Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (Official Thread)

[Cape Town JHB]

Haven't read anything on this thread yet', but will.

I've watched all 4 seasons of Black Mirror and i have to say it is one of the most racially coded programmes I've ever come across.
Gus T Renegae of the Context Of White Supremacy (COWS) has done a far better and more critical analysis of the show with Dr Mark Kervokian author of Color Monitors. (search it on YouTube)


My jaw hit the floor so many times watching this series.

Effectively it's layered into the 3 distinct yet intertwined themes:
1. is the obvious critique of how technology and human nature (greed, lust, need for love , acceptance, sex, gender roles etc etc) will be intertwined in the future (already is with social media)

2. is a critique and portrayl of how the white world already operates in modern times (workplace, family structures, media, child rearing, white women vs white men, corrupt power structures/people etc etc)

3. is the most important and my observation is that it is THE main message behind this series, from its name "BLACK MIRROR' to the season finale of season 4 "BLACK MUSEUM" , all the standard white supremacist hollywood codes are strictly adhered to
a.black people bodies being used as guinea pigs for white medical/technological advancements

b. emasculated black males in ALL aspects of life (in season 4 the black guy who marries the white women who gets hit by a car twice has to make the most important decision of his life and twice he's overruled by the women in his life)

c. black women lusting for white men and being treated a just sluts that you fukk and move on from
d. the promotion of AFFLUENT/RICH/RESOURCEFUL black people having mullatoe kids with white people ( this is like how whites infused their genetics with the non-white people in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia , Brazil etc , eventually they encourage the light skinned mullattoes who look or can pass for white to also procreate with white people, within 3-4 generations they have not only infused their recessive genes with black ones, they also boost the population numbers of the overall white population.
Again please note that these so called interracial couples are promoted in controlled white environments and the black person is always a minority.

d. black people sacrificing their lives and overall well being to protect or save a white person's life, even white strangers for no reason whatsoever

The racist codes go on and on and on and on. The racism in Black Mirror redundant, subtle at times and ubiquitous.

i got more observations but i don't wanna get too long winded, I highly suggest the COWS episode breaking down this programme.

Peace from South Africa.

 

[shadowking]

I'm in the 5th episode. As far as I'm concerned it's all splendid so far...
I'm convinced most of you are nostalgic about a 1 or 2 episodes in the previous seasons that it overwhelms your thought process.

In my opinion

Season 1 was spectacular but it was new so that's the bias
Season 2 had 2 good episodes
Season 3 had 4 good episodes
So far season 4 based on what I've seen has 3 good episodes and I'm just starting episode 5

Edit:episode 5 is good also. That makes 4 good episodes. Wonderful suspense throughout.

Edit: episode 6 is amazing.

Officially the best season 5 good episodes excluding episode 2 imo

 

[phillycavsfan]

Season 4 review:

The Great

1. USS Callister - Hilarious and a dope concept

The Good

2. Crocodile - this was more of a so-bad-it's-good episode for me. It got so ridiculous towards I couldn't help but laugh.

3. Hang the DJ - Actress was gorgeous, but this seemes very much like a weaker San Junipero. Still enjoyable though.

4. Metalhead - only one that was actually terrifying

The Bad

5. Black Museum - the narrator was annoying, the 1st story was awful, and the ending wasn't very satisfying IMO.

6. Arkangel - Boring.

 

[Grand Eeezus Maxwell]

The skipping stones in hang the dj only skips 4 times no matter what

Season 4
Episode 4

And when ol girl throws the coach in the water....pause the episode and look at the timestamp when the coach says “four”.

 

[tuckgod]

When the focus is on the tech you get wack episodes like Metalhead: A showcase of tech with very little resembling a story to drive it home.

shyt, I loved Metalhead.

 

[Kenny West]

shyt, I loved Metalhead.

What did you love about it?

