# Black Mirror



## Moonbat

Annoyingly late 

I saw that Channel 4 were showing three Charlie Brooker written dark Sci-Fi dramas, when the final one had already aired. 

Fortunately (for those of us in Blighty) there is 4OD

I have just watched the first two episodes and they are very good. 
Though be warned, they are dark. 

See them here.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/black-mirror/

As I said I have watched the first two and I really enjoyed them

The first is probably more disturbing, but made me laugh quite a bit (says something about my sense of humour)

The second was more sci-fi but equally enthralling and just as dark.

Have any of you guys/gals watched these?
What did you think of them?


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## Fried Egg

I watched all three this weekend. They were very good SF. Dark and satirical they were definitely food for thought.


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## Anthony G Williams

My take on them, from my blog:

A series of three TV dramas on UK Channel 4 "that taps into collective unease about our modern world". Each takes a look at some aspects of modern society by imagining what the future might hold if current trends continue. 

*The National Anthem*

The nation's favourite princess has been captured and is being held to ransom. The kidnapper's demand? That the Prime Minister should have sex with a pig - live on TV - that day; otherwise she dies. This is the premise for an hilarious but very dark comedy as the PM struggles to find a way out of the situation, with spin doctors, special forces, TV reporters and his wife all getting involved, and many twists and turns before the final sting in the tail. Painfully real - the PM's agonised dilemma is all too convincing. 

*15 Million Merits*

Some time in the future, the lot of most citizens is to spend their days on exercise bikes, generating power for some unknown purpose. The harder they pedal, the more Merits they earn to spend on food, consumer goods and popular entertainment. The only way out is to earn the 15 million Merits needed to get a ticket onto a talent show, where their performances are judged by a panel plus the reaction of a virtual audience. One man hears a new neighbour singing, an innocent girl only just old enough to have started pedalling, and is so moved that he sponsors her for the talent show. But the outcome is entirely unexpected, and drives him into making a dramatic intervention - with an equally unexpected consequence. No humour in this one apart from the satirical portrayal of the judging panel, but it's a bitter, thought-provoking take on some trends in modern society.

*The Entire History of You*

The time is the near future, when almost everyone is implanted with a Grain in their heads: a small memory chip which permanently records everything a person sees or hears. It can be played back in their heads or sent to a TV screen, as often as they want. This is remarkably convenient but the drama reveals the social and psychological dangers of a memory which is not only perfect, but can be replayed to anyone else. The plot follows the gradual disintegration of one man who obsessively replays his memories to look for clues about the relationship between his wife and an old flame of hers they'd recently met, zooming in on details, using lipreading programmes to decipher distant conversations, and so on. Not for those who prefer their entertainment to be light-hearted.

These programmes make compelling viewing and, unlike other TV dramas, have stuck firmly in my mind. The first is more of a political satire but the others are adult SF, and all of them were written to make people think rather than be passively entertained. They make the usual TV SFF hokum look ridiculously juvenile. If you missed them, try to see them. They are not always easy to watch but are exemplars of what modern adult SF programmes should really be like.


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## Moonbat

Please note everyone that black mirror is back
A very clever sci fi series is back for a second season

Starts on Channel 4 Monday 11th Feb at 11:00pm
I believe there will be 5 episodes, and I advise you all to watch it


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## Moonbat

I just watched the first episode

Be Right Back

Again another thoughtful Sci fi drama. A clever look at how far our digital fingerprint and online presence can go, and then how far we could go when confronted with loss.

Another very clevel, subtle sci fi, a mix of not-to-distant technology and the human drama that makes for a good story. Nothing was truly unbelievable.

I advise you all to watch it, if you don't like it fine, but don't miss out because you didn't give it a chance.


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## Mouse

Missed the first one, unfortunately, cos I thought it looked good. But just caught _White Bear_. Really, really good. Very thought provoking! (Still can't help but think of Lenora as Annie from Being Human, which kinda made it worse!) My mum wasn't impressed though, she didn't get it and then went to bed in disgust. Still, I enjoyed it.


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## Lenny

*SPOILERS FOR 2.02*






I thought the boyfriend looked sketchy!

