Whatcha Watchin? (Spoiler Free)

[DharmaHelper]

For anybody still hanging with Gotham, holy shit has the writing taken a dump.

Spoiler: show

I'm the Scarecrow, you know, the genius behind the fear toxin, right? Well would you believe that the foil to my fear toxin is...water? That's right! Rinse your face and you'll be good as new! I wish I would have known that!

I'm Lucius Fox, and would you believe that Wayne Enterprises was developing state-of-the-art bulletproof lightweight bodysuits for the military...and that the prototype just so happens to fit a fifteen-year-old boy perfectly?

I'm Ivy and I drink random potions from an old Asian man's safe...which isn't even, you know, locked!

I'm James Gordon and I will go into Arkham Asylum alone to face a horde...without checking to see if my guns have any bullets!

I'm Detective Bullock and I'll stand behind lazy ass officers who expect a paycheck but won't do their job...and let James go into Arkham all by himself, because I know that an army of insane people and the Scarecrow can't bring down James Gordon! No sir!

I'm Barbara Kean, and I died...except I didn't! Surprise! I have a new weapons warehouse for criminals, a stylish suit, a terrible hairdo, and for some reason I need Tabitha and Miss Kyle by my side, because I just can't accomplish anything on my own!

I'm Tabitha, and I could have anything from Barbara I want, so I ask...to cut her hand off, but I just couldn't do it. So I left. I didn't even ask for a gift card or one of those fancy guns.

I'm The Penguin, and I think that waltzing...well, I can't really waltz...into the GCPD among a number of armed cops and rubbing their failures into their faces is the most effective way to run my organization!

I'm Bruce Wayne. I'm...Batman. Kind of. I still need to work on not being a complete dumbass who needs to "feel free."

I'm Alfred, the butler. I'm the only one in this bloody show with any fucking sense, and unfortunately, I'm just the help.

Again, holy shit.

Yeah the writing took a dump a while ago, brother. I don't regret ejecting from that particular plane.

[Ricochet]

Picked up Black Mirror to watch something during the next week or two, with a little incentive from a Nerdwriter vlog essay on its traditional or not use of tragic and cathartic motifs. I happen to like my coffee bleak and existentially burdening, so it should be an interesting watch.

[insertnamehere]

Picked up Black Mirror to watch something during the next week or two, with a little incentive from a Nerdwriter vlog essay on its traditional or not use of tragic and cathartic motifs. I happen to like my coffee bleak and existentially burdening, so it should be an interesting watch.

I'm interested to see your take. Everyone I've talked to seems to respond differently, favoring different episodes over others. No two people seem to have the same Black Mirror opinions, except those that hate the whole thing.

[Ricochet]

Well, before any of that, I couldn't help myself to come here and note that the first half of Nosedive felt like a total nightmare.

Five more episodes to go.

[Ricochet]

Picked up Black Mirror to watch something during the next week or two, with a little incentive from a Nerdwriter vlog essay on its traditional or not use of tragic and cathartic motifs. I happen to like my coffee bleak and existentially burdening, so it should be an interesting watch.

I'm interested to see your take. Everyone I've talked to seems to respond differently, favoring different episodes over others. No two people seem to have the same Black Mirror opinions, except those that hate the whole thing.

Well those were some intriguing 13 days, though not mindblowing all the time or having constantly subjected me to the existential dread I was led to anticipate. I like the potential of this single-episode anthology and the Twilight Zoney vibe (minus any heavy dose of paranormal) of several such single story approaches - even with its shared-universe suggestions becoming less minimal and subtle as the series progressed [including that "Fifteen Million Merits" song becoming too much of a leitmotif... absolutely no idea, for instance, what the heck it was reused for (re-sung?) in "Men Against Fire" the way it was. It's especially refreshing as it transitioned towards the American public, most of whose TV products are still fixated on 8-, 10-episode minimum content arches (while not that surprising, instead, coming from the Brits, who can still approach a series' subject in a tighter format). Of course, though, that means each episode will live or die by its unique idea, content, presentation and actor choices. In most cases, the results were from positive upwards, though I'd say so far I have only a handful of favorite / memorable / got-me-deep-mang episodes. I noticed that the critics didn't always buy into everything presented here (at least until the season 3 boom, though not excluding it), which I think is actually a healthy reaction, not only in this "Golden Age of TV" climate, but also towards this show's methods, which can honestly tread between crafty / intuitive and gimmicky.

