The Future is Broken

The title of this post is the tag line for the UK Channel 4 series, Black Mirror.  I have only seen one episode so far, but am eagerly anticipating the next two of series one.  Series two begins on the eleventh of this month on UK television.

The title of the series is in reference to the screens that rule our lives these days, all of us feverishly absorbed and interacting with "black mirrors" near all our waking hours.

Black Mirror is a slap in the face, a creepy reflection of our slavery towards new technology and social networking.  It is an illustration of some of Guy Debord's notions about the Spectacle, and living by proxy.  It is also difficult to watch.  "There but for the grace of god, ... " one might wonder.  Or, "That's not me!" When actually, if you are watching something like Black Mirror, that is probably you.

(And, yes, I understand the hypocritical nature of writing about something like Black Mirror on a blog.)

Black Mirror, ultimately is a Twilight Zone for our modern age, and highly recommended by me, even if it might depress you, or make you feel uncomfortable.  Will be v excited when it gets here Stateside.

P.S.:  One of my fave teevee writers, Jesse Armstrong, who writes Peep Show, and is part of the In the Loop/The Thick of It/Veep writing team wrote episode three season one.  The video directly above these words.




















Ardent