Lenie Yoon
The end of a tumultuous year was heralded by the equally twisted and entertaining premiere of the fourth season of Black Mirror. “Black Mirror” is a British Netflix production revolving around the sci-fi twist of technology in the alternative present or future, and each episode contains an intense brain squeezer.
With each bingeable episode running for an hour or more, each episode carries a different storyline which either takes a dark or amusing tone . With each episode having a different cast and the setting of a different reality, fans have varying opinions on which episode is their favorite as each one takes a alluring toll to the futuristic society.
Episode 1: ‘USS Callister’
of Digital Spy
Captain Robert Daly and his crew of four are aboard the USS Callister spaceship to defeat their monstrous enemy, Valdack. However, this setting only takes place at certain times. The real life version of Daly is a technical officer at a company that created Infinity, a videogame which places players in a simulated reality where they are aboard a starship. Daly keeps a secret maintained version of the game on his computer at home where he uses his coworkers’ DNA to transfer their consciences into the game as his subordinates on the ship. He abuses them and exploits them to relieve his real life workplace stress as his associates in the office treat him as inferior. A new programmer, Nanette Cole, is very fond of Daly’s technical work and is hired at the office. Daly targets Cole to be his fifth crew member among his spaceship, and after she figures out where she is, she is warned by Daly’s crew that she and the rest are duplicate consciousnesses of their real selves. They try to defeat Daly and his powerful mindset, but with no escape, the team still tries to work together to find their way out of Daly’s sick reality.
This episode had one of the most interesting plotlines to the series and provided a two-dimensional atmosphere through reality and futuristic setting. The actors, costumes, and enjoyable tone created an overall entertaining experience to introduce the new season of the series.
Episode 4: ‘Hang the DJ’
Photo Courtesy of IndieWire
“Coach” is an an artificial intelligence system installed on a small circular device that creates a time barrier for each romantic pair. Frank is paired with a woman named Amy and as they realize that they are completely compatible for each other, the system does not think so. When their time of 12 hours runs out, they part ways, only to be in a numerous amount of other relationships that soon become meaningless. Their mutual feeling of despair without each other leads to them meeting again, and agreeing to disregard the system and celebrate their love for each other. Unfortunately, they do not know what the system is capable of doing.
‘Hang the DJ’ is one of my favorite episodes because the plot shows a rollercoaster of emotion and affection, yet takes technology to the next level at the same time. The passion Amy and Frank have for each other makes the episode more intriguing and has an interesting twist that makes you want to watch more.
Yet another inviting season of “Black Mirror” never fails to disappoint. The creativity and innovative twists the show puts on technology will keep me and other fans prepared for an even greater season next year.
