May 8, 2018
This Netflix sci-fi anthology premiered on Britain’s Channel 4 in December 2011. They did a second season in 2013, then Netflix bought the show and paid for subsequent seasons to be produced.
According to series creator Charlie Brooker, the title Black Mirror denotes how the screen of a computer, tablet, or smartphone looks like a black mirror when it’s turned off. You can see your own reflection in it. However, watching the series it seems more like a black mirror is one in which you can’t see yourself. Many episodes point to how we currently aren’t aware of how new technology is affecting people.
My top picks…
The best acting in any Black Mirror episode: Bryce Dallas Howard in “Nosedive.” Her character goes through a myriad of emotions and a heap of paranoia in her quest to be accepted by society.
Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Alice Eve, Cherry Jones
IMDb: 8.3
This one has a little different feel than the other episodes. It could pass as a straight-up detective show. In fact, I thought this seemed like a great pilot for a new TV series. And, being Black Mirror, it has sci-fi and social commentary thrown in as well.
Cast: Kelly Macdonald, Faye Marsay, Benedict Wong
IMDb: 8.6
Jesse Plemons was memorably creepy in Breaking Bad, and outstanding in Fargo. Here he stars as a Captain-Kirk-like character, with a twist. The standout, though, is Cristin Milioti, also of Fargo fame.
Cast: Jesse Plemons, Cristin Milioti, Jimmi Simpson
IMDb: 8.3
Black Mirror has plenty of creepy episodes, especially these last two mentions. This one is haunting on many levels. The ending qualifies as terrifying. You also get multiple stories, therefore it’s like three episodes in one.
Cast: Jon Hamm, Rafe Spall, Oona Chaplin
IMDb: 9.2
The episode is called “Black Museum” probably as a wordplay. The episode recalls previous episodes such as San Junipero (Ep 3.4) and White Christmas (Ep 2.4) among others, thus making it a Black Mirror museum. Also, the museum’s main attraction may have influenced the title, but to say more would give things away. And, like White Christmas, this episode also has multiples stories within the one episode. Haunting.
Cast: Douglas Hodge, Letitia Wright, Daniel Lapaine
IMDb: 8.7
Others worth a mention:
The Entire History of You (Ep 1.3; IMDb 8.7), Be Right Back (Ep 2.1; IMDb 8.1), White Bear (Ep 2.2; IMDb 8.1), Men Against Fire (Ep 3.5; IMDb 7.7), Hang the DJ (Ep 4.4; IMDb 8.9), Metalhead (Ep 4.5; IMDb 6.7)
Like Black Mirror, Amazon Prime’s Electric Dreams is another sci-fi anthology series. It was first shown on Britain’s Channel 4, then it premiered on Amazon Prime in January 2018. Its episodes are based on short stories by writer Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall, The Man in the High Castle).
The series was developed by Ron Moore (Battlestar Galactica), who also wrote one of the episodes for TV (Real Life). Imo, this series doesn’t seem as strong as Black Mirror, but a few episodes caught my attention.
My top picks…
I liked the ambiguity of this episode. You don’t know which “reality” is the real one and which is the fake one. Since it’s called Electric Dreams, this episode might represent the series best. Who is the dreamer, and who is in the dream?
Cast: Anna Paquin, Terrence Howard, Lara Pulver, Rachelle Lefevre
IMDb: 7.8
It seems like every day we hear of another instance proving that people today have no anonymity. Anything you do on your phone, tablet, or computer is known and tracked. Things are getting way creepy. This episode reflects on the issue of anonymity in a creative way.
Cast: Richard Madden, Holliday Grainger
IMDb: 6.9
This episode has some nice twists as it makes a statement about how products are being forced upon us as consumers.
Cast: Juno Temple, Janelle Monáe
IMDb: 8.0
Others worth a mention:
The Commuter (Ep 1.9; IMDb 7.3), Human Is (Ep 1.3; IMDb 7.6), Safe and Sound (Ep 1.6; IMDb 7.5)