Summary
The first two episodes ofBlack MirrorSeason 7 were different from one another. “Common People” primarily focused on how well-being was being controlled by big tech companies. People would have to choose a subscription tier if they needed their health to be at optimum levels. Meanwhile, “Bete Noire” was more about how a human can take the help of ever-evolving technology to ruin someone’s life. But Episode 3 is much different from the previous two and asks a relevant question: are humans controlling technology, or is it the other way around?
In Episode 3 ofBlack MirrorSeason 7, titled “Hotel Reverie,” a special kind of software is introduced that could help filmmakers or producers to make their classic films again, and that too, in real time. As a result, a failing production house that used to be big in the black-and-white era decides to take a leap of faith and remake one of its classic movies with the help of new technology. They hire a new lead actor, they keep the script the same, and they hope everything will turn out to be good. But things rarely go like that inBlack Mirror, and soon everyone involved in this project finds themselves in a very precarious situation, where people might get killed.
Black Mirror Season 7’s Hotel Reverie is a haunting dive into Hollywood’s Past
The episode also touches on the perils of AI-driven storytelling
Once again, this episode goes back and forth in time to tell an intriguing yet complex story. “Hotel Reverie” is titled after the fictional movie of the same name that was released in the black-and-white era. The movie featured two big stars from yesteryears and became a huge hit. However, the production house behind the film is now falling apart and in debt.
The head of Keyworth Studios, Judith Keyworth (played by Harriet Walter), feels they don’t have the funds to produce a movie with big names. But, Kimmy (played by Awkwafina), who is the mind behind ReDream, tells Judith that this software, named ReDream, could make her cast anyone in the industry. In the present day, a prominent Hollywood star, Brandy (played by Issa Rae), is trying to attain lead roles. When she is contacted to play a lead character in the “Hotel Reverie” remake, she says yes and flies to England for the filming. But things are not traditional anymore, and the ReDream software is used to transport Brandy to that film set and meetDorothy Chambers (played by Emma Corrin),who played Clara in the film. Everything starts normally, but it doesn’t take much time for things to spiral.
The premise of “Hotel Reverie” is rather simple. However, there’s a twist in the tale, which makes the narrative more thrilling. Brandy enters a fully immersive film set where she’s the lead actor and plays her character in real time, with every movement and dialogue captured by cameras and sensors. However, the set isn’t just interactive, it’s another dimension. One where the lines between fiction and reality blur to terrifying effect. But things get out of hand when Brand is stuck in that dimension, and she is unable to leave the story, and at that moment, “Hotel Reverie” becomes a slow-burn psychological horror that grips you tighter with each sequence.
Hotel Reverie explores identity and control in a chilling way
One of the strongest aspects of the episode is how it shows that AI or technology has the capability to adapt to its surroundings. The world, in which the film set is established, isn’t just pre-programmed; it evolves with everything it hears and every move that is made by the characters, and if Brandy goes off script, the technology adapts, something unexpected happens, something that was never meant to. In today’s world,everyone talks about how technology isn’t just static, and it evolves with each moment, tightening its grip the more people try to resist. In one of the scenes where Brandy calls Dorothy by her real name, it changes everything for the lead female character.
During the episode, it was revealed that Dorothy sank into Clara’s character because it spoke to her and was close to how she was in her real life. As soon as Brandy calls her Dorothy, the program changes and showcases how technology is letting her feel things that she wasn’t supposed to. This ability of AI to adapt and correct deviations explores a chilling reality: What happens when technology starts understanding human behavior better than humans themselves? If that happens, the world would certainly feel like where control is invisible, not a tool, but like a trap.
Rae is splendid as Brandy and conveys her emotions brilliantly. The way she shifts from confidence to fear is effortless. Viewers feel her panic as the beautiful hotel setting becomes more like a maze with no exit. Awkwafina and Walter are splendid in their respective roles. However, it’s Corrin who knocks it out of the park with a magnificent performance. She embodies the vulnerabilities, fears, and innocence of Dorothy with precision. The way she speaks, moves, and behaves makes everyone forget that she is acting and looking like a person who is in a world where she is unable to wake up.
InBlack Mirror, everything is correlated with technology, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have human elements. “Hotel Reverie” is a brilliant satire of the entertainment industry, where actors often lose themselves in roles and studios push for total control. But it also touches on larger themes such as free will, surveillance, and how far tech can go in the name of realism. The character of Dorothy feels like a prisoner who doesn’t know where she is and what the reality is, but continues to lay out her feelings for someone who is not even a part of her world.
On the other hand, it talks about how humans still don’t know about the ability of such technology. They feel that they can control them, but the more data you feed them, the more sophisticated they get, and they can do things that humans couldn’t even think about. The cinematography is one of the standout elements of this episode. The masterful blend of black-and-white aesthetics with modern visuals gives the episode a haunting beauty.
The pacing is tight, the dialogue sharp, and the themes uncomfortably relevant. “Hotel Reverie” doesn’t just entertain, it makes everyone question the media they consume and the systems that shape them.
