Dystopias remain terrifying because of how close we remain to achieving them. Black Mirror, an anthology Netflix TV series, often utilizes dystopias to make social and political commentary. Each episode is unrelated in content but they all aim to critique or expose human nature. Sure, I could list the most entertaining episodes but, in this political moment, wouldn’t it be more fun to look at the ones that hate us the most?
Here are the 5 best political episodes of Black Mirror.
- “White Bear” (Season 2, Episode 2)
If you have never watched an episode of Black Mirror, I’d say to start with “White Bear”. The episode begins with the main character, Victoria, waking up with no memories of her life. She tries to figure out where she is and who she is but everyone she meets refuses to speak to her. Most record her with their phones in her vulnerable state. Some masked individuals begin to attack Victoria, coming after her with weapons. Both the audience and Victoria are trying to figure out her life and the viewers begin to sympathize with her confusion and vulnerability. This episode grapples with crime, punishment and the future of justice. It raises ethical questions surrounding entertainment and crime and whether it is just to torture a criminal beyond the crime they committed for the purpose of theatrics. Just like most Black Mirror episodes, we can think about the future and how our justice system might one day change and allow for such treatment.
- “Loch Henry” (Season 6, Episode 2)
In the same light as “White Bear” regarding justice, “Loch Henry” contemplates the ethics of true crime. Davis and Pia, a young couple, travel to Davis’ childhood home in Loch Henry, Scotland. They met in a film class and planned to shoot a true crime documentary together. But, when Pia learns about how Davis’ father died after responding to a call in Loch Henry about a serial killer, Pia proposes they make a documentary about the serial killer, Adair. What ensues is the unraveling of Davis’ family and his relationship with his mother. I believe the final scene of “Loch Henry” solidifies it as one of the strongest Black Mirror episodes. Davis and Pia’s true crime documentary draws tourism to his town but Davis is left drained and desolate after learning the truth about his family. “Loch Henry” criticizes how the entertainment industry diminishes trauma to content for the audience, while also criticizing the audience for enjoying true crime. We can extend this to sensationalism in the media for the purpose of entertainment value which can lead to glorifying events such as political protests or war coverage. “Loch Henry” leaves you as disconnected and dejected as Davis but still, his documentary got an award and that’s all that matters, right?
- “Men Against Fire” (Season 3, Episode 5)
Although predictable in its plot twist, “Men Against Fire” discusses dehumanization in potential military technology. The episode follows two soldiers, Stripe and Hunter, who are squadmates in a future military that is tasked with hunting humanoid monsters coined as “roaches”. Each soldier in their squad has a neural implant called MASS. MASS provides data via augmented reality. “Men Against Fire” begins its political discussion when Stripe’s neural implant is damaged and he sees who the roaches really are. I believe this episode is the closest to our current reality. Artificial intelligence has the potential to be used in the military for more accurate targeting. We can parallel the soldier Stripe to an artificial intelligence that intends to kill a certain number of soldiers or citizens. The only difference between the soldier and the robot is that Stripe decided to stop killing roaches but maybe the robot could not turn off its programming. Had Stripe’s neural implant not been damaged, he would not have stopped killing the humanoids.
The U.S. Department of Defense has discussed ethical A.I. use but we must consider how other countries might act given such technology. “Men Against Fire” is a look into how enemies of war can be dehumanized and soldiers may participate in moral disengagement. It can come down to propaganda and control in society to perpetuate the image of the enemy and its citizens. The use of artificial intelligence in the military is possibly the most uncertain subject discussed in this list of episodes. It’s easy to critique human tendencies but not so easy to contemplate the implications of robots in combat where citizens are the intended mass casualties.
- “Arkangel” (Season 4, Episode 2)
After a traumatic event early in her daughter’s life, the young mother Marie decides to enroll her daughter in a new technology program, Arkangel. A device is implanted into her daughter, Sara, which allows Marie to not only track her but see what she sees. As Sara grows older, Marie turns on parental controls which limits Sara’s reality. She can no longer be exposed to mundane things like barking dogs but more importantly, she cannot see her grandfather have a heart attack. Their mother-daughter relationship becomes strained as Sara feels her privacy is infringed upon and she cannot develop any romantic relationships or friendships in school without information being censored. She sees blurred shapes in place of “graphic” material.
Their relationship reaches a breaking point when Marie finds out Sara is pregnant. “Arkangel” touches on parental rights and autonomy which we can apply to parental rights in education today with laws like “Don’t Say Gay” in Florida. Signed into law in 2022, “Don’t Say Gay” restricts classroom discussion on gender and sexuality similar to how Marie limited Sara’s knowledge of sexuality as she grew up. “Arkangel” contemplates to what extent a parent should govern how their child grows up and what to protect them from. This episode asks us: Where’s the line between protection and child autonomy? The ending may give us an answer, but it’s certainly not the answer every parent wants to hear.
- “Hated in the Nation” (Season 3, Episode 6)
Two detectives, Karin and Blue, investigate the death of Jo Powers, a journalist who had recently published a controversial column. Karin and Blue find a connection to social media after a teacher tweets “#DeathTo @JoPowersWriter” which preceded the journalist’s death. Another death follows the same pattern connected to the hashtag “DeathTo”. The detectives realize that the individual that has the most mentions under that hashtag is killed that same day. It is up to the masses to decide who dies for an action or actions they deem irredeemable. The mass targets anyone from celebrities to politicians. How do these people die? From autonomous drone insects (ADIs) that were created by the government to replace near-extinct bees. Now, the bees are being employed by an anonymous individual to facilitate “#DeathTo”.
“Hated in the Nation” has the most deaths in any Black Mirror episode. Released in 2016, it speaks to cancel culture on X (formerly Twitter) that we can now analyze in 2024. “Hated in the Nation” speaks to the masses’ power in society but also the masses’ fatal flaw of falling victim to mob mentality: truly not being able to stop the momentum or exit it. It raises questions about social justice and how the masses can hold an individual accountable for any action when the justice system may not, but also questions whether that constitutes justice. Social media plays a strong role in shaping public opinion. Similarly, we can be concerned with how much information social media now provides to the masses in place of news sources. “Hated in the Nation” is the strongest mirror in the series for what people will do behind a screen. The plot twist in the episode is more than just a climax: It’s a slap in the face.
All Black Mirror episodes deserve a watch for their storytelling strength and entertainment value, but I believe these five best comment on our political and social climate. This is the power of fiction: Instead of a news article brimming with facts and opinions, you can sit and work through another human’s story and their actions and contemplate your own. Because even if it’s fictional, so quickly could their dystopian world be ours to cope with. Perhaps we already do.
Sophia Romanov Imber is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].