As for entertaining the favorites' game, here is my shot at it for anyone interested (aka just INH), with spoilery comments - though mind you, it's after only one viewing each (except San Junipero where I cheated and replayed it) and at minimum capacity to have captured all the essence in this one sit. I also think this show in particular needs to be judged by several factors: its basic TV drama qualities, its craftsmanship in the satire (tech, social or otherwise) it builds and its effect / affect power. So I'll be pretentiously toying with those as well.

#13

Spoiler: show

PLAYTEST
Drama: C | Message: C | Effect / Affect: D

Spoiler: show

"What the heck, it ain't Waldo!?"
So here's the thing, I severely did not care about this episode, nor did I find it particularly "Blackmirror-ish". I mean, apart from aspects on human connections and the prospect of this VR product being sold in the future and suck in or affect mass audiences, what did it go for? It was not like the dude was recruted or forced into this activity, so at worse he was guineea pig'd into a shoddy beta test by a nefariously tight-lipped company. The episode's core design felt like saying "oh, we just had to delve into gaming and virtual reality at some point, didn't we?", plus have fun with the VR and survival horror genres (sprinkled with nods, of course, yum yum), the payoff/twist wasn't that great and I found Russell Jr. shrill A... F... (unless the intent was to satirize loud Merkan tourists in Europe, in which case A+++++).

#12

Spoiler: show

THE WALDO MOMENT
Drama: B- | Message: B | Effect / Affect: C

Spoiler: show

Fine, then, Waldo. I almost went cheeky and placed it one higher - yet it is my understanding that any respectable ranking has to have this one dead last or close. Its main problem might be that it's too British in its conception, from the crass banter to its handling of the characters, setting and all. No, it's not a "great" BM subject and its "coda" was perhaps the lousiest thing it could have veered into, but it wasn't without some oddly fun bits either. Plus, right now, you have to give it some props for how it foreshadowed growing electoral arousal towards hate speech, senseless vitriol and political buffoonery.

#11

Spoiler: show

BE RIGHT BACK
Drama: B | Message: C | Effect / Affect: B-

Spoiler: show

This might count as a shocker, but here's my thing: I have no heart - and the episode didn't sadly help me find one, either. It fully runs on a soft, emotional core (the ol' heartstring-puller) and it just didn't work on me. Does it touch upon the limitations of tech surrogacy and irreplaceability of human loss? Sure. But is there any real critique on anything within the episode's universe rather than a mere fantasy meant to run its course and end in disappointment? The only truly upsetting thing was Atwell's friend (or acquaintance or whatever) meddling in her life, enough to get her the bring-hubby-back device against her initial wishes. Plus, if there's an episode that ran a full tank on its single, simple premise, it was this one. I didn't feel either Atwell or Gleeson were that amazing in this instance, plus Atwell's arch went into, like, three basic states or so without much more depth to it. Again, it counts as a bleak love story, true, but... idk... ech?

#10

Spoiler: show

THE NATIONAL ANTHEM
Drama: B- | Message: B- | Effect / Affect: B-

Spoiler: show

I think at any point in time, but especially if you would have seen this when it first aired, you'd get to the same impression: this is cheeky stuff. Unfortunately, with six years in the past and improvements over three whole seasons, I can't imagine this sticking high on any list. It's very British, and like with all British such things, you have to stomach its dark humor. It obviously doesn't go full ballsy bonkers - like imagine von Trier or Jodorowsky would have drooled at the chance of shooting a subject like this one any more graphic. I think I enjoy the most its absurdist nuance of deadpannery - like those times everyone in the PM's cabinet (except for him, of course) is reacting with a incredible, "british" rigidity to any audacious thing thrown at them. But yeah, otherwise it has some B-stories that don't hold up, the twist is there and black-mirror-ian, but at the same soft. It doesn't drill into your conscience, it just throws cheeky, perplexing stuff at you. I can see why it would be kept as an ice-breaker, I can see why it would be detested (zebra), I can see why it could be forgotten down the line. All options are on the table in how to react to this kind of a TV hour.

