6/15/2017 Jeff VanderMeer on the Complex Humanity of 'Black Mirror' - The Atlantic

The Complex Humanity of Black Mirror

In its third season, the series achieves an imaginative moral and narrative
depth that counteracts its oftendark scenarios.

Netflix
J EFF VA NDERMEER

OCT 29, 20 16 | CULTURE

VladimirNabokovlikedtoexaminecrueltyandthehumancondition.Thatdidnt
meanhewascruel;theresnoevidencehekickedpuppiesjustforthefunofit.
Similarly,BlackMirrorlikestoexaminepossibledystopias,butthatdoesntmean
theshowiscynicalenoughtoendorsethem.Instead,especiallyinseasonthree,
recentlyreleasedonNetix,asortofhumanityhasenteredthatservesasa
counterpointtotheparticularversionofBleakworldonoer.Fucktheplant,fuck
theplanet,themaincharacterintherstepisodeshoutsatawedding-gone-
wrong,butthemessageisofcoursetheopposite:Weshouldcareabouttheplanet.
Weshouldcareabouteachotherandweshouldengage,notlookaway.

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Ididntexpecttogointoseasonthreethinkingkinder,gentlerthoughtsinthe
contextofashowthatdebutedin2011withanepisodeinwhichaBritishpolitician
isforcedtoscrewapigforanhour.Butthereyougo.BlackMirrorsurprises,and
nevermoresothanthisseason,writtenprimarilybytheshowscreator,Charlie
Brooker,althougheachepisodehasadierentdirector.Whocouldpredictthelove
storyatthecenteroftheseason,episodefoursSanJunipero?Or,even,thatthe
pathofepisodeone,Nosedive,wouldleadtoacallowmaincharacterplayed
wonderfullybyBryceDallasHowardbeingrenderedcomplexbytheend,ina
sceneinprisonthatsdeeplycathartic?

SomecriticshavenotedBlackMirrorbecomingdarkerthisseason,buttomeat
least,thecharacterizationhasbecomeevermorehumane,asiftoprovidebalance.
Afterall,whatisunrelievedhorrorbutaformofboredom?Whatisdystopia
unrelievedbyhumororsomecontrastingelementbutaslogthroughwastelands
thatonlydierbydegreesand,perhaps,theweightofaparticularbaseballbat
appliedtoaparticularhead?

The scriptwriters keep pushing inexorably outward, often

past the point where a lesser show would end.

Inseasonthreewediscoverthateveninthemidstoftechnologicalforcesbeyond
ourcontrol,theindividualisstillfreetostrivetorejecttheoppressive,tostop
beingahamsteronawheelasinNosedive,ortobreakonthroughtotheother
sideasinSanJunipero.Andmostimportantly,succeedorfail,theindividualstill
hasthechoicetopursueanethicalpathovergivingintodarkness.Hatedinthe
Nation,maybedarkasifsomehowtherealworldrightnowisacontinual
laughriotbutitfeaturescharacterswithastrongmoralcompasswhopossessa
doggedenduranceinthefaceofunspeakablebee-dronehorrors.

Orconsiderepisodethree,ShutUpandDance,inwhicheverycharacterisin
troubleforfailingtopursueamoralpath,andeachofthemhasbeenreduceddown

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toarivetingquestthatstillallowsaterriblechanceatsurvival.Weareriveted
becausewebelieveintheideaofempathyandtheabilitytoatoneforoursins.Even
ifitturnsoutsomeoneweveexpressedempathyforhassinnedinawaytooterrible
toberedeemed,weoftenstillgivethebenetofthedoubttothenextperson.

Whatthebestoftheseepisodesshareisadislocationcausedbyopeningupthe
context,asifexperiencingatelephotolensthatkeepswideningourperspectivefar
beyondexpectation.Withaneerieprecision,oursenseofthecontextand
characterschangesbecausethescriptwriterskeeppushinginexorablyoutward,
oftenpastthepointwherealessershowwouldend.

I
nthatcontext,itsstrikingtoexaminewhytheworstepisodesdontwork,
whilestillbeingsuperiortosimilarexamplesfromshowslikeNightGallery
backintheday.Episodetwo,Playtest,sharestheseasonscommonthread
ofintroducingasympatheticorultimatelysympatheticcharacter,Cooper(Wyatt
Russell),someonenotembeddedinthepowerstructuresoftheworld.BlackMirror
spendsseveralminuteslettingusseehowlikeableheiseventhoughcareful
viewerswilldeducehesprobablyaday-friend,notaweek-friend,oramany-years-
friend.Sofarsogood.

