Black Mirror: Season 5
A complete deviation from its former four seasons, Season 5 weaves together a set of three tales each of whom end on a much hopeful note, sadly.
It is perhaps true that the more you venture West, people want to turn their backs to hard-hitting realities and pick up content which is lighter in nature, leaving you with a false silver lining. Something similar happened with creator Charlie Brooker’s ‘Black Mirror’ an anthological TV series, which first arrived on a dystopian note about a society engulfed in technological evolution. When the series aired with the first season on British television Channel 4, it came up with four episodes each of whom were grounded in the realistic portrayal of every harm the black mirror can cause.
Revolving around the idea of the black screen of anything that runs on technology such as a television, a mobile phone, a computer, and so on, Season 1 of ‘Black Mirror’ had set the expectations much higher. However, after Netflix purchased the program in 2015 which meant that audience further west of the Atlantic were now watching the series on a global platform, the series began to loosen up on its content. The traumatic approach which was the foundation of storytelling when it came to ‘Black Mirror’ was soon lost and the series became a fantasy tale about people living in imaginary times, merely. The basic tie up with reality that was the most fascinating factor of the show went completely missing, Season 5, sadly is the worst on the lot.
With three episodes released, it can be said; ‘Black Mirror’ is far away from what it had set out to achieved. Unlike the former seasons, even after the transfer to Netflix, the show had managed to retain the suspense of a dystopian society which was like a warning note against the on-going hype about technology. Instead, ‘Black Mirror’ Season 5 is nothing less than a bunch of modern fairy tales weaved together for your little bedtime story. However, keeping up with the show’s sudden-found lightness, the stories are as heart-warming as they can get.
Episode 1 titled ‘Striking Vipers’, comes up with an unusual love story which is placed far away from reality, literally. When two college mates meet at a point in their lives when they are established citizens, they resume their old-time favourite game, ‘Striking Vipers’, only this time they are in the game. However, that is not the basic idea of the show. The basic idea lies in forging an inclusive relationships where partners get to sleep with other people at least once a year- doesn’t matter if that is in an alter reality. While this certainly matches with the present generation’s take on relationships where no one is prepared to commit but experience all the consequences of commitment, ‘Striking Vipers’ is an episode that gives a moralistic teaching in the most contemporary sense of the term.
‘Striking Vipers’ can be rated better than the latter two. (IMDb)
Keeping up with this season’s moralistic re-telling of some very old tales, Episode 2 titled ‘Smithereens’ takes a step forward in being a worse one than Episode 1, even with Andrew Scott in the lead. Reminiscing Season 3’s first episode, ‘Nosedive’, where social image had cost the protagonist her sanity, ‘Smithereens’ is another poorly retelling of the same idea. After a maddening abduction case of an intern, a man tries to make a call to the owner of a social media company. With a plot as interesting as this, the story could have easily landed up in an ending which like ‘Nosedive’ would have left us with a feeling of guilt and relief. Unfortunately, ‘Smithereens’ ended on a very ordinary note about a man obsessed with the idea of telling his story to the owner of a social media platform he is a part of. This is where ‘Black Mirror’ suddenly takes an ethical turn and it can be almost laughed at.
Episode 2 is an injustice to Andrew Scott. (IMDb)
Pulling the seemingly similar string, Episode 3 ‘Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too’ terribly failed to live up to the minimum standards created by the former two episodes. We have Miley Cyrus doing what she does best, a pop sensation idealized by several nothing-to-do teenagers but once again Miley Cyrus has a secret identity that wants to live an original life- a kiddish reminder of the pop star’s former small screen glory, ‘Hannah Montana’. Episode 3 has none of the elements that is expected out of ‘Black Mirror’. Yes, there are technological goofing around which is so hilarious that you watch it for a good laugh but other than that it is just another Miley Cyrus return to her Hannah Montana-self for all the teenagers who are basically responsible adults now.
Episode 3 is the worst in the lot. (IMDb)
‘Black Mirror’ Season 5 is an utter disappointment, and what is worse the show has completely lost its gravitas which had beautifully foiled its understatement in the former seasons. It wouldn’t be a great miss if you decide not to watch it, but we can still be hopeful that the dystopian series will bring back its authenticity since the Polish version, titled ‘Little Black Mirror’ (translated) is doing far better than what the original giant has been showing.
