Black Mirror Season-Premiere Recap: Life Stream

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In layman’s terms, how long does the show “Black Mirror” last? This is a question that continues to intrigue people, especially since Charlie Brooker has been producing seasons more frequently. When I analyzed season six in 2023, I was glad to see the show taking risks with genre and tone, although the success rate wasn’t as high as it typically is. As we approach season seven, I’m hoping for a few entertaining episodes with unique, strange, and thought-provoking ideas.

Although I’m unsure if “Common People” qualifies as one of the standout premieres, I anticipate that some viewers will find it entertaining, much like how many people enjoyed “Joan Is Awful” during the previous season. Both episodes share a similar comedic style, directed by Ally Pankiw, but the humor sometimes clashes with the show’s darker themes and character development. While this episode has its bright spots, it seems to be a blend of various earlier episodes and themes, ultimately leaving me feeling that the mix didn’t quite gel by the end.

As a movie enthusiast, I’d say it like this: I found the early scenes captivating, with Amanda Waters (played by Rashida Jones) and her husband Mike (Chris O’Dowd) portraying a delightful couple. She’s an elementary school teacher, he’s a welder, and they’re trying to start a family despite recent fertility hurdles. Their life may not be grand, but it’s filled with simple joys. They mostly stick to their annual trip to the rustic mountain lodge, where they tied the knot – a quirky place named Juniper, known for its subpar live performances and meals. However, one fateful day at work, Amanda collapses, and the news is devastating: she has a severe brain tumor, and there’s a chance she might never regain consciousness again.

Fortunately, “Common People” is set in a future society similar to many episodes of Black Mirror, filled with pioneering medical advancements such as miracle treatments. The doctor recommends Mike to Gaynor (played by Tracee Ellis Ross), from Rivermind, a company capable of digitizing patients’ brains onto a mainframe and then transmitting their consciousness back to the original body. Remarkably, Gaynor was once in an accident that led her brain to be stored on a cloud-based server, yet she adapted wonderfully! There are just a few conditions: the new Amanda will need more sleep each night, can’t travel outside of her current coverage zone until Rivermind expands next year, and it comes with a monthly fee of $300 – initially not an exorbitant price for such revolutionary technology.

Indeed, in essence, it implies that Mike needs to work extra hours merely to sustain his wife’s life, which can be seen as a thought-provoking metaphor from “Black Mirror”, symbolizing capitalism, escalating healthcare expenses, and the fluctuating subscription plans of streaming services. However, as the narrative progresses, I find myself becoming slightly confused about its direction.

During their extravagant getaway to Juniper for their fourth anniversary, Amanda momentarily fainted after venturing out of the coverage area. Contrary to what Gaynor had previously told Mike, Rivermind’s new policy is that only those with the Rivermind Plus subscription – an additional tier costing $500 more – are allowed out-of-coverage travel. As for Amanda and others on the standard Rivermind plan, they now find themselves inadvertently broadcasting product advertisements: a snack called Honey Nugs during a lesson about pollination, sexual health products like lube and erectile dysfunction gel during intimate moments.

In this situation, it’s clear that Amanda’s frequent promotion of faith-based family counseling at work creates issues, particularly when she does so in response to a child discussing his troubled home life and abusive father. If she doesn’t cease the advertisements, she risks being terminated, which would further strain their finances, as they already struggle with a lower-tier subscription. In desperation, Mike turns to livestreaming on Dum Dummies, a platform he learned about from his lazy colleague Shane. Here, viewers pay for various questionable acts such as drinking urine, inserting objects into one’s body, or self-harm.

Following his side job initiation, Mike opted for the Rivermind Plus package, effectively pausing Amanda’s ads while she continued her work. Although we don’t often witness his actions on the site, there are instances when he takes unconventional measures, such as setting a mouse trap on his tongue. However, this isn’t sufficient! Amanda is now spending 12 hours asleep each day and still feels exhausted upon waking, a consequence of Rivermind placing her in “sleep mode” to utilize her brainpower to run the server or “give back to the system.” But fear not, as another tier has been introduced: Rivermind Lux, which enhances senses and grants users the ability to learn new skills for an extra $1,000 per month.

This approach of frequently altering the business model, inserting ads where there were none before, and creating new pricing tiers seems quite familiar. However, it’s presented in such a manner that gives off an almost comedic vibe, reminiscent of a satirical sketch from “Saturday Night Live.” The prolonged advertising segment and its reappearance at the end can be unsettling, but the humor feels too over-the-top and unsubtle. The concept of Dum Dummies seems like a rejected idea from “Black Mirror,” something that’s become all too familiar and lacking in depth to build an entire episode around. If that hypothetical episode were to explore our fascination with watching people subject themselves to humiliation online, that theme would be tangential to the main narrative of the episode. Instead, the site serves as a bland platform for Mike to degrade himself in order to meet increasingly high prices.

Instead of focusing on the romantic subplot, I found it intriguing that the episode didn’t delve deeper into the long-term possibilities of cloud-based technology. Shows like “San Junipero” and “Black Museum” have already introduced the ideas of digitizing and transferring human consciousness, respectively. There are many unanswered questions about these concepts, such as whether Amanda’s consciousness could be preserved indefinitely or if her body could be maintained while Mike worked to bring her back to life. I felt that the episode missed an opportunity to explore these intriguing aspects more thoroughly.

During their anniversary weekend, Mike purchases 12 hours of luxury for Amanda, which leaves her in an unusual, synthetic ecstasy due to amplified pleasure centers that make even the toughest burger taste divine and sex extraordinarily enjoyable. Regrettably, this luxurious experience results in Mike’s embarrassment when he is exposed on Dum Dummies, leading to a compromising photo of him being displayed at his workplace upon his return. Shane is indeed responsible for this, but he meets an unfortunate end, presumably run over and disfigured by a large machine during a confrontation with an enraged Mike. This incident leads to Mike’s termination, and it seems fortunate that he avoids more severe repercussions than that. Gaynor remains firm on maintaining their Plus subscription, and she promptly informs them that the cost will increase by $90 per month if they wish to start a family. Given the demands of pregnancy, this isn’t unexpected.

In this new phase, titled “Common People,” we find ourselves a year later, marking their fifth anniversary. Mike and Amanda appear ill, exhausted, and pale, with Mike noticeably missing teeth. It seems Dum Dummies might be his only income source, aside from the funds left from their baby money they’re living on. The scene is bleak, and it’s almost comforting when Amanda says, “It’s time,” during a 30-minute relaxation session (funded by an anonymous buyer). This leads to the unsettling, somber ending where Mike tucks his wife into bed and covers her with a pillow while she’s unconscious from ‘antidepressant lozenges,’ hinting at the dark path this episode takes towards an inevitable tragic conclusion. The final shot of the episode shows Mike back at Dum Dummies, this time with a box cutter in hand.

In conclusion, the initial episode seems disorganized across mood, storyline, and theme, failing to fully focus on one subject for deep examination. Consequently, I wasn’t particularly touched during the supposedly poignant climax, even though I appreciated Jones’s and O’Dowd’s performances. This doesn’t necessarily indicate the entire Season 7’s quality, but if Brooker aimed to kick things off with a strong impact and demonstrate that Black Mirror is still brimming with fresh ideas, he might have made a misstep.

Final Reflections

It’s amusing, I must admit, that Amanda is promoting the “Silver Swans” dating service for those over 50 to her somewhat displeased 49-year-old boss.

In this episode, Tracee Ellis Ross stands out once more. Her tactful manner of delivering unpleasant news has an aggravating, yet enjoyable quality to it.

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2025-04-10 11:54