ButPlaytestasanepisodedoesntsharethequalityofopeningup,inaliteralor
thematicsense,thatBlackMirroroftenexcelsat,whereyoucanthinkofthe
openingupasaformofgenerosity.Whenyoupushpasttheexpectedpoint,youre
notjusthopefullycreatingsomethingmoreinteresting,yourealsosayingyoutrust
theviewer.Playtest,ontheotherhand,tendstoclosethingsdownintoapersonal
contextthatslessinteresting.

WhenCooperrunsoutofmoneyinLondonwhiletravelingacrosstheworldona
cathartictripfollowinghisfathersdeath,hewindsupvolunteeringforasimulated-
realityexperiment.Whiletheactingisperfectlyne,whatfollowsactuallyputsthe
characterintoasmallerandsmallerbox.Wedonotwidenoutintosocietalor
culturalcontexts,orevengeographicallyintowiderandwiderphysicalspaces.
Thereislessandlessmovementofanysortastheepisodecontinuesuntilwere

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trappedinahauntedhouse,lledwithhorrorsspecictotheprotagonistbut
possiblynottheviewer.ThatthisincludesShelobwithahumanfacelikeacheap
knock-ofromtheDonaldSutherlandversionofInvasionoftheBodySnatchers
(formula=unsettlinghumanfaceonanimalbody,causinggeneralqueasinessanda
re-examinationoffoundationalunderstandingofbiologicalmutations)andahigh-
schoolbullydressedlikesomebodyfromthe1800sisinescapablybanal.That
claustrophobiayoufeelisboredomyourownworstfear.You'dbebettero
droppingaspiderwithahumanfaceintothemiddleofKnausgaard'sMyStruggle.

Theres a little red eye looking down on us, and its not
Sauron, or God, but surveillance that anyone can tap into.

Althoughtheresfuntobehadinhowtheepisodecommentsonandmessesaround
withover-usedhorrormovietechniqueslikejumpscares,evenahorriblestink-
sandwichlikethemovieCabinintheWoodshasplayedaroundwiththeseclichs
before,andbeendevouredbythem.Theentireepisodemaybeimpeccablyshot
anddirected(byDanTrachtenberg,whorecentlyhelmed10ClovereldLane),but,
intheend,whocaresaboutthecharactersattemptstosurvive,orabouthismom?
Athirty-secondmom,really;formomsthatlastalifetime,seePsycho.

BlackMirrorhassetsuchahighbarasananthologyseriesbasedonwhatyoumight
callanacuteexaminationofdysfunctionaltechhorrorsorthehorror-implications
ofsaidtechthataspiderinahauntedmansionjustdoesntcutit,anymorethan
theDisneyridedoes.Ormaybeaugmentedrealityjustdoesntcutitandthatsthe
point.BecauseoncetheepisodereachestheVR-augmentedmansion,thereisreally
noresolutioninvolvingtheunravelingofdierentlevelsofrealitythatwillsatisfy,
eveninananti-catharticway.Although,ifyouthoughtJacobsLadderwasbrilliant,
scintillatingcinema,youmaydisagree.

nasimilarbutmoresuccessfulvein,episodethree,ShutUpandDance,playtests
adierentkindofrenovation:TakingthepremiseofamovielikeSawandplacingit

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outinthewiderworld,withdierenttypesofconnectionsandcommentary.
Partofthesuccessoftheepisodeistheactualphysicalmotionthatoccurs
withinit,awideningoutandameetingupwithothercharactersfacingthe
samedilemmaasourprotagonist.Theresnoyawn-inducingtraumafrombeing
chainedinthesamelthy,visuallyuninterestingroomwhileadisembodiedvoice
comesonovertheintercom,followedbyanannouncementthattodaysmenu,like
thedaybeforeandthedayafter,willbemeatloaf.Thus,eventhisverysimpleidea
ofmovementwhiletheinfo-agesubtextmakescleareveryoneischainedtogether
inalthyroomandfedonasteadydietofbloodymeatloafmakestheconceptat
leastsomewhatfresh.Youdontalwaysneedatortureroomtobetorturedinthe
ageofglobalization.Justbeware:Theresalittleredeyelookingdownonus,and
itsnotSauron,orGod,butsurveillancethatanyonecantapinto.

