Beautiful, disturbing, artistic, frightening and in some ways too close to home. All of the above have been used to describe the British TV series "Black Mirror" as creator Charlie Brooker plunges into the near future of our world. The speculative fiction anthology fixates on the ever-developing relationship between technology and human life taking us from an episode in which ratings or likes on social media translate to social status and commodity to a world where a dystopian style American Idol/X Factor-esque show called Hot Shot is documented in an eerily Orwellian future.
It's been widely compared to a modern day "Twilight Zone" that explores the fantastical and horrifying implications of technology. Brooker writes in a column in the Guardian that Rod Serling, the brilliant writer for Twilight Zone had expressed being routinely frustrated by the censorship of his provocative teleplays about contemporary issues for corporate sponsors. "If he wrote about racism in a southern town, he had to fight the network over every line. But if he wrote about racism in a metaphorical, quasi-fictional world – suddenly he could say everything he wanted." Episodes from the "Twilight Zone" were sometimes cruel, stark as Serling ventured into discussions about atomic bombs, civil rights, McCarthyism and the space race. — For Brooker, the phenomena of being plunged into a slightly different world to expose the unease of the modern world was exactly the means of this anthology.
Brooker explains the namesake, "If technology is a drug – and it does feel like a drug – then what, precisely, are the side-effects? This area – between delight and discomfort – is where Black Mirror, my new drama series, is set. The "black mirror" of the title is the one you'll find on every wall, on every desk, in the palm of every hand: the cold, shiny screen of a TV, a monitor, a smartphone." A dark reflection on the reality of the growth of technology if you will.
"Black Mirror" has skyrocketed in popularity from its UK roots when it landed on Netflix in 2014, it continues to do so with the release of Season 3 in October 2016. Praised by Stephen King, invested by Robert Downy Jr. Despite the dark nature, it is compelling and an eerily amazing show with a knack for horror.
New York Times author, Jenna Wortham declares "It is impossible to watch the show and not idly fantasize about having access to some of the services and systems they use, even as you see them used in horrifying ways." It is the haunting beauty and wonderment of this show, pondering what the world would be like if one could use old emails to clone a loved one, record memories with a surgically implanted grain, or play a live action video game that personally adheres to one's greatest fears. And this anthology is certainly a treat. Watch it for entertainment. Watch it for the art, the wonderment, the compelling nature — but most of all watch it for yourself. After all, the "black mirror" reflects you as much as anyone else.
