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BLACK MIRROR (contemporary TV show review)


Black Mirror[1] is set in near future where technology is even more advanced than today. Every episode shows a new completely different story line where the only thing uniting them is the dark twist at the second part of the episode.

Almost every episode starts with introducing a viewer to some kind of new invention and/or the protagonist of the episode. In most cases the viewer starts thinking that it would be great to have that invention, for example, photographic memory [2]that enables you to rewatch your memories whenever you want to, or maybe block someone from your life entirely[3]. However, by the end of an episode, after seeing the dark twist, the viewer is kind of glad that none of that exists at the moment.
The other dark side of the show is that it makes its viewers paranoid about the technology today. After watching few episodes the viewer starts wondering “what if this is being developed today? What if somebody is watching me right now through the camera in my laptop or my phone? “.  It makes the viewer scared about being watched 24/7, because no one wants their life to be like in the “The Truman Show”. More importantly no one wants to be blackmailed into doing awful things while somebody is threatening to leak embarrassing footage of them to everybody they know and most probably ending up ruining their lives.[4]

Most of the episodes are directly directed to us as a society. These episodes makes the viewer think about their own moral values, rethink their everyday choices. The very first episode [5]shows that we as a society cannot look away from truly awful things on the TV, no matter how disgusting it is, there is something inside us that stops us from looking away. There’s another episode that makes fun of the time people invest in their social media. It shows the masks we put on online to make others like us. The episode [6]explores the reality where people are treated accordingly to their ratings on the social media. People with lower rating will not only be treated with disrespect but also cannot get a house in a good neighborhood. In a way this episode not only deals with the online image of a person but also reflects racism[7]. Another episode[8] puts the cyber bullies in the hot spot. It shows how many of us have so much hatred towards others and even though some people deserve the critics over some of their actions, none of them deserve to die for it. However, nowadays it is common to see death threats online or people wishing others would die because of somethings they said or done. This episode targets people who are hiding behind online anonymity and forcing them to face the consequences of their words online.

All in all the show shows us what could happen if we were careless with the technology and makes us rethink our everyday choices both in real life and online.



[1] Black Mirror is a British-American science fiction anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker.
[3] Christmas special "WhiteChristmas".
[5] 01x01 "The National Anthem".In the episode UK prime minister is forced to have sex with a pig on national TV.
[6] 03x01 "Nosedive".
[7] Articles about racist USA housing policy [The Atlantic] , [The Washington Post].
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