"Black Mirror" Continues its Run as One of Television's Greatest Shows

My wife and I finished the newest season of "Black Mirror" last night. I was going to talk about the season today, but I don't want to spoil anything. The show is getting great ratings too, but I want everyone to watch this show. With that being said, today I want to heap praise on this show as a whole.

"Black Mirror" is the best thing TV has going for it right now. Not only is it the best streamer, it is the best overall. This show is a masterpiece. It is a bleak work or art. With every new season I get excited for what I am about to watch. Hell, with each new episode I know I am going to see something original, or a fresh take on an old classic, written, acted and directed by some of the best in the business. I was talking to my dad about this season today, he watches too, and no show in my TV watching history has stayed with me like some, most, episodes of "Black Mirror" do. I will sit on episodes for days, just thinking about everyone involved. And these are not true stories. These are not actual events that have happened in the real world. Yet. That is what I love about this show. Technology is a great thing. There are many good reasons to use modern technology. There are some who use it for the right reasons. But more so than not, most people use technology to escape or do wrong. That is the world "Black Mirror" takes on and they are doing it at a 100 percent hit rate at the moment.

My dad and I were talking about an episode from this season and devolved into him and I talking about an episode from an earlier season, "Smithereens". That episode is poetic. It takes on people who stare at their phones while they drive and all the downfall that can come from that. This gentleman in that episode loses his family because he was looking at a social media post. He then goes about trying to stop people from the company and he gets in way over his head. It is a work of art and uses music is one of the best possible ways ever. That is just one example.

"Black Mirror" has told stories about the importance of bees, how corrupt politics can be, the horror that is the military, infidelity, love while dying, online dating, cloning, the ills of a social media presence, trolling online, futuristic robot dogs and wild and outrageous video game lifestyles. And each episode is poignant, tells a familiar tale and sticks with you. The show can be funny, violent, gruesome, scary and true to life. Charlie Brooker has done something truly amazing. He and his team have created something that will be everlasting.

This show has also introduced me to some super famous actors. The first time I saw Daniel Kaluuya was in an episode titled "15 Million Merits". He is now an Oscar winner. I didn't know Toby Kebbell, who does motion capture as Godzilla now, until I watched him in "The Entire History of You". Jodie Whittaker, who is one of the Doctor's from "Doctor Who", was in the same episode. Hayley Atwell was in "Be Right Back", and it was my introduction to her. Wyatt Russell was in an episode and I did not know he was Hollywood royalty at the time. Gugu Mbatha Raw and Mackenzie Davis were kind of known before "San Junipero", but I bet that is what most people bring up now when they are interviewed. Letitia Wright and Christian Milioti were in two different episodes in season 4, and I had zero clue who they were when I saw them in this show. The list could go on and on.

What sets this show apart, what makes this show the best show on TV, is the writing. The stories they tell are amazing. They sit with you. You think about them over and over again. That couldn't be done without some brilliant minds bringing to the viewers. "Black Mirror" is the perfect sci-fi show. It is, like my buddy Kirk says, " a modern "Twilight Zone" ". I couldn't have said it better myself. No show that takes multiple years off and I still find myself excited to watch can pull this off, except for "Black Mirror". The fact that they took four years off and I didn’t even bat an eye shows how wonderful it truly is.

"Black Mirror" is the best of the best. If you are not watching it, correct that mistake right now and start watching it. It is amazing. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Best of 2019: Top Five Television Shows

My best of 2019 week continues today with my top 5 tv shows of the year. This was probably the most difficult one for me to pair down to just five shows. There are so many streaming services and new shows and just flat out solid tv being made right now. I legit feel like we are in a golden age of tv shows. I left out a ton of shows that I watch every week, and it was hard for me to do that. There is no "Good Place", "The Other Two", "The Mandalorian", "Game of Thrones", which I really liked, "Big Mouth" or 'Veep". And as I said, I really, really liked these shows a lot. But, I guess that is a good thing that we have so many different options now. At times it can be overwhelming, but as my kids have gotten older, I have found it nice to be able to catch up on stuff and find something new. With that being said, lets get to the list.

