Black Mirror

Discussion in 'Whatever' started by Lixx, Nov 18, 2016.

  1. xSuicide Squadx

    xSuicide Squadx Super Deformed

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    I pretty much equated the two separate existences to something of a parallel universe, only one knew of the both. Because they were a DNA construct in a digital world they were fully conscious and aware clones of themselves. As far as escaping Callister, I took their freedom as becoming actual, existing beings once they broke through the firewall. Getting things like their genitalia and digestive systems back led me to believe they essentially became full on human, unbeknownst to them, and would die as such over time. So they simply led their lives out in the game through the ever expanding universe.

    This fourth season really is a bit of a letdown. For the most part it doesn’t even feel like Black Mirror, sans USS Callister. Arkangel
    was so predictable once she hit her teens and her mom put the tablet away. You knew she was gonna break it back out, and it had to be over some typical teenager situations.
    Crocodile,
    just played out like a very bad M. Night Shyamalan short. Typical “gotta keep killing to keep my secret” plot, with the “shocker” of having to kill a baby, and the “twist” that he was blind. BUT WAIT!!! We can still see what the guinea pig was thinking and project what it saw, despite not being able to communicate to it what we need it to think! Lame. As. Shit.
    Hang the DJ
    was honestly just a cute story, and was kinda cool to see their digital selves were finding compatibility within the app, which led them to each other through said app in the end. Didn’t at all feel like a Black Mirror episode, though. Just something for the feels.
    Metalhead, I just turned off 15 minutes in. Felt overly pointless and boring, and I couldn’t keep any interest. Hoping tha Black Museum will salvage something when I get to it.

    I will say, Season 3 fucked me up somethin’ good, watchin’ through those. Especially Shut Up and Dance. Best season in my opinion.
     
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  2. drybones69

    drybones69 Addicted

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    metal head was by far my least favorite. without spoiling it, black museum was good, but really each story could have been its own episode. Over all i thought it was worth the watch, a couple of the episodes i could have easily done without.
     
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  3. Lixx

    Lixx Mr. Grumpy™

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    I can't understand all the hate for Metalhead? I think people are over-thinking it by always expecting every episode to be super deep and full of twists. What's not to like about full-on action and intensity? I loved the whole do anything to survive angle of Metalhead.

    Episodes like San Junipero and Hang the DJ are boring snoozefest love stories in my opinion, even if they try to play the technology angle.
     
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  4. xSuicide Squadx

    xSuicide Squadx Super Deformed

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    @Lixx I didn’t hate Metalhead, there was just nothin’ for me in it. Hang the DJ and San Junipero were for sure love stories, but I felt like there was more substance in those than Metalhead. The aforementioned two at least had me asking questions.
     
  5. smurph

    smurph Comment King

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    Finally knocked out the new season and thought Metalhead was great (prob my favorite of the bunch).
    Similar thoughts about SJ & DJ. Not necessarily bad per say, they just stick out like a sore thumb from the rest of the series.

    USS Callister: a bit jarring first jumping back into the Mirror with that episode, but as the story played out it definintely hooked me. Bonus points for being a mini Fargo S2 reunion. Breaking Bad on a smaller scale (if you count Aaron Paul's voice cameo).

    Arkangel & Crocodile: enjoyed the SFX and tech but the stories could've been fleshed out better. To echo @xSuicide Squadx : Ark was predictable and while Croc's story was riveting, the "twist(s)" at the end fell flat.

    Hang the DJ: better storyline than the last 2, but felt too much like a rehash/reboot of San Junipero.

    Metalhead: the epitome of Black Mirror bleak. The end reveal wasn't jaw-dropping but completely effective in reframing the story proceeded it. Nothing but love for this one.

    Black Museum: heavy 'White Christmas' vibes (still my favorite to-date and think Brooker set the bar a little too high with it). Biggest criticism being Penn Jillette's adapted story (The Pain Addict) didn't really converge with the main arc like the second 2 did... but all were enjoyable and the easter eggs were a nice touch.

