There are so many discussions taking place on the subject of AI in all types of industries, including entertainment, science and medicine to name a few. So, it makes sense that the latest series of Charlie Brooker’s dark satire peeks behind the curtain on the pitfalls and positives of the development of the technology and how it is shaping culture, humanity and our lives. As ever, Brooker trusts the audience to form their own opinions on where we are heading, with a variety of episodes that cut close to the bone when it comes to pressing matters and very real anxieties.
Take for instance, ‘Common People’, starring Rashida Jones and Chris O’Dowd as a working-class couple who are deeply in love. When an unexpected health issue arises, they are sent into a financial and moral tailspin when it comes to affordable solutions. Over the episode, you literally see the toll it takes on their physical and mental well-being; it’s extremely raw viewing in a time when the NHS is being threatened, even if it is set in America where this is a startling reality for many. The episode also takes aim at streaming services’ ever-increasing price plans and bias in the social media algorithm and how it maliciously preys on insecurities.
‘Eulogy’ starring Paul Giamatti is equally upsetting as it heads in another direction to explore the way in which technology can be used to enhance our existence. It starts off with a simple request for Giamatti’s Phillip to take part in an immersive memorial for a girlfriend from his youthful past. He is guided by Patsy Ferran, who asks him to scan in photos from that time in his life. An episode that begins as what can be considered weirdly distanced from the grieving process leads the viewer through a multitude of emotions woven into the mystery of why this couple broke up. It’s an engaging and timeless dramatic piece on the importance of personal responsibility and confronting uncomfortable truths.
‘Hotel Reverie’ is a stand-out episode in this season and will surely garner awards for Emma Corrin’s exceptionally complex performance as a British 1940s actor who gets caught up in an AI-directed remake of a classic film. Its layered approach not only tackles very real discussions taking place regarding the use of the technology in filmmaking, harking back to the strikes that took place in Hollywood, but also considers who has been left out of being cast in certain genres and what love stories still need to be told in the mainstream. Issa Rae is an actor who is looking for her big break, and finally gets to play the love interest in a Brief Encounter/Casablanca style film (only after, of course, all the big-name male actors have turned the opportunity down). It is a beautifully crafted episode with not only the longing of those 1940s classics brought wonderfully to life but also the humour of the modern day with a typically funny Awkwafina playing the stressed-out mastermind behind the movie redux.
‘Bête Noire’ pits two talented actors against each other in a playfully petty and highly amusing way. Siena Kelly is fantastic as a successful woman in the chocolate business but when an old face turns up at her workplace (the school weirdo played with gleeful relish by Rosy McEwen) they battle it out. Another layered and fun episode that keeps you guessing and deals in gaslighting, misinformation and the importance of fact-checking in the modern age.
The sequel episode, ‘USS Callister: Into Infinity’, is one that many may be excited for, especially with its themes of VR and megalomaniac tech bros. It plays out as a feature-length film at nearly ninety minutes and is enjoyably involving but it doesn’t have the same gut-punch reveal as the original. However, ‘Plaything’, keeps the swings coming, bringing back ‘Bandersnatch’ director, David Slade, to once again revel in the mindset of young men. Peter Capaldi appears in the near future as a loner weirdo accused of murder. When he gives himself up, he tells the coppers how exactly he got to this place.
A brilliantly cast Lewis Gribben plays a young Capaldi in the 1990s; a journalist who loses his way when he becomes obsessed with a Tamagotchi/Lemmings style game. Comparable to Adolescence, this is an episode that explores loneliness, alienation and male toxicity by toying with the lens of real-crime and similarly asking the question: Does humanity need a reset? The answer right now seems to be most definitely.
Black Mirror is out now on Netflix.
Watch our interview with Charlie Brooker and executive producer Jessica Rhoades here.
