Black Mirror began out as a grim, darkish, and nihilistic exploration of near-future tech. But with the tragic romance of “San Junipero” in season 3, the anthology slowly began to shift its priorities. Early on, every thing was dangerous: the expertise and the individuals. And the previous was used to indicate how terrible the latter was, highlighting how its characters had been largely silly, grasping, and determined. New applied sciences simply introduced out their worst tendencies. Steadily, although, the people within the present have develop into extra, effectively, human. Sure, some are silly and evil, however many are simply attempting to do their finest with the worst-case situations launched by inconsiderate tech developments. The new season takes this philosophy even additional — some episodes even have blissful endings.
Perhaps one of the best instance of that is the episode “Hotel Reverie.” When a golden age-era film studio finds itself going through closure, it companions with a tech startup led by Kimmy (Awkwafina) that guarantees to remake its most well-known movie — Hotel Reverie — cheaply, shortly, and with the assistance of a Hollywood A-lister. After dropping out on all the Ryans (Gosling and Reynolds), the studio indicators Brandy (Issa Rae), a perpetual cinematic sidekick dying to interrupt out. Instead of simply swapping her likeness for the unique lead actor, although, the remake course of is one thing extra immersive; Brandy finds herself transported into the movie and has to behave by it in actual time, surrounded by AI automatons that suppose they’re actual individuals on this world.
Of course, issues don’t go as deliberate. When it’s found that Brandy can’t play the piano, as an illustration, it utterly modifications a plot line, and the world’s characters react accordingly. Brandy and Kimmy’s group need to improvise to maintain the narrative on observe, like some sort of high-tech immersive theater. The necessary flip, although, is that Hotel Reverie’s different lead — Dorothy (Emma Corrin) — is exceedingly actual to Brandy, and the 2 develop into very shut, significantly throughout a compelled hiatus from filming resulting from a technical hiccup. The episode turns into one thing like a cross between Her and a holodeck episode of Star Trek, however with the sort of tragic ending befitting Black Mirror.
Image: Netflix
Similarly, “Eulogy” is a bit like Black Mirror’s model of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. When Phillip (Paul Giamatti) is requested to assist put collectively an “immersive memorial” for a deceased ex-girlfriend, he finally ends up going by their previous collectively in a method that forces him to confront the cruel realities of their relationship. The expertise on this episode makes it potential to “enter” {a photograph} as a type of VR expertise, and Phillip, together with an AI companion (Patsy Ferran), searches for particulars and pictures of his ex that can be utilized on the funeral. Along the best way, he’s in a position to perceive necessary particulars he missed when he was youthful, helped alongside by an AI that needles him about some questionable decisions. Like “Hotel Reverie,” it ends on a bittersweet word.
What’s attention-grabbing about these episodes is how, just like the depiction of affection in a digital world in “San Junipero,” they handle to cowl Black Mirror’s mandate — to take a look at the worst-case state of affairs for believable future tech — in a method that feels each dire and optimistic on the similar time. Yes, the tech has a ruinous impact, however persons are nonetheless in a position to battle by it and kind actual connections.
The similar could possibly be stated of the darkly hilarious “Common People,” during which Amanda (Rashida Jones) has her life saved by a process that backs up her mind to the cloud. The surgical procedure is free, however Amanda and her husband Mike (Chris O’Dowd) are then compelled to cope with escalating subscription prices coupled with declining options. At one level, Amanda is sort of fired from her instructing job as a result of she will’t cease saying contextually applicable adverts since she’s caught on the decrease subscription tier. The episode is humorous due to how frustratingly relatable it’s, however it’s as a lot concerning the strains these escalating prices placed on a relationship as it’s concerning the expertise itself.
Image: Netflix
The different change with this season of Black Mirror is that there’s extra connective tissue with earlier episodes. As up to now few seasons, there are little touches: the Netflix-like streaming service Streamberry makes a lot of appearances, and a number of episodes use the identical immersive tech during which customers place a tiny circle on their temple in lieu of a headset. More notably, although, season 7 contains direct sequels to a number of the present’s greatest hits. The choose-your-own-adventure episode “Bandersnatch” is adopted by “Plaything,” during which genius coder Colin (Will Poulter) has crafted a Sims-like sport that accommodates precise sentient digital life. Meanwhile, season 4’s “USS Callister” — during which one other genius coder compelled sentient digital clones of his coworkers to endure for his amusement — continues with “Into Infinity,” the place these clones are compelled to battle and steal with a purpose to survive in an MMO stuffed with gamers who need to kill them.
Both of those parts — the much less abrasive storytelling and the popularity of previous success — factors to a maturation. Black Mirror isn’t the scrappy little man anymore, it’s a significant Netflix collection full of large stars. That doesn’t imply its assaults on tech are any much less poignant or humorous, however lots of the tough edges have been smoothed over to higher connect with a bigger viewers. I wouldn’t say all of those tales have a contented ending, essentially, however they’re fairly far faraway from the disturbing conclusions of “The National Anthem” and “Shut Up and Dance.” And by specializing in characters you’ll be able to actually join with, the tragic twists finally hit quite a bit more durable.
Season 7 of Black Mirror is streaming on Netflix now.