Infact,perhapstheleastconvincingaspectofthemaincharacter,Kenny(Alex
Lawther),beingblackmailedthroughvideoofhimjackingoisntthat,givenour
internetculture,hemightvegotten15minutesoffameinsteadofshamehadthe
videoleaked.Itsthatthevideoiscapturedfromthewebcamontheteenslaptop
andnot,say,fromtheeyeofawirelessTeddyRuxbincybertoy,ortheeraserina
mechanicalpencil,orachronicallydepressedrefrigeratorbentonrevengeforthe
stuleftrottinginside.

Butthataside,asthephotographerKyleCassidysomeonewhosnotonly
photographedJohnCarpenterbutwatchedametrictonofhorrormoviesnotedas
wewatchedthisepisodetogether,ShutUpandDancemaynotdoanything
particularlynew,butitdoesitextraordinarilywellandunlikeinPlaytest,wedo
careaboutthemaindid-bad-thingscharactersthroughout,atleastinthemoment,
andwearelargelyinvestedintheepic(tothem)aspectsoftheirstruggle.

Here,itsprobablywisetomentionthatonereasonBlackMirrorworkssowellisit
doesasuperlativejobofcastingepisodestherearetopnotchactorsineveryrole,
consummatelychosenandgivengreatdirection.IfsomeoftheoldNightGallery
andTwilightZoneepisodesnolongerreallywork,sometimesitsthattheacting

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pullsusoutofthestoryinawaythatsnotasbadasDarkShadowsbutmightaswell
be.ShutUpandDance,withitsultimatedeusexmachinamanipulation,isthe
bestexampleofwhythatmatters.

Foronething,JeromeFlynn,mostfamousforhisrakishroleinGameofThrones,
popsupgloriouslyandunexpectedlyasthemid-life,middle-classversionofhis
fantasy-realmcharacter,harriedandstressedandutterlyconvincing.Yetitshis
counterpartinanagonizingallianceofconvenience,theteenagerplayedby
Lawther,whoinallofhisreactionsissoexcruciatinglyperfectthatyourehorried,
wantingtolookawayandyetmesmerizedandforalongtimereallyrootingforhim
togetoutofthiswhilealsowonderingjusthowmanyactingawardshellbeupfor.

YoucouldarguethatShutUpandDancesayssomethingwealreadyknew,
becauseeventhoseofuswhohavecommittednocrimeareindenturedtoour
insecuritiesandpettysecrets.Thosewhodontliketheepisode,includingmywife,
arerighttothinkthatendingwithamontageofpeopleindistresswhileasad
Radioheadsongplayscouldbeconsideredpaperingoveralackofformalclosure.
But,then,throughourdevotiontoLOLCats,wiseowlphotographsbearingfortune-
cookietruths,andotherinternetmemes,weknoweverythingalreadyanyway,so
everytruthisbanalandmadefreshonlybyanewanddierentcontext.Imaybe
half-joking,butBlackMirrorisnt;thenaltwistinShutUpandDanceplays
hardballwiththeideaofwhoyourootfor,andwhyyourootforthemindeeply
uncomfortableways.

I
fyouneedtobewareofthedevicesaroundyouthatmightsurveil,youalso
needtobewareofthepropagandaputinyourhead,asinepisodeve,Men
AgainstFire.TheepisodetscomfortablyintowhatIdcalltheshows
renovationmode,inhabitingahorror,comic-booksubgenreyoumightcall
conictedcyberneticsoldier.Thefearofbeingalteredtobecometheperfect
weaponcantakemanyformsinstorytelling,fromDr.Moreau-likemutantscenarios
tolost-Nazi-techHellboyversions.InMenAgainstFire,asoldier(MalachiKirby)
experiencesaglitchthat,inawarsettingthatseemsur-Balkan,makeshimseeferal

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mutantsashuman.Hethenmustmakeaterriblechoicegiventohimbya
psychologistplayedbyMichaelKelly,infamousasthechiefofstaonHouseof
Cards.(AnothergreatbitofcastingKellybringsthememoryofthatterrifying
performancewithhim,givingaminorrolemajordepth.)