If this episode turns out to be a possible future, then I'll be pleased - for one thing, if privately owned companies have the money to stage elaborate sentences, then the government would be able to outsource the entire prison system and put that money to good use elsewhere in the budget! Brooker, you genius.


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## Moonbat

Another great episode, but much darker than the last, at times it was quite hard to watch. As much as it was a commnet on trial by media, I think the punishment was almost backwards, it reminded me of mob rule, and stonings. 
I suppose some people would say punishments should be harsher and fit the crime, but that has got to be classed as cruel and unusual. Very clever though, I kept wondering what had happened.
Looking forward to next week.


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## Lenny

I wasn't sold on tonight's episode. Even with the scene during the credits, I thought the ending was weak, and that it was a poor way to end the series. Personally, I would have put it second, or reversed the order of the three entirely (Waldo, cruel and unusual punishment, Facebook mannequin) to more closely mirror the way the first series played out (politician do the strangest things, bizarre future, technology destroys marriages!).

Still, it was kind of enjoyable.


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## Mouse

Agree with you there exactly, Lenny. Didn't float my boat. Still, I missed the first one so maybe I should catch that online.


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## Moonbat

Not the strongest of the three episodes, and had a darker turn/underside to it, but I think I would have preferred to see more of the rise of Waldo to ultimate world ruling power.
There were good moments, and an interesting take on things, but I don't think this series was as good as the first.

Still I enjoyed it and hope they do more.


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## Lenny

Good news for our friends across the pond: *Black Mirror* is coming to America!

https://twitter.com/charltonbrooker/status/372836930410401792


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## Lenny

Some welcome news - *Black Mirror* will have a Christmas special this year, "intertwining three stories and injecting some much needed darkness into the festive season".

No plot details, or casting, but I imagine we'll hear news about it soon.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...ith-disturbing-christmas-special-9682444.html


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## Lenny

A trailer has been released for the Christmas special:


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## Fried Egg

I thought the Christmas special was excellent. Probably one of the best pieces of SF on British TV for years and it's not even billed as SF...


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## Mouse

I really enjoyed it too, thought provoking stuff.


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## paranoid marvin

Yes it was very good. It's a particularly chilling tale, and the ending is one that will stay with me for a long time. More horror than Sci-fi, and for me the one that is most likely to come to pass. In actual fact with the complexity of AI we are almost there. And one has to ask the question;how long before that AI computes "I think therefore I am". Will we then have the right to enslave it?

Very thought provoking , and one of the best programmes I've seen in a long time.


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## markpud

What an excellent show!! Mr Brooker has long had an eye for dark humour and warped "what-if" scenarios of the near-future, but the issues raised this time around are particularly well executed.



Spoiler



The real-life blocking of people via optical implants is just horrific, the poor guy whose pregnant girlfriend cut him off was heartbreaking. 

I can see us getting to the point where people would pay for a virtual wing-man to help them meet people (hopefully without the gallery of voyeurs though!).


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## paranoid marvin

Re your spoiler.

*spoiler*



 It's effectively what people are doing now via social media, just taken to the next logical progression. 

Personally I thought the cookie was the most frightening prospect; 6 months of nothing in 30 seconds. 1000 years in just one minute. Could there possibly be a worse torture than enduring solitude; no need to eat, drink, sleep - if he was left in over Christmas, even for just two days then he would have spent what perceived to be almost 3 million years in isolation before he was turned off. And all at the whim of a police officer. Chilling.


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## Moonbat

I loves Black Mirror White Christmas, really good. Very dark, I really liked the dark ending and said 'Oh no' out loud when I realised. When I looked it up on IMDB to find out who Rafe Spall was (I knew I recognised him) it listed it under series 3, so maybe there will be more (fingers crossed)

Spoiler

I loved the way that the copies had no power, from being enslaved by the real woman to 'run' the house, to being imprisoned for 3 million years at the whim of the policeman (and the crime wasn't that bad!!!)


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## Cli-Fi

HUGE New US fan of the show. Just finished watching the series on Netflix over the weekend and the past few days. I usually binge watch, but this show you can't really do that. The most I could do was two eps a day. IMDB was doing a list of what your favorite episodes were and I will list them in order from greatest or most thought provoking to least liked

1. White Bear: Ever since I watched this yesterday it has stuck in my mind. That rarely happens. What an interesting way of "justice." I'll see how I feel about it in a week. Though, I did have a similar idea a while back and was thrilled to see something similar on TV. Leave it up to the brits huh? 

