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How “Black Mirror” Gets Its Barely Sci-Fi Tech Just Right

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Re: How “Black Mirror” Gets Its Barely Sci-Fi Tech Just Right

#81

Post by tempestn »

Torgo wrote: post #75
tempestn wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that it would be terrible science, but since that seems so clear - the bicycles could barely power the screens in front of them at the speed the people were riding, let alone the greater world - I gave them the benefit of the doubt and assumed that they're literally make-work. The (presumably uneducated) riders may believe they're doing something necessary, but this could be a picture of a dystopian post-scar…

other than being post-scarcity, I'd say recycling is literally almost this. it's not actually all that valuable as an activity and functions more as penance for the sin of consumerism.

Do you have references for that? There are many challenges involved in recycling, and it's certainly far more valuable to reduce consumption and increase re-use, but any review I've seen still shows recycling having a significant net environmental benefit.

Re: How “Black Mirror” Gets Its Barely Sci-Fi Tech Just Right

#82

Post by bluetwo »

unfunco wrote: post #15
Analemma_ wrote: post #2

Are people liking the latest season of Black Mirror? I'm only three episodes in and haven't yet gotten to San Junipero, which everyone says is the really good one, but so far I've been a little disappointed. This might be regression to the mean, since I felt that the first six episodes were six home runs in a row and it must be tough to keep a streak like that going, but so far season 3 seems to have lost something.…

Sorry to comment again, but you mentioned "six home runs in a row" – there's also a Christmas special called "White Christmas" – if you haven't seen it already, is also one of the better episodes, starring the main guy from Mad Men (Jo(h?)n Hamm?)

Yes, very good but doesn't seem to get the love for some reason.

The way he ties the different plots and technologies together was fantastic.

Maybe Netflix will release it for the holidays this year?

Re: How “Black Mirror” Gets Its Barely Sci-Fi Tech Just Right

#83

Post by xenobioticants »

unfunco wrote: post #50
unfunco wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me, the third episode (Shut up and dance) is the outstanding episode, at the end I was mentally exhausted and incredibly saddened. San Junipero is different, without ruining things, it's the only episode where at the end, I wasn't considering the "where" that we're heading towards as a society (though on further thinking, it's a question of whether something good is also something moral.) – It's just very differen…

I've just finished watching the "Men Against Fire" episode, due to feedback, to me; it's still the weakest of the bunch, but probably because it seems the most implausible, every episode of Black Mirror previously has made me question my own black mirror, and whether it's a good or bad decision to own one. This episode specifically is too detached from my own day to day choices to have had the impact it's meant to ha…

Eugenics are not evil and would rid the world of many terrible, terrible hereditary diseases. However, the way to get it out of humanity should be done by the 'soft' way, not with violence.

Re: How “Black Mirror” Gets Its Barely Sci-Fi Tech Just Right

#84

Post by devonkim »

tintor wrote: post #17
unfunco wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me, the third episode (Shut up and dance) is the outstanding episode, at the end I was mentally exhausted and incredibly saddened. San Junipero is different, without ruining things, it's the only episode where at the end, I wasn't considering the "where" that we're heading towards as a society (though on further thinking, it's a question of whether something good is also something moral.) – It's just very differen…

> there's one episode which I didn't finish as it just didn't interest me, it was the army-type episode, I got bored incredibly quickly. "Men Against Fire" was the most disturbing episode of the season. Army with AR implants for zero-empathy ethnic cleansing.

It got the dichotomy right - the solution for horrible things like PTSD also turned out to be justifying continuation of a horrific crime in its own right. The balance of how technology is amoral and how we use it as a society and for what agendas is illustrated in one of the better ways in this specific episode. The problem I had with the episode is similar to my complaint with all of season 3 - unnecessarily slow pacing and repetition. I'm not seeing the artistic reasons for repeating the same tired gestures in, say, the first episode unless they're more sentimental kind of episodes like San Junipero.

