If you’ve never watched “Black Mirror,” now would be a good time to start.
The British science fiction show, known for resembling “The Twilight Zone” and exploring the risks of technology, has just released its fifth season on Netflix. This time around, “Black Mirror” has some of its most entertaining and thought-provoking episodes, even if they don’t all fit into the established mold.
The latest season is the show’s worst-reviewed, earning just a 63% from Rotten Tomatoes, compared with season one’s 97%. Even December’s choose-your-own-ending spinoff, “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch,” fared better with critics. Yet season five delivers on the promise to engage viewers with clever premises and end with an unexpected twist. (Spoilers follow.)
The first episode, “Striking Vipers,” is most similar to the rest of the “Black Mirror” canon in that it takes a new piece of technology (a virtual reality video game where you feel all the sensations of your digital players) and shows how it disrupts the lives of those who engage with it (two men end up using the game less for combat and more for, well, sensual purposes, even though one of them is married). “Striking Vipers” is uncomfortable to watch, but it’s a fascinating exploration of relationships, porn, and the meaning of monogamy.
The show’s executive producer, Annabel Jones, told Entertainment Weekly that “one of the themes of the film is asking: When does porn become so sophisticated that it’s actually cheating and not just distraction?” Throughout “Striking Vipers,” both porn and the characters’ VR exploits appear to be more than mere distractions.
“Smithereens,” the second episode, is both intellectually compelling and edge-of-your-seat gripping. A rideshare driver kidnaps an intern just so he can get a phone call with the head of his social media company. A standoff ensues, and all the kidnapper wants to do, it turns out, is provide some “user feedback” about how his social media addiction ruined his life.
The episode questions the role of tech companies in encouraging unhealthy behavior, as well as users’ complicity in it by treating people’s life stories as nothing more than notifications. And “Smithereens,” unlike most “Black Mirror” episodes, isn’t sci-fi. The plot involves no new technology, which makes its commentary on social media all the more immediate.
“Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too” is also a rare “Black Mirror” episode, in this case because it actually has a happy ending. Less creepy than most others, it’s fun and a little madcap. As I predicted last month, Miley Cyrus is perfect for her role. She plays an exploited pop star with a despair she clearly understands, even bringing humor to the role. The technology — holograms, brain scanners — is mostly a backdrop for a character-driven drama that makes a point about celebrity exploitation while still leaving the viewers satisfied.
At an hour long, each episode is a little too lengthy to be bingeable, and it’s better that way. As season five explores the complex topics of pornography and relationships, social media, and the exploitation of stardom, each episode is best enjoyed slowly.
If you want a good intro to what the show is about before starting the fifth season, watch “Fifteen Million Merits” or “Be Right Back.” And if you ever wonder how technology changes us, often without our own awareness, just watch the whole show.
