It’s Here: Three of The Most Thought-Provoking Episodes of “Black Mirror”

Chispa Magazine_Black MirrorThis week, the hugely anticipated trailer for the first episode of the new season of ground-breaking TV anthology show Black Mirror went live, and already, fans of the show are hardly able to contain their excitement.

Having made the move from the UK’s channel 4 to a Netflix exclusive production, Black Mirror’s 4th season promises further exploration of the darker side of our relationship with technology and media.

If you haven’t seen all of the existing episodes, Black Mirror’s first three short seasons are available to watch on Netflix now, and you can find out more about the great collection of Netflix produced shows currently available to watch at Netflix Guides.

However, if you are up to date on the series, here is our commentary on three of the most thought-provoking episodes so far. Because every episode is a standalone story, your mileage may vary in terms of which episodes affected you the most, so let us know in the comments if you agree with this list! Be warned that some spoilers are included in these summaries.

White Bear
White Bear is interesting not just because of its twist, but because of the implications of the premise. At first, the viewer is led to believe that the character they are following is the victim in some terrifying manhunt situation. However, as the episode unfolds it is revealed she is actually a murderer, whose punishment is to be repeatedly given amnesia and subjected to the chase situation as entertainment for the public.

White Bear had a profound impact because of the questions it raises. Is it OK to punish someone for a crime they don’t remember committing? Is punishment with no hope of rehabilitation humane? And does the way we feel about people who have done monstrous things actually make us monsters ourselves?

The National Anthem
This was Black Mirror’s first ever episode, and set the tone for a series that was clearly going to be unlike any other. A beloved British princess (a fictional stand in for someone like Kate Middleton) is kidnapped and the prime minister of England is told she will be killed if he doesn’t meet the perpetrator’s unusual demand—to have sex with a pig live on television. While on most shows the princess would be rescued in the nick of time and everything would be fine, that’s not how Black Mirror does things…

Be Right Back
Very few episodes of Black Mirror are happy stories, but this one is among the most bleak. It is even more disturbing given that the premise is one of the ones that seems closest to being possible with the way technology is developing.

A bereaved wife discovers a company who can create a robot who looks and talks like her husband. The episode shows how she struggles with the fact that he simply isn’t quite right—lacking what made her husband himself.

It will be interesting to see what the new series brings to the table in terms of thought provoking, uncomfortable viewing.

Photo by Nate Grant

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Mia Guerra

Mia Guerra

Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine
Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine, Mia Guerra is a writer at heart. Regardless the topic, she loves to investigate, encourage, and ruminate on topics that can make us better people. Aiming to live a Proverbs 31 life, Mia is ecstatic to be following her calling with Chispa. At home she is her husband's sidekick and together they are raising a God-fearing family in Atlanta.

Mia Guerra

Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine, Mia Guerra is a writer at heart. Regardless the topic, she loves to investigate, encourage, and ruminate on topics that can make us better people. Aiming to live a Proverbs 31 life, Mia is ecstatic to be following her calling with Chispa. At home she is her husband's sidekick and together they are raising a God-fearing family in Atlanta.