#9

Spoiler: show

MEN AGAINST FIRE
Drama: C | Message: B | Effect / Affect: B-

Spoiler: show

Much like my least-favourite BM ep, Men Against Fire is hurting from seeming like a simulacrum of different genres - "we just have to do something with warfare and autocracy perils, at some point, right?". It goes hella heavy on its dystopic, even post-apocalyptic (or post-something-realbad) tropes, it has some Starship Trooper vibes and some zombie horror ones, none of them playing out spectacularly. You can see the development way ahead - I honestly thought it would go "good guy gets contaminated and becomes the chased", but nah, they went the other way with him getting "woke"), the casting is alright, but not hot fire. That being said. Its main reveal - or rather the extent of its reveal - while it didn't entirely leave a hole in my lungs, it was pretty rough. Again, not the reveal in itself - aka "look at what we're truly doing" - but the extent or nuance of it - "look at what drives us to do this". Maybe I'm soft, but I can't ignore brutal dystopia when it's brutal. Plus Michael Kelly needs to stop playing a sociopath so well. There's that too.

#8

Spoiler: show

FIFTEEN MILLION MERITS
Drama: B+ | Message: C | Effect / Affect: B

Spoiler: show

Reaching this episode in my list is a veritable crossroad. As an hour of TV-something, I would gladly say that I fully enjoyed this episode. Daniel Kalyuuya makes that same despondent face that he brought sometimes in Get Out and it works great during the relevant sections here, I liked the main performances, t'was a long one but didn't bore me in the slightest. I liked tiny details, like that use of the Compliance juice in two different contexts. However, even I would agree should anyone care to point out its topical faults. The rip on talent shows is clearly a limiter, but even more - I don't understand this dystopian setting. Who, what, how did everyone end up as merit-earning slave workers whose only option is getting socially recast within the same cubicle via some show simulacrum? So yeah, it's a hard one to assess - it's among the clearest, most recreative satirical bits in the series, yet it's not grounded.

#7

Spoiler: show

SHUT UP AND DANCE
Drama: B | Message: B- | Effect / Affect: B

Spoiler: show

I think this episode is bound to suffer from being a soft rehash of two previous BM concepts - the anonymous blackmailing from "The National Anthem" and the public vigilantism from "White Bear". I like its delivery and drama more than the former's, but not its bite as much as the latter's. Its twist is almost like the producers went back to what they've done in Anthem and said "what if compliance lead to truly nothing positive whatsoever this time". This is a good hour of Black Mirror in your diet, but I was also spoiled by its twists due to that Nerdwriter vlog I've mentioned and the episode delivery didn't make up entirely in richness. Most "enjoyable" kick out of it was that troll face being made use of. Good lord.

#6

Spoiler: show

THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF YOU
Drama: B- | Message: B+ | Effect / Affect: B

Spoiler: show

I wasn't that into this episode at first, but with the whole list in front of me, I can't see it below the ones thus far. Fact of the matter is, its dystopian premise is haunting - and I mean "if humanity ends up fully complying with such a device, nope, I'm out, it's all over, we're done". Small gimmicks like those tech eyes are also superior in design. Otherwise, the duo performance is alright if not fantastic and the script has a lot of writing-on-the-wall set pieces. But you know, it's a solid episode, it taps into something people should get concerned about. The final shot also made me think, for whatever reason, of Aronovsky's Pi, but again, Black Mirror doesn't actually go that far down the rabbit hole.