 

[shadowking]

Easter eggs in season 4

These 'Black Mirror' Season 4 Easter Eggs Tie The Whole Terrifying, High-Tech Universe Together

These 'Black Mirror' Season 4 Easter Eggs Tie The Whole Terrifying, High-Tech Universe Together

Jonathan Prime / Netflix
ByJACK O'KEEFFE
8 days agoSHARE
Each episode of Black Mirror introduces audiences to a brand new world with surprising new characters and terrifying new tech. While every installment seems to take place in a universe all its own, as the series has gone on, certain stories have begun connecting across episodes and referencing each other. There are no shortage of Easter eggs in Black MirrorSeason 4, especially in its season finale, and they help pull the entire Black Mirroruniverse together. Whether tech from other episodes is popping up, iconic music cues are returning to the series, or actors are being seen again in bigger roles, there are plenty of references to dig through.

In a Reddit AMA, show creator Charlie Brooker revealed that the episodes "take place in the same psychological universe, certainly," further explaining that there are "sometimes explicit links" between episodes. While some episodes may share a fictional TV show, other episodes feature direct references to other episodes, whether that's technology or characters from Black Mirror past.

Even the most attentive viewers may miss these Easter Eggs the first time around, but there are shocking twists hidden in each of these episodes. So there's no television series that yearns for a second viewing quite like Black Mirror. Here's what you ought to be looking out for on that repeat marathon. Oh — and there will be SPOILERS for each of these episodes.

"USS Callister"

Jonathan Prime/Netflix
Black Mirror's season-opener appears to be a Star Trek pastiche, but like everything else in the show there is a dark, twisted underbelly to the shiny, colorful surface. It also features some subtle references to Season 3, including:

• "USS Callister" features the role of Black Mirror alum Michaela Coel, known as the star of Netflix show Chewing Gum. Coel was last seen in Season 3 episode "Nosedive," playing a particularly difficult airline employee.
• Robert Daly is seen drinking from a carton of Raiman's Milk. Raiman's is not a real milk brand — but Raiman is the name of one of the main characters in Season 3's "Men Against Fire."
• When talking to his newest employee about his favorite television series, Space Fleet, Daly explains that even though he has the entire DVD collection, that "Netflix has it these days," in a nod to its own streaming platform.

"Arkangel"

This Jodie Foster-directed episode finds the horror in app-enabled helicopter parenting, and gains a lot of traction by reusing previously seen tech.

• When showing off the Arkangel's censorship abilities, a violent clip from the Season 3 episode "Men Against Fire" is used as a demo. Arkangel's alternate reality projections aren't all that different from the military-grade technology used in "Men Against Fire" to make human beings look like grotesque monsters.
• The Arkangel technology features a "memory wheel" that could have been modeled after the similar memory archive design seen in Season 1 episodes "The Entire History Of You."

"Crocodile"

The episode "Crocodile" features a number of references to one of Black Mirror's very first episodes - Season 1's "Fifteen Million Merits"

• While scanning the hotel On-Demand Video for pornography, a title called "Best Of Wraith Babes" is shows. Wraith Babes is the pornographic show featured in "Fifteen Million Merits" that the character Abi ends up on.
• The song "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)" by Irma Thomas is featured heavily throughout the episodes, having been playing from a car during the pizza truck accident. The song was first introduced into the Black Mirror universe when Abi performed it on fictional reality show Hot Shot in "Fifteen Million Merits." The song has reappeared multiple times, including as a karaoke track in "White Christmas," and is sung by the character Raiman in "Men Against Fire."

"Hang The DJ"

"Hang The DJ" is Black Mirror's version of a romantic-comedy. It's got one of the most uplifting endings since Season 3's "San Junipero," but doesn't feature many references to past episodes. However, attentive viewers may recognize the dating app seen at the end of "Hang The DJ." The receptionist at Callister is seen swiping the very same dating app at the beginning of "USS Callister."

"Metalhead"

"Metalhead" is Black Mirror's most sparse episode yet, having been filmed entirely in black and white, and featuring almost no dialogue. However, the dialogue that is featured in the episode harkens back to the show's very first episode. "Metalhead" begins with an extended conversation about the pigs that no longer occupy farms. The Prime Minister in "The National Anthem" surely dreams of a world without pigs based on his history with the farmyard animal.

"Black Museum"

Black Mirror saved its most fan-service friendly episode for the very end of Season 4. Rolo Haynes’ Black Museum is a smorgasbord of Black Mirror history. Rolo promises a collection of authentic criminological artifacts, and delivers by showcasing some of Black Mirror’s most criminal-laden tech.