2. The National Anthem: I am wondering why something like this hasn't happened yet. Maybe our society isn't as sick and twisted as Brooker would like us to think. Gives me hope actually! Huge sucker for anything politics related. 

3. White Christmas: Huge Jon Hamm fan. That's weird to say out loud. But the beginning and ending was great! I didn't really care for the middle/torture of the machine...

4. Fifteen Million Merits: This one was great and was my favorite up until I watched White Bear. Made me think, doesn't this happen now anyway? Lady Sybil anyone? 

5. Be Right Back: Interesting concept but pretty creepy and Asimov-y. Did they really need to ingrain into our minds that the robot was creepy by making the robot say he was? 

6. The Waldo Moment: I thought this one could have been done a lot better than it was and it was a huge disappointment. Since again, I love politics. I also didn't really quite understand the ending and why the cops were going crazy over someone throwing stuff at a picture of the bear. 

7. The Entire History of You: HATED this one with a passion!!! It was too British for my taste and I hate relationship drama that doesn't seem to have a story. Needless to say the only episode I didn't finish.


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## Cli-Fi

Missing Black Mirror? I know I am. There is apparently, Lots of movement on the Black Mirror front going on behind the scenes right now. Charlie Booker is hard at work writing while Netflix is trying to woo him over and since Jon Hamm got involved why not Robert Downey Jr?  

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015...---but-could-be-made-by-netflix-not-channel-4


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## Lenny

Good news! *Black Mirror* has been commissioned for a third series of twelve episodes, all created and produced by the original team, to air on Netflix around the globe (but no solid plans for the UK yet - wouldn't be surprising to see them stay on Channel 4).

http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/25/netflix-charlie-brooker-black-mirror/

Due to start shooting this year, so it's not too much of a long shot to say we'll probably get them towards the end of Summer next year. Exciting!


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## Idoru

I read that C4 and Netflix are having a bit of a fight about UK rights so I guess we'll hear about air dates when they've sorted that out.

I wonder what Brooker will predict about the British ruling class this time around?


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## Cli-Fi

It's official: Black Mirror set to return much earlier than anticipated with six new episodes being released on Netflix October 21st. 

Netflix will be releasing new episodes of Black Mirror on October 21st

http://io9.gizmodo.com/black-mirror-season-3-will-premiere-sooner-than-wed-tho-1784411507


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## Chinspinner

I do like Black Mirror; but in the UK it has been released at a rate of circa 3 episodes a year. I am worried that Brooker will lose his influence over the Netflix versions and it will turn into the standard US, written-by-committee fare. I even find this with great US dramas- the likes of Breaking Bad- there is still a "writers room" feel to them, that will blunt Black Mirror.


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## Cli-Fi

Chinspinner said:


> I do like Black Mirror; but in the UK it has been released at a rate of circa 3 episodes a year. I am worried that Brooker will lose his influence over the Netflix versions and it will turn into the standard US, written-by-committee fare. I even find this with great US dramas- the likes of Breaking Bad- there is still a "writers room" feel to them, that will blunt Black Mirror.



yes this is more Black Mirror coming at us than ever before. We'll see if the writing holds up, but I don't doubt until I watch.


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## Moonbat

Today (I think it was today, first I've heard of it and my finger is firmly on the butt.... etc) Netflix released a trailer for Black Mirror series 3
6 episodes and loads of big name (and very talented actors)






I am now looking forward to this more than ever, a truly brilliant series (the first 2 anyway) so hopefully it will continue in the same dark sci-fi vein.


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## Cli-Fi

Moonbat said:


> Today (I think it was today, first I've heard of it and my finger is firmly on the butt.... etc) Netflix released a trailer for Black Mirror series 3
> 6 episodes and loads of big name (and very talented actors)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I am now looking forward to this more than ever, a truly brilliant series (the first 2 anyway) so hopefully it will continue in the same dark sci-fi vein.