#5

Spoiler: show

HATED IN THE NATION
Drama: B | Message: B | Effect / Affect: B

Spoiler: show

To be fair, just like with #6, I would have prefered having at least a couple more favorites in front of this one, but with the current roster, c'est la vie. It nearly clocking at a full-length feature film (in fact, seriously, I watched Sofia Coppola's new The Beguiled the other night and it had the exact same running time), it's a bit of a stretch for BM and not entirely impactful whilst at it, but I also enjoyed it overall. It's probably the most grounded BM episode thus far - no excess of inventivity, but no failure to run a proper solo story either. It's been compared to Nordic countries' style of procedurals, dramas or meticulous thrillers and I'd agree with that comparison. Kelly MacDonald brings that insecure face she always does, but with an additional bossy-ness at times. Not meant to dazzle all in all, but works pretty well with its "flaw in the system" trope. I liked that the twist was brought in with self-awareness (from the characters) in the narrative, but also with a touch of human error rather than a mere fatalist view, as a cheap invitation for absurd, implacable tragedy.

#4

Spoiler: show

WHITE CHRISTMAS
Drama: B | Message: B+ | Effect / Affect: B+

Spoiler: show

Yes, I'm counting the Christmas special as well, why not. I think, again, they're more of a British TV thing, but in this case, it's not just a lazy excuse of a special, it stays true to the formula. I even enjoyed the short return of those "Part ___" intertitles, as well. The fact that the episode is actually three distinct vignettes shouldn't work that well, but I say it does. I liked Hamm's performance more than Raff Spall's, although that second guy had a whooper of a tragic backstory. The "block" tech gimmick of this episode gave me the heebies jeebies. The "dating coach / peeper" vignette messed with my own "omega male" / "date inept" character. The idea of justice (especially coming from high-ranks, like the police force) presented here was also nauseting, much like it always tends to turn out in these series - see... well, #3.

#3

Spoiler: show

WHITE BEAR
Drama: B | Message: B+ | Effect / Affect: A-

Spoiler: show

Sure, count me as a "White Bear" fan. It's the show's "twistiest" episode, after all, or at least one that inspired more twisty ones afterwards, come to think of it. There is a degree of guilty pleasure in that, sure, but in this case it also works for me. The pre-twist drama, otherwise, amounts just to some tense, Purge-like horror happenings. But once the twist is switched on and you realize you've been irrevocably played with in terms of traditional sympathetic responses to the drama and characters you're viewing, this episode is virtually merciless. There is no answer to what (side) is wrong here. I probably wouldn't have it this high without that combination of credits and story rewind. I wouldn't disagree with the sayings that Lenora Chrichlow is a tad one-note, but I also don't think range was to be demanded of her, considering the chaos in her character's mind and objective horror and pain she's subjected to. Also, Michael Smiley yoooooo.

#2

Spoiler: show

SAN JUNIPERO
Drama: A | Message: B+ | Effect / Affect: A-

Spoiler: show

I don't have any major complaints with this stand-out episode. If I were to nitpick, I'd consider it a bit of a cheat, since it's way more cinematic than the average BM episode - most of which weren't actively made to be this polished. It doesn't have any really bleak stakes (except if you count eternal loneliness and/or nothingness), especially if you consider that "San Junipero" can also be a permanent option (and the episode sure doesn't jump on this aspect being in any way unsatisfactory), but it has bleak backstories that outline an already profoundly emotional core. Contrary to [uhm, well, my #1], the more optimistic approach in this episode feels less like a necessary relief and more of a matter of choice. There are at least several spots in which I can see the showrunner having gone the sad route (and I read that he even admitted to several other endings). Perhaps I would have liked the very ending to have more "let the mystery be" in it rather than a closed-in denoument. But yeah, what a love story, with so many delicate elements and what an hour of television.

#1

Spoiler: show

NOSEDIVE
Drama: A- | Message: A+ | Effect / Affect: A

Spoiler: show

I might come off as basic bitch with this choice, but if we're after BM episodes with an impact, none of them scaled at first viewing as much as this one did. I already mentioned the fact that its first half felt like a nightmare. Given my own social sensibilities, this utopic/dystopic idea of "social correctness" and rank-functioning society is the representation of h e l l. At times I couldn't even sit on my sofa, watching this, without squirming. Howard's "fake" range is impeccable and I can't even re: that laughter. Afterwards, it almost comes as a relief that the episode doesn't stay full bleak. If you ask me, the ending scene was pitch perfect. Sure, the road trip set piece can turn goofy on occasion and the amount of karma crash is about as predictable as the friggin' title spelling it out. Still.

