“Black Mirror” is considered one of the best modern science fiction anthologies. Or perhaps, it *was*? After so many years, it`s easy to lose originality and fall into self-repetition. Can the series still surprise viewers, or has it finally run out of steam? We will delve into this in this review.
Has “Black Mirror” declined in quality? It’s a complex question. I’ve heard opinions that it will never again reach the dramatic heights seen in its very first episode – the one with the Prime Minister and the pig. Interestingly, it didn`t even involve particularly far-fetched science fiction, yet it set the overall tone. “Black Mirror” isn’t just a series about technologies that will tragically change our lives. It`s also about shock value, unexpected twists, sharp social commentary, and the realization that the fantastic future shown to us is not so distant.
Technically, the seventh season includes all the usual elements. Some episodes lean more towards science fiction, others towards social commentary. In my personal opinion, only half of the episodes are truly successful: the first, fifth, and sixth. The rest are weaker. However, the entire season suffers from several shortcomings.
Firstly, the stories have become very predictable. The writers almost shove the proverbial “Chekhov`s guns” right in the viewers` faces. We are shown a “trashy OnlyFans,” and it immediately becomes clear that the protagonist will use it to earn money. In another instance, a supercomputer is introduced seemingly “in passing,” and we instantly understand that this thing will be hacked. Only “Callister” managed to surprise me.
Secondly, there`s a persistent feeling that the series has become too self-referential. Perhaps this was inevitable – it’s incredibly difficult to create an anthology where every episode is completely original. But in this case, the themes not only echo past seasons but also repeat within the seventh season itself.
We have three love stories right away. And all three are, in one way or another, about the loss of a loved one and high-tech ways to combat death. Three more episodes are set in virtual reality, and two are closely related to video games and the fates of NPCs. Another two involve artificial intelligence and digital copying of people.
Synopsis. At the heart of the story is a poor but happy married couple. The wife is dying due to a brain disease. The husband agrees to an experimental surgery that saves his wife`s life but connects her to a cloud service. Everything comes at a price.
Of all the episodes in the seventh season, this one is the most quintessentially “Black Mirror.” It features highly plausible technologies that are closely intertwined with those that already exist. The cyberpunk motto “High Tech, Low Life” is in full effect. And it clearly demonstrates how a miracle can turn into a curse.
The episode satirizes subscription services familiar to us all: “Pluses,” “Premiums,” “Primes,” etc. The technology that replaced the heroine`s damaged brain part requires a monthly fee of $300. And if you thought all Americans are rich and $25,000 rubles is nothing to them, that’s not true.
However, the additional expenses forcing the characters to work more are just the beginning. The subscription is constantly changing. Contextual advertising starts being shown through the wife. To disable it, you already need to pay $800. And then the company starts using her brain`s computing power, causing the woman to sleep almost all day but not get any rest. To regain her own life, she will have to pay $1,800 per month. And this is not to mention the side problems caused by the subscription.
What I liked most was the love story. Fairy tale and rom-com stories about butterflies in the stomach are beautiful and fun. But a man and a woman who go through hell together and still remain loyal to each other – that evokes respect.
Synopsis. A woman encounters a former classmate at work. Over time, she notices that something strange is happening, but others are completely oblivious to it.
There is a specific genre of paranoid cinema where the main conflict and the main villain is the hero`s own mind. He, and along with him the viewer, cannot distinguish reality from fiction. Here, there might be an unreliable narrator and various other highly advanced narrative techniques.
However, “Loathsome Object” doesn`t employ any advanced techniques. What is happening is immediately clear. It`s also obvious why it`s happening, and there`s no reason to doubt the heroine`s sanity, because the solution is simple, albeit fantastical.
The main character`s classmate was a school outcast and computer genius who was bullied by, guess who. This same classmate has charmed the entire protagonist`s team, while the latter has begun experiencing a series of misfortunes. The poor woman starts to doubt her sanity; it seems to her that reality itself around her is changing. Names are not what she remembers. Events are happening differently than she thought.
In any other situation, this would be the setup for a psychological thriller. But here, it`s immediately clear that the classmate is literally changing reality, and there`s no schizophrenia involved. The only plus of the story is the absurdly idiotic ending.
Synopsis. A company invents a new way to remake movies. They literally place a modern celebrity into the virtual world of an old film.
You’ll like this one, I bet. An episode about how in a classic film, the main character is replaced by a black lesbian*. Well, if “Ordinary People” was the most “Black Mirror”-esque, then “Hotel `Desire`” is the most “Netflix”-esque.
A popular actress is dissatisfied with her role and considers herself very talented (which is not at all true). Therefore, she agrees to play an originally male role in a remake of her favorite film. However, she did not familiarize herself with the details of the offer, and for some reason, the film crew decided to shoot not only without rehearsals but even without discussing anything with the star (how stupid is that, I`m speechless, and I`m usually quite verbose).
Without explaining anything properly, they shove the heroine into the film, just like in “Creepshow,” or “Pleasantville,” or “Last Action Hero,” or anywhere else. For the film to succeed, the actress is required not just to say lines, but to maintain a “level of attraction” with the love interest, “world integrity,” and some other made-up terms that, I repeat, no one explained to her.
Of course, everything goes wrong. The plot develops incorrectly, the AI actress gains self-awareness, the main character gets stuck in the virtual world, and, of course, love-doves, which we and our friends from RKN fully condemn.