Beat me to it @Moonbat. Good Looking out. Yes really stellar cast. Looks like there will be a big story about the popularity meter. Many futurists think will become something akin to a new type of currency. Much like 15 Million Merits or perhaps the beginning of it?? That would be really cool if these stories intertwined or were made to look that way!


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## Moonbat

Just watched the first episode - Nosedive - last night and it was pretty darn good.
Living in a word where rating each other is the norm and people with higher ratings getting more privileges. Simple extrapolation of likes into a sort of hot or not scenario where being nice gets people to up rate you, but being a pain you get down rated.
Sinister and chilling and wonderfully cynical at the same time. A good start to the Netflix era.


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## Idoru

I thought the whole season was excellent. The first was the weakest for me, with the final one definitely being my favourite. But all the ones in between were very good too.


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## Moonbat

I agree the whole season was really good, but I really liked the first ep, one of my favourites.
So, quick reviews of each ep. Hopefully no Spoilers!

1. Very satirical, social media-esque
2. More of a horror and nicely done/explained but I didn't feel it did anything new, the old multiple wake up is over used.
3. Dark and twisted, I really liked this, again an online virus issue, but really unique twist at the end that had us rooting for the main character but turned it on its head at the end.
4. Sentimental look at possible conscious uploading, well handled and nice.
5. Great military look at improved killing, I thought this was a really good episode with a nice take on the idea of man's reluctance to kill
6. This was almost a movie, 90mins long and at times felt like a little horror/detective piece. Another good episode.

All in all a good series, but as always over too soon and not enough episodes. I did enjoy a few episodes more than others.


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## Cli-Fi

Season 4 is coming soon, but a book series is also being written: What to read while you wait for that 'Black Mirror' book


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## Cli-Fi

Season 4 Episode Titles revealed:


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## Cli-Fi

Netflix has been releasing a steady stream of trailers for Black Mirror Season 4 over the past week. This one caught my eye:


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## Cli-Fi

Black Mirror Season 4 review:


Spoiler



1. USS Callister: My favorite episode!!!!! The Orville/Star Trek mashup. It's a holodeck episode Black Mirror style.
2. Arkangel: Most realistic episode. The ultimate helicopter parent. Go Jodi Foster.
3. Crocodile: Really twisted memory extraction episode. It's like ten times worse than what Harry did to Dumbeldore.
4. Hang the DJ: The culty dating app. They could have really explained more why they were all acting cult-like.
5. Metalhead: Second favorite. Thought I would hate it, but it ended up being really good. Basically Boston Dynamic Robots are hunting humans in a survival story.
6. Black Museum- Not quite as racist as you might think. I had no idea what this one was going to be about, but it ended up being pretty cool. Like four stories in one!



If there was a theme to this season it was definitely AI Virtual Reality and consciousness. What people will do with this stuff in the next century is extremely scary. Thanks Black Mirror. UGH.


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## The Big Peat

Only just started watching this - two episodes into the first season.

So far I'm not really getting it. Too many things that seem unrealistic to me distract me with the result that the big ideas are getting lost on me. Guess we'll see how it goes.


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## Cli-Fi

The Big Peat said:


> Only just started watching this - two episodes into the first season.
> 
> So far I'm not really getting it. Too many things that seem unrealistic to me distract me with the result that the big ideas are getting lost on me. Guess we'll see how it goes.



I definitely felt a similar way. Lots of inconsistencies even with my favorite ep. It's definitely lost some edge but I'm not complaining.


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## Droflet

This would, imho, work better as a forty minute show, with a much tightened script.


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## Cli-Fi

Droflet said:


> This would, imho, work better as a forty minute show, with a much tightened script.



Black Museum is the episode you are searching for. Although I don't think Metalhead's script was terrible. It barely had one, which might have helped  I guess I should change that to plot.


