If you enjoyed the first three seasons of the eerie drama series Black Mirror and you’re wondering when the heck you can get your hands on more episodes of it, fear no longer- Black Mirror is set to release a fourth season to Netflix on December 29th of this year. Those who know and love Black Mirror are fully aware that the goal of this chilling anthology series is to make you, as an audience, uncomfortable. Despite the obvious fictional aspect of Black Mirror, each stand-alone episode of the show points out an alarming truth of our society (or what could become of our society). In honor of the approach of Black Mirror’s fourth season, below are five already-released episodes that are perfect example of fiction that can make you stop and wonder just how far from reality it truly is.
Nosedive (S3E1)
In the first episode of Black Mirror’s most recent season, people are more civil than ever to each other, even when they’re practically strangers. It seems too good to be true, and that’s because it is- there’s a definite motive behind the community’s impeccable kindness. Every friendly interaction, selfless good deed and even every FRIENDSHIP adds points to the ‘rating’ each person has online. The higher their overall rating is, the easier it is to get invited to events, hired for jobs and even allowed inside certain buildings/living communities. In short, all behavior is dominated by social media. Sound familiar? Thought so. This weirdly intense focus on online presence seems strange, until you stop watching for a moment and realize just how close our world is to heading in this direction.
Men Against Fire (S3E5)
The narrative of this episode follows soldiers in a foreign country on their mission to defeat, by any means necessary, a group of terrifying creatures called “roaches”. After being injured in battle and experiencing some suspicious side effects, one solider learns that the “roaches” he and his fellow soldiers have been instructed to murder upon first sight are actually real human beings that all members of the military have been surgically programed to see as monsters. Outraged that he has been lied to and manipulated for so long, the main character lashes out and is given a daunting ultimatum by his superiors- become imprisoned in his new terrifying memories of murdering innocent people, or agree to have his memory wiped completely and return to battle, betraying his morals to continue killing blindly. This episode forces us all to wonder just how many of us live in such a blind ignorance as this, never questioning their own hate.
White Bear (S2E2)
This eventful episode begins with Victoria, the main character, waking up in an unfamiliar house with no sense of who- or where- she is. She can’t remember anything about her life, and her only hope of finding out is frantic communication with the people around her, almost all of which obsessively film her with their phones and refuse to speak to or answer her pleas for help. She cannot escape the scrutiny of the unhelpful public or the dangerous obstacles, including several masked men with guns, that continue to fall into her path. Ultimately, it is revealed to her- and to us- that she is guilty of being an accomplice to the murder of a small child, having worked with her late boyfriend to commit this crime and becoming nationally hated for it. While her boyfriend is dead, she is trapped forever in a “justice park” as eager onlookers watch her relive a terrifying experience equal to the one she was an accomplice in creating. It begs the question- what is justice, a criminal losing their life for their crime or being forced to spend the rest of it in the terror they once caused?
Fifteen Million Merits (S1E2)
In a world where human beings must earn everything they own through daily physical exercise, the only way to escape the constant effort and exhaust of this “cycle” (no pun intended) is to enter and succeed in a reality TV show such as the ‘Hot Shot’ talent competition show that not-so-ironically mirrors shows like The Voice and America’s Got Talent. After a female contestant auditions for the show by singing and is instantly turned down for her talent, she is offered a spot on a more…explicit show, on which she may have to defy her morals. The unfortunate truth is that in this scenario, her looks will get her farther than her musical talent ever will. Desperate to escape the slave-like existence she lived through before, she accepts the opportunity. Even though accepting this fate is bound to make her miserable, the contestant is from that moment on forced to speak of her experience on television as though it was the best decision she ever made. This chilling episode is a bitter reminder of what measures the entertainment industry will take to appear to be going smoothly and what measures human beings will go to for simple distraction.
Have chills yet? You should. From season 1 to season 3, this show gives us no option but to stop and think- how far is this from the truth? For keeping a dialogue going, Black Mirror, hats off to you.