[insertnamehere]

Here are my personal rankings that I composed after season 3 came out last year.


1. The National Anthem
2. White Bear
3. The Entire History of You
4. San Junipero
5. Playtest
6. Shut Up and Dance
7. Be Right Back
8. White Christmas
9. Hated in the Nation
10. Fifteen Million Merits
11. Nosedive
12. Men Against Fire
13. The Waldo Moment

For whatever reason, Playtest clicked with me as a straight genre exercise that was well-executed, while Nosedive just seemed a little on-the-nose and didn't have the effect on me that it had on Rico. It lacked the bite and nastiness it truly needed to work. Also, RE: National Anthem...

#10
THE NATIONAL ANTHEM
Unfortunately, with six years in the past and improvements over three whole seasons, I can't imagine this sticking high on any list.

Ha! For me, National Anthem serves as both the thesis and the key for the entire series in terms of subject matter, capturing the public's toxic apathy towards politics better than Waldo, it's casual capacity for cruelty better than Shut Up and Dance/Hated in the Nation, and the technology-induced disposition towards denial better than 15MM/Men Against Fire. It's also quite cheeky. I'll admit that it does work better on a rewatch.

To be honest, my top three are all fairly interchangeable in terms of my opinions on them, but National Anthem resonated the most in my mind.

[Ricochet]

Everybody ready for nostalgia dressed pastiche salad season 2?

[insertnamehere]

never even managed to finish stronger thongs season one

[Ricochet]

I was on a plane, so that helped.

[insertnamehere]

It falls into that category of Netflix Original that feels like it was birthed wholly from the website's algorithm, combining this actor, and this storytelling trope, and playing it in the most crowd-pleasing way, so it can fit into the media diet of quadrants which enjoyed similar movies and television shows. They all feel focus-grouped to hell and back. Stranger Things, Gypsy, Ozark, 13 Reasons Why, Narcos, The Crown, Bloodline, literally all of the goddamn Marvel shows, and most recently Mindhunter all fall under this category for me.

Bojack Horseman, Black Mirror Season 3, Arrested Development Season 4, Master of None, and weird shit like The OA, Neo Yokio, Sense8, and the Get Down are the only shows to break through that barrier of homogeneity.

Meanwhile, the two O.G. Netflix shows, House of Cards and Orange is the New Black seem to both have fallen into holes of tarnished mediocrity.

[Ricochet]

tfw you have one hour to spare, check the channels, Twin Peaks The Reruns, yet it lands on the shittiest episode...

[insertnamehere]

tfw you have one hour to spare, check the channels, Twin Peaks The Reruns, yet it lands on the shittiest episode...

Part 12, 13, or 18?

I've also somehow managed to talk myself into liking Part 18, by the way. Lynch fanboyism is a hell of a drug.

[Ricochet]

Part 12, 13, or 18?

12

Part 18 is perfect, don't be a hayta.

If anything, I'll have to heavily talk myself into liking the """""""confrontation""""""" from Part 17. I hated it at first watch - it felt like a rushed "fuck you" to an already clear disinterest shown in building the whole Coop vs. Dark Coop arch to any solid denouement.

[Matahari]

If you like weird, I recommend Glitch on netflix, and Fortitude on Amazon. Does anyone watch The Blacklist? I haven’t seen it mentioned here, but I’d like to hear people’s ideas about whose bones are in the suitcase, and theories about who Red may or may not be-

[insertnamehere]

If you like weird, I recommend Glitch on netflix, and Fortitude on Amazon. Does anyone watch The Blacklist? I haven’t seen it mentioned here, but I’d like to hear people’s ideas about whose bones are in the suitcase, and theories about who Red may or may not be-

Glitch looks like yet another remake of the French show The Returned, and while I remember loving the batshit bonkers turns that Fortitude went through, I haven't yet watched Season 2.

