... And I'm enjoying every single second of it.

Introduction

For a long time, we, entertainment consumers, have been fed relatively conservative content steadily. For a while, Parent Guiding certification (PG-13, etc...) had been enough to the majority of mainstream production companies out of ''risky'' markets such as R-rated movies, TV-MA shows and the likes, because the consensus was that they were missing out on full market capitalization with their content ; Making movies/tv for a part of the market was less lucrative than targeting broader range of audiences.

However, today, because of the abundance of media content, we see a market that is split into multiple sub-genres with a loyal following that will often barely venture out it's own personal preferences, if at all ; If one of those sub-genre gets a large enough representation, However Niche and unusual it is, Content is gonna be produced and producers will capitalize on the market opportunity. What we get is a bunch of ruthless TV shows, like Black Mirror, like Game of Thrones, etc... Shows specifically engineered to satisfy our own sick desires and to fulfil our most deranged fantasies. The human mind is twisted, and companies like Netflix and HBO have understood and capitalized on it. And you know what ? I'm Grateful for it ; I came for entertainment and that's exactly what I get

Review

Black Mirror, is a built on a bold concept. At it's core, the show takes contemporary concepts and technologies, enhances them and builds realistic, dystopian-societies, set in the near future, around those technologies. It's purpose is to demonstrate that technology and power are not good nor evil. They are simply tools, used as an extension of the wielder's will. ANY technology can and WILL be used for Creation and/or Destruction given the right circumstances.

Being an Anthology series, it gives the show the ability to visit a lot of different worlds and societies. As a sci-fi fan, the opportunity to explore as much individual, unrelated universes as possible, each containing their own set of characters and stories to explore is a feeling that can't be explained.

The show can be enjoyed for what it is, an explicit demonstrations of the eventual problems associated with modern day technology through dystopian societies closely resembling our own, misusing enhanced version of the devices we use everyday. In that sense, it plays as an original Sci-fi, Drama, Thriller with a lot of plot twists. However, It can also be enjoyed for what it represents, and that's the best way to enjoy it in my opinion. It's fascinating to see how a lot of the things we take for granted and assume is harmless or to improve society and human condition is merely a perspective, and the show makes a very good job a demonstrating that point ; I've never been more scared of X-factor, Facebook and Brain Electrodes... What's interesting is that even though a lot of these world feel incredibly alien, they still feel somewhat familiar and instinctive, because they are built around how the human race dealt with a concept or technology in the past, leading to such extreme changes in comparison with todays society, even though, they are not set that far appart in time. What's amazing, is that every one of those societies is a possible outcome for our own human race. The problems and dysfunctions at the root of each dystopian societies portrayed in Black Mirror are based on current issues, and the way we do or do not deal with them will help shape tomorrow's society into what could be an aberration of it's former self, as shown in Many Episodes of Black Mirror.

I personally enjoyed the lack of a regular cast that appears in every episode. I think that ongoing character development associated with a recurring character in a TV show encourages lazy writing, because they can always change something or add some flash-back to fix an issue with character/plot. Being an anthology series, each episode is a definitive, final version of a story, including it's protagonists. It also plays as a motivator for actors to give good performances, as they only appear in a single episode (for the most part). I was also pleasantly surprised to see a lot of quality, established actors.

The best episode of pretty much every season as been the finale, which to me, indicates that the show's producers are in touch with what makes their show successful and good, especially in an anthology series where the finale's appreciation is not influenced by plot cliff-hangers or events that have been built-up for a whole season. This means hey are likely going to be able to replicate their formula for years to come, and that they didn't just get lucky. On top of that, the Show's success could attract big name actors as the format of the show is not overwhelming on an actor's calendar

This is the TV show I've been wanting for years without knowing it. I've seen so many movies/tv-shows that presented original, intelligent, ambitious concepts, but ended up compromising what made them special to comply to social conventions. Swapping their bold eccentricity, mid movie for sheer, bland normality. Thankfully, that time has come to an end we can finally see how alien, twisted, and scary the world could be or have been, with a push in the right direction.