Shut Up and Dance

Black Mirror has always managed to shock, horrify and get you to think, it's at its best when you say to yourself 'wow that could really happen,' and this is certainly one of those episodes. One minor action turns one young lads life upside down.

After a few minutes in I thought the episode was pretty good, and after the initial incident I figured I was in for an interesting watch, but wow that was a twist and a half. It became darker, deeper and just downright more sinister with every scene. Tension was caused by minor things like Hector's friend asking for a lift. The fact that nobody knew why they were there or who was behind it made it all the more enjoyable.

Ambiguity can be lazy in some shoes, things happening for no apparent reason, but the whole point of the anonymity of the miscreant here is that in this digital age, you have no idea who's behind things that go on.

Awesome performances from everyone, I must take the opportunity to commend Jerome Flynn on his performance, he's become such a wonderful actor.

Unlike most, the episode "Shut Up and Dance" is not futuristic, but is based on existing technologies and their current abuses.

An unknown person or group hacks computer cameras and catches people in compromising situations. Then uses these recordings to blackmail them. Several of these seemingly random victims have received obscure instructions on what, when, and where to do if they do not want their footage to leak to the public.

The blackmailers' demands to the victims seem quite harmless in relation to the consequences if they do not fulfill them, but we see that only based on their reactions, while we do not really know what exactly they were blackmailed with. They depart each to his task, driven by panic fear of the publication of the images, which may seem irrationally excessive to us.

The characters are ordinary people, totally inconspicuous and uninteresting, and the tasks themselves are quite banal and did not arouse my particular interest in the outcome, so I wondered why "Shut Up and Dance" has such a high rating on IMDb. A good idea of a perfect crime, where the actors are unknown and unrelated people, who don't even know what they're doing, so it's almost impossible to track them down, is spoiled by unimpressive characters and a pace that doesn't hold attention, but then these pieces of the puzzle begin to assemble into a broader picture and the tension begins to rise.

When I finally figured out what it was about and my disappointment with the episode subsided, there was a final plot twist, which showed me that I hadn't figured anything out and that the real picture of this puzzle was much darker than I could have imagined. When the ending credits started, my wife and I sat for a while, silently glancing at each other with wtf expressions on our faces. The episode left us completely speechless. In the end, nothing was as it seemed and a day later I still don't know what to think.

In technical terms, and even in acting, "Shut Up and Dance" is nothing spectacular, although Jerome Flynn, in one of the main roles, was a pleasant surprise to me. For the most part, the episode is not particularly atmospheric, and the tension is at a fairly low level for a thriller. But the impression that the final outcome left on me makes it perhaps the strongest episode so far. I can't recall the last time something has caused me this level of discomfort, which crawled into my bones and did not wane even later when the impressions settled.

8,5/10.

The first two episodes on Netflix were a little shakey but this one is just great. It actually uses all the tropes of a thriller in a hitchcockian way and does it without you even noticing until after the credits are rolling. Masterful writing, excellent direction and great actors make this one of the best Black Mirror episodes of all seasons.

Wow, just wow!!!! My guts were twisted during this entire episode more or less. I spent the most part being utterly confused as to why the kid got himself into such a state over his actions, that was until the earth shattering reveal at the end. This is honestly top notch TV st it's very best. I am still shaking after the fact, think this one is going to stay with me for a while. Bravo to all involved.

It's unfair to give this episode less than 10, I also give the whole crew of actors a full mark as it's probably the best show episode I've ever seen in my life. It broke my heart in a way that showed me how life can become a horrible place in one day and how a cyber blackmail can turn your life upside down. Some reviewers say this episode lacks the purpose but to me it was more than enough to get the point behind it at the ending scene. Cyber blackmailing is an important issue these days because it can happen to anybody as we all do wrong sometimes but we should be aware that these kind of people prey on fearful victims and we should open our eyes, take the proper precautions and not do what they say because you cannot guarantee they won't publish what they are blackmailing. You can never trust a person who is blackmailing you, a strong statement behind this episode.