Shut Up and Dance

Look, this episode really IS that good. There is nothing I could possibly say that another reviewer probably hasn't said more eloquently about this episode---be it acting, directing, story, hell even music.

If ANYTHING, what I can do is SERIOUSLY recommend watching this show in the order that it is listed. It is done so ft or a reason, and I only wish that I had watched "San Junipero" after this episode like I was (obviously) supposed to. If you are the type of viewer that tends to get emotionally wrapped up in what you are watching, you'll want to take my advice. You may have an easier go at enjoying the rest of your day.

But yes, EXCELLENT episode. No pulled punches---One of the most vital reasons why we love Black Mirror so much.

When the show begins, a teenage boy foolishly believes a pop-up on his computer when it tells him he has malware on his computer. He then installs something to supposedly fix it...but it actually implants a program on his computer activating his built-in camera. Now, unknown others are watching him as he goes through the internet.

Soon, he begins receiving threatening messages on his computer. Apparently they could see him masturbating to photos on the web. They blackmail him to give them his phone number...and then the demands start coming. Soon, the boy is doing all sorts of things...that become more and more and more insane and dangerous as the show progresses. How bad is it and why he continues to comply are things you'll have to see for yourself.

Unlike most of the other episodes I've seen on "Black Mirror", the technology to do what they did to the teen DOES exist today and the story is not sci-fi...they could easily do everything you see. Well written and obviously by a person who actually understands technology.

Black Mirror (4.5 out of 5 stars).

Shut Up and Dance Episode 3.03

Shut Up and Dance is a dark, twisted, and thrilling that takes the episode into a different direction in Black Mirror. The episode follows a couple of characters Kenny a teenager which his computer camera caught him in a act which some unknown person is messaging him and blackmailing him to do horrific acts. Hector is a character who is secretly having an affair and some unknown person is messaging him to do acts unless he wants his secret exposed to his wife.

The plot is intense. It is horrifying because it can be relatable to real world situations with people computers being hacked and the camera can catch anything. And the person can blackmail another for their own personal gain. It is sad but true. Seeing Kenny and Hector panicked and nervous is emotionally scary and sad. There is a twist that can make you feel unease and disturbed. Without giving away much details. Alex Lawther was great playing Kenny. Jerome Flynn playing Hector was good too. They worked great on screen together.

The story and concept is creepy and scary with the idea of a person being blackmailed and forced to do stuff that can break the law.

Can't say that this is the best episode of Black Mirror beacuse i've only reached this far, but from here backwards, it's the absolute best by tons.

No sci-fi needed to make a perfect story that actually anybody with our current technology can be victim of. I say no further, just watch it, enjoy it, thrill for 50 minutes and be mindblown!

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.