Black Mirror

[Stu]

Finally got round to watching Black Mirror: White Christmas. Blimey, that was a bit good. Some of the plot points may have been a bit obvious, but it still wove together into a satisfying whole, with great writing and performances. Nicely creepy look at the way computer technology continues to have ever more powerful impact on our lives. Hats off to Charlie Brooker and everyone else involved.

On a side note I also recently watched Brooker's spoof of gritty police dramas, A Touch of Cloth. Good fun, although lacking the depth of Black Mirror. With A Touch of Cloth it's all about the jokes, some of which it has to be said, don't quite hit the mark. If Black Mirror is Brooker's attempt to make a 21st century Twilight Zone then A Touch of Cloth is his crack at a 21st century Police Squad/Naked Gun.

What I like about Black Mirror is that it isn't a show about technology gone wrong, but how increased technological abilities and communications exacerbate mankind's innate negative qualities.

The Christmas special was a triumph, as are White Bear and 15 Million Merits.

[Stu]

Brooker is good at taking proven film/TV templates -- Twilight Zone for Black Mirror, Naked Gun for A Touch of Cloth, Dawn of the Dead for Dead Set -- and then adding an intelligent satirical spin. No mean feat as all of the templates he uses are already intelligent, or satires, or spoofs, or all three.

Series 3 is up on Netflix. I enjoyed the first episode, but I hope the rest are bleaker.

Quote Originally Posted by Prince James Zaleski

Series 3 is up on Netflix. I enjoyed the first episode, but I hope the rest are bleaker.

Oh #### really?

There goes my weekend I guess.

[Auditor]

Wow, the lady that starred in the first episode of the new season deserves an Oscar.

[Arthur Staaz]

I've watched four episodes of Season 3. So far, I'm a bit disappointed. The first episode was really interesting and timely. The rest, so far, meh. Seems like its trying too hard to hit all of the right socio-political cues.