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TMC

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,248
Crocodile, USS Callister and Hang the DJ were all brilliant. Think people have unrealistic expectations for Black Mirror because they have enjoyed previous series more than current but you have to consider that the longer a premise like Black Mirror goes on the harder it's going to be to stay fresh and surprise you. The new episodes might be brilliant yet you won't get the same buzz because you've seen similar before.

Hang the DJ was so damn good. Can't wait for S5!
 

Eidan

Avenger
Oct 30, 2017
8,559
Yeah, felt like since the Netflix switch up it went from examining our relationship with technology to cool situation where technology is involved.

Can't wait to see what's next though.
I'm not sure if I entirely agree with that sentiment, considering that Nosedive and Hated in the Nation are two of the best episodes in the series and they're very much about technology and its effects on human behavior.
 

Delphine

Fen'Harel Enansal
Administrator
Mar 30, 2018
3,658
France
Crocodile, USS Callister and Hang the DJ were all brilliant. Think people have unrealistic expectations for Black Mirror because they have enjoyed previous series more than current but you have to consider that the longer a premise like Black Mirror goes on the harder it's going to be to stay fresh and surprise you. The new episodes might be brilliant yet you won't get the same buzz because you've seen similar before.

It's not just that though. There was some tonal change as soon as Netflix got their hands on the show. The UK version had a bit more cynicism and was overall more bitey (not sure to find the right word there) while once Netflix got their hands on it, it a became a bit more bland, and bit less daring and less thought-provoking. The writing became weaker as well, and even though I enjoyed some episodes (Hang The DJ and Black Museum were quite interesting), it happened that most of them kinda fall apart once you start to scrutinize & analyze them a bit more (USS Callister and Crocodile suffered from that, tbh).

The criticism this show was making on season 1 & 2 was sometimes more in depth, than just the "technology is bad and individuals are bad" we've been having in the last seasons. I wished we could go back to more dark and nuanced episodes like White Bear or Fifteen Million Merits, which had the guts to also criticize society as a whole, and how technology and society interact with one another in such bad horrible ways, and not just criticize the technology itself.
 
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Deleted member 7051

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,254
The criticism this show was making on season 1 & 2 was sometimes more in depths, than just the "technology is bad and individuals are bad" we've been having in the last season. I wished we could go back to more dark and nuanced episodes like White Bear or Fifteen Million Merits, which had the guts to also criticize society as a whole, and not just the technology itself.

Fifteen Million Merits still breaks my heart. That's how you know it's a powerful story, by how much it still affects you even years later. It's such an outlandish concept yet it's all just a metaphor for something so... human. The technology is alien but the reactions, the way its used? Yeah, that's human. That's us.

And it's terrifying.
 

Aurongel

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
7,065
It's not just that though. There was some tonal change as soon as Netflix got their hands on the show. The UK version had a bit more cynicism and was overall more bitey (not sure to find the right word there) while once Netflix got their hands on it, it a became a bit more bland, and bit less daring and less thought-provoking. The writing became weaker as well, and even though I enjoyed some episodes (Hang The DJ and Black Museum were quite interesting), it happened that most of them kinda fall apart once you start to scrutinize & analyze them a bit more (USS Callister and Crocodile suffered from that, tbh).

The criticism this show was making on season 1 & 2 was sometimes more in depth, than just the "technology is bad and individuals are bad" we've been having in the last seasons. I wished we could go back to more dark and nuanced episodes like White Bear or Fifteen Million Merits, which had the guts to also criticize society as a whole, and how technology and society interact with one another in such bad horrible ways, and not just criticize the technology itself.

I think this speaks far more to Brooker's sensibilities as a writer changing in the past few years. He's openly expressed how he doesn't want every episode he writes from here on out to be this completely bleak and cynical peek into the future.
 

Delphine

Fen'Harel Enansal
Administrator
Mar 30, 2018
3,658
France
I think this speaks far more to Brooker's sensibilities as a writer changing in the past few years. He's openly expressed how he doesn't want every episode he writes from here on out to be this completely bleak and cynical peek into the future.

It doesn't have to be in the future though. Our own present is already pretty Black Mirror-ish if you think about it.
I guess I wanted him to try to be more political and engaged than he is right now, because we do need that kind of take. But he doesn't want to, and that's fair, but that also means I'll enjoy the show as just pure brainless entertainment, and not as something that also has an interesting and much-needed message to convey. It's a bummer, it had potential for more, but hey what do I know.
 

hibikase

User requested ban
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
6,820
I just hope they're done with the concept of "neural clones". As much as my two favourite episodes are based around that trope (White Christmas and USS Callister), they've pretty much run that idea to the ground at this point.
 

Mass_Pincup

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
7,127
I'm not sure if I entirely agree with that sentiment, considering that Nosedive and Hated in the Nation are two of the best episodes in the series and they're very much about technology and its effects on human behavior.

