 points by r0h1n 12y ago

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.

TrainedMonkey 12y ago
Terrible comment. I can't speak for previous comments because I did not read them, but this one is really judgmental. First sentence clearly communicates the point of the comment, yet it drags for two more paragraphs completely beating around the same dead horse that could be summarized in one sentence: "I did not like the show because I did not agree with pacing of the story or understand why directors made certain stylistic choices."
- burnte 12y ago
  I was clear that the show started off so poorly that I skipped the third of the three episodes available to me. This is called "honesty" and lets the viewer know exactly from where my comment comes. They can then chose to say, "Wow, the first two were so bad he quit there!" or "maybe it gets better later, I'll skip those two" rather than me bashing the entire series with people think I saw every episode. Your summary is incorrect. I enjoy a deliberately paced show or movie, I felt the pacing here was BAD, not that I didn't agree with it. Also, I at no point felt that I didn't understand the stylistic choices, I felt the writing was terrible. That's not a stylistic choice by the director. Visually the shows were very well done, and I thought aside from pacing, which was a flaw of the scripts, the directors did great jobs. Your comment is just snark for the sake of being snarky. I gave an opinion on the show, you're free to disagree, but don't be a dick just because you can. That impresses no one.
  - xtrumanx 12y ago
    I love Black Mirror but I don't understand why people feel the need to downvote you for expressing your opinion. I've been noticing more and more perfectly acceptable comments greyed out that I'm starting to wonder if I should just create a bookmarklet that just ungreys them all since I can't trust HN users to use their downvote privileges properly any more.
    - mercer 12y ago
      I agree about the trend, but in this case I do agree with the downvotes. OP states that 'the show is shit' and then makes it clear they have only seen two episodes. In the context of discussing the show, that seems like a comment of very low worth to me.
      - burnte 12y ago
        There were three episodes available to me on Netflix. I said I skipped the last one and why. Isn't that me just being honest? I'm explicitly telling you that I'm only references the first two episodes because I made a conscious decision to not watch the third based on the terrible quality of the first two. Rather than ripping it all for no reason, I'm telling you EXACTLY what I didn't like and why, and how far that opinion should be taken. I'd think that's a legitimate expression of opinion.
    - burnte 12y ago
      Looking at the thread as a whole, I'm the only commenter stating they disliked the show. I think I'm just being downvoted for an unpopular opinion. I'll live. :)
csandreasen 12y ago
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.
- Rapzid 12y ago
  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.
  - burnte 12y ago
    Maybe I'll jump back in to later episodes. It's hard to get things right directly out of the gate.
  - kbrwn 12y ago
    What did you find to be dumb about the episode?
    - Rapzid 12y ago
      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 12y ago
        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.
gojomo 12y ago
You should probably stick to fast-paced shows with satisfying endings, like Scorpion or CSI: Cyber.
- burnte 12y ago
  I appreciate your comment, but I prefer well paced shows and movies, and good writing. Slow pacing is bad, deliberate pacing is good. "There will be blood" is a deliberately paced movie. "Django Unchained" is a deliberately paced movie. "Fargo" is a deliberately paced TV show, they're all good. Slow is when the audience is looking at their watches wondering when the end will come.
copsarebastards 12y ago
If "Black Mirror" is too slow for you, you have the attention span of a gnat.
untog 12y ago
Well, you have a large number of people telling you that the other episodes are well worth watching. What you do with that advice is up to you.

zedpm 12y ago

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.

platz 12y ago

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

lchengify 12y ago

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-anthem-105464 http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/black-mirror-the-national-anthe... [2] http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/12/robert-downey-jr-black-mirror http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/12/robert-downey-jr...

randomnumber53 12y ago
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-call-for-connection-in-106003 http://www.avclub.com/review/black-mirror-is-a-brilliant-cal...), 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.

nosuchthing 12y ago

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.

hitchhiker999 12y ago

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.

benbristow 12y ago
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'.

JeremyNT 12y ago

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.