Demon 79

I find it's hard to watch Black Mirror now without being too critical of whether or not the episode fits the original themes of the show and the standard we are looking for as viewers. I can also get distracted at the beginning guessing what the "message" is going to be about.

I really enjoyed this episode though just as it was. I sort of forgot I was watching Black Mirror and just enjoyed the cinematography, soundtrack and acting.

Overall this season may not have knocked it out of the park for me but it's still a perfect show to watch an episode with my spouse after the kiddos are in bed and have a good chat. This episode wasn't the most thought provoking but the most enjoyable for me.

I'm not going to repeat what many others have said about this season. I don't know what is happening to the show but here we are. This episode is actually good TV. A good coherent story (unlike the last episode, wtf was that? Werewolves? Seriously?) and very well acted. There is great chemistry between Vasan and Essiedu, and the latter does a particularly great job portraying a funny, inexperienced demon dressed like Bobby Farrell, you know, the man from Bony M! The funny moments do well to give a lightheartedness to a story that tackles many serious issues like racism and murder, and shows an exercise in an extreme version of the trolley problem. Would you kill three people if you could save the world? What if they were bad people? The episode does an excellent job of making you laugh one second and clinch at the violence the next, all the while keeping you questioning what you would do in Nida's shoes. The only thing that made me enjoy this episode less than I would have otherwise is the fact that I was very aware the whole time that I was watching a Black Mirror episode and this is not that. Don't do what I did. Forget it has anything to do with Black Mirror and you will enjoy it.

I don't know why the last two episodes of the season (Mazey Day and Demon 79) are not Black Mirror, they're fantasy episodes, they seem like taken out from another series (Like Del Toro's cabinet of curiosities) and put them here.

Mazey Day was plain bad, boring, pointless. But I actually enjoyed Demon 79. Even though it's a fantasy episode it's very entertaining, solid story, I loved how it ended, performances were great, Anjana Vasan (Needa) and Paapa Essiedu (Gaap) have a lot of chemistry together, it was a fun and enjoyable episode.

Still, I don't know if I want these kind of episodes in this series, I want to see Black Mirror, not this, not fantasy episodes. This is not why I watch Black Mirror.

Maybe... why don't they just create a new series?

Young Shop Assistant Needa unwittingly summons a powerful Demon, who demands she commits three sacrifices over three days in order to prevent a total disaster.

A nice homage to 70's horror, I loved those opening sequences and wonderful opening credits, they set the tone for what was to follow. A mix of black humour and vintage horror.

A definite reminder of the casual racism of the time, Needa is exposed to all manner of abuse and prejudice, unfortunately mostly accepted at the time.

I can't say I thought this was a vintage episode, but I enjoyed the horror vibe, and I definitely enjoyed it more than Mazey Day.

I've read several comments about technology, and I may be wrong, but to my understanding technology was never the focus, it was always about a vision of the future, and in all fairness you can't get a more bleak possible future than this one.

Did I spot a reference to Metalhead? That's the possible future that Needa was contemplating.

Anjana Vasan was good as the beleaguered Needs, I became a huge fan of Paapa Essiedu during The Capture on BBC, and once again, he's so good.

Nice to see Vicky Binns, albeit in a small role.

It's been a bit and miss sixth series, it's definitely not been vintage, but some highlights nonetheless, I'll be making a point to watch Loch Henry again very soon.

7/10.

Black Mirror has always been a startling commentary on technology. This season has been drifting away from that and bordering on some kind of horror/fantasy. Why can't the writers pause and remember that San Junipero was their best episode and realize that we don't need to feel scared, we need to be mesmerized and surprised by new concepts surrounding technological advancements. And if those concepts happen to excite us or just freak us out, cool. But the goal doesn't need to simply be to freak us out. Loch Henry & Mazey Day had the same problem. While these kinds of episodes are entertaining on their own, they aren't Black Mirror.