One of my favorite series ever is Black Mirror and I was happy to see that Netflix released a new season recently. Because of its dark tone it might not be something you want to binge, I did look forward to work my way through the episodes. The Star Trek-like image which were released made me very curious about the first episode.
That Star Trek inspiration is immediately clear. The episode opens on a spaceship in a 4:3 aspect ratio. The images look old and also the acting fits perfectly with a program from the 60s. The first question I asked myself was how this could become a Black Mirror episode, because how do you apply the concept in a Star Trek-like environment? That quickly became clear: The USS Callister, including its crew, are part of a game called Infinity. The VR game was designed by Robert Daley (Jesse Plemons), a programmer who is socially awkward and gets little respect from his company as a CTO. Once at home he has his own version of the game, in which he can express his frustrations towards colleagues. He is in charge of “his ship” and does not tolerate contradiction, something that the other characters have learned quickly. When Robert adds a new character, based on a new colleague’s DNA, she is rebellious. He quickly punishes her, but a seed has been planted to come up with a plan to stop him.
It is an episode that has some similarities with an earlier episode, White Christmas. This also has virtual duplicates of real people and one who refuses to play along and is punished for this, not only by playing with time, but because it is a game by changing the appearance. As a result, it all feels slightly less original, but there is still plenty to enjoy. Plemons is good in his double role as both a quiet programmer and the dictator in his own game world. In addition, the similarities with Star Trek and the dialogues are fun to see. Yet the familiar dark Black Mirror atmosphere and humor is also present. An episode that, as a viewer, lets you reflect on the creation and treatment of virtual characters, especially as AI begins to acquire more and more human characteristics. Perhaps not the strongest start of a Black Mirror season, but like almost every episode of this series definitely worth watching.
