Nosedive
Lacie lives in a world where
everyone rates each other on their phones, smart lenses allow you to look at
someone and see their name and current popularity rating. Lacie is obsessed
with being well received by others. In this society everything is based on your
popularity rating from the house you can live in right to the type of
treatments you have access to in hospital. Lacie wants to be part of this
sugary sweet world until everything goes wrong and her popularity rating begins
to dramatically fall.
everyone rates each other on their phones, smart lenses allow you to look at
someone and see their name and current popularity rating. Lacie is obsessed
with being well received by others. In this society everything is based on your
popularity rating from the house you can live in right to the type of
treatments you have access to in hospital. Lacie wants to be part of this
sugary sweet world until everything goes wrong and her popularity rating begins
to dramatically fall.
Josh: Pretty strong opener to
the new season of Black Mirror! This is an episode you can totally relate to
and imagine happening in the very near future (in fact I’m sure I read that
some company in China was trialing something very similar to this!) I know this
is meant to be a damning reflection on society and its relationships to social
media, but I’m not gonna lie, I like the idea. I’ll rate you 5 for reading this
blog post! Hope you do the same for me!
the new season of Black Mirror! This is an episode you can totally relate to
and imagine happening in the very near future (in fact I’m sure I read that
some company in China was trialing something very similar to this!) I know this
is meant to be a damning reflection on society and its relationships to social
media, but I’m not gonna lie, I like the idea. I’ll rate you 5 for reading this
blog post! Hope you do the same for me!
Lauren: This was a great
opening episode to the new season. In a world fast becoming obsessed with how
many likes and followers we can get on social media, this episode was a
brilliant look at how the perfect picture we often paint online is in real
danger of spilling over into the real world. I loved how the pastel outfits and
the bright, sunny scenery perfectly fitted in with the sugary sweet, albeit
often fake, personality’s of the characters. A real eye opener for a social
media obsessed society, showing you there’s more to life than getting likes
from strangers.
opening episode to the new season. In a world fast becoming obsessed with how
many likes and followers we can get on social media, this episode was a
brilliant look at how the perfect picture we often paint online is in real
danger of spilling over into the real world. I loved how the pastel outfits and
the bright, sunny scenery perfectly fitted in with the sugary sweet, albeit
often fake, personality’s of the characters. A real eye opener for a social
media obsessed society, showing you there’s more to life than getting likes
from strangers.
Playtest
Cooper is
traveling the world, his last stop is London. In order to earn some extra cash,
he signs up to help out a video game company. He tries out new technology which
allows the player to truly be in the game, surrounded by 3D images that only
they can see. Cooper’s final test of the technology involves entering a house
where the chip in his neck will detect his fears and attempt to scare him out
of the house. However as the game progresses it becomes clear that something
isn’t right.
Josh: Again, the idea of this
fully immersive interactive gaming technology is infinitely appealing to me!
The whole premise of the episode is great (albeit with a grim twist), and if I
had the opportunity to have a go with this kind of thing I’d be all for it. The
episode had some good, classic horror spooky, jumpy bits so, yeah, its a thumbs
up from me!
fully immersive interactive gaming technology is infinitely appealing to me!
The whole premise of the episode is great (albeit with a grim twist), and if I
had the opportunity to have a go with this kind of thing I’d be all for it. The
episode had some good, classic horror spooky, jumpy bits so, yeah, its a thumbs
up from me!
Lauren: The world of gaming is
greatly expanding, with virtual reality becoming ever more popular, Playtest
looked at what it would be like to truly put yourself in the game. Via a chip
inserted into the players neck, games really do become reality, with the
ability to pick up on a users traits and fears the game becomes unique to the
player. I really enjoyed this episode for it’s scare factor and for it’s look
at how too much technology interfering with each other can have very bad
consequences.
greatly expanding, with virtual reality becoming ever more popular, Playtest
looked at what it would be like to truly put yourself in the game. Via a chip
inserted into the players neck, games really do become reality, with the
ability to pick up on a users traits and fears the game becomes unique to the
player. I really enjoyed this episode for it’s scare factor and for it’s look
at how too much technology interfering with each other can have very bad
consequences.
Shut Up and Dance
Kenny is leading a
normal teenage life until he receives an email informing him that his computer
has been hacked and the hacker has footage of him masturbating. Unless he
follows the hackers instructions the video will be released to his contacts. By
following the instructions, Kenny comes into contact with other victims of the
hacker, each with a secret. He meets Hector and the pair embark on the hackers
latest mission, robbing a bank. When the pair part ways Kenny’s final task is
to fight to the death with another victim where it’s revealed what he really
did to become entangled in the game.
