Nosedive

I hope this never happens in real life. My rating would be really lame and I think I would go crazy.

This episode of Black Mirror is notable for its sharply satirical tone as opposed to bleak subject matter. In that regard, it has a different feel, but not a different tenor (unapologetic cynicism), from all of the other episodes. This one is played more for dark humor than for gut-wrenching tension and surprising revelations, and it is effective in that regard. By no means the best of the series, it was vastly entertaining, eliciting more than one gut-laugh.

Bryce Dallas Howard delivers a character we find shallow, inventive, ambitious, sympathetic, inspirational, and pitiful, often simultaneously. Two of the best performances I've seen in all of modern video have been delivered in Season Three of Black Mirror, and her work here stands side-by-side with that delivered in any other feature of note (Jerome Flynn's turn in "Shut Up and Dance" being the other outstanding role).

All I can say is wow!!!! This was as close to perfect TV as I can imagine and so relevant in today's social media/Instagram generation. Personally I think this should be shown in schools across the country to show the youth of today just how frivolous and shallow most of their lives are. More and more we are seeing what an image conscious society we live in. People are judged by the amount of social media contacts they have rather than actual people in their lives. People assume because your social media account is loaded with happy shiny pictures of people's supposed perfect lives that they tend not to look beneath the surface and see what is actually going on. The writing of this episode is phenomenal and it's social commentary is totally on par. Great performances all round also. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Oh the irony of giving this a star-based rating. This episode was brilliantly acted by Bryce Dallas Howard, she gives an extremely well executed nuanced performance that makes you understand the subtle shifts in tones. This episode is by far a breath of fresh air with the comedic aspects that are included, and the satisfying ending giving some sort of "hope." Most "Black Mirror" episodes end in a very dull and mouth dropping way after revealing a big plot twist. The twist in this episode is that it ends refreshingly hopeful, and somewhat optimistic while still conveying a great message for society-no one is perfect, and we shouldn't spend our time trying to be something that isn't realistic, especially when it's for show. One can be fully realized through self actualization whilst being completely authentic. Authenticity is something that this episode explores, while showing you the downside to social media and its effect on society.

This is one of my favorite premises of any Black Mirror episode to date, especially given the current growing and ever evolving state of social media. This episode also creates one of the most realistic and immersive future settings (I wouldn't even mind a spin-off mini-series set in this universe exploring characters of different social rankings) and Bryce Dallas Howard is a fantastic protagonist that grows more likable and relatable as the episode progresses. This episode plays on the age-old "one bad day" theme to enjoyment of the viewer at the expense of Lacie. However, eventually we see how far one can fall in only a few hours and how much social rating costs in the future. My only real complaint about this episode has been a continuing theme throughout this season (with the exception of White Christmas), the ending. We are giving a glimpse into what some might see as a dark future, but really most people seem happy. So the flow of the episode is happy, slightly less happy, dark glimpse, happy ending. Maybe they should have just made it a few minutes longer or cut something else, but their needed to be a little bit longer at rock bottom, a little more darkness, before the hope and happiness at the end.