It’s endlessly ironic that throughout the episode, the characters are supposedly fighting plot holes, while their own story is a true trypophobia nightmare. Shooting without rehearsal, lack of explanation of the technology for the actress, a time limit plucked out of thin air (they could literally launch their magic machine anywhere, but for some reason, they rent a pavilion), an endlessly stupid supposedly professional actress, an absurd explanation of self-awareness. And all for what? To show a terrible version of “San Junipero”?
Synopsis. The police interrogate an eccentric murder suspect who is somehow connected to a revolutionary game from the 90s.
It starts off promisingly, like “Toy Story.” Although, perhaps only for me. For some inexplicable reasons, the image of an antisocial gaming journalist who is friends with NPCs turned out to be closer to me than the image of a rich and successful black lesbian*.
Throughout the episode, the main character tells what connects him to an unsolved murder from 1994. It turns out that at that time, he worked for a magazine for which he wrote about video games. Once, he was invited for a closed preview by the famous game designer Colin Ritman, the same one from “Bandersnatch” (or “Brandashmyg”). There is no particular connection with the interactive film, however. But here he again acts as something of a plot lever for the protagonist.
Ritman created a unique video game that is not a game at all, but a real self-developing digital life form. The protagonist felt a connection with the pixel creatures, kidnapped them, found a way to communicate with them (which we, by the way, also condemn), and eventually dedicated his whole life to serving his new friends.
The concept itself is interesting, and Peter Capaldi and his younger version play their roles excellently. Unfortunately, the ending creates a hole into which the entire plot falls.
Spoiler alert!
The main character, on the command of his Tamagotchi, seizes control of the country`s main supercomputer. To do this, he shows something like a QR code to a surveillance camera in the interrogation room. The question is, why couldn`t he show it to any other camera in the city? Or, as a last resort, get a tattoo with the code on his forehead?
Besides this, you can feel how the episode is trying to play on nostalgia: “Oh, look – Doom,” “Oh, look – Road Rash.” For some unknown reason, the hero buys consoles for upgrades instead of PC components, because “they are much more powerful.” And I also can`t believe in a gaming journalist who would hang an Atari Jaguar poster above his bed.
Synopsis. A man learns about the death of a long-time acquaintance. Funeral organizers offer him to make memory recordings to show at the ceremony.
A unique episode, very good. It`s practically a one-man show by Paul Giamatti. And if someone doesn`t know, he`s a very talented actor.
So, the deceased is not just an acquaintance of the protagonist, but his beloved, the love of his life. However, they broke up a long time ago and not in the best way, so he cannot remember her face. A virtual assistant and technology that allows entering photographs are called upon to restore memories.
Gradually, step by step, we learn how the young people met, started dating, moved in together. And about how they broke up. But we learn all this exclusively from the protagonist`s point of view. Through a veil of resentment, pain, and self-pity. How else, right?
Although this is, undoubtedly, another, the third in a row, love story, love itself is not in the foreground here. I would say that this is a story about healing. I understand it sounds high-flown, but this analogy fits perfectly. Their breakup – foolish, emotional, and misunderstood – is like an untreated wound in the soul. Over time, it became inflamed and festered, turning a cheerful young man into a gloomy old man. And the whole process of “Mourning,” restoring memories – is the opening of that wound. A painful procedure that ultimately brings relief with a bittersweet aftertaste.
Spoiler alert!
At this point, my lyrical abilities have exhausted themselves, so I`ll return to whining. I understand why the breakup was like that; the plot needed it. And I`m even sure that this often happens in reality too. But this does not exclude the stupidity of the situation. One, having received something like a rejection, broke off contact, without even trying to understand what happened. The second made a whole bet on a note that a resentful and completely drunk person should have noticed. And also broke off contact.
People! To convey a thought to another person, you need to use words. Human individuals begin to learn to speak at about a year old. Use this skill.
Synopsis. A direct continuation of the episode “USS Callister” from the fourth season. The ship`s crew has to survive in an MMO with 30 million players, and their real-world versions begin to suspect something is wrong.
“Black Mirror” is known for many Easter eggs and references to itself. In “Toy Story,” characters that had appeared before even appeared. But there has never been a full-fledged sequel. Why was “USS Callister” honored with this? Who knows. Perhaps because the episode was very good. Or maybe because it was almost the only one that had the potential for a continuation.
The virtual crew escaped from the captain and turned into something like bugged NPCs in the MMO “Infinity.” To survive, they are forced to rob players. But unlike gamers, for our heroes, all the dangers of the virtual world are absolutely real. The closest analogy is probably “Free Guy” with Ryan Reynolds (the series even features a fan of FC Wrexham, owned by Reynolds).
Meanwhile, in the real world, Nanette (the protagonist) for some reason turned into a copy of Robert Daly (the main villain of the first part). She comes to the conclusion that her digital clone is trapped in the game and is trying to help her. Well, and then the plot develops as it should, pleasing a couple of times with “wow” twists.
Someone may not like it, but I was pleased that the sequel slightly changed the genre. The first part was a thriller – the heroes were trapped alone with an all-powerful resentful sociopath. The sequel, on the other hand, is more of an action, a space blockbuster, if you will. But the humor remained the same.
*The LGBT movement is recognized as extremist, and its activities are prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation
Finley Holt