At number 5 I have "The Righteous Gemstones". I am a big time Danny McBride fan, and when he, Jody Hill and David Gordon Green get together for a tv show, it usually works. "Gemstones" might be their best show to date. The way they send up the whole televangelist world was perfect. It was so funny, and I bet, pretty close to reality. You then get McBride's comedic, and dark lean on it, and it adds a whole other level. The show is hilarious, but some of the stuff was pretty damn dark. But, it worked out so well. The fact that McBride's character is caught on video doing cocaine, and that a hit is put out on him, isn't the craziest thing speaks volumes to the depths this show goes, and I was in for every second of it. John Goodman and Adam Devine were wonderful, as was Walton Goggins. But the star of the first season, for me, was Edi Patterson. She was so foul mouthed and dirty and childish, and it all worked. She is on her way to stardom with this show and this role. I love this show. I cannot wait for season 2.

At number 4 I have the most recent season of "Black Mirror". Sure, there were only three episodes, but they were all poignant and well made and acted and told a tragic and not too distant futuristic story that was completely believable. The first episode, "Striking Vipers" was a wild story about infidelity in a video game setting between 2 men, one single, one married with a child. It seemed simple enough at the beginning, but then it takes a whole turn with the video game, and I was there for the story. I bought in. The episode with Miley Cyrus was a bit on the nose, but I thought she did a great job, and the robot toy that saved the day, how is that not supposed to be Alexa or Siri? Those robots are just as real as the one in Cyrus' "Black Mirror" episode. But, the cream of the crop was "Smithereens". That episode has stuck with me for such a long time. The story, how we are so addicted to screens, was too perfect for this time in history. The acting was also top notch. Topher Grace was awesome. So was the dude from "Snowfall". But the main guy, from "Fleabag", he was prefect. He was so angry and sad and frustrated and just wanted out and wanted people off their screens. Ending the episode with people staring at their phones as they walk and not interact with one another, and the song "You're Just Too Good to be True" playing over the credits was amazing. Simply perfect.

At number 3 I have "What We Do in the Shadows". I loved, loved, loved the movie, and when Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi gave their blessing for the show, I was in. I love the premise, vampires living in modern days sharing an apartment. It shows all the little things that bother roommates. We all have had crummy roommates, and to make them vampires, it is just so god damn funny. The actors were wonderful, especially Matthew Berry. He was simply amazing. Also, the "energy vampire" was a thing of comedic genius. To see him just suck out the energy from humans was one of the funniest things I have seen on TV in quite some time. I also loved the episode where they go out on the town with the head vampire, and he gets so wasted that he gets left out in the sun and dies. I also loved the episode with the town hall meeting, and the one with all the high ranking vampires, including Wesley Snipes calling in via Skype. This show might not have worked had Clement and Waititi not be involved, but since they were, it goes off like gangbusters. I am so very excited for season 2. It cannot come soon enough. FX is really doing some cool and inventive things with modern TV. Props to them.

At number 2 I have "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson". This is the best sketch show on TV. It is so much better than "SNL" or anything that the late night talk shows try and do with sketch. Sketch comedy is real hit or miss, and "ITYSL"  hits every time. Be it the sketch with the wiener mobile guy, the guy that eats the receipt, the focus group, the extended spine relief commercial, the "honk if you're horny" sticker, the job interview, the baby pageant, just all of them, they are all home runs. I find myself going back to the show time and time again, and it gets funnier every single time. Tim Robinson never really got a fair shot on "SNL", and then his show he co created with Sam Richardson, who is awesome, "Detroiters", also got wrongfully canceled, but now, he is shining. He is getting to do what he wants, he controls the sketches and he makes every last one of them a winner. I do not think I have laughed this hard at a show since I was a kid. This show brings me back to a time where absurdity made me laugh harder than anything else and Robinson is currently the best at it. I adore this show, and it seems like a lot of other people do as well. Robinson is finally getting is due as a comedy actor and writer.