[Matahari]

If you like weird, I recommend Glitch on netflix, and Fortitude on Amazon. Does anyone watch The Blacklist? I haven’t seen it mentioned here, but I’d like to hear people’s ideas about whose bones are in the suitcase, and theories about who Red may or may not be-

Glitch looks like yet another remake of the French show The Returned, and while I remember loving the batshit bonkers turns that Fortitude went through, I haven't yet watched Season 2.

I thought Glitch would be like the Returned too, but it wasn’t at all the same. Glitch is a bit different than the other shows I’ve seen involving people coming back from the dead. No zombies, nothing spiritual/magical.... the second season will be on Netflix tomorrow I think. You begin to get an inkling of what’s really going on in by the fourth episode, but it’s intriguing enough to keep watching to see how far it goes. I haven’t seen the second season of Fortitude yet either, will probably watch it in December.

[juliets]

OMG Mata! How wonderful to see you! Join us more often!

[Matahari]

OMG Mata! How wonderful to see you! Join us more often!

Thank you Juliet’s! I pop in occasionally, but I’m always looking for some good tv talk.

[juliets]

So Mata are you watching Survivor?

[Matahari]

So Mata are you watching Survivor?

I’ve never watched! One of my kids loves the show, but I usually stick to scripted tv shows. Is it one of your favorites? What else do you watch?

[juliets]

So Mata are you watching Survivor?

I’ve never watched! One of my kids loves the show, but I usually stick to scripted tv shows. Is it one of your favorites? What else do you watch?

Well, I just started watching it last year and somehow I'm addicted. I don't know how it happened! Other reality shows I watch are Project Runway (my favorite), So You Think You Can Dance, and America's Got Talent. I've never been able to get into the Voice even though its the most popular I think. I also watch Lucifer (another guilty pleasure). I know I watch more than that but this time of year gets taken up with football (it's on Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon, and sometimes other days as well). What else are you watching?

[Matahari]

I just watched Dark on Netflix and loved it. It’s a German show and I watched with English dubbing. That was a bit distracting at first but I got used to it by ep3. I also loved The OA on Netflix although opinions on that show are really funny, people either love it or hate it. The only show I watch on network tv is The Blacklist, but right now it’s on break. Non network- I like Peaky Blinders, Homeland, and GoT.

[juliets]

Oh yeah I just read about Dark but I don't have Netflix. I can't figure out if you can somehow get Netflix on your tv or whether your stuck watching shows on a computer. I also watch Homeland - I forgot about it since its not on right now.

[Matahari]

If you have a Netflix acct, you can get the app on your tv through your cable company, or if you have a Roku box, the app is on it. I used to plug my laptop up to the tv and watch it that way, but I finally broke down and got cable again (after bitching about them and cutting the cord). They kept calling me with specials, and I found an offer too good to refuse. Probably a good thing because my laptop died. It feels like Homeland should be back on again soon, but I haven’t seen a date for it yet.

[juliets]

All I can find is people expect a January 2018 date. Also found that it was renewed for two years at which point it will end. Thanks for the tip about Netflix.

[DharmaHelper]

SMILF and Ms. Maisel are two pretty good shows

[Ricochet]

<snip>

Thoughts on Season 4, m'man?

[Tangrowth]

Finally getting into Black Mirror. Watched Season 4 first, now I'm going through Seasons 1-3 binge style. Really crazy and great stuff, even if exhausting and depressing.

[insertnamehere]

<snip>

Thoughts on Season 4, m'man?

I thought it had too many retreads of old ideas.

Spoiler: show

At this point, they need to never do another story involving the twist of "they're all AI copies of people in a simulation," or eyeball-attached technology that records and films stuff. Been to both those wells waaay too many times.

My favorite two seem to both be somewhat maligned among the fanbase for whatever reason: Metalhead and Crocodile. Metalhead was the only episode that felt completely and utterly different from anything they've done before, and I'm a sucker for high-contrast black-and-white cinematography. Crocodile was a nice little Coen-y riff about how invasive security technology can lead to more violence and less safety, with all the bleakness and gorgeous direction I expected from the guy who made The Road.

The one episode where Liam McPoyle/William from Westworld slapped his smooth, featureless, Ken-doll-esque crotch was pretty fun, but not super groundbreaking or anything.

