Black Mirror
Jun. 5th, 2019 03:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
peeeeeeetThere are NEW Black Mirror episodes! Here are my OPINIONZ:
Striking Vipers
In common with several BM episodes, this took a little while to get going, and I feel like the whole "it's a video game but you are actually inside it and experience everything" is familiar enough now that they could have short-circuited the early scenes heavily. Once it got going I thought it was a rather sweet exploration of the peculiar situation, and there were nice little touches along the way, such as when the two guys fight at the end, it's a clumsy brawl rather than the elegant moves within the game.
Smithereens
This was also rather slow, and the twist was predictable, perhaps because the mind of Charlie Brooker is becoming rather familiar now. But a layered central performance from Andrew Scott kept it going. As did the global cry of "OH MY GOD THAT WAS THE GUY FROM THAT 70S SHOW HE LOOKS TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!!!"
Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too
I live for bitter, sarcastic Ashley Bot, and basically everything from when her limiter was removed to the end was gold. Miley Cyrus threw herself into a role that probably didn't require her to reach very far. Again, it was a little slow to get going, but again there were lots of nice details, such as the publicity photos of coma Ashley wearing the pink wig. Perhaps the only thing that didn't work was getting new songs from her brain scan - why not just hire one of the dozens of ghost-writers that work on these sort of albums anyway?
Overall, though, three consistently strong episodes, and my fears that the show had run out of ideas have not yet come true.
While I'm here I never gave a verdict on Bandersnatch. Less innovative and complex that its creators make out, it passes a couple of hours but lacks female characters or re-playability.
UPDATED RANKING OF ALL BLACK MIRROR EPISODES LOLOLOLOL:
San Junipero [3-04]
Hated in the Nation [3-06]
Hang the DJ [4-04]
Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too [5-03]
Striking Vipers [5-01]
The Entire History of You [1-03]
Crocodile [4-03]
Smithereens [5-02]
USS Callister [4-01]
White Bear [2-02]
Arkangel [4-02]
Nosedive [3-01]
Fifteen Million Merits [1-02]
Black Museum [4-06]
Playtest [3-02]
White Christmas [Special]
Be Right Back [2-01]
Bandersnatch [Special]
Metalhead [4-05]
The Waldo Moment [2-03]
Shut Up And Dance [3-03]
The National Anthem [1-01]
Men Against Fire [3-05]
Striking Vipers
In common with several BM episodes, this took a little while to get going, and I feel like the whole "it's a video game but you are actually inside it and experience everything" is familiar enough now that they could have short-circuited the early scenes heavily. Once it got going I thought it was a rather sweet exploration of the peculiar situation, and there were nice little touches along the way, such as when the two guys fight at the end, it's a clumsy brawl rather than the elegant moves within the game.
Smithereens
This was also rather slow, and the twist was predictable, perhaps because the mind of Charlie Brooker is becoming rather familiar now. But a layered central performance from Andrew Scott kept it going. As did the global cry of "OH MY GOD THAT WAS THE GUY FROM THAT 70S SHOW HE LOOKS TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!!!"
Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too
I live for bitter, sarcastic Ashley Bot, and basically everything from when her limiter was removed to the end was gold. Miley Cyrus threw herself into a role that probably didn't require her to reach very far. Again, it was a little slow to get going, but again there were lots of nice details, such as the publicity photos of coma Ashley wearing the pink wig. Perhaps the only thing that didn't work was getting new songs from her brain scan - why not just hire one of the dozens of ghost-writers that work on these sort of albums anyway?
Overall, though, three consistently strong episodes, and my fears that the show had run out of ideas have not yet come true.
While I'm here I never gave a verdict on Bandersnatch. Less innovative and complex that its creators make out, it passes a couple of hours but lacks female characters or re-playability.
UPDATED RANKING OF ALL BLACK MIRROR EPISODES LOLOLOLOL:
San Junipero [3-04]
Hated in the Nation [3-06]
Hang the DJ [4-04]
Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too [5-03]
Striking Vipers [5-01]
The Entire History of You [1-03]
Crocodile [4-03]
Smithereens [5-02]
USS Callister [4-01]
White Bear [2-02]
Arkangel [4-02]
Nosedive [3-01]
Fifteen Million Merits [1-02]
Black Museum [4-06]
Playtest [3-02]
White Christmas [Special]
Be Right Back [2-01]
Bandersnatch [Special]
Metalhead [4-05]
The Waldo Moment [2-03]
Shut Up And Dance [3-03]
The National Anthem [1-01]
Men Against Fire [3-05]
