In a post-pandemic world hit by recession, inflation and layoffs why does one even need another season of Black Mirror? Especially when it feels like we are already living in a post-apocalyptic world? Why would anyone watch a dystopian sci-fi horror since reality itself feels like dystopia? The sixth season of Netflix’s Black Mirror, despite these odds (and more) stacked up against it, shines and how. The show has reinvented itself and incorporated much-needed humour while also doing away with technology-induced paranoia which was central to its theme.
Joan is awful: Salma Hayek pulls punches
The season begins with an episode titled ‘Joan is Awful’ starring Salma Hayek who is throwing one-liners, twisting Michael Cera’s arm and also…wait for it…defecating in a church. Yes, Hayek is a Christian. She asks rather angrily in one scene “does my anus have no rights?” In another scene, Hayek, who plays herself in the episode, says “I am a dyslexic, talented actress with questionable English” thereby scoring full marks on self-awareness. The writing in this episode is top-notch, with some of the best one-liners coming from Hayek and Annie Murphy, who plays an ordinary woman, Joan. Joan is a corporate leader and a bridge between the board of directors and the employees.
One night when Joan returns home from office, she finds out that her entire day — which included her firing a talented employee, cheating on her boyfriend and being generally a dislikable person (she raps to Iggy Azalea in one scene) — has now been turned into a show by a streaming platform with a giant red logo, the opening sequence of which has colourful rainbow lines and a ‘tudum’ background score. Yes, we are talking about Streamberry here.
As is the case with most Black Mirror episodes, Joan is Awful is a social satire at its core. It shows how Big Tech firms (which also includes Netflix and they are not shy about calling themselves out) often misuse the data by exploiting their users who often accept the terms and conditions without reading them. Add to it the deep fakes technology, some CGI and there you have it — a reality show based on your life where all your private moments are put on display. You cannot sue them because you accepted the terms and conditions, remember?
The episode is arguably the strongest one this season as it combines paranoia around technology and uses it to comment on Big Tech while also having several pop-culture references. Also, there’s Salma Hayek, (in case you needed more reasons to watch it).
Loch Henry and BAFTAs fame
After a searing takedown of Big tech in the first episode, the action moves to Scotland in the second episode where Pia (Myha'la Herrold) and Davis (Samuel Blenkin) decide to make a documentary to uncover the truth behind a mass shooter, Iain Adair, while pitching it to a streaming platform. Which platform, you ask? Yes, Streamberry. The investigation takes a dark turn when Pia discovers that Davis’s mother and his deceased father helped Iain kidnap his victims and take them to a sex dungeon. Pia dies while on the run. Meanwhile, Davis’s mother dies by suicide, leaving behind the VCR video tapes of the horrific recordings of the dungeon with a note for him that reads “For your film…mom”.
Much of the humour in the episode is courtesy Stuart (played by Daniel Porter) who runs a local pub and is deeply concerned about the lack of tourists in the area. While it may seem at first that Loch Henry doesn’t fit into Black Mirror’s genre of sci-fi tech horror (there’s no technology, or dystopia/sci-fi element), its biggest win is its commentary on how streaming platforms often profit off the trauma of those whose stories they tell, winning awards and walking red carpets. Though Davis’s documentary has won a BAFTA, he feels out of place at the after-party, trying to piece his life back together.
Beyond the Sea and toxic masculinity
Two men deployed on a space mission live two lives — one in the spaceship and another with their wives and kids on earth — courtesy of a technology that helps their replicas be present at both places. Tragedy strikes when David’s (Josh Hartnett) wife and kids are murdered by killers and he is left with no choice but to spend most of his time in the spaceship alone as Cliff (Aaron Paul) is on earth with his wife and kids. Out of concern for his well-being, Cliff offers David a visit to earth via his body. Things take a turn for the worse when David is attracted to Cliff’s wife and eventually murders her.
Beyond The Sea is proof of just how destructive toxic masculinity can be. Between shots of David and Cliff running shirtless on the treadmill, we barely see the two men talk—heck, David cries after losing his wife in front of Cliff’s wife, not Cliff who is on the spaceship with him. This only shows men would rather hold their tears back forever instead of letting them out in the presence of another man, given their fear of vulnerability.
We also see a glimpse of this when David and Cliff lock horns. “Your wife is alone. She is a lonely woman. Unsatisfied. Untouched..” says David when Cliff confronts him. “She is mine. Every day. Every time. You will never speak to her again”, Cliff quips. The clash of male egos comes to blows. But the men aren’t dissing each other but exercising their control on women and claiming ownership of their bodies. It is no surprise therefore that it is Cliff’s wife who is the only casualty in the show—she is scapegoated as the two men fight to assert their dominance over each other.
Mazey Day: A 2000s reboot
Mazey Day (Clara Rugaard), a movie actor-cum-pop star finds herself hounded by paparazzi in the 2000s. She is driving under influence (presumably a reference to Lindsay Lohan’s DUI case) and suffering from what seems like a mental condition. Her “erratic” behaviour on the sets is enough for her to be declared a “whacko” as she is forcefully checked into a rehab (a blatantly obvious reference to Britney Spears and the media frenzy around her in 2000s). Mazey Day, the episode, is a sharp critique of the tabloid culture and misogynist shutterbugs of the aughts who got away with exploiting young starlets and milking their breakdowns for views. There is also a reference to Kim Kardashain as a shutterbug heckles a fictional Sydney Alberty over her sex tape leak.
Towards the end, Mazey transforms into a wolf, which is perhaps writer Charlie Brooker’s way of calling out the demonization of pop-stars in the aughts. Even as Mazey shoots herself, pap Bo (Zazie Beetz) takes a picture of her which will fetch her $30k.
Demon 79 and talisman’s apocalypse
The season ends on a somewhat disturbing, yet hopeful note as we see Nida (played by Anjana Vasan) get possessed by a demon from the Talisman who asks her to sacrifice three humans to stop an apocalypse. Through the episode, there are multiple hints dropped that Nida is suffering from an episode of psychosis where she is hallucinating while talking to Gaap (the dancing man from the band Boney M of Rasputin fame). The viewer is convinced that Nida was indeed hallucinating but in the end, apocalypse strikes and Nida walks into eternal oblivion with the demon.
There are multiple red herrings through the episode which are meant to throw off the viewer. We see Nida get bullied by her boss and colleague at the shoe ware shop due to her race. That’s not all, we also see Nida hunt down a white supremacist politician who wants to ban immigration to the UK and perhaps this is why, one cannot help but side with her, even though she is a problematic character. The commentary on racism is also strong in this episode, which might seem disturbing at first but eventually comes full circle.
Black Mirror season 6 is streaming now on Netflix
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