It’s like an episode of Black Mirror! This expression has become of common use to describe a dystopia in which technology takes over, while humans struggle to come to terms with it. When the British anthology series Black Mirror premiered in 2011, many of the themes touched upon seemed futuristic. Lately, on the contrary, and it is more evident in the sixth and last series, stories started evolving rather around dated and well-known technologies like photo -and video- cameras, streaming platforms, and social media. Thus, maybe also because some of the first episodes now seem to have become a reality, for example “Nosedive”, where people rate each other through an App. Contextually also the number of episodes per season has increased, as has the average length of each one and the casting of famous actors. The broad audience however does not seem to like the latest developments. “It’s all Netflix’s fault!” Many fans cry out, while others encourage a turnover in the writers’ room.
Initially aired in the UK by Channel 4 and produced by Zeppotron for Endemol, which still retains its rights, Black Mirror has been acquired by Netflix in 2016; which, to the current date, it’s not only its producer but also the official streamer. In the new season, the first episode called “Awful Jane” somehow mocks a parody of this powerful streaming platform. An average woman finds out that her life has been adapted into a show starring Salma Hayek. Every night, a new episode is streamed that reveals her most embarrassing secrets to the world. It seems as if with this grotesque episode, Black Mirror’s writer and creator Charlie Brooker wants to reassure the audience, or maybe himself, of still being as fierce and free as before; of not sparing critique, even to his patron. Nevertheless, the outcome is weak. And finally, we only see the mechanisms of mass culture’s production implemented. To name only a few: a lighter tone and the casting of famous Hollywood stars. The last one, also being disruptive in comparison to earlier series, where the cast of each episode was not only changing but mainly made up of little-known actors.
What also defined Black Mirror, in the beginning, was a very specific genre: dark/pessimistic/ironic science fiction without a happy end. The setting was usually a patriarchal, capitalist, and racist society. Now, however, the variety of genres have multiplied, from B-movies to comedies and horrors, and the survival of the main characters is almost given for granted. Thus, moving further away from the initial inspirations like The Twilight Zone by Rod Serling and Inception by Christopher Nolan. Easter eggs and small references to other episodes, are also being more often disseminated within the latest episodes. This weakened the anthological aspect of Black Mirror, while creating an immersive and transversal universe typical of other dystopic series of the 2010s. Are the creators having difficulties finding new creative scenarios? A hypothesis that seems to be confirmed by the repetitive scheme where the characters are being caught in a universe within a universe, as for example in “Beyond the Sea”, “USS Callister”, “Playtest”, “San Junipero” and others. Also, a strong plot twist overturning the initial setup has become an essential must lately.
So far Black Mirror’s success cannot be denied. It has been one of the most innovative fiction of the last decades. The many nominations and Emmy prizes demonstrate it. As well as the fact that the soundtracks of many episodes have been released as albums and numerous articles have been published in academic journals. Researchers have made it clear why such series have fascinated so many spectators around the world. However, its popularity as well as its quality is declining. And the options are only two: either stop or change. None of the two however seems likely to happen in a very lucrative mainstream production context in which Charlie Brooker trapped his creature. Unless this could actually become an inspiration for the next series. Black Mirror criticizes itself by showing a universe within a universe, where the bold plot twist is becoming what it always looked down to.
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