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## Narkalui

I thought Hang The DJ was the only weak link in S4, I thought that he couldn’t decide on where to go with it so decided on a cliched ending at the last minute, otherwise really good


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## Dave

For some reason I have completely missed _Black Mirror _until about a week ago. Now I'm an avid watcher, though as someone here said, it is difficult to binge on it, as each episode needs some serious afterthought. I'm only up to half way through Season 3 (so lots yet to see.) I also wondered if the quality would fall when it went from 1-4 per Season up to 6 per Season. However, while _White Christmas_ and _Be Right Back_ were good, those episodes that I've just seen are easily the best yet. _Shut Up and Dance _was genuinely chilling, but _San Junipero_ should have been an Oscar nominated film. It is my new favourite series and I still have 8 episodes left to watch! It is also great seeing actors and actresses from other series I watch turning up in roles.

The only criticism I would make is that the episodes seem to be largely about VR and life extension via VR or else the perils of social media. There is certainly room for a science fiction anthology series, or two, like this that covers every aspect of science fiction - as _Outer Limits_ and _Twilight Zone_ did and as _Electric Dreams_ currently does. I'm certain that given the right scripts and cast such a show could be mainstream and even as big as _Game of Thrones_.


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## paranoid marvin

Anyone looking for a similar experience to BM should check out Inside Number 9 , which has some very good (and some very funny) episodes.


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## Narkalui

I like that series too, I thought all the stories were very well written.


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## Rodders

Bumping this as I have just watched the first series. Very interesting (and bleak) observation on technology.


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## clovis-man

Cli-Fi said:


> Netflix has been releasing a steady stream of trailers for Black Mirror Season 4 over the past week. This one caught my eye:


Thanks to a full page ad in the NY Times by Netflix a couple of days ago, I skipped ahead to watch this (Emmy nominated) episode. Very well done and quite provocative.


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## BAYLOR

clovis-man said:


> Thanks to a full page ad in the NY Times by Netflix a couple of days ago, I skipped ahead to watch this (Emmy nominated) episode. Very well done and quite provocative.



A USS Callister Tv Series ?


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## Dave

There is a new _Black Mirror_ out. Called _Bandersnatch_ I haven't seen it and don't want to get spoilered but just wanted to share the news. 

A Bandersnatch is a Larry Niven creature. Don't know the relevance. The only spoiler I have is that Twitter says the story is a 



Spoiler: .....?



choose your own adventure.


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## Dave

I should also say that Bandersnatch was a nonsense invented by Lewis Carroll, and in the trailer for this episode, it is a game based on a fictitious science fiction book by a fictitious author called Jerome F Davies. 
Black Mirror Bandersnatch: Is Jerome F Davies real? Does he really exist?

I can only seem to get the trailer on Netflix on TV. It may be that you need to watch it online for the interactivity, or that may just be Black Mirror being typically Black Mirror. However, I took the risk to click on Twitter and some people seem to have actually seen this already. There are possibly different release dates in different regions.


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## Dave

Sorry for the multiple posts, but you can't use the Netflix App to watch it either. You can only watch it online through a compatible device. Basically, it is a game rather than a TV programme.
Black Mirror Bandersnatch interactive episode: How to watch choose your own adventure

Edit: And turn off Ad-blockers. otherwise you can't answer the questions and it defaults back to the trailer again.


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## ctg

> a feature on a new fifth season of _Black Mirror_, but Netflix has instead unveiled a standalone film with a trailer that asks viewers to "change your past, your present, your future." And in a rare turn for the series, this "event" film sees the show's universe step backward in time, not forward. The trailer employs a decidedly '80s British new-wave aesthetic and introduces an up-and-coming video game company set to capitalize on the nation's early-'80s home-computing boom. (The British flourishes help this trailer look singular, as opposed to seeming like a _Stranger Things_ carbon-copy.)
> 
> This new gaming company will make its mark by adapting a notorious sci-fi novel, named _Bandersnatch_, and the trailer sees an apparent protagonist descend into madness by trying to understand the book's notorious author. Pills, vinyl records, wild hairdos, VCRs, and mysterious figures emerge along the way (as do some not-so-subtle references to other _Black Mirror_ episodes, such as the name of the fictional game company matching that of a robot-dog factory from the series' fourth season).
> 
> We'll likely have to wait until 2019 to see how the rest of _Black Mirror_'s announced fifth season unfolds in terms of release dates, number of episodes, and whether any other episodes employ similar choose-the-ending gimmicks.