Season 3 was less flagrant in that regard but I felt that change with Playtest, Men Against Fire and to a lesser extend San Junpiero.
 

astroturfing

Member
Nov 1, 2017
6,450
Suomi Finland
ahhh yes, finally. i don't even care how much they recycle old themes, im a sucker for all of it lol. just fuck me up with crazy depressing dystopia, thank you.
 

Kopite

Member
Oct 28, 2017
6,018
I just hope they're done with the concept of "neural clones". As much as my two favourite episodes are based around that trope (White Christmas and USS Callister), they've pretty much run that idea to the ground at this point.
As much as I liked USS, as soon as the clones appeared it just fell off, like the series was running out of ideas.
 

chrisPjelly

Avenger
Oct 29, 2017
10,494
I don't know why people hold S1/S2 in such high regards when they absolutely have their fair share of stinkers. S1 episode 1 has got to be one of the worst first impressions I've seen of any show and it's a shame some people can't get past that hurdle.

Regardless, I'm not gonna complain about the 3 episode format. Not sure about that videogame (AR?) episode. Hopefully it's more than just a gimmick.
 

Delphine

Fen'Harel Enansal
Administrator
Mar 30, 2018
3,658
France
I don't know why people hold S1/S2 in such high regards when they absolutely have their fair share of stinkers. S1 episode 1 has got to be one of the worst first impressions I've seen of any show and it's a shame some people can't get past that hurdle.

I actually really loved it. While watching it, I was thinking "damn, no way in hell we'd get that from US TV Shows, they're GOING there and it's amazing". It felt very on-brand with the abrasive tone of UK shows that I enjoy so much, and that the US can't even begin to replicate.
 
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Seesaw15

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,809
I don't know why the Netflix seasons get so much flak. Their hit to miss ratio is the same as the older seasons.
 

Jeronimo

Member
Nov 16, 2017
2,377
Cool, but only 3 episodes? We finally tried this series a few weeks ago and my wife and I are fans.

We've been watching them completely out of order, based on what sounds interesting to us that day, and it hasn't let us down.
 

F2BBm3ga

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
4,083
Wow, people didnt like season 4? There were a few episodes that were just ok, but the rest were good. And the first episode is one of the best of all seasons.

I still haven't gotten around to bendersnatch yet, is it good?
 

lt519

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,064
Wow, people didnt like season 4? There were a few episodes that were just ok, but the rest were good. And the first episode is one of the best of all seasons.

I still haven't gotten around to bendersnatch yet, is it good?

I liked Season 4 a lot, it maybe wasn't peak Black Mirror, but I didn't think anything was particularly a dud and I always thought past seasons had a dud or two. Hang the DJ is one of my favorite episodes now.

Bandersnatch was really fun, my wife enjoyed it too. If you are a fan of Black Mirror you'll like it. The story was really fun for me and basically a commentary on itself.
 

liquidtmd

Avenger
Oct 28, 2017
6,129
I reckon it'll be a 'three in June, three in December' gig but we will see

Irrespective of whether I've enjoyed one episode more than another, I've liked pretty much most episodes S1-4 to varying degrees

Bandersnatch is probably the one I've liked the least but I appreciated what it was going for.
 

Deleted member 6730

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
11,526
Looks pretty good, nothing seems as inspired as Callister or San Junipero though. The one with the Alexa robot is going to be fucked up though.
 

FunkyStudent

Member
Jan 28, 2019
768
Now that Netflix has its hands on the show, I don't know if we'll ever get the same biting commentary that the first three seasons provided. I'd imagine Netflix would temper a lot of the show's critical perspectives when the angle of the show is very applicable to Netflix and its business model.
 

liquidtmd

Avenger
Oct 28, 2017
6,129
White Christmas is still one of my favourite Christmas themed episodes of anything

Metalhead I can appreciate the criticism of somewhat but I realise it is starker and more inherently unlikable than most due to less character hooks to get invested in

Crocodile I though was a good conceit executed fairly well. Hang The DJ was pretty damn great.
 

Kernel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,863
I'm still watching the first 4 seasons with my wife.

I got her hooked on it, especially since the new Twilight Zone is so bad but I can only watch the show in controlled doses as a lot of the episodes are depressing as hell.

It stays with you long after it's over.
 

bye

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
8,419
Phoenix, AZ
Hopefully better than Season 4, which was pretty bad

Bandersnatch was even worse

Trailer looks promising though
 

TheUnseenTheUnheard

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
May 25, 2018
9,647
im gonna cry. i cant wait.

edit: 3 episodes? I better not have to wait a year for more.
 

Conciliator

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,123
Can't wait

I think the 3 episodes format is good, there is a degree of diminishing returns to Black Mirror themes tbh, and I have to out myself as pretty much a superfan. Hope they're all meaty though.

I liked S4 a lot.
 

GMM

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,481
Three episodes is a little disappointing, but I'm always up for more Black Mirror, I have enjoyed every episode and some of them are truly great, San Junipero is one of the greatest modern movies.

Maybe it's a situation where it's a part 1 and 2?