    Would ultimately say that S3 was a little stronger, but this season is definitely worth the watch if anyone's on the fence.
    Glad that Mirror has kept its ambience and tone (for the most part) after the Netflix transition. Still stands as one of the best shows on TV.
     
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  6. Vinyl Skin

    Vinyl Skin Toy Prince

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    I too felt Season 3 was stronger and more cohesive. However, I enjoyed Season 4 through its proverbial ups and downs. "USS Callister" was quirky, campy, and a bit hokey for me, but they did it in their own way which was admirable. It's tone was a bit of a surprise and really contributed to the mixed bag feeling I got after watching all of Season 4's episodes. "Hang the DJ" clearly had the SJ reboot vibe. Most nostalgic fans of The Smiths and hopeless romantics everywhere will surely have their heartstrings pulled during this episode. The Jodie Foster-helmed "Arkangel" had some fun moments, but seriously felt WAY too predictable and formulaic for me... kind of like we've seen it all before, just with a different product. I absolutely loved "Metalhead". If you're a hardcore TZ aficionado, you will definitely see the strong similarities to the classic TZ episode "The Invaders" starring Agnes Moorehead. The inspiration is readily apparent with its stark black and white filming, minimalism, strong female lead, the use of robots, methodical pacing, and the lack of dialogue (at times). For me, "Crocodile" was a whirlwind of a psychological treat and the cinematography depicting isolation on numerous levels was stellar. "Black Museum" really felt like a mash-up somewhere between "Tales From The Crypt" and "Tales From The Darkside". I wonder if Penn was going for this vibe when he wrote the original. The easter eggs were appreciated, because they reminded me of older faves from earlier seasons. Overall, Season 4 kept my attention despite some lack of cohesiveness. I look forward to what Charlie B. will pen in the future for us.
     
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  7. Waterbear

    Waterbear Line of Credit

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    Metalhead...

    I loved it for so many reasons but the last few seconds betrayed how great the rest of it was.

    I mean c'mon. Everyone basically giving up their lives for a teddy bear? That is just stupid. I get the idea but seriously anyone with a bit of clothing and some string could make a bear for a child. A t-shirt and a shoelace and half an ounce of creativity could make a fine stuffed bear. With how many dogs we saw at the end going to that warehouse was a suicide mission. It just doesn't add up at all. The entire show would have had more impact if what they killed themselves for meant anything at all. Music or medicine or even something stupid but not replaceable like candy or whatever. Some generic bear for a sick kid? Nope.
     
  8. zindabad

    zindabad Line of Credit

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    Still gotta get in on the latest season, but I convinced my mom to watch Shut Up And Dance from S3 with me. I was hoping she'd guess the twist early like I did (my girlfriend wanted to slap me when that happened) but I ended up having to explain it to her even after the reveal
     
  9. smurph

    smurph Comment King

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    @Waterbear
    Can't speak for others, but I was under the impression the trio were addicts, given some initial redemption as the warehouse break-in was to fulfill a promise: finding _______ (narcotics heavily implied) to ease the pain of a terminal friend. Thought the end scene was brilliant because it put an entirely new spin on everything assumed prior.

    During the radio contact I recall hearing something to the extent of "they hadn't expected dogs / got caught by surprise" and (clearly) the crew wasn't prepared for such an encounter. Think the small army at the end was simply to emphasize how doomed all 3 were from the start. Suicide mission or not, I'll agree the ending does require some suspension of disbelief.

    But hey, if you can buy the memories of a guinea pig leading cops to a killer, the teddy bear should be an easy pill to swallow ;)
     
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  10. foto junkaay

    foto junkaay Addicted

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    I had to stop like 15 or so minutes through to rewatch because it was boring LOLI thought I was missing something, but I wasn't
     
  11. toothaction

    toothaction Team Tsubu Staff Member

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    Touch o' spoils for Black Museum:
     
  12. patrickvaz

    patrickvaz Addicted

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    Getting ready to choose my own adventure rn 8)
     
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  13. zindabad

    zindabad Line of Credit

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    Did my first run today. Need to crack this.
     