 “Change your future” tomorrow with choice-filled Black Mirror film on Netflix


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## Dave

Watching it now. This is a MUST watch. It is inspired. Everything that Ready, Player One and The Matrix are not.  So many different paths to take. I especially like the "*Netflix/Open the Window*" option where the fourth wall is broken. You'll need to watch to understand that, but the "film sees the show's universe step backward in time, not forward" is only true for some of the options.


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## Dave

Finished it.


Spoiler: Questions



People on Twitter are asking, "Is there an option when he doesn't go mad? However, there is one. I got it first of all. He works for the game developer and the game sucks 0/5 stars. I want to know, is there an option when the game gets more than two and a half stars, and is there any option when the game works but he doesn't go mad in the process? It seems that creating the game is itself the problem, as it also was for Jerome F Davies.



Lots of interesting London locations used. I spotted the Ernö Goldfinger Grade II* listed Trellick Tower, as well as No. 1 Croydon, and also St George's Walk, Croydon.


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## Dave

I can't believe no one wants to discuss this. I didn't take all the possible options. I didn't... 



Spoiler: I didn't...



*Kill Dad *(at least not deliberately. In one option it happened anyway. Then he ends up in a prison cell and the game still gets two and half stars.)

I also didn't find the toy and then *Take Train,* the later train with his mother anyway, knowing that they will both die horribly. Some people on Twitter did that.


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## Narkalui

Can I watch / play on my TV through my Virgin Box or can I use a kindle fire?


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## Dave

You need to see the red flash with a white star for your device to be compatible.

I don't know about Virgin boxes but I couldn't use the microsoft Neflix App on my laptop, I had to use an internet browser (Chrome) and sign into the Netflix website. So, I'm guessing no on that.

I also don't know about a Kindlefire. Try it out. If it doesn't work you just get the two minute trailer.


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## Dave

I might try again and choose Frosties this time. I think that was where I went wrong?

Edit: Does anyone know the correct phone number?



Spoiler: Edit



20541


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## Dave

I watched it again. Deliberately made different choices. 



Spoiler: Different choices



Killed father and chopped up the body. Game gets five stars. Game withdrawn when they find out about Stefan, but Colin's daughter Pearl recreates the game in the present day. Even more weird than other endings. Endless loop.


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## Anthoney

I will watch it so I'm avoid spoilers.  What I want to know about the structure.  Does it do a good job with the choose your own adventure style?


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## Dave

Yes, I've watched the whole thing twice, and the parts were shown in a totally different order. it is hard to explain without spoiling, but one of the themes is whether any of us have any "free will" and that not only explains the protagonist, Stefan's lack of free will over his choices, but also our own about making those choices for him.

There are meant to be five different endings. I'm not sure I've seen them all. I've definitely seen four of them.

Edit: I've seen a flow diagram with all the choices possible. 



Spoiler: choices not taken



I've taken them all except the dying on the train, and then some more weird scenarios where Kitty digs up Dad's buried body and Stefan has to murder Colin too.


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## Fried Egg

Fantastic stuff. I've gone through and explored a few different variations, seen a few different endings. Clearly I've not seen them all yet!

Very original.


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## paranoid marvin

I've not watched it yet , so possible spoiler?

 It's a bit of background info as to where the title of his tv show came from (and it's nothing to do with Wonderland!)





Spoiler



Back in the early days of computer gaming, there was a company called Imagine Software, who had done rather well out of the burgeoning computer game industry. Whilst at that time (in the UK at least) there were many 'bedroom coders' (teenage whizkids programming games from their parent's homes and selling them to games publishers or even directly to the public themselves), those working for Imagine were living pop star lifestyles with flash cars.

Imagine then announced two 'megagames' for the Spectrum and Commodore 64: Psyclapse and Bandersnatch. These were advertised in gaming magazines as being games that would blow people's minds when they were released. But they were never released; they were never even made. And then Imagine went bust (there is a YouTube video showing a programme called 'Commercial Breaks' being made about Imagine when the receivers actually arrived during filming).

This did not stop rumours about copies of the completed mega games being available to play, nor discussions about just how complete they were at the time Imagine closed down, and the question about just how 'mega' they would have been anyway. As Charlie Brooker is a child from that golden gaming age, I would imagine that the 'Bandersnatch' is more likely to be Imagine's than Lewis Carroll's creature, and the fact that it's a pretty cool name for a tv show is an added bonus.