Withitsthemesofwipingoutgeneticimpuritiesandexplorationofmilitary
conditioning,MenAgainstFirecontainsharrowingandheart-feltmoments,but
theepisodesgeopoliticsarefaroutstrippedbythecomplexitiesandhorrorsof
modernregionalwarfare.JuxtaposeepisodevewithashowlikeTheLastPanthers,
whichdoesacrediblejobofconveyingthecomplexallegiancesinpost-warSerbia,
andyourealizeMenAgainstFiresorelyneedssomeadditionalreal-worldgrit,an
amoralcontext,tomuddyupandmessuptheclarityofthecentralsituation.
Because,honestly,howcanyounotseethissituationasGoodversusEvil?The
intricaciesofachoiceofwhetherornottorememberatrocityseemslikesmallbeer
inthewidercontext.Norarethevictimsinthisepisodegivenmuchinteriority,
whichmighthaveaddeddepth.Asaresult,theepisoderisesabovemostlyduetoa
goodtwistattheend,anexcellentperformancefromKirby,andcinematographyso
ne-graineditseemsdeliberatelytomimicavirtual-realityexperience.

Inconsideringthesethreesimpleepisodes,itsworthnotingthatmostother
anthologyshowsdontdisplayatenthofthesophisticationevidenteveninBlack
Mirrorshalf-successes.ItsjustthatBlackMirrorhasspoiledusbysooftenbeing
great,andsowekeeppushingandproddingittoforeverandalwaysliveuptoits
best.SomedayBlackMirrorwilltakeabaseballbattoitsbestplotandwewillrise
asonetorageonsocialmedia,thusprovingmostoftheshowsmoreobvious
points.

Putanotherway,especiallyregardingtheideaofrenovationversusinnovation,a
ublikePlaytestisanepisodethatuseselementA(augmentedreality)to
commentonlyonelementA(augmentedreality,likethisparenthetical)and
possiblythepsychologyofelementB,aspeciccharacterwhoinhisEveryman-
who-can-travel-cheaply-abroadaspectscarrieslittlesocietalweight.Eventhough

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moresuccessful,neitherMenAgainstFirenorShutUpandDance,forallof
theirmerits,quiteriseaboveourbaselineideaofaverageBlackMirrorquality.

Butthenyouencounteranepisodelikeepisodesix,HatedintheNation,andyou
ndampleevidencethatBlackMirrorsbestworkdisplayscomplexityinawaythat
resemblestheverdictofgoodsynthesisscrawledbyprofessorsonEnglishpapers
likelytogetanAorBratherthanaC-.

InHatedintheNation,BlackMirrormoreorlessfuseselementsX,Y,Z1,andZ2
tocreateafocusedmysterynarrativethatalsocommentsonanynumberofissues
criticaltousnow.Mechanicaldronebeesinarticialhiveshavetakentheplaceof
realonestohelpfertilizeowers,inanear-futurewherecolonycollapsedisorder
hasclaimedallbees,andmanyotheranimalsareextinct.Againstthisbackdrop,
someonehacksabeetokillapublicgurereviledonsocialmediaforhateful
comments.Thehashtag#DeathTotrendsandturnsouttohavesinisteroriginand
real-worldeects,whilepeoplethroughtheUnitedKingdomplayalongasifwords
donthaveconsequences.

Thecomplexityinepisodesixbuildsbecausetherelationshipbetweenthetwomain
womencharacters,bothpolicedetectives,largelydoesntfollownoir-ctionclichs,
andthispersonalanchorofcharacterisjuxtaposednotjustwithexplorationofthe
sociologicaldimensionofhowpeoplebehaveonsocialmedia,butalsothecutting
edgeofdronetechnology.Andnotonlythecuttingedgeofdronetech,butalsothe
cuttingedgeofecologicalpreservation.Itthenexpandstoincludenotjustthe
generalconsequencesoftheseelementsgonewrong,butaspeciccatastrophic
disaster:Withaniceslynodtothemasshysteriaseveraldecadesagooverkiller
beesandotherinvasivespecies,theepisodemanagestofuseseveralthemesat
onceintoawholethatsdramaticallysatisfying.

Dronesasaninvasivespecies,forexample,isawonderfullyoriginalwaytothink
aboutthem,anditjoltsyououtoftheperspectivethattheyrejustgoingtobecome
partoftheskyscape,asnaturalasacroworastarling.Theparallelstructuresof
humansocialinteractionandbeehivesmakeapowerfulstatementinthecontextof

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recentscienticstudiesndingthatbeesexpressmoreoriginalitythanpreviously
thoughtandthathumansexpressless,moreofso-calledconsciousthought
consistingofautomatedresponses.

