Sunday Review: Black Mirror (TV anthology)

Dark sides of technology

By Morris Dean

The British TV anthology Black Mirror (created by Charlie Booker, three episodes each in 2011 & 2013, plus a special this month) is so inventively different, it's difficult to categorize, especially because each episode has its own cast and is independent and unconnected narratively to any other episode. I've seen only three episodes so far, but their dramatic power assures me that I won't be leading anyone astray by recommending Black Mirror.
    The Internet Movie Database and Wikipedia both describe Black Mirror as showing "the dark side of life and technology," and the episodes are dark – and dark in a more personal, actual way than, say, a police drama that takes you inside the head of psychopath; one percent of the American population, by one reliable estimate, are psychopaths, but most of us can't identify one that we interact with. But we're virtually all of us today in the clutch of technology, and already we have our fears and doubts about the insidious effects of addictive texting, tweeting, checking email, gaming, liking, friending & unfriending, sharing, tagging, providing status, uploading photos, blocking, receiving feeds....
    Black Window creator Charlie Booker explained the anthology's title in The Guardian ("The Dark Side of Our Gadget Addiction," December 1, 2011):

If technology is a drug – and it does feel like a drug – then what, precisely, are the side-effects? This area – between delight and discomfort – is where Black Mirror, my new drama series, is set. The "black mirror" of the title is the one you'll find on every wall, on every desk, in the palm of every hand: the cold, shiny screen of a TV, a monitor, a smartphone.

    In Episode 1, "The National Anthem," the prime minister is informed that a popular duchess has been kidnapped, and her ransom is for him to perform a public act of beastiality with a pig. But can the government quietly investigate while negotiating with the kidnapper? No way. The same video clip shown to the prime minister has been posted on Facebook, and everyone is following the story and many are tweeting advice and "liking" various options....
    In Episode 2, "Fifteen Million Merits," the lives of millions are defined by a not-that-futuristic entertainment industry. Most people are employed pedaling bikes to generate electrical power and earn "merits" with which to purchase food from vending machines or even compete to become an entertainer (if you have at least fifteen million merits in your account), and from which merits are deducted as penalties for skipping or ignoring advertisements....
    In Episode 3, "The Entire History of You," everyone has a small implant behind one's right ear that records one's timeline and preserves everything experienced, with a small computer-mouse-like device for quickly accessing records of past experiences....

We watched those episodes the last three consecutive evenings. The narrative style of Episode 2 seems to me to render it a sort of parable of the reality our society seems to be edging into. The set is relentlessly indoors. The world of millions is portrayed as a huge building with many rooms of arrays of about a dozen exercise bikes, each facing a screen showing programming that exercisers can select by a few simple hand gestures. And we see the living cubicle of Bing (Daniel Kaluuya), a young man who has inherited 12 million merits and is bored by the enterprise of pedaling and watching and eating from vending machines. All three walls that we are shown are screens for representing the world outside or delivering programming.

    Bing wants something more, and one day in the uni-sex restroom he overhears Abi (Jessica Brown Findlay, Sybil on Downton Abbey) in a stall singing a song about love that she tells him she has learned from her mother. He thinks it is beautiful and seems smitten with her, stealing glances at her from his exercise bike. He wants more for Abi and encourages her to compete in the singing category on the "Hot Shot" program, which offers a chance for people to get out of the slave-like world around them. Bing offers Abi 15 million merits from his account, and after some convincing she agrees. As her sponsor, Bing is allowed to accompany her and stand off-stage as she confronts the three "Hot Shot" judges (Hope [Rupert Everett], Charity [Julia Davis], & Wraith [Ashley Thomas]).

    The unanticipated result of her competition leaves Bing alone and distraught, his account hovering on zero, forcing him to scavenge for leftovers in the cafeteria. Then, one day, clearly inspired in some way we don't yet comprehend, he begins a strenuous program of intense pedaling (and merit-accumulation), frugality (continuing to scavenge so as to conserve his merits), and practicing acrobatic dance moves. Aha! He's going to enter a "Hot Shot" competition.

    But, again, the results are not as anticipated, and both results are dark indeed, both easier and harder to watch than entering the mind of a serial rapist or killer.
    But, remember: I am recommending that you watch Black Mirror and learn for yourself what happens for Abi and Bing. Trust me.

We watched Series 1 on Netflix. If you don't have a subscription to Netflix, you can at least see clips on Youtube, including ones of this month's 90-minute special, "White Christmas," which stars Mad Men's Jon Hamm in three mini-stories, one of which, according to Wikipedia, explores the concept of "blocking" people in real life in the same way that you can on social media, while another delves into a "nightmarish" world of "smart" technology.

Copyright © 2014 by Morris Dean