The two leads in Hang the DJ were both great and had actual chemisty, which was the only thing that made the episode more than a

Spoiler: show

San Junipero clone.

Arkangel was super-meh, and Black Museum was like White Christmas with none of the originality or acting prowess.

Overall a step back for the show, but not a waste of time. Hopefully they'll rebound.

I'm probably gonna watch Electric Dreams at some point, which is Amazon's "star-studded" attempt at a sci-fi anthology series, and report back with a comparison.

[Tangrowth]

Just finished Black Mirror! Most episodes ranged from alright to pretty freaking awesome, though there were a handful episodes I didn't care for much at all. Overall though definitely recommended.

Here are my episode rankings:

Spoiler: show

1. San Junipero (S03 E04)
2. White Christmas (S02 E04)
3. Hang the DJ (S04 E04)
4. The Entire History of You (S01 E03)
5. Playtest (S03 E02)
6. White Bear (S02 E02)
7. Hated in the Nation (S03 E06)
8. Black Museum (S04 E06)
9. Nosedive (S03 E01)
10. Be Right Back (S02 E01)
11. Fifteen Million Merits (S01 E02)
12. USS Callister (S04 E01)
13. Arkangel (S04 E02)
14. Shut Up and Dance (S03 E03)
15. Crocodile (S04 E03)
16. Men Against Fire (S03 E05)
17. Metalhead (S04 E05)
18. The Waldo Moment (S02 E03)
19. The National Anthem (S01 E01)

[DharmaHelper]

Hahahahaha INH liked Metalhead.

[DharmaHelper]

[mention]insertnamehere[/mention] Just watched episode 1 of Electric Dreams and it was ok. It definitely wasn't bad. I'll keep watching the series for now.

[DharmaHelper]

Electric Dreams - or an alternate title "What if Netflix had a billion dollars to spend on Black Mirror and did not give a single fuck"

[insertnamehere]

Hahahahaha INH liked Metalhead.

BEST EPISODE OF SEASON FOUR

FIGHT ME

[mention]insertnamehere[/mention] Just watched episode 1 of Electric Dreams and it was ok. It definitely wasn't bad. I'll keep watching the series for now.

Keep me posted. Just finished The End of the F***ing World on Netflix and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. The show takes a whole bunch of indie-movie tropes I usually find utterly noxious, and fleshes them out to the degree that they work. It certainly got more idiosyncratic and likable as it went along, and the whole thing is smoothly binge-able in a way that a lot of the bloated Netflix fare oddly isn't. (Then again, it was originally a British Channel 4 show, which might explain the relative quality.)

LIST OF NETFLIX ORIGINAL SHOWS INH HAS RECENTLY STARTED AND PROBABLY WILL NOT FINISH:
The Crown
Atypical
Longmire
Stranger Things
Big Mouth
Godless

I might check out Peaky Blinders, Alias Grace, and GLOW, but I'm pretty burnt out on pretty much everything "Netflix Original" that isn't this, Bojack or Black Mirror.

[DharmaHelper]

VERY IMPORTANT ELECTRIC DREAMS UPDATE

Episode 2 still good.

Also you should watch Peaky FOOKIN Blinders

[DharmaHelper]

P.S The "Best Episode" of Season 4 is not in fact Metalhead it is of course either Hang the DJ or Arkangel, but the FANS will say it is USS Callister

[Spacedaisy]

No I liked Hang the DJ best too.

[DharmaHelper]

VERY IMPORTANT ELECTRIC DREAMS UPDATE

Episode 3 is "Ehhhhhhhhhhhh Good?" instead of Episodes 1 and 2 being "Ah, Good."

[insertnamehere]

After DH's condemnation of Metalhead and admiration of Arkangel, I can't wait to see Electric Dreams Episode 3.