Soisepisodesixjustacommentaryonsocialmedia?No.Theoneindividualthe
detectivesquestionabouttheinitialmurder,whopostedsomethingharmfulon
socialmedia,teachesagradeschoolclassofgigglingkids,andseesherfreespeech
assomethingmetaphorical.Sheclearlydoesplentyofgoodintheworld.Thewords
Deathtoarentaction,arethey,whenthesinglevoiceemanatesfromthe
middleofahivemind?Andthewayinwhichthecentralactionoccursinthe
contextofmecha-beestaskedwiththepurposeoffertilizingowerssoagriculture
cancontinueandmillionsofpeoplenotstarveprovidesawiderenvironmental
contextthatcannotbeoverlooked,evenifmanyviewersforgetit.

O
neideaIveseenexpressedrecentlyisthatBlackMirrorscreatorsare
somehowDarkMountainacolytesunabletocraftasubtlemessageabout
moderntechnologyandespeciallyaboutsocialmedia(which,
famously,hatestobecritiquedbyperceivedluddites).Butthisideaseemsrefuted
byHatedintheNation.Iwouldarguethatepisodeone,Nosedive,alsorefutes
it.Thedesperatesearchoftheprotagonist,Lacie(BryceDallasHoward),forhigh
ratingsfromherfellowhumanbeingstosustainanoverallratingthatallowsherto
buyanewapartment,keepherjob,andingeneralexperienceabetterlifeisasold
ascivilization,oratleastasoldascapitalism.

If,inBlackMirrorsnear-futurescenario,youactuallychalkuppointsordemerits
viayoursmartphones,thenperhapsthepointisjustthatsocialmediacan
acceleratetheprocessofbeingevermorecagedwithinaBaudrillardianhegemony.
Certainly,thepointdoesntseemassimpleasmoderntechnologyisbad.Rather,
itsthatmoderntechmayallowustoexpressterribleinherentbuilt-innegative
aspectsofthehumanconditionifweletthosetoolsruleus.Thatthereisa
harrowingandawinnowinginvolvedthatmakesthepaceoflife(andthusour
insecuritiesandsenseofplaceonthesocialladder)moreexcruciatinganddeeply

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feltandthusmorevisibleandthusmorerepugnant.Perhapsevenwhilereading
thisparagraphofanarticleyouvegrowntodespise.(Pleaseratemethreeoutofve
ifyoumust,butknowhowhatefulthatisbecauseIloveyou,andrateyousixoutof
ve.)

The nal scenes of San Junipero leave it up to us to think

about what life means and where it resides.

ThestructureofNosedivehasastrikingsimilaritytothatofShutUpand
Dance,exceptinsteadofbeingpushedforwardbyanunseenperson,Lacieis
pushedforwardbyherownconcernabouthersocialstanding.Forthissin,shemust
embarkonanodysseyofatriptoherchildhoodfriendswedding,wheresheistobe
themaidofhonor.Ifsheslucky,thehighrankingofherfabulousfriendsguests
willupherownranking,overcomingarecentdownturninhersocialfortunes.

Theironyisthatinmakingthetrektothewedding,duringwhichallsortsof
misfortunesaccumulate,Laciedisplaysfortitudeandgumption.Alongthewayshe
meetsafemaleSnakePlisskeninabig-rigwhogivesheracounter-cultureexample
toaspireto,shemustfast-walkacrosshighways,hitchrides,abandonbrokenrental
cars,andinallwaysshebecomesreducedorperhapsliftedupbytheexperience.
Itsaclevertightropewalkbothforthescriptandtheactortogofromdisliking
someonetorootingforthemanditsfurtherevidencethatBlackMirrorisnt
cynicalaboutitscharactersfates.

ThemovingSanJunipero,though,takesalackofcynicismtonewheightsforthe
series,withataleoftwowomen(MackenzieDavisandGuguMbatha-Raw)who
meetbychanceinamysteriouscityandwhoselivesbecomeentangledin
unexpectedways.YoucouldcallSanJuniperoBlackMirrorspenancefor
Playtest.Thebrillianceofthescriptliesinhowneithercharacterconveysthe
secretsofthecitydirectlyinaninfo-dumpkindofway.Instead,theylaydown
breadcrumbs,alludingtothemysteryinanaturalwaythatkeepstheforegroundof

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theepisodeunclutteredbyexposition.IndithardtoimagineTwilightZone,Night
Gallery,ormostotheranthologyshowsbeingabletoresistamoreexplicithint,and
yetweunderstandveryclearlywhatisgoingon.Expositioninsteadisreservedfor
emotionalcontent,theunderlyingsadnessoftheloverssituation.