Josh: I think this episode
could be my favourite, and I’m not sure why! The race against the clock, the
blackmail, the every-man characters, the thriller-feel to it, the plot twits
and turns…it all made for fun viewing. Its a dark tale and what with all the
hackers and cyber crimes being committed nowadays, you can imagine this sort of
scenario happening. Oh, and to top it all off, there is one of my favourite
Game of Thrones actors in there! Mr “there’s no cure for being a
c**t” himself: Bronn!
could be my favourite, and I’m not sure why! The race against the clock, the
blackmail, the every-man characters, the thriller-feel to it, the plot twits
and turns…it all made for fun viewing. Its a dark tale and what with all the
hackers and cyber crimes being committed nowadays, you can imagine this sort of
scenario happening. Oh, and to top it all off, there is one of my favourite
Game of Thrones actors in there! Mr “there’s no cure for being a
c**t” himself: Bronn!
Lauren: We’ve all read
countless stories of computer hacking and stories of computer camera’s being
used to essentially spy on people. That’s pretty much what happens in this
episode, but there’s a twist. The hackers are using what their victims have
been up to online to blackmail them into doing a series of tasks to gain
absolution. This was quite a dark episode that didn’t reveal what the main
character had really been up to until right at the end, a twist I certainly
didn’t see coming and didn’t expect after being made to really feel sorry for
Kenny throughout the episode.
countless stories of computer hacking and stories of computer camera’s being
used to essentially spy on people. That’s pretty much what happens in this
episode, but there’s a twist. The hackers are using what their victims have
been up to online to blackmail them into doing a series of tasks to gain
absolution. This was quite a dark episode that didn’t reveal what the main
character had really been up to until right at the end, a twist I certainly
didn’t see coming and didn’t expect after being made to really feel sorry for
Kenny throughout the episode.
San Junipero
Opening in the late 80’s,
Yorkie is visiting San Junipero for the first time. There she meets Kelly who
uses her to lose a guy. Yorkie and Kelly are complete opposites and when Kelly
propositions Yorkie, she runs away. A week later they meet again and this time
Yorkie accepts the offer and ends up back at Kelly’s house. Yorkie then spends
the following weeks trying to find Kelly in different decades (at which point
it becomes clear that the characters in this episode can somehow travel through
time). The story follows Kelly and Yorkie as they attempt to build a life in
San Junipero, whilst discovering who each other really is.
Yorkie is visiting San Junipero for the first time. There she meets Kelly who
uses her to lose a guy. Yorkie and Kelly are complete opposites and when Kelly
propositions Yorkie, she runs away. A week later they meet again and this time
Yorkie accepts the offer and ends up back at Kelly’s house. Yorkie then spends
the following weeks trying to find Kelly in different decades (at which point
it becomes clear that the characters in this episode can somehow travel through
time). The story follows Kelly and Yorkie as they attempt to build a life in
San Junipero, whilst discovering who each other really is.
Josh: Oh…my…days. I know
Lauren’s going to tell you she loved this one, but I found it pretty damn
boring. I’m not one for romancy kind of stories (even if it is between two
fairly hot women), so this one just seemed to drag on. And on. And on. I get
the whole premise of the story, and it’s a good idea, but…nah, not my cup of
tea. Next!
Lauren’s going to tell you she loved this one, but I found it pretty damn
boring. I’m not one for romancy kind of stories (even if it is between two
fairly hot women), so this one just seemed to drag on. And on. And on. I get
the whole premise of the story, and it’s a good idea, but…nah, not my cup of
tea. Next!
Lauren: The plot of San
Junipero is quite a difficult one to explain. It doesn’t really set off like
other Black Mirror episodes in that it takes a little while to realise what the
twist is. This episode visits the idea of virtual reality again but in a
completely different way to Playtest. Basically San Junipero is a place where
the consciousnesses of dead people are uploaded into a virtual reality system
that allows them to live there as their younger selves forever. Living people
can visit San Junipero for 5 hours a week. Kelly and Yorkie meet at San
Junipero and the episode follows their lives both in the virtual reality world
and in real life. No review I write can give justice to how good this episode
is. I’d actually sit down and watch this again. Oh and it made me cry!
Junipero is quite a difficult one to explain. It doesn’t really set off like
other Black Mirror episodes in that it takes a little while to realise what the
twist is. This episode visits the idea of virtual reality again but in a
completely different way to Playtest. Basically San Junipero is a place where
the consciousnesses of dead people are uploaded into a virtual reality system
that allows them to live there as their younger selves forever. Living people
can visit San Junipero for 5 hours a week. Kelly and Yorkie meet at San
Junipero and the episode follows their lives both in the virtual reality world
and in real life. No review I write can give justice to how good this episode
is. I’d actually sit down and watch this again. Oh and it made me cry!
