This review was originally printed in February 2015. Due to an editorial error, it wasn’t posted online until now. (Photo courtesy of Channel 4)

Brendan Jacques
Connector Editor

Since the genre was first conceived, science fiction stories have had a fascination with the prospect of technology going horribly wrong, and it’s not hard to see why that is. The power of the devices we take for granted in our everyday lives and the infrastructure that holds it together has evolved so drastically so quickly in the past few decades that it’s easy to see a future where we take that innovation down a path we should never have considered. Some of the greatest science fiction stories have been born from this fear, from the rise of the machine master race in the ‘Terminator’ films, to the lifeless mass-consumer culture found in ‘Fahrenheit 451’, and ‘Black Mirror’ very clearly takes its inspirations from said stories. What makes the show special compared to its contemporaries however is a difference in interest: while those stories explore what happens when humans change machines, ‘Black Mirror’ is concerned with how machines can change humans.

Created by acclaimed British satirist Charlie Brooker, ‘Black Mirror’ is a science-fiction anthology series whose structure is reminiscent of the classic television series, ‘The Twilight Zone’. Each of the show’s six episodes is a self-contained story starring a completely different cast of characters taking place in a separate world from the others (or do they?). These stories can range from a modern look on how social media can have a direct and potentially negative effect on world events to a look at a dystopian future seemingly born straight from the nightmares of Steve Jobs. However, unlike its spiritual predecessor, all of the worlds depicted in the stories remain incredibly similar to our own, with even the most outlandish settings being plausible futures our society could move towards.

Also linking all of the episodes together is a consistent commentary on technology’s effect on human empathy. Every lead in the series is, at their core, a broken character, forced to futilely fight back against a world that seems so enraptured by their technology and the righteousness of their hatred that they’ll do despicable acts to people simply for the spectacle of it all. Heck, at times the reactions of the general populace almost borderline on cultist ritual, as if the only way to be accepted into the pack is to drink the Kool-Aid and learn to love a good lynching (both metaphorically and literally). The point is driven even further home when this mob-like behavior is attributed in certain episodes to social media and political commentators, seemingly suggesting the violent actions we’re seeing are a next evolution of snarky internet personalities, hate-filled message boards and…political commentators. Before anyone gets worked up though, it should be noted that the show is meant to be a dark satire, so it’s not meant to be taken at face value, but more for its symbolic meaning, as most of the show’s crazier moments are.

From a production standpoint, ‘Black Mirror’ is fairly impressive overall. The series has a very clean visual style reminiscent of the Netflix series ‘House of Cards’, complete with blue camera filters and plenty of long, tracking shots. The show has some really excellent set design that consistently fits the themes of the episode at hand, though at times it does struggle against the constraints of its budget, particularly when computer effects are involved. Despite swapping to completely different casts with each episode, all of the actors play their roles well, with all the leads having at least one scene-stealing moment to remember them by, though special mention has to be given to Daniel Kuluuya for his role as…well you’ll see.

Unfortunately, if the series has any real weak spot, it’s that the tone and intensity of the episodes is inconsistent. While every episode of the series is written by Charlie Brooker (with the exception of the 3rd), the director is swapped out for each one, meaning that the tone and pacing of one part of the series could be wildly different from the next part. This isn’t a major problem as all of the episodes are competently made regardless of the director at the helm, but the constant changes do make binge-watching the series less than ideal. Also, I’m not completely on board with the episode the developers chose to start the series with, “The National Anthem”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great episode with some really interesting ideas that are in keeping with the theme of the show, but it’s also the only episode that eschews the more contemplative tone of the other short films and replaces it with a set-up straight out of a horror thriller with an intensity that doesn’t jive with the rest of the series. I still think you should watch it, but I’d suggest watching the second episode first to get a better idea of how the show usually is.

I’ve been struggling to write this review for the better part of a month, not because the series wasn’t deserving but because I didn’t think I could do the series justice. ‘Black Mirror’ is a gruesome, thought-provoking, and quietly terrifying series that hooked me all over again with every new episode. It was scarier than most horror movies, more heart-wrenching than most dramas, and it never backs down from speaking its mind, even when it holds its own audience with great contempt. It’s ‘The Twilight Zone’ for the hashtag generation and it cannot be missed.

‘Black Mirror’ is currently available for legal streaming exclusively on Netflix.com. The series is also poised to receive an American remake to be released in 2016.