Prelude:
“The "black mirror" of the title is the one you'll find on every wall, on every desk, in the palm of every hand: the cold, shiny screen of a TV, a monitor, a smartphone." Black Mirror is a British anthology series created by Charlie Brooker which moved to Netflix in 2016. With this move comes a bigger episode order, American cast members, and a lot of social media buzz. I will be reviewing the first 3 episodes of season 3 while Louis, who very kindly agreed to share the season with me, will be doing the second half.
The plot:
Nosedive asks the question: what would our world be like if a social media platform ruled us completely? In the not so distant future, Lacy is an average woman in her 30s trying to find happiness. In this pastel, almost Stepford wife like utopia, your internet presence and popularity dictates everything in your life. It determines where you live, who you surround yourself with, the events you’re invited, what car you can drive and even the medical treatment you can get.
Lacy lives with her brother in a small apartment in a neighbourhood that’s considered middle class by the standards of this reality. Every second of her life is accompanied by a myriad of notifications from people around her who rate her on a scale of 1-5 on a platform akin to a Tinder/Instagram hybrid. This flock follows her wherever she goes and all human interaction occur with (and entirely for the sake) a flick and a rating. She compliments people just for their ratings and she can only make conversation by glancing at other people’s profiles using tech-infused lens.
She's achieved a high rating so far but in order to move into her dream house and fulfil her fantasy (terrifyingly visualised by a hologram tailored just for her), she needs to reach a 4.5 or above. Like I said, higher ratings aren’t just an ego boost they divide whole social classes. They can be the difference between life or death. With the help of a Reputelligent consultant who analyzes her popularity curve, she follows a carefully structured plan which includes getting back in touch with her (despicable) childhood friend Naomi. Naomi is the internet famous, picture perfect yoga loving gorgeous blonde white lady with the perfect fiancé who makes tapenade for her. So when she invites Lacy to her wedding, Lacy screams and cries from fake joy.
As she polishes her maid of honour speech, she has a fallout with her brother who (rightfully) calls her a “fucking sociopath”. Her flight’s cancelled, she gets downgrade two whole points for misconduct, her rental car breaks down , and when Naomi calls her she asks if everything’s okay because if it’s not then she wants her nowhere near her wedding. After being stranded, the only person who lets her hitch a ride is a 1.42 elderly southern truck driver named Susan. Susan gave up everything after her husband died and liberated herself from the ratings. Naomi uninvites her from the wedding because despite what ratings their vintage friendship could have brought, she doesn’t give a shit about Lacy.
This hurts her deeply because she thought they still shared a special bond, but she still doesn’t give up. As the "dings" of the plummeting ratings brilliantly become part of the score, she rides a quad bike, falls in the mud and turns up to the wedding to give her big speech, which marks the climax of the episode. She cries and laughs at the guests and is ultimately arrested after she calls Naomi's husband a "f*cking jerkhole". After smiling for the camera, she is sent to a glass prison cell where she befriends another inmate. They exchange insults and profanities as they scream on top of their lungs, freed from the obsessions of the rating-driven hellscape.
Theme:
The horror of this Black Mirror scenario doesn’t reside in the “what-if” speculation of a fantasy, it’s the fact that this reality so close mirrors our own. It’s really terrifying when an illusion shatters and you can start to see things more clearly. Lacy fights to get to the top, without sparing any thoughts about what’s waiting for her up there or what will happen in the interim.
By rewarding people with ratings and the gifts that come with them they are not motivated to form any real connections but only motivated to kiss each other’s asses. Every interaction is devoid of meaning and sincerity and we are all culprits of the same crime. We rate people based on that they say, how they present themselves, whether we bother to get to know them or not.
Her brother is the anomaly to the strict dogma because he doesn’t even care about his low ratings. This clashes with Lacy’s worldview and makes her despise him. Her dream is too big to support itself so it crumbles and collapses around her. Her chance encounter with Sue is the big catalyst for this disillusionment.
Sue had nothing left to lose and is now free to speak her mind, not living in fear of what consequences that will have on her score but Lacy is not yet able to understand that. In the poignant scene in the truck, Lacy says that what she’s looking for is “Just to be able to breathe out, not feeling like like. And that is way off, like, way, way off.And until I get there, I have to play the numbers game.We all do, that's what we're in. That's how the fucking world works.”
I know so many people in real life, in our not quite dystopian world, that have the same mindset. The only solution is to accept that you are where you are and enjoy life for what it is, otherwise, you will never be able to obtain the unobtainable.
Grade: 3.5/5
Through Bryce Dallas Howard’s energetic and hair-raising performance, the audience explores the frivolous dystopia of the season premiere. Howard portrays her immaculately, creating a nuanced character with a smiling facade that slowly cracks to reveal the unstable fragility and insanity within.
This was highlighted in the scene of Lacy in her bathroom, where we see her practising her fake laughter at her reflection in the (black) mirror. It’s pure madness. Both the metaphorical and the physical journey she goes through provided an interesting story, which combined with beautiful scenes and cinematography makes this a fitting beginning to the season. One shot, in particular, captured my attention: As Lacy walks away from her dream home, the virtual image of her on the billboard vanishes leaving a blank shape ready to be filled in with the next potential buyer.
Where episode 3x1 fell short for me was the ending and resolution of the plot. Lacy managed to get to the wedding and give her speech but instead of getting revenge she was thrown out while she cried that she still loves Naomi. The metaphor of being locked in an actual cell which allowed her to escape her own prison was very clever but there wasn't enough of a pay-off to satisfy me. I can't wait to see what the rest of the season holds, thanks for reading and let me know what you thought in the comments below.
