Created by brilliant English satirist and broadcaster Charlie Brooker, Black Mirror might be the modern day techno-apocalypse version of ‘The Twilight Zone.’ On first glance, this now 13 part anthology appears to just be a small collection of comical short stories. But it gets deeper than that, Black Mirror serves as a social commentary, an assortment of possible future scenarios critiquing today’s state of humanity.
First aired in 2011, season one contained only three episodes. This was followed two years later by season two which had three episodes, plus a Christmas Special. After being picked up by Netflix, season three was released recently on Oct. 21 containing six all new stories.
When you watch each episode, you wouldn’t think they all belong to the same show since they are very unique to one another. Season 3 Episode 2, Playtest, which describes a world where Virtual Reality video games become too real seems to be pretty terrifying. Other episodes like Season 1 Episode 1, The National Anthem, an episode that describes a hostage scenario of a princess, prove to be thought provoking. The kidnapper wants only one thing for her release: for the Prime Minister to engage in an incredibly embarrassing act.
You can find a central moral theme in each episode, most of the time based off of real world events. For me, the most attractive thing about the show is that each episode has a purpose to be broken down and analyzed methodically. It’s a beautiful compilation of nightmares each as intricate and haunting as the last. This show can’t be easily forgotten.
BEN’S RATING: 9/10, MASTERPIECE