The morality lessons that the Twilight Zone oftentimes preached are manifested more as debates in Black Mirror with season 3, which I think is a lot tougher to write successfully. What is a bit of a letdown is that the debates are mostly contemporary (PTSD wasn't even a term when the Twilight Zone was airing) and will date this specific episode heavily. Meanwhile, most of what I watched in the Twilight Zone is still very relevant from even a thought experiment perspective.

I think I developed a lot more critical thinking watching Twilight Zone episodes as a child than anything I had to read in school.

Re: How “Black Mirror” Gets Its Barely Sci-Fi Tech Just Right

#85

Post by devonkim »

unfunco wrote: post #21
alvern wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Twitter-death-drone episode could have been a stand alone movie. Everything in that story and execution was polished and well put together. The pacing was fantastic compared to the others in the bunch.

Absolutely, I thought the same thing – it was the longest of the episodes, and although you see that text message at the end, it's still open-ended – it might be the first episode that could be revisited at some point?

The moral message was lost it seems - the viewer's gut reaction to persecute the supposed antagonist now is part of the critique. Wishing for his death despite his deeds is not necessarily justice and a failure to understand his motives. Is it any better we judge and execute in secret than in public?

Re: How “Black Mirror” Gets Its Barely Sci-Fi Tech Just Right

#86

Post by intrasight »

"Black Mirror" is dark sci-fi. I do most of my video watching before bed, but that doesn't work for Black Mirror. There is so little quality in television series that I'll take whatever quality I can get. I don't like gratuitous violence, sex, or comic relief - and that rules out 3/4 of all programming. I find Black Mirror to be worth the investment of my time.

Re: How “Black Mirror” Gets Its Barely Sci-Fi Tech Just Right

#87

Post by nandemo »

skciva wrote: post #46
AlwaysRock wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me it feels like all the subtly is gone. What would have not been explained in the first two seasons is spelled out in the third season. It got a whole lot less interesting or engaging.

Honestly the only subtle episodes I can think of pre-season 3 are White Bear and White Christmas. I'd love a discussion on why you (or others) think otherwise.

I started watching S1E1 after having watched a couple of other episodes from season 2 and 3. I quit watching it halfway. Not sure what was subtle about it. Honestly if it was the first episode I'd watched, I'd probably have written off the whole show altogether.

Re: How “Black Mirror” Gets Its Barely Sci-Fi Tech Just Right

#88

Post by aaron695 »

Analemma_ wrote: post #2

Are people liking the latest season of Black Mirror? I'm only three episodes in and haven't yet gotten to San Junipero, which everyone says is the really good one, but so far I've been a little disappointed. This might be regression to the mean, since I felt that the first six episodes were six home runs in a row and it must be tough to keep a streak like that going, but so far season 3 seems to have lost something.…

Fifteen Million Merits S01E02

"everyone must cycle on exercise bikes in order to power their surroundings"

Re: How “Black Mirror” Gets Its Barely Sci-Fi Tech Just Right

#89

Post by pfranz »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #8

The consistent technology theme I see across almost all episodes is that Augmented Reality is ubiquitous, and regarded as either neutral (Nosedive) or bad (Playtest, Men Against Fire).

I think it's a storytelling crutch (I don't mean that disparagingly). Technology is super difficult to convey on screen and the most straightforward way is to just show it. AR makes that easy.

Re: How “Black Mirror” Gets Its Barely Sci-Fi Tech Just Right

#90

Post by megablast »

angersock wrote: post #71
mei0Iesh wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I found no value in the first two seasons. It's been on the front page of HN at least 4 times in the past couple weeks. I tried watching the third season hoping it was better. It's still stupid. It's like they just take some very plain 1:1 observation about exactly how the world is right now, focus on one specific demographic, then create a skit around it that has no depth. They create imaginary worlds, but they're n…

You must be a riot at parties. > Black Mirror seems to be optimized for people who are blunted both in terms of intellect and social emotion. Are you sure Black Mirror is the stunted one? > They're basically exactly the world we're in, but they replace a few things with something slightly different. That's the key to good speculative fiction --unless you're one of the folks that needs aliens and spaceships and nanoji…

> You must be a riot at parties.

This is such a horrible response. I don't agree with the guys opinion, but anybody who says this is just pathetic.

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