And coming in at number 1, I have "Watchmen". RD was right. He said that if people wanted to do this story right, they would make it a television series. Well, Damon Lindelof must have heard him and he went out and did it, and he crushed it. The show is so creative. I love that they still have some of the original heroes from the graphic novel, but they added new heroes, and the show takes place in modern times. It was the best way to do the show. It makes it so the movie that Zack Snyder did is all but washed away, and that you haven't had to read the book to get into these characters. Regina King is amazing, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has one of the coolest, and most unexpected surprises of the season. Jeremy Irons and Louis Gossett Jr are perfect in their roles. Tim Blake Nelson is the greatest character actor of all time. And Jean Smart, she is a master. They are finally doing the graphic novel justice with this show, and I couldn't be happier. I just watched the season one finale, and I hope there is more, but if they decide to stop, this season of "Watchmen" could go down in history as one of the greatest season's of tv of all time. It was a masterpiece.

As far as disappointments for 2019 in tv, I don’t really have any. Like I said at the top, it has been a great year, and even a great decade for tv. If I had any gripe, I would say that there is almost too much. But that isn't really a problem. People will watch what they want to, and make time for what they want to watch. TV is having a moment right now.

Okay, that does it for TV in 2019. Come back tomorrow for my top 5 podcast/podcast episodes of 2019.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Get ready for next year when Ty has the Saved by the Bell reboot/continuation on his best of 2020 tv year end review.

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Ty Watches "Bandersnatch"

Okay, I have now watched “Bandersnatch” 3 times. I’ve seen, at least I think I have, all 5 endings and I have some thoughts. First things first, just like my “Bird Box” review, this is going to be as spoiler free as possible. Okay, let’s get into it.

I need to say right off the bat, I LOVED “Bandersnatch”. I am a “Black Mirror” apologist, and I will never say a bad thing about the show. That being said, the show is amazing, so that will never be a problem for me. With “Bandersnatch”, I was completely fascinated, and totally engaged every time I’ve watched it. I really think the writing was exceptional. The acting was tremendous. The “choose your own adventure” aspect of it, for someone that has never experienced that, was awesome. Sure it could be a bit overwhelming at times, but that never took me out of it. The story that is the basis of this, I don’t know if I should call it a movie or an episode, maybe a “moviesode” we will go with I guess, was dark and bleak and everything I want from “Black Mirror”. The idea of creating a computer game in the 80’s is fascinating to me. I like to see the old tech compared to the new age stuff. I like to see how it used to be done. I also like, and appreciate, how the writers of the show are able to show us the bad side of technology in all decades. I feel like that is one of “Black Mirror”s main objectives, and they nailed it again in “Bandersnatch”.

As for the performances, man where they excellent. Will Poulter, as Colin Ritman, the genius game maker, was outstanding. I don’t get the hate that he is getting online. He was outstanding. I really loved his performance, especially his monologue when he and the main kid were tripping on acid. Craig Parkinson, who is the main character’s dad, was so good. He had this subtle way in his performance that almost made me feel bad for him, even though he may be a monster. Alice Lowe as the therapist was totally believable. I completely bought her as a psychiatrist. She pulled it off.

But the star, and rightfully so, was Fionn Whitehead as Stefan. He’s the main character and he was outstanding. The way he showed his character’s slip onto insanity was so good. I mean, it felt real, no matter what path you chose for him. To think that he had to act it out in so many different ways, to do all this different stuff, it is truly remarkable. That is a big time credit to his ability as an actor. And he was amazing. To see him go through all that was, it was just, WOW. To watch him deteriorate as a person, Whitehead really crushed the performance.

As far as the story goes, I liked the basic through line in all the various ways the story could go. It was essentially about our free will as people, and while free will may or may not be a thing, “Bandersnatch” did a great job of showing how we use, and let others, control it. Giving the viewer the choices, and having Stefan yell at the viewer from time to time was so cool and new and interesting. I continue to be blown away that “Black Mirror” can still surprise me. How they can still make me think. How they can still make me pore over episodes for days. How they can make me want to go back and watch episodes multiple times, it’s amazing.

I love “Black Mirror”, and in turn, I love “Bandersnatch”. I’m also definitely not done watching the “moviesode”, not by a long shot. I still have a whole lot to unpack in my mind. I feel like I will watch it a ton leading up to the new season, whenever that comes. For the time being though, “Bandersnatch” is a work of art. It needs to be seen by everyone. The choose your own adventure aspect is worth it alone. It’s tremendous, like everything else “Black Mirror” does.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He sometimes writes his articles as a choose your own adventure. Being a stay at home dad gives him a captive audience to help craft his masterpieces of blogging.

