Black Mirror Series Review (Seasons 1-3)

Released: 4th December 2011 (First Season)

Created by: Charlie Brooker

Number of Episodes: 12

Where to watch: Netflix (UK and United States)

Starring: Different actors and actresses each episode

Black Mirror is an anomaly of today’s television; a sci-fi series with a somewhat realistic focus and little in the way of continuity; yet it can stand among the most impactful and well-written shows of this decade. Why? Because of the harsh and unforgiving topics at its centre.

Taking place across a variety of settings, each episode in Black Mirror is a very different story but they touch upon our obsession with technology and where it could take us, occasionally for good but very much for ill. Without spoiling anything here, each episode will feature a wild situation that both the main character and we are unable to comprehend and as it goes on we venture on that journey of discovery, learning of how technology has taken control of people’s lives. Often there’s a major twist or horrifying realisation, a final hammering down of a relentlessly unsettling message. The show’s satire is shown by taking our common obsessions and taking them to the extreme; our unabashed addiction to talent shows is one major thread. However, a vacuum of empathy, ethics and consideration is by far its biggest and strongest component; what do we do when technology controls us, switching us off to sensitive situations? It’s this captivating factor that constantly sparks the audience’s interest with every story told and may well make you think twice about how much you use your own tech. By keeping and maintaining this focus, Black Mirror offers something that few other shows can match, a hard-hitting dose of relatability.

There’s a wide collection of actors and actresses in Black Mirror and each one of them transplants themselves fully into the episodes which remain relatively contained, focusing on a few major characters to great effect. Some of the sheer intensity put on by the cast is staggeringly well-realised, pulling the audience into every episode; the emotions on display are fantastically successful at creating a hard-hitting punch that reinforces the magnitude of the situations they are trapped in. What’s also superb about Black Mirror is the way in which it layers references to history, culture and other facets of our times to paint an incredibly engaging viewpoint. The infamous Moors Murders (Which took place in the sixties in the UK) and several gaming quotes are two such examples; it creates the intoxicating illusion, particularly in the episodes set in the present, that the events in Black Mirror could well be happening in our own societies. The series deals with some adult aspects of the human condition as well including sexuality and violence but it takes care to never become too explicit with them, allowing its powerful themes to resonate with the audience without issue.

Black Mirror is simply one of the most ingenious modern shows ever created; asking all kinds of intriguing questions and delving into some truly disturbing places. For all its anthology driven setups, Charlie Brooker and his team have created something profoundly relevant to our modern technologically driven lives and because of this it’s something that absolutely no one should miss.

Rating 5/5 Stars (Exceptional)