Summary
Black Mirrorbegan in 2011 and, amazingly, new episodes are still being made. The content drops can be sporadic, sometimes taking two, three, or more years in-between productions. Of the many horror anthology shows out there, it’s the one that gets discussed around the water cooler the most. In this season, viewers are treated to six episodes, each going into various technology issues that people face daily.
What would subscription services be like if applied to medical issues? What if someone could weaponize the concept ofgaslighting and multiversesto a wild degree? It’s a lot to take in forBlack Mirror, but let’s dive into some choice quotes for now. There will be spoilers.
8“You’re Giving Me Commercial Tourettes?!”
Amanda, Episode One
“Common People” is a horrifying look at whata subscription-based servicecould do in the medical field. Amanda is a schoolteacher who suffers from a brain tumor and there is no hope of reviving her until her husband, Mike, meets Gaynor from a cloning company called Rivermind.
For $300 a month, Amanda gets to live with a tumor-free brain but there is a catch which is later revealed. This subscription model has ads that Amanda spouts randomly and as she says it to Gaynor like “Commercial Tourettes.”
7“Because I Am The Empress Of The Universe!”
Maria, Episode Two
“Bete Noire” should be called “Gaslighting On A Multiverse Level” because that’s the theme behind it. In high school, the protagonist of this episode, Maria, used to bully an unpopular girl, Verity. Now, having the power of quantum mechanics, Verity has created a device to warp in other universes to fit her needs.
She is systematically going through the girls who bullied her with Maria being next. Maria eventually bests Verify and in her final act of triumph, she wishes and gets to be the empress of the universe showcasing that when power is presented to an individual, they will be corrupted without question.
6“I’ve Got All The Time In The World.”
Dorothy/Clara, Episode Three
“Hotel Reverie” is the name of episode three and it’s also the title of a movie. While filming a recreation of the moviea modern actress, Brandy, falls in love with the AI construct of an actress from the 1940s, Dorothy.
After filming, Dorothy’s consciousness disappears only to reappear in the form of a phone call to Brandy in the end. It was a sweet way to give the lovebirds a somewhat happy ending even though they can never truly be together.
5“They Are Not Some Obscene Puppets Like Sonic The Hedgehog.”
Colin Ritman, Episode Four
“Plaything” is all about video games except on a whole other level. The episode is mostly a flashback of a game journalist from the 90s, Cameron, who goes to visit a programmer, Colin for a big new game calledThronglets.
Colin reveals he hasn’t created a game but instead, an AI-generated consciousness that players can interact with. He throws shade atSonic the Hedgehogbeing some puppet manipulated by the player which isn’t wrong and is just a funny thing to hear in aBlack Mirrorepisode.
4“Everything Will Be So Much Better.”
Cameron Walker, Episode Four
“Plaything” deserves a little bit more praise for how things end. It’s kind of a mystery what Cameron’s backstory to the police is all leading up to regarding his request for a pen and paper. What he wanted was to draw a QR code that would link every human on Earth thanks to the Thronglets’ programming skills.
It’s a big wow moment that most will probably not see coming and is a bit hard to piece to understand. Even though it seems like an evil thing, Cameron reassures the detectives that it’s all for the greater good.
3“Okay, Let’s Go See Her.”
Phillip, Episode Five “Eulogy”
“Eulogy” is mainly a two-person episode with Phillip being assisted by an AI construct to help piece together a memorial service, Called Eulogy, for an old fling named Carol. At first, Philip plays Carol off like an old acquaintance he barely knew, but throughout the episode, it’s revealed he used to care deeply for her and still thinks of those final moments.
In the final scene, Philip tells the Eulogy assistant that he wants to see Carol again which has a double meaning. He wants to see Carol in a memory and he actually wants to go tothe memorial serviceand both scenes are cut between to pull at those emotional heartstrings.
2“You Want Me To Bandage T**?”
Elena Tulaska, Episode Six
“USS Callister: Into Infinity” is the only sequel episode in this season, which is a callback to season four’s premiere, “USS Callister.” This new episode opens with Nanette and Nate trying to rob some real playersin the MMOof their credits which goes badly as Nanette suffers damage.
When they get back to the ship, Elena offers to bandage Nanette’s chest, to which she says she can handle it herself. There are a lot of chest jokes in this episode, and they get funnier every time, but this opener is delivered well.
1“Rocky Has A Hole In The Back?”
Nanette Cole, Episode Six
There’s another great quote in “USS Callister: Into Infinity” about halfway through the episode when Nanette finds a copy of James who is still alive in the game and seemingly died last season. In his cave, James introduced Nanette to Rocky, a rock with a smiley face on it as a callback to Wilson from thegreat Tom Hanks movie,Castaway.
The weird thing inBlack Mirroris that Nanette finds a hole drilled into the back, and she asks why, only to drop it as she figures out what James had been doing to it.
