White Christmas

Take a look inside the mind of Charlie Brooker and you might see some well written articles on pollution and politics, take a deeper look and you might find "Black Mirror" a seriously ingenious method of "emphasising" technology into this thriller.

This episode stood well among its brothers and sisters, it was well written, well directed and its cast performed outstandingly.

The episode itself however, truly amazing. I'd really love to be able to share all of my conclusions and all my revelations, however I think it's best just to say. If you haven't seen it, go watch it!

Also if you like this check out "The Outer Limits", in particular an episode titled "The Sentence" - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0667983/ In some aspects the theme is similar to this.

This movie (and yes, this is basically just a movie) is awful to watch. Its tragic, its existential, and it makes you feel like a wreck. It is everything you dont want in a christmas movie. But my God, its so good. The acting, the story, the characters, the twists. And the ending might be one of the greatest thing I have ever seen. Period. Setting it during christmas is such a wonderful litterary element that enhances the story in ways that is difficult to state. When I originally watched it I fel tlike the second ha,f was a lot slower and less interesting than the first. But on a recent rewatch, the entire thign was reveresed, and I concider it an improvement over the first half. Its pretty much flawless and a much watch if you like tragedies.

SPOILER: The British sci-fi anthology series consists of various tales about how technology will possibly create a more hellish world in the near future...and none of the episodes I have seen so far are as hellish a future as this one.

The story is set in a room with two men. One is talkative and a bit jovial and the other, apparently, has been mostly silent the last five years. What follows are two stories by the more talkative man as he recounts how he abused technology. And, these stories, in turn, help the quiet man to finally start talking and he tells a very sad story about losing his wife/girlfriend (not sure which)...and she was pregnant! He desperately wants to see her and work things out...as well as see his child. But thanks to modern tech, he literally CAN'T see either as unfriending takes on a strange and sad finality.

I really don't want to say too much about this one...it's not an easy episode to explain AND it would give away too much. Suffice to say it's exquisitely written, very moving as well as scary to imagine such an awful and hellish future...all perhaps possible one day thanks to technology. See this one!!

"Black Mirror" seems to me to be  the best science fiction show on television; I'd rate Season 2 (2013) a 9 out of 10.  (I'm never quite certain whether to group British shows by "season" or by "series," as they do.  I'm also a little uncertain why the fourth and final episode here, "White Christmas," is included in Season 2, as it aired nearly two years later as a 2014 holiday special.)

I commented to a friend of mine after seeing "White Christmas" the other night that the show was "brave" -- it just isn't afraid to alienate mainstream audiences by being too dark.  Not all of "Black Mirror's"  episodes have "twists," but they typically have an unexpected plot development, and their outcomes and implications are arguably depressing.

It's just such a damned good show, though, in terms of its writing and acting.  My friend told me she wasn't aware of anyone who had seen it and disliked it. 

"White Christmas," for example, was one of the best hours of science fiction television I've ever seen.  It consists of three blackly tragic vignettes seamlessly woven withing a wraparound story, and it employs a sci-fi plot device that is mind-bending and brutal.  I believe this is the first time I've seen its lead actor, Jon Hamm, and I was extremely impressed with his performance.

My only quibbles with the program are extremely minor.  As with the first season, I think that not every episode truly requires a 44- minute running length.  I thought two episodes  ("Be Right Back" and "The Waldo Moment") seemed like they could have been tightened up into one, maybe with tighter writing allowing for shorter segments. 

I've noticed another minor relative weakness with "Black Mirror" in general as well -- the show does not always present the viewer with likable protagonists.  Occasionally, the various characters we're asked to identify with are either slightly off-putting or even annoying.  Again, "Be Right Back" and "The Waldo Moment" spring to mind.  This wasn't enough to greatly affect my enjoyment of the episodes, though.

What an incredible show.

White Christmas is a haunting meditation on the unintended consequences of technological advancement, weaving together themes of surveillance, digital punishment, and the fragility of human connection. Through its three interwoven narratives, the episode presents a future where technology extends beyond convenience, reshaping morality and justice in unsettling ways.

At its core, White Christmas explores the implications of artificial intelligence and digital consciousness. It examines the ethical dilemmas surrounding digital replicas-artificial versions of people capable of thought, emotion, and suffering. These copies exist in a legal and moral gray area, raising disturbing questions about whether they are merely tools or conscious beings deserving of rights. The episode challenges the ethics of exploiting AI for personal convenience, exposing the dark side of technological servitude.

Another chilling theme is the power of social isolation, particularly through the concept of "blocking" individuals in real life. The ability to instantly erase someone from one's world, making them an unseen ghost, highlights the terrifying potential for technology to be used as a weapon of dehumanization. What begins as a defensive mechanism becomes an extreme form of punishment, stripping individuals of their agency and connection to society.

The episode also delves into the nature of justice and retribution in a hyper-advanced digital age. By manipulating time perception and enforcing relentless, artificially extended suffering, it presents a grim portrayal of punishment that goes far beyond traditional moral and ethical boundaries. It forces viewers to confront the unsettling reality of a world where justice is no longer about rehabilitation or fairness, but about endless suffering inflicted at the push of a button.

Ultimately, White Christmas serves as one of Black Mirror's most unsettling cautionary tales. It warns of a future where technology-rather than fostering connection and progress-becomes a tool for isolation, exploitation, and inescapable torment.