Superb speculations

telly review

The British series Black Mirror opens to the resonating sound of a cell-phone vibration breaking the silence of the night. When viewed through the dark and twisted lens, the series adopts science-fiction and satire-driven saga, relying on realism and the techno-paranoia that sound could only mean bad news. In this case, it involves the prime minister of Britain having sexual intercourse with a pig on live national television to meet the demands of a cyber-terrorist.

That’s right! Welcome to the glorious, thought-provoking and surreal experience that is Black Mirror.Charlie Brooker, the creator and writer of the series, is a man with a finger on the pulse. He digs deep into his crystal-clear understanding of the human condition to create the cinematic force majeure called Black Mirror.

The series owns every decision it makes, including that of being an episodic anthology that not only strengthens the thematic value of the show, but also uses dark, funny, horrifying and bizarre yet believable situations to make each episode a unique experience for its viewers. We see a new cast, a new director and a new setting in each episode. However, the series is centred around the complexity of human nature and thrives on examining our deepest flaws.

The series employs technology in varying degrees to varying effect in every episode, observing the overbearing prevalence and our overt reliance on it to cope with our daily lives. The casting is excellent, its superior acting allowing us to dive into each story as it unfolds without a glitch, thanks in part to some slick editing that maximises the impact of a few careful constructs.

Thematically, the series is a multi-faceted entity of wonder. Rise in mass insensitivity, conversion of the media into a superficial “rating” mongrel, the fate of anarchy in a conformist society, the constant manipulation of society by external forces, and our propensity to gravitate towards sadistic forms of entertainment are a few recurring themes. The rise of artificial intelligence to counter grief, and to examine the morality of duplicating our own conscience make a fraction of the gripping non-recurring themes.

Black Mirror has been compared to the 1959 cult-classic, The Twilight Zone, but what sets this series apart is its relevance in this technologically driven era. The show is at its most brilliant during the accurate depiction of the dark nature of human behaviour in complex situations. Watching a husband hunt for signs of infidelity using technology that allows him to rewind memories makes us feel shameful of humanity’s untrusting and unfaithful side. Following the conversation between a widow and the artificially simulated version of her late husband forces us to shrug at our inability to let go, and our increasing dependency on technology.

We see 10 men dissecting the behaviour of a woman at a Christmas party using the “Z-eye” technology, which is supposed to help one of them get lucky. Neither they nor us can predict her eventual actions. Observing an animated blue bear accidently become the voice of an angry nation, only to get converted into a mass-produced and “Pringles-like” product makes us realise that any resemblance of positive change is quickly dissected and absorbed by a crushing system.

Black Mirror does not hold back on punches; it does not sugarcoat its message, but it does reflect on a few pressing issues of our times and forces us to think. Anti-escapist, dowsed in realism and brimming with the bare ugly truth, Black Mirror is less of a television show and more of a dark, new-age zeitgeist.