[DharmaHelper]

Hey you leave Arkangel out of this

[DharmaHelper]

ELECTRIC DREAMS UPDATE:

Episode 4 Not Good
Episode 5 Good

[Ricochet]

I can't seem to find the time to rant and ramble about the Black Mirror new episodes, so here goes, quickie mode, no spoilie, worst to ok-est, none of them cracking the top echelon imo:

#6 Arkangel - lazy ass treatment of what-if-helicopter-parenting-but-hardwired, scattered approach out of which only, like, one storyline and one psychological aspect were interesting to cover, but of course they lead nowhere and the rest was just something Shonda Rhimes could have easily done herself
#5 Crocodile - most disappointing thing since my ex-gf, because dat sweet landscape cinematography and because it could have landed BM's biggest antihero(ine, whatever), but it challenges none of the tech implementation (or its legal ramification), it goes down grim alley with no reward and the twist is a total fart. I agree with basically every criticism that has been thrown at this one. What a fucking waste!
#4 Hang the DJ - I casually enjoyed this more than I see value in it, because sure, it sits clumsily in the repertoire, given San Junipero. It had an odd sort of Sims via Atwood and Orwell flavor to it, but idk, I enjoyed it overall, I believed the characters. The ending / twist left me "huh?" for a while.
#3 Black Museum - probably the most disliked episode, if you only count critics, which is what I went into expecting, but honestly I found it decent. First story was pretty good and true to the "what if tech, but you dun goof" BM formula, the second one was pretty ech and predictable in every way and the third just served the ending, so m'kay. I wonder if this episode wouldn't have been more interesting had the Netflix batch been 12 episodes as originally planned, in which case this episode would have rather served as a "meta-closer" to the whole season, considering all its Easter Eggs and its "burn it all" sort-of-cathartic final shot.
#2 Metalhead - I'm not saying I was won over by this one or anything, but I suppose it's a genre exercise that mostly works (instead of, say, Playtest, which I criticised for the exact same thing). Not sure how much of its ideas truly hold. I really wanted to put this lower, though, because its ending / tweeeeest is absolutely s t u p i d and undermines the whole thing, alas I have no other episodes above it, except... ugh [hating oneself intensifying]
#1 USS Callister - until this batch arrived, I would have seriously bet on my house that I was not gonna buy into whatever fancy genre pastiche this episode seemed to go for. Well, fuck me, it turned out the only BM episode of the season to truly take a stab at something real and have some fun with the concept in the process as well. Plus it stars my Fargo waifu.

[DharmaHelper]

Electric Dreams Update:

Episode 6 Good but

Spoiler: show

Predictable

[DharmaHelper]

FINAL ELECTRIC DREAMS UPDATE:

Last 4 Episodes (7-10) Not Suuuuuper Good, but not trashcan terrible except for possibly "The Fatherhood Thing" or "The Father Thing" or whatever its called.

[juliets]

Watching Big Little Lies - very interesting. Anyone else seen it? (No spoilers please)

[DharmaHelper]

Watching Big Little Lies - very interesting. Anyone else seen it? (No spoilers please)

I've seen it. I liked it rather much. Certainly deserves all the attention and awards they've been getting.

[lapluie]

Watching Big Little Lies - very interesting. Anyone else seen it? (No spoilers please)

Watched it! Certainty loved it

[insertnamehere]

Anybody watching The Good Place? It somehow has better, more unpredictable, yet well-planned-out serialized narrative arcs than most "mystery" dramas. Saying any more about it would ruin the show, but after a mere two seasons, (finale of S2 is next week, I believe) it's by far my favorite Micheal Schur show, beating out The Office, Parks & Rec, and Brooklyn 99.

I'd recommend it for anyone who digs any of the above shows and is into the heavy-theorizing/constant mysteries of stuff like Lost.

[Epignosis]

Anybody watching The Good Place? It somehow has better, more unpredictable, yet well-planned-out serialized narrative arcs than most "mystery" dramas. Saying any more about it would ruin the show, but after a mere two seasons, (finale of S2 is next week, I believe) it's by far my favorite Micheal Schur show, beating out The Office, Parks & Rec, and Brooklyn 99.

I'd recommend it for anyone who digs any of the above shows and is into the heavy-theorizing/constant mysteries of stuff like Lost.

We are watching it. I think it's a very funny show.

[juliets]

Oh my goodness - the Alienist - episode 1 is on again tomorrow. Watch it. TNT 10 pm est.