Black Mirror

The Netflix series, now on Season 5

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Christian A.
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Black Mirror

Post by Christian A. »

I'm surprised to find that no one has ever made a thread about this iconic show that has made its way into pop culture over the last several years. I discovered it over Christmas break in 2017, watched the first three seasons, and then excitedly binged Season 4 when it came out in early January 2018. Then there was Bandersnatch early this year and now Season 5 has been released.

Does anyone have any favorite episodes?

What were people's thoughts on the format of Bandersnatch?

What is the general consensus on Season 5? Were the new episodes well done and intriguing? Or did you feel that they were too derivative of concepts from earlier seasons and you wish the technology depicted was more ambitious?
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Marvin D.
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Post by Marvin D. »

oh boy, Black MIrror \:D/ i first watched it Christmas 2017* when I was at my friend's house and we watched two episodes, instantly fell in love. it's the kind of show with episodes that packed such a visceral punch and really made you stop, think, and reflect. they've had incredibly nihilistic, bleak episodes (like the Chrismtas special with the two guys in the house) or incredibly poignant episodes like San Junipero. they're deeply moving, highly unsettling, and it's probably one of my favorite series out there simply due to its uncanny bleakness and propensity towards the dark side of technology and how it affects our sense of self and relationships with the world around us.

at least, up until season 5, which was possibly the most disappointing series of a show i've ever watched >_> not only did it feel like it was entirely unoriginal, cliche drivel, it had very little connecting it to the previous style or tone of the earlier seasons, especially the last epsisode with Miley Cyrus. is Black Mirror trying to be a parody of itself? (teenagers save the world! instant redemption! Nine Inch Nails!) do they have nothing new left to say? Smithereens seemed to be the closest to what Black Mirror once set out to be, back in the days where they had powerful things to say about how we interact with technology and what our very near future could be like, but they often resorted to such cliche, banal lines it felt more as if my parents wrote the episode and were complaining about how millenials always have their noses in their phones. massively disappointed we had to wait so long for this, but what can you do?

that said, i do know the main reason for the delay was because of Bandersnatch, which was...all right, if not a little on-the-nose with the whole "ahh! i know someone's controlling me!" there were some delightful meta moments during some of the scenarious (like when he ends up on the set), but overall it was a little too pointed and predictably meta, although props to the team for actually pulling something like that off, simply on the logistical side of that.

overall, it's been one of my all-time favorite series, but i really hope future series have something meaningful to say about where we might be going.

* just realized we both discovered it at exactly the same time :p
Last edited by Marvin D. on Thu Jun 13, 2019 9:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Christian A.
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Post by Christian A. »

Marvin D. wrote:it's the kind of show with episodes that packed such a visceral punch and really made you stop, think, and reflect. they've had incredibly nihilistic, bleak episodes (like the Chrismtas special with the two guys in the house) or incredibly poignant episodes like San Junipero. they're deeply moving, highly unsettling, and it's probably one of my favorite series out there simply due to its uncanny bleakness and propensity towards the dark side of technology and how it affects our sense of self and relationships with the world around us.
Couldn't have said it better myself. In fact, White Christmas and San Junipero are my two favorite episodes, for the exact reasons you mentioned. When I want to introduce people to the show, I show them White Christmas, so that they get a real sense of what the show is capable of. Then, later, when they're hooked on the bleak explorations of technology, I make sure they get to see San Junipero, so that they know the soaring heights of technology's potential that the show can explore.

USS Callister is another classic -- probably because it weds the two atmospheres of the show perfectly: it's got a ton of bleakness to it, but it incorporates humor throughout and then has a happy ending! Plus the Star Trek parody moments are just priceless.
Marvin D. wrote:at least, up until season 5, which was possibly the most disappointing series of a show i've ever watched >_> not only did it feel like it was entirely unoriginal, cliche drivel, it had very little connecting it to the previous style or tone of the earlier seasons, especially the last epsisode with Miley Cyrus. is Black Mirror trying to be a parody of itself? (teenagers save the world! instant redemption! Nine Inch Nails!) do they have nothing new left to say? Smithereens seemed to be the closest to what Black Mirror once set out to be, back in the days where they had powerful things to say about how we interact with technology and what our very near future could be like, but they often resorted to such cliche, banal lines it felt more as if my parents wrote the episode and were complaining about how millenials always have their noses in their phones. massively disappointed we had to wait so long for this, but what can you do?
The only episode I was disappointed by was the last one, for the reasons you mentioned. There wasn't really anything new, and it did feel like a parody of itself at times. As for Smithereens, I liked how it didn't try to go beyond current technology and instead just craft a story around what we have now. But, like you said, it seemed like it was trying to be deeper than it actually was at its core. It definitely had a good twist, and the actors' performances were extremely gripping, but in the end, it doesn't stick with you, because it's just a message about
not using your phone while driving
and how we shouldn't be so addicted to social media.
Marvin D. wrote:that said, i do know the main reason for the delay was because of Bandersnatch, which was...all right, if not a little on-the-nose with the whole "ahh! i know someone's controlling me!" there were some delightful meta moments during some of the scenarious (like when he ends up on the set), but overall it was a little too pointed and predictably meta, although props to the team for actually pulling something like that off, simply on the logistical side of that.
Totally agree. I liked Bandersnatch. But it felt like it could have been better than what it ended up being. I can't complain much, because it was literally the very first major attempt at making a story like that. And, for being the first of its kind, it was very good. It just makes me excited about the future of the technology, because I know it could be much more intriguing and engaging.

Also, that is really fun that we discovered it at the same time. ^-^
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