Black Is Back

Months after it dropped, I've finally watched the fifth season of Black Mirror.  It was only three episodes, as opposed to the six of the previous two seasons.  I suppose this was because the standalone interactive episode, "Bandersnatch," which dropped late last year, required them to shoot enough material for three average episodes.

The first new episode (though all three dropped at the same time) is "Striking Vipers," the story of two friends who start playing a virtual reality game.  The game allows them to feel their avatars' actions, and what starts as fighting soon turns into sex.  This complicates the marriage of main character Danny (Anthony Mackie).

The second episode is "Smithereens," about a taxi driver (Andrew Scott of Fleabag) who picks up an employee from a multi-billion dollar computer company (Damson Idris of Snowfall) and holds him hostage until he gets to speak to the head of the company (Topher Grace of That '70s Show).

The third episode is "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too," about two teenage daughters who live with their father after their mother's death.  One daughter is a big fan of the teen idol Ashley O (Miley Cyrus) and gets an Ashley Too for her birthday--a doll that gives her advice supposedly as Ashely O would.  Meanwhile, the actual Ashley is unhappy that she's required to do mindless poppy material and starts to rebel against her management.  Eventually the two storylines intertwine.

The winner of the three is "Smithereens." It's a rare episode of Black Mirror set in the present, with the technology no better than what's available today.  The plot keeps moving forward as the hostage drama spreads to become an international story.  Tension is kept at high level as we slowly come to understand the motivations of the taxi driver.

The other two stories are enjoyable, but not up to the standard of Black Mirror's best.  The "Ashley Too" story uses the concept of downloading someone's brain into a device--perhaps Black Mirror's favorite plotline.  I would say it's the seventh time they've done it in in 23 episodes.

Overall, an average season, without the highs (and lows) the last couple have offered.  It's still probably the smartest, best-written show around.