Anyhow, I just finished the third season of the hit series and these are my reviews of the six-episode season.
1. NOSEDIVE– Directed by: Joe Wright; Story by: Charlie Brooker; Teleplay by: Rashida Jones & Mike Schur
This comical satire about a community of people obsessively trying to up their reputation to gain more “stars” and thus, be part of the elite inner circles of those with 4.5 stars ranking and above hit so close to the current state of the millennials’ obsession for social media fame. The amazing Bryce Dallas Howard starred in this episode as Lacie Pound, an average-ranking woman who’s trying to make her way to the upper circle with her old friend, Naomi, a 4.8. Aside from the techno-paranoia that Black Mirror presented in every episode, the series also served as a social criticism. And in this, Brooker and comedy geniuses Jones and Schur criticized and poked fun of people’s obsession to fake, shallow happiness brought by a 4.5 ranking and higher. While this episode successfully presented a powerful satire, it hadn’t explored the other core of the series, which were, aside from the satire and social criticism, the dark and advanced technology and its gruesome effects. But still, Nosedive was a good start, especially with Howard’s remarkable portrayal of the reputation and fame obsessed maniac hidden among the fake smiles and pastel-colored clothes.
Other Points:
- The pastel colored aesthetic of this universe was commendable. It played with the whole satire, presenting a world that seemingly looked like a utopia, but was actually a lot darker than their bright, soft colors.
Overall Rating: 4.2/5
2. PLAYTEST – Directed by: Dan Trachtenberg; Written by: Charlie Brooker
While the first episode presented the first core concept of Black Mirror, this one showed the second: the dark and advanced technology and its gruesome effects. Wyatt Russell starred as the travelling American, Cooper, who on his last trip of escapism in England became part of a company’s experiment for its to-be-released new video game. This episode had one of the most compelling and eerie twists in the whole season, which I wouldn’t divulge. Better for the people to see and be shocked themselves. It’s hard to talk about this episode without providing some spoilers, so to make it short, let’s just say that the video game experiment went horribly wrong, and after watching, you’d call your Mom right away. Russell brought authenticity to his thrill-seeking character that at some point, he became just downright annoying. But that’s a welcome addition to this techno-thriller episode.
Overall Rating: 4.4/5
3. SHUT UP AND DANCE – Directed by: James Watkins; Written by: Charlie Brooker & William Bridges
There’s an episode in the second season of Black Mirror called “White Bear” and it’s definitely one of my favorites. It’s a thrilling story about a girl being chased by someone and getting no aid from the crowd surrounding her. The people were simply recording her every move. I was reminded of that episode as I watch this third installment for the third season of Black Mirror. Kenny (Alex Lawther) was a simple kid with a simple life who became the newest victim of an online hacker group that would stir and put his entire life upside down. These online hackers knew who he was and what he had done and they blackmailed Kenny to do things for them. And through this, Kenny met Hector (Game of Thrones’ actor Jerome Flynn) who was another victim of the anonymous blackmailers. But were they really the victims? I loved the anticipation presented in this episode. Every minute was a tick of the clock attached to an explosive, and every action the characters do were as futile as cutting the blue wire of the bomb that do nothing. Lawther was extraordinary. He had few lines, but he had presented various scales of emotions through his face, without uttering a single word.
Overall Rating: 4.7/5
4. SAN JUNIPERO – Directed by: Owen Harris; Written by: Charlie Brooker
Damn, this episode. Damn. This is a beautiful hour of television and an instant fan favorite. And this episode had the most shocking twist in Black Mirror history: a happy ending. How do I even talk about this episode without ending up as a crying pile of mess? Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mackenzie Davis starred as Kelly and Yorkie, two women in 1980’s San Junipero. Yep, this was set in the 1980’s, a detour from the usually near future-set universes of Black Mirror. But the era was just a part of the intricate detail of this new world Brooker had immersed the audience to. This chapter is entirely different from past Black Mirror episodes because this was not as bleak or as ghastly. This was a poignant and emotional tale of two women in 1980’s who found paradise with themselves. Mbatha-Raw and Davis was wonderful leads. They were lovable and poignant and just absolutely marvelous. And the premise of the episode, damn. Maybe RDJ can also plan to recreate this in a whole two-hour movie? As I’ve mentioned, this is indeed a beautiful hour. Excuse me, I’d be crying over Heaven Is a Place on Earth now.
Overall Rating: 4.8/5
5. MEN AGAINST FIRE – Directed by: Jakob Verbruggen; Written by: Charlie Brooker
Black Mirror fans would be familiar with the Season Two finale episode called “The Waldo Moment” and viewers and critics both agree that that’s the series’ weakest episode yet. This chapter was close to The Waldo Moment. Though the premise of the story was eerie and interesting enough, the episode just couldn’t get the overall attention of the viewers. (Probably because it followed the completely emotionally crippling San Junipero episode?) But I think it’s because the actors were not as admirable as the ones from the first episodes. Though yes, Malachi Kirby still acted well enough in this episode, his was just not as the same caliber as Howard’s or Lawther’s. This chapter had the greatest potential, though. The overall concept was the second eeriest of the season, but Brooker just fell short in presenting a story as exhilarating.
Overall Rating: 3.9/5
6. HATED IN THE NATION – Directed by: James Hawes; Written by: Charlie Brooker
This is the first 90-minute long episode of Black Mirror and Brooker and Hawes spent every minute worthwhile, telling a thrilling police procedural chapter. Kelly Macdonald and Game of Thrones actress Faye Marsay starred as DCI Karin Parke and her partner, Blue Coulson. I’m actually not a great fan of police procedural. Seeing detectives pretentiously staring at blank space, cursing, as they made a discovery isn’t really my cup of tea. Though in this episode, those were still present, it was Macdonald and Marsay’s performances that absolutely elevated the would-be-boring police procedural. And at first, I thought the Nosedive episode was the most relevant in the season, but it turned out that this season finale was the most relevant. The detectives took on a case about the deaths of those people who were hated in the social media. Parke was skeptical at first when her new somewhat goofy partner suggested that the death was fueled by the social media hatred, but when a death was followed by another in the same manner, Parke and Coulson tried to predict and prevent the next, depending on the power of social media. This episode played the two core concepts of Black Mirror: satire/social criticism and dark technology. As the detectives criticized the people who posted “#DeathTo” hashtags on their accounts, it seemed like they’re also criticizing the viewers. Today, it’s almost easy to post criticisms and hate messages on social media, and this is what exactly the detectives and Brooker himself criticized. In this story, Brooker made a consequence for those people who posted their loathing messages. It was an absolute delight to watch Macdonald and Marsay. I’d just leave it at that. And this episode can easily be named as one of the best chapters in Black Mirror.
Overall Rating: 4.9/5
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