Featured among Rolo’s many artifacts are:

• A robotic bee from “Hated In The Nation.”
• The cracked Arkangel screen from “Arkangel.”
• The hunter’s outfit from “White Bear” – as well as a miniature exhibit on the details of the case.
• The DNA-scanning machine from “USS Callister”
• The blood-stained bathtub from "Crocodile"

In addition to the physical exhibits, "Black Museum" also features spoken references to "San Junipero," ("Like when they upload old people to the cloud.") and "15 Million Merits" is featured in the form of a graphic novel read by a character in one of Rolo's stories.

 

[tuckgod]

What did you love about it?

The fact that they had the balls to try and pull of an episode long chase scene and it worked.

 

[Kenny West]

The fact that they had the balls to try and pull of an episode long chase scene and it worked.

that's it?

That's exactly what made it so bad to me especially without any sort of resolution besides everyone dying. 0 replay valueto each his own.

 

[Take It In Blood]

Season 4 review:

The Great

1. USS Callister - Hilarious and a dope concept

The Good

2. Crocodile - this was more of a so-bad-it's-good episode for me. It got so ridiculous towards I couldn't help but laugh.

3. Hang the DJ - Actress was gorgeous, but this seemes very much like a weaker San Junipero. Still enjoyable though.

4. Metalhead - only one that was actually terrifying

The Bad

5. Black Museum - the narrator was annoying, the 1st story was awful, and the ending wasn't very satisfying IMO.

6. Arkangel - Boring.

I can't agree with Black Museum being bad

 

[BobbyBooshay]

Season 4 review:

The Great

1. USS Callister - Hilarious and a dope concept

The Good

2. Crocodile - this was more of a so-bad-it's-good episode for me. It got so ridiculous towards I couldn't help but laugh.

3. Hang the DJ - Actress was gorgeous, but this seemes very much like a weaker San Junipero. Still enjoyable though.

4. Metalhead - only one that was actually terrifying

The Bad

5. Black Museum - the narrator was annoying, the 1st story was awful, and the ending wasn't very satisfying IMO.

6. Arkangel - Boring.

Wow legit think your only person I know IRL or online who didnt rate Black Museum

 

[phillycavsfan]

Wow legit think your only person I know IRL or online who didnt rate Black Museum

I get why people love it, it's a Black Mirror episode full of Black Mirror mini-episodes and Black Mirror easter eggs. But I'm guessing Brooker made them short stories because they weren't good enough to be full episodes. The Doctor story is just fukking stupid. The story of the couple just repeats the same lesson from Arkangel: putting someone in your head as an observer is not a good idea.

And then after all that, the mother in the girl's head is supposed to be a happy ending? I love my moms but I'd go fukking nuts if her hologram was in my head for the rest of my life.

 

[Roaden Polynice]

Just finished the season. The only episode that i was meh on was Arkangel.

Think a lot of people miss the black humor of Black Mirror.

If anything, this season had the funniest episodes out of all the seasons I thought, and being well acquainted with all of Charlie Brooker's work, a lot of his dark humor and satire really came through, especially in Black Museum, Crocodile, USS Callister and Metalhead which all had laugh out loud moments...for me at least

 

[Sensitive Christian Grey]

I'm surprised Black Museum is getting all this praise. Maybe I'm seeing this as too large a factor, but the idea of sharing your mind with another person is so pants on the head retarded that I couldn't take the rest of the episode serious

 

[Mr Hate Coffee]

Spoiler

You would still be alive. The point was they couldn't kill themselves unless they went through the update wormhole which also didn't even kill them.

About USS Calister:

Spoiler

The captain didn't die from being deleted. The "Space Fleet" bubble universe mod was deleted around him while he was still in it. He was left floating in space with no working control device to get him out of the game.

While you're in the game, your body acts like you're in The Matrix. He lives alone, and he set his doorbell to "Do Not Disturb", so unless someone pulls him out from the outside he'll just sit there floating is space until his body dies of dehydration or starvation in the real world.

Spoiler

Which I why I'm glad they killed him. If he would have lived then he would have went and got new DNA from his coworkers...This works because they have no idea what's going on in the digital world.

I really do think how much time you set aside to watch this season matters. I don't see how anyone could enjoy a 6hr binge of this shyt.

Hell yeah. I have no idea why anyone binged this chose to. These episodes need time to digest