In 2016, Netflix came out with a show called "Black Mirror." This is a dystopian science fiction show that resembles the "flaws" of technology. Similar to the 1960s show, "The Twilight Zone," "Black Mirror" leaves it's audience in shock, wonder, and awe. Each episode of "Black Mirror" has its own plot line, so you don't have to start at the beginning. In fact, I encourage you to not watch the first episode first. Here are the five episodes that I recommend you start with.
1. Arkangel
S4 E02
In this episode, a mom becomes concerned for her daughter encountering dangerous things in the world. In order to make sure she is safe, the mom enables a tracker on the brain of her daughter that is controlled by a tablet. The mom is able to see what her daughter sees and is able to track her wherever she goes. The addiction of knowing where her daughter is then takes a dark turn.
The first time I saw this episode, it absolutely traumatized me, but in a good way. I grew up with my mom having a tracker on my phone, and this episode made me very concerned for how involved I should be in my kid's life, especially once they've grown up.
2. The Entire History of You
S1 E03
In this episode, the people live in a futuristic society where everything they do or see is recorded on a hard drive in their head. Everyone is able to access their past memories and re-watch them if they want to. A man becomes suspicious of his partner having an affair and hopes to dig into her past memories to find evidence.
I'm going to be honest, this episode made me very sad. I always thought that the idea of being able to access your past memories would be amazing, but in reality, you would be able to access both good and bad memories. It would be so toxic to be wrapped up in your past by watching it all the time that you wouldn't pay attention to the now.
3. Black Museum
S4 E06
In this episode, a young girl stumbles across a museum that showcases criminal artifacts. An inventor shows the young girl around and introduces her to the horrifying stories that lie behind each item. After the minor exhibits, the host introduces her to the disturbing main attraction at the end.
I had the biggest reaction to this episode. I think that this is my favorite episode because it has a good ending. A lot of the episodes do not have a good ending which is why the show is so horrifying. Besides the point, this episode hits all of the emotions and leaves you thinking about it for the next couple of days.
4. Shut Up and Dance
S3 E03
In this episode, a teenage boy's computer becomes hacked with a virus. After the hackers film the boy through his camera lens, they begin to blackmail him.
Out of all of the "Black Mirror" episodes I've watched, this has been by far the scariest one. It isn't necessarily a horror type of scary but more of a paranoia. This is the most realistic episode in the whole series, because someone could actually hack your computer and film you through your camera. Yikes.
5. Be Right Back
S2 E01
This episode is about how far a woman will go to feel rekindled to her dead husband. As the technology becomes more advanced, the more addicted the woman becomes.
This was the first ever "Black Mirror" episode that I watched. I had to watch this episode in my Intro to Literature class that was based on Science Fiction Literature. We watched this episode in class and that was how I was introduced to this series. Ever since, I was hooked to the dystopian society that this episode created. This specific episode was really interesting to me, and I had never seen any TV show like it.
"Black Mirror" is a great show for anyone that likes to think deep and is curious about the world. I find that this show makes me grateful for the society we live in today and worried for the future technology that may be developed. This show offers us a glimpse into the future and how the development of technology could result in mistakes and horror stories that we cannot even begin to fathom.
"Black Mirror" is titled off any technological device, phone, tablet, or laptop screen that turns into an actual black mirror when turned off. If you want a new TV series that is a little more dark and mind-boggling, I 100% recommend watching this show and watching these five episodes first.