  14. Ethan

    Ethan Formerly siphilon

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    For Bandersnatch I went through to 3 of the endings including the one which is considered the "secret" one which is pretty cool. Very fun episode and lots of nostalgia for me with early days of the PC game industry - perplexed why AppleTV couldn't play this episode - so many times I want to take that little brick and throw it out the window.
     
  15. zindabad

    zindabad Line of Credit

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    It certainly kept me occupied but I was pretty sad at the limited scope of all the endings. I suppose that was the whole point, that we can only change so much, but still. Might just be me having played too many adventure games with wider paths already.
     
  16. ultrakaiju

    ultrakaiju Die-Cast Staff Member

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    Finally got around to seeing this as well, after being stuck on an device which was 'incompatible.' I guess partly because I was anticipating it a great deal, and I had a lot of excitement over this project and the CYOA style, I felt a little let down by it. It probably needs a few rewatchings and investigation of the other paths to really seep in. But all of that aside, I think this is an incredible 'piece of art' (and I use that term very reluctantly) in its own right. For what they did and accomplished, this is pretty darned incredible. Even if I didn't feel so pulled in to the story as I would have liked, what the filmmakers and actors did deserves two thumbs up and a pile of stars just for the execution of it. Full props on the project, with minor niggling criticisms of the actual episode. I'll save any detailed discussion of that for when more people have seen it.
     
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  17. ---NT---

    ---NT--- Prototype

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    My memories of reading CYOA books is that they were tedious and gimmicky. I was pleased that Bandersnatch only became tedious after having gone down several paths. It was a very cool concept, executed better than expected, and deserves high marks for doing something new.
     
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  18. ---NT---

    ---NT--- Prototype

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    BTW - if anyone has been on the fence with the movie Cam, I'll just say that I thought it would fit well in the Black Mirror series.
     
  19. ultrakaiju

    ultrakaiju Die-Cast Staff Member

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    I thought Cam had some potential, but ultimately you are right, probably would have worked better in a shorter 'episode' format. I don't really think it delivered anything interesting or satisfying in the finale, unfortunately. An interesting question piece, but - like other anthology shows - is probably best not overly dissected. As a standalone film, I think they could have given a little more.

    But then again, I completely disliked Bird Box, and am really sort of getting miffed now by how much 'acclaim' and attention it is getting - so clearly I don't know celluloid from my elbow. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
     
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  20. Vinyl Skin

    Vinyl Skin Toy Prince

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    Black Mirror is back with its latest season. Just a mere three episodes, but I enjoyed them.
     
  21. taviq

    taviq Toy Prince

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    fighting tigers was really good
     
  22. akum6n

    akum6n Vintage

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    I feel like the best Black Mirror eps from past seasons were the ones that built up to some crazy twist in the end. The two that I have watched so far (Fighting Vipers and the Miley Cyrus one) have been the opposite.

    The ride-sharing one, frankly, sounds really boring so I haven't watched it yet. Probably means that it will be the best of the bunch.
     
  23. patrickvaz

    patrickvaz Addicted

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    The ride share one was prolly the most suspenseful. But Fighting Vipers made me feel awkward from start to finish, so I dug that. The Molly Cyrus episode prolly was the weakest, but I thought the whole NIN thing was funny!
     
  24. akum6n

    akum6n Vintage

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    PSA: If you play a lot of online games and your spouse does not, I would probably advise against watching Fighting Vipers with your spouse. That's all I'll say.
     
  25. a.tom

    a.tom Addicted

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    In my opinion, this season totally lacked the spirit of black mirror.
     
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