Black Mirror is an intriguing piece of English sci-fi in the form of a miniseries. The horror is psychological, stemming from dystopian images of how technology affects our behaviour and brings out the very worst in us and/or our society as a whole. So there will be no ghost worshipping in my post this week, just some thoughts on what impressed me most about this chilling series that really gets under the skin. I’ll be looking at two out of three episodes of the first series, since they were the ones that really moved me.
The first episode is titled The National Anthem and it’s about the Prime Minister having to do a revolting, gut-wrenching (and gut-emptying, for that matter) decision to save a kidnapped member of the Royal Family. The kidnappers post the ransom demand on YouTube, and despite the efforts made by the government, the video spreads like wildfire and soon the entire world is focusing on England. A decision that rests on the shoulders of the PM and has a huge significance on his personal life is suddenly made by the entire world, since the marvels of modern technology have enabled quick exchange of information and opinions online.
I had completely blocked this episode out of my memory after watching it for the first time, because it is honestly, brutally disturbing. I’m not disturbed easily; I love the SAW movies, I only winced a bit at an infamously awful part of The Antichrist (not spoiling it for you), and while I find full-on slasher movies not very interesting, I don’t mind the actual slashing at all. But The National Anthem really got to me. I just love it when a TV show or a movie really gets to me, it happens so rarely! (Should I be worried by that? Am I becoming a soulless monster? Oh well.) The reason why The National Anthem disturbed me so much is because it’s so relatable. It focuses on the reactions of regular (social)media-following citizens and the impact the proceedings have on the personal life of the PM, and that makes the horrendousness of the situation and the overall vomitous nature of the whole thing feel very real to the audience. The pace and emphasis of the storyline is unforgiving to the viewer, forcing them to grasp every disgusting moment of the PM’s torment. There are two shudder-inducing bits where the PM’s wife tries to reach him on his cell and he rejects the call. Trying to imagine how alone they both feel is utterly depressing.
Episode three, The Entire History of You (TEHY), takes place in a future where people have their memories recorded by a brain implant known as the Grain. This episode really pleased me because of one aspect in particular; an aspect I’ve noticed before as well, when comparing blockbuster sci-fi to more modest English productions. The English like to do their sci-fi low-key, sticking to the basics, not dressing it up too much nor indulging in excessive special effects. They, as you say, “keep it real” (I really hate that phrase, I got shivers of nausea while typing it, but it’s the correct phrase to use here). TEHY shows this magnificently; this wondrous invention is introduced, but there are no multinational corporations fighting over it, there’s no alien invasion coming in that decides to use the memory implants to collect intelligence about the human race, there’s not even one shooting match, not to mention a bomb going off. What TEHY shows is the effect of this device on a normal couple, trying to live their normal, conspiracy-free married life.
I’d like to make a quick comparison to In Time, where an invention of similar nature is introduced: medicine allows people to live forever, so time has become the new currency. The story around this invention escalates into exactly the kind of shooting-match-car-explosion type action show that I’m so relieved to avoid in English sci-fi. A rich guy’s daughter half runs away, half gets kidnapped by Justin Timberlake (of all people!) and on the run they come face to face with all the seedy criminal activities and conspiracies against the poor you can imagine. I only managed to watch half of In Time because of just this; I was so bored with all the action and effects and excitement that I stopped caring about the characters. I know, I said “bored with excitement”, bit of an oxymoron, but that’s how I genuinely felt. It was really refreshing to watch THEY, which examines the dystopia of a boring married couple. And it’s not boring at all; it’s again very relatable, like The National Anthem. Let me tell you just how relatable it is.
Think about the following. Even without a Grain it’s very easy to start obsessing about things: how you acted in a situation, what someone else said to you… I know I spend way too much time going over social situations that are somehow unpleasant to remember. Imagine how it would be if you could watch recordings of everything you’ve ever experienced. And that’s exactly where the horror of TEHY emanates from. The horror of obsessing about small gestures and reading too much into them, about something someone said years ago, about things you didn’t really mean shouted during arguments… When you have the option to rewind and watch, even relive everything you or your loved ones have ever said and done, things can get ugly. And in this episode, they really do.
About the second episode, I’d just like to say the following without going into it: it carves an empty hole inside of you, makes you lose all your faith in humanity, and you will be left with the feeling that nothing is ever going to be okay ever again. So effective. So awesome!
Black Mirror has been announced to continue with a second season in 2013. Looking forward to that! It’s always worth it to wait for the gems of English television, since they honestly put quality before quantity. I think I’ve now made it annoyingly clear that I’m a certified Anglophile, so I guess I’ve had my say on Black Mirror.
“This is already a huge national talking point. Isn’t this precisely what whoever is behind this is looking for?”
– Black Mirror, episode one –