Men Against Fire
“Roaches” have
taken over, they’re mutant’s left over from a war, with pale features, sharp
teeth and no capacity for language. It’s Stripe and the rest of his squad’s job
to rid the village of these creatures. The squad are implanted with a MASS
device to help with operations. When raiding a house suspected of harbouring
Roaches, Stripe has a green device flashed in his eyes by one of the Roaches.
What follows is Stripe’s MASS implant glitching and him being able to see the
Roaches for what they really are, humans who are victims of a Holocaust-like
campaign.
taken over, they’re mutant’s left over from a war, with pale features, sharp
teeth and no capacity for language. It’s Stripe and the rest of his squad’s job
to rid the village of these creatures. The squad are implanted with a MASS
device to help with operations. When raiding a house suspected of harbouring
Roaches, Stripe has a green device flashed in his eyes by one of the Roaches.
What follows is Stripe’s MASS implant glitching and him being able to see the
Roaches for what they really are, humans who are victims of a Holocaust-like
campaign.
Josh: I didn’t hate this one,
but I didn’t love it either. The idea or soldiers being implanted with a device
that makes them not see the targets as humans is cool, and it is interesting to
see his struggle with what he has done when his device malfunctions. It makes
you wonder what you would do in that situation: have a new device implanted OR
remain aware of all you’ve done and have that on your conscience forever. Nice
premise…but it just dragged on a little too long and I couldn’t 100% connect
with the main guy.
but I didn’t love it either. The idea or soldiers being implanted with a device
that makes them not see the targets as humans is cool, and it is interesting to
see his struggle with what he has done when his device malfunctions. It makes
you wonder what you would do in that situation: have a new device implanted OR
remain aware of all you’ve done and have that on your conscience forever. Nice
premise…but it just dragged on a little too long and I couldn’t 100% connect
with the main guy.
Lauren: I can’t really put my
finger on why but I just couldn’t click with this episode. From the premise it
should have been amazing but sadly it fell extremely short of its potential. It
bored me and seemed to drag on and on which is disappointing really. With a
topic like this there was so much that could have been done but it just felt
like the whole episode was holding back.
finger on why but I just couldn’t click with this episode. From the premise it
should have been amazing but sadly it fell extremely short of its potential. It
bored me and seemed to drag on and on which is disappointing really. With a
topic like this there was so much that could have been done but it just felt
like the whole episode was holding back.
Hated in the Nation
When a hated journalist is
murdered, DCI Parke takes on the case with her new partner Blue. Together they
discover that the journalist was targeted by #DeathTo on Twitter. After more
deaths of people targeted by #DeathTo, Blue and Parke discover the hashtag is
part of a game where users vote to kill a public hate figure using the hashtag.
All the deaths are linked to Autonomous Drone Insects (ADI’s) which have been
created to replace the almost extinct bee population. They lodge inside the
victims brain and cause severe pain to the victim. Blue and Parke need to find
out who’s controlling the ADI’s and why.
murdered, DCI Parke takes on the case with her new partner Blue. Together they
discover that the journalist was targeted by #DeathTo on Twitter. After more
deaths of people targeted by #DeathTo, Blue and Parke discover the hashtag is
part of a game where users vote to kill a public hate figure using the hashtag.
All the deaths are linked to Autonomous Drone Insects (ADI’s) which have been
created to replace the almost extinct bee population. They lodge inside the
victims brain and cause severe pain to the victim. Blue and Parke need to find
out who’s controlling the ADI’s and why.
Josh: The finale! A bit of a longer episode that deals with the will of
the masses, online-mob justice, how trolling on social media affects people,
and how a simple trend on Twitter can have deadly consequences in the offline
world. I enjoyed this one, and despite it not being the very best episode, it
was a little step up from Men Against Fire and a mighty stride up from San
Junipero!
Lauren: I don’t have too much
to say about this one, Hated in the Nation was the longest episode of the
series leading me to believe it would end with a bang. Again the concept was
good and the analyses of social media was great but it lacked the pizzazz that
a closing episode should have had. It wasn’t the worst of the bunch, but it was
nowhere near the best.
to say about this one, Hated in the Nation was the longest episode of the
series leading me to believe it would end with a bang. Again the concept was
good and the analyses of social media was great but it lacked the pizzazz that
a closing episode should have had. It wasn’t the worst of the bunch, but it was
nowhere near the best.
Favourite episode:
Josh: Shut Up and Dance takes
the numero uno spot, for me!
the numero uno spot, for me!
Lauren: It has to be San
Junipero for me but Shut Up and Dance and Playtest are very close contenders!
Junipero for me but Shut Up and Dance and Playtest are very close contenders!
I've got to agree with Lauren on this one – San Junipero was my favourite too.
I loved the sound and the feel of the whole world created in that episode and loved, too, how a series largely rooted in futuristic sci-fi made a "retro" type of episode.
I was completely invested in the romance and easily the episode I got most emotionally involved with.