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## Anthoney

That was interesting.  I'm excited to see this type of thing.  There's a lot of room for this type of entertainment but I certainly would not want to watch something like this if I was going to bed.  I'd never get to sleep.


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## Dave

People have found another different ending if you pick up the family photo a second time. On Twitter, others were complaining that they would have no choice, but be forced to watch it all over again. Netfilx replied that they aren't controlling anyone


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## Lumens

Brilliant! I love all the meta meaning that emerges from it, and it really is quite cleverly put together.


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## Dave

Season 5 is on Netflix. Only 3 episodes at the moment. Not sure if more are coming.

I've only watched _*Striking Tigers*_. 



Spoiler: Striking Tigers



I found it a little slow in parts and the central idea within the VR body-hopping isn't new. (The book _Altered Carbon_ dealt with that well. The TV series of the book didn't really do it justice.) This episode takes the idea off on a 'are we really two gay men, or is it just within the game?' course, but then it failed to really answer the question. The solution at the end didn't really seem like one to me. It seemed like he was staying in the closet but still playing the game, for the sake of his marriage, while his wife was now happy to be free to date younger, fitter men? Maybe I didn't understand it?



This wasn't of the same standard as earlier seasons, so hope the next episodes improve.


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## Dave

So, now I've watched* Smithereens* too.



Spoiler: Smithereens



Concerning the addiction to smart phone social media apps. A man who feels responsible for the death of his girlfriend kidnaps in order to speak to the reclusive boss of a social media platform.



I'm sorry, but I feel these episodes are just not up to the grade. I don't rate this one at all. It was also a commentary on where we are today, rather than giving any startlingly insights into where we will be tomorrow (which I think some earlier seasons did.) The American executives and FBI agent may have been meant to be funny (I couldn't tell, because they weren't.)


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## Dave

So, only me watching these? I've seen *Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too* now. I would never have expected that an episode about a pop star with colourful hair played by Miley Cyrus would be the best of the three, but it was. Apparently there has been some suggestion that the character of Ashley O mimicked the life of someone called Halsey (no, me neither.) To discuss that, I'll have to go spoiler mode, but I have to say, it would be highly unlikely!



Spoiler: Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too



Netflix executives have reportedly binned Halsey‘s suggestion that Ashley O, a character portrayed by Miley Cyrus in a new episode of Black Mirror, "reflects many, many, aspects of her life." Would those be the creation of weirdly artificially intelligent dolls in her likeness? Or is it that she's also allergic to fish tacos? Does she have a bouncer called _Bear_ too? Or is that that she was also kept in a coma by her manager, and had songs drawn from her brain while she slept, and was kept subdued by unlicensed drugs? Maybe it's the part where she wakes up and records cover versions of _Nine Inch Nails_ instead of sugary pop?


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## Narkalui

I've seen Striking Vipers and I thought it was poor. If Charlie Brooker is running out of ideas then he could go back to doing Screenwipe, which I miss...


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## farntfar

I'm sorry, but I was unimpressed by this series.
Although including a few duds, the previous seasons have all had some great new ideas, and have made valid comments about where possible new technology is taking us.
These three did none of the above.
The best episode was the second one, Smithereens, which required nothing newer than an Uber lookalike but had, at least, a decent story.
The other 2 tried to invent new technology, but did little other than reinvent stuff that had already shown up in previous series and then wrap a dull story around it.


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## Droflet

I stopped watch this after the first season. Way too many duds to hold my interest.


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## Narkalui

Episode 1 was poor. I felt there was so much more that could have done with the notion of Total Immersion Video Gaming.

Episode 2 was excellent but not really Black Mirror.

Episode 3 was ok, decent story but weak on the science fiction. It felt like it was just a vehicle for Achy Breaky Heart's daughter.

Personally I reckon Charlie Brooker phoned in the first one, bought Smithereen from another writer and then started having a go at number 3 but got bored.


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## Rodders

Just watched the U. S. S. Callister episode. Brilliant!!! Really tense, really well acted.


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