Typical sci-fi shows like Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica just aren’t my thing. So when asked to write about a sci-fi show, I was stumped until I thought of Black Mirror. Although not your run of the mill sci-fi programme, Black Mirror is set in the future (sci) and of course it is fictional (the fi).
Written by Charlie Brooker, the show takes an unconventional route in terms of series structure, offering two series, each made up of three episodes with unconnected narratives. Each episode, then, differs in style, characters, cast, director, plot and distance into the future. There is nothing consistent in its plot outside of its main themes.
The premise of Black Mirror is to satirize our modern world and cover issues of privacy, mob justice, televisual spectacle, relationships and the movement of communication. The program ties all these strands together through our use of technology and offers a dark look at life set in the not too distant future. The show, as well as being dark, can be funny, shocking and to be honest, absolutely genius. Charlie Brooker explained the series and its title to The Guardian, noting: “If technology is a drug – and it does feel like a drug – then what, precisely, are the side-effects? This area – between delight and discomfort – is where Black Mirror, my drama series, is set. The “black mirror” of the title is the one you’ll find on every wall, on every desk, in the palm of every hand: the cold, shiny screen of a TV, a monitor, a smartphone.”
My advice to you would be to watch Black Mirror with friends and from the very beginning. Episode 1 is so brilliant and ballsy, with satire so audacious that I was left open mouthed and chomping at the bit to discuss it with someone, anyone! This is the genius of Black Mirror as a whole, the visions of the future that it conveys felt like brutal but possible realities. Like great satirists, Brooker isn’t just poking fun at culture but making a deadly serious point.