Thespeculativeelementisbeautifullysubsumedinthecharacterdevelopmentand,
aswithmanyBlackMirrorepisodes,thissubtleuseofthenearfuturescenario
allowsustoexperiencethecouplesdilemmaallthemoreacutely.Indepictingan
interracialcoupleandruminatingonaginganddeath,SanJuniperoalso
exempliesacommitmenttodiversityanddemographicsnotcommonlyserved
wellbyhorrorshows.ThenalscenesofSanJuniperoleaveituptoustothink
aboutwhatlifemeansandwhereitresides.

T
echnologyishardtowriteabout,whetheronthepageoronthescreen,
whichiswhyinsomuchuncannyction(mineincluded)smartphones
dontworkandlaptopsinexplicablydie.Theburdenofshowingmodern
techvisuallyinawaythatdoesntbecomedatedisofteninsurmountablebecause
thecontaminationisalreadyinthecreatorssubconscious.Evenlaudedrecent
movieslikeMidnightSpecialwindupreectingakindofentrenched1950s
Tomorrowlandaesthetic.Thechallengeisntjusttherightlook-and-feel,butoften
therightstand-inforanelectronicrealitythatisntparticularlyvisual.Doitwrong
andyouwindupwithTron-remakebastardizationsorakindofbulkinessorweight
thatmeansinertobjectsmeanttobeinthebackdropintrudeontheforegroundof
thenarrative.

SooneofthecrowninggloriesofBlackMirrorandyetanotherreasonforits
successisthatevenwhenithastondtechsurrogates,theshowhasalightnessof
touchandaseamlessqualitythathasnothingtodowiththekindofblank
seamlessnessofAppleproductions.Muchofitndsakindofliminalspace,too,
thatcorrectsmuchofthesomewhathamstedTrueDetectiveapproachto
cinematography;forexample,ifBlackMirrormapsahighwayfromabove,youre
stillgettingthegorgeouslydarkthick-snake-likequalityofthat,butithassome

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actualdamnmeaning.ThedefaultforBlackMirrorslook-and-feelseemstobea
varietalofDarthVadernoirmostevidentinthebattleshipscenesofTheEmpire
StrikesBack;or,toputitanotherway,itsadark,richPinotNoir,ifDarthVaderhad
ownedavineyardthatmadePinotNoir,Cabsbeingalittletoounsubtle.

ButnordoesBlackMirrorseemweddedtoacertainapproachtocinematography,
adaptingtotheneedsofindividualepisodes.ShutUpandDancehasawashed
outlate-70srealismtoit,whileSanJuniperocommits,intheinitialscenes,toa
late80sstylethat,forme,assomeonewholivedinthatera,feltpreternaturally
real.Ratherthanreplicatingtheactual1980s,BlackMirrormanagesinstead
throughsetdesign,costumes,andblockingtoreplicatethefeelofvariousiconic
80smovies.Thestunningresultimbuesthesceneswithanostalgianotachievable
bystraight-forwardhistoricalreconstructionanostalgiaimportantforbelievingin
thebeginningoftherelationshipattheheartoftheepisode.

BlackMirrorsepisodesmayfeelclaustrophicattimes,makeusparanoidabout
realityandourrelationshipwithit,butthatcontinualquestingandchangingofthe
equationthroughlayering,throughcinematography,throughinspiredactingand
thestrivingofeverymancharactersisaformofhopeandmarksthebestofseason
three.Thereisattheshowsbaseanessentialcuriosityabouttheworld,evenif
expresseddarkly,thatdrivesit.BlackMirrorsthemesarewideandbroadenough
theycouldeasilyswitchtomakingtheshowaboutthe16th-centurycourtat
Versailles,withnospeculativeelement,andstillbemakingthesamepointsabout
thehumancondition.

DoyouwantBlackMirrortohavealessbleakviewoftech?Well,didyouwant
BreakingBadtobeBreakingGood?DoyouwantWestworldtosuddenlybecomea
kiddycarouselride?GameofThronestoneverkillacharacteragain?Ithoughtnot.

Attheendofthelastepisodeofthenewseason,wecatchaglimpseofadogged
womandetectiveshadowingamassmurderer,undertheglowerofadistantforest
crag.Despitesomuch,sheisstilldrivingherselfforward,notallowingthehorrors

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shesseenstopherfromdoingherjob.Fortitude.Endurance.WhenBlackMirror
works,itsbecauseitmakesthehardchoices.Or,atleast,nottheexpedientones.

A BOUT THE A UTHOR

J EFF VA NDERMEER s
latest novel is Borne. He is also the author of Annihilation, Authority, and
Acceptance (the Southern Reach Trilogy).

Twitter

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