Black Mirror Season 5 Review

Black Mirror (2011-)
Season 5 - 3 episodes (2019)

Watch Black Mirror Season 5 on Netflix
Created by: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Beharie, Pom Klementieff, Andrew Scott, Topher Grace, Miley Cyrus
Black Mirror Main Page


Plot
Each unconnected episode examines the pitfalls when technology and society intersect. What happens when technology goes off the rails, creating a horrifying situation? Does technology make us happier, is being connected at all times beneficial, and does it do more harm than good? The stories are known for their harrowing nature and depressing conclusions.

Verdict
This season doesn't feel like Black Mirror. The episodes focus more on interpersonal relationships than technology. While technology is involved, none of these episodes had the impact of previous seasons. The episodes aren't bad, but Black Mirror has set a precedence of greatness that isn't reached this season. I like the concept of each episode, but I'm not afraid of the future of technology after each episode like I usually am.
It depends.

Review
Prior to this season, I couldn't binge Black Mirror episodes. I need to contemplate and recover from what I had seen. I never got that feeling this season. The episodes didn't seem as ambitious or as deep, and Rachel, Jack & Ashley Too was comedic even. It's a completely different tone.
The harm in all three episodes is aided by technology, but it's people at the root that would have found a way to further their plot regardless of technology. In previous seasons technology made something unique possible. Has Black Mirror peaked? It's easy to argue seasons one and two are the peak. With fewer episodes too, I expected this season to come closer to the peaks of the first two seasons.

The concepts this season are great, but the execution leaves me wanting more. Black Mirror has set the bar so high, that I expect a well developed world that turns my presumptions on it's head and leaves me devastated. I want to see the dark side of technology and these episodes aren't as bleak.

Striking Vipers
I really like the concept of this episode. This sets up with two old college buddies, Karl and Danny, starting to play virtual reality video games together. Danny is a middle class dad envious of his music exec friend Karl, but you get the feeling Karl is envious of Danny. They live opposite lives but seem to want what the other has.

They play a fighting game, Striking Vipers. It's a game they played in college and now it's back as virtual reality. The episode does a great job of capturing video game fighting in live action. Karl always plays as a female character. That's weird in this video game world that seems real. The video game characters kiss, but how much of that is real?
Is Danny just attracted to the female character? What's going on with Karl? It seems Karl may have a fantasy he's trying to fulfill. Their gaming sessions don't involve fighting and it's affecting real life.
It isn't a real relationship. It's sensation and fantasy. They don't even talk. Danny is embracing a female character. We see this from Danny's point of view. We don't know what's going on with Karl. Is it a Danny thing or just a male thing?

It's living a double life as they are different people in the game. The root question is are they attracted to the character, the forbidden nature of their deed, or the person behind the character. It's also an escape. Everything physical, which is the root of this attraction is a fictional character.

Danny blocks Karl from his life, but then has to know is it a game thing or an us thing. In real life they don't have that spark. Those feelings are manufactured, a by product of the game. Like Karl said, it's different in the game. Ultimately the game seems to be porn for them.

Pacing the episode with birthdays is a nice touch. The ending is a trip, but it doesn't have the punch of typical Black Mirror episodes. The broad questions is intriguing. As we approach hyper realistic VR, where is the line? What feelings are an emotional connection and which are just primal desire?
The pull of the game is the escape, the sensation.

Smithereens
This certainly seemed poised to be my least favorite episode of the season.

A ride share driver is hunting outside Smithereens social media company employees to give them rides. Soon we discover he wants to talk to the founder.

The bulk of the episode is a hostage situation when the driver kidnaps an employee. The coolest aspect of the episode is that the social media company runs though this guys personal information and has a better handle on the situation than the cops. They use the app on the phone to listen to the guy. The crazy thing is they can do that because I'm sure the guy signed everything away upon joining. This episode is about the potential. A company like Facebook could do this if the need arose.

People watching the standoff under mean the cops by posting images and what they hear cops say.

Social media is made to be addictive and has the ability to be incredibly intrusive. It's a great starting point but this episode doesn't do enough. I did like the parallel of a mother held hostage by not being able to get into her deceased daughter's social media account, but then why does she need to? What would she see?

Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too
Rachel is using pop star Ashley as an escape. That's media in general is used. Rachel is at a new school, embarrsed by dad, and trying to combat those feelings. She envies Ashley

In an early scene, and reoccurring is a Nine Inch Nails song that's remixed to sound more pop. Apparently Trent Reznor is a big fan of the show.

We see that Ashley's pop star image is a front. She's on medication, but we don't know what it does.
Rachel being the Ashley fan she is has to have the Ashley doll. How smart is this doll? The doll helps Rachel be more ambitious by entering a talent show, but I couldn't help thinking that it's also setting her up for failure. The doll is also making her complacent and comfortable without friends. I thought this was going to be the crux of the episode, but it's not.

Rachel's entry into the talent show takes a dive when she stumbles, but the dance wasn't that good before. She lacked confidence, but I can't tell if the crowd liked it or just liked her effort. They didn't laugh, so I guess they approved.

Rachel's older sister takes the doll, and I thought at first Jack wanted to engage or befriend the doll. Jack is hiding it because Rachel is obsessed and relying on the doll. Their dad seems ill equipped to handle two fighting teen girls.

It turns out Ashley's aunt feels she deserve's Ashely's earnings for taking her on when Ashley's parent's died.
The aunt has a cash cow and isn't letting go. It's the old I put a roof over your head, you owe me. I get the aunt didn't necessarily choose this, but she had options. Ashley has allowed the aunt to live quite a charmed life. I think the debt has more than been repaid. I wish the aunt was detailed better to make her more than just a money hungry villain.

It was crazy that the aunt uses technology to create albums and music from a comatose Ashley. The mood of the song can be changed with a dial. This has to be an Autotune dig.

There's a twist with how much the doll is like Ashley, but what follows is hokey. The conclusion of this episode is even more hokey. Black Mirror isn't supposed to do happy endings. I liked where this episode could have gone, but it fumbles at the end. It's a weak conclusion.