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"Bandersnatch" Should Help the Itch for Some New "Black Mirror"

Much like yesterday's blog, I come to you today with another preview of something that looks super interesting to me.

Today, while hanging at my folks house, I saw on Facebook that "Black Mirror" has a movie length episode coming out this Friday called "Bandersnatch". I am a big, big fan of the TV series, so I was intrigued immediately by the preview. I watched this one with as much gumption as I did with the trailer to the "Us".

Basically "Bandersnatch" looks like an amalgamation of older episodes stuffed into a throwback 80's period piece, but as I watched more, I found out that "Bandersnatch" is also a choose your own adventure type episode. This is awesome. I cannot wait to watch the episode now. Just when I thought that "Black Mirror" couldn't surprise me, or come up with something that I wasn't expecting, they drop "Bandersnatch". This is almost exactly like "White Christmas" when "Black Mirror" released that episode. Also, when they put out the last season right after Christmas. They always do this and it always gets me. Anyway, back to "Bandersnatch".

What I can gather from the preview, the main guy works for a computer tech company, and they make games that combine stuff that happened in older "Black Mirror" episodes. For example, I saw a poster for one of my favorite episodes, "Metal Hedd" on the wall of the company. But, as with all "Black Mirror" episodes, there is something hidden deeper into this computer/tech/video game company. There is something strange about the guy who originally wrote the book for the title of the episode. Apparently he may or may not have done some awful things to his family. There are also some pills that the other workers are trying to get the main guy to take. He decides not to, instead flushing them down the toilet. This seems to cause the main guy to start to hallucinate, or is he, voices and other things, like pop ups on TV shows. He starts to freak out and the people he works with may have something to do with it.

The preview is all very colluded and devious on purpose. That is what they do. They want to bring in the viewer with little hints of their usual terror, but then leave you wanting more. I definitely will be watching this episode this weekend. I cannot wait to devour it. The problem though, it will leave me wanting so much more, and I know that I will have to wait. A long time. But, for the time being, at least I get "Bandersnatch" this weekend. That is another holiday gift in and of itself.

I am pumped, and you should be too. "Black Mirror" rules, and "Bandersnatch" looks like it will definitely scratch that itch. Bring it on.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. In today’s choose your own adventure, Ty had to choose between a low grade college bowl game, or an afternoon low major college basketball game. What would you choose.

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The Advent Calendar of Great Holiday Movies: Day 14 "Black Mirror: White Christmas"

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a great movie associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be extra awesome. Enjoy.

Day 14: “Black Mirror: White Christmas”

Opened Doors: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13

For day 14 of our Advent Calendar of holiday movies, I am going to kind of cheat a little bit. Instead of a movie, I'm going to pick an episode of "Black Mirror". Now, before you call me out because it is an episode of a TV show, its run time is 73 minutes. To be considered a movie that you can release in theaters it needs to be 80 minutes or longer. Well, at just shy of 80 minutes, the episode of "White Christmas" from season 2 of "Black Mirror" is far, far superior to some 80 minute long movies that get put into theaters. I would have much rather watched this in a theater as opposed to some movies that got nation wide releases. Give me "White Christmas" over some garbage I've seen, movies like "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter", or "Kickin it Old School" or even a halfway decent movie like "Millions". "White Christmas" is better than all of these. Plus, most of us watched this on Netflix just like any other movie.

For those that may be thinking this is a happy go lucky, typical holiday/Christmas movie or show, it is not. "White Christmas" is very bleak. There is no happy ending or pleasing life lesson learned. And for those that may have not watched this episode yet, and are considering, or even currently watching, RD I'm talking directly to you(ed note: Watched it last night), I am going to spoil quite a bit of things. So proceed with caution.

What I enjoy, and why I now go back to it every holiday season, is how dire this episode is. It all starts with Jon Hamm cooking a Christmas meal in some remote cabin. He is then accompanied by another gentleman, Rafe Spall, joining him for a meal. It seems, at least at first, that they are just a couple buddies on a trip, but that is most certainly not the case. Hamm is a very talkative, almost annoyingly upbeat dude. He just talks and talks Spall's head off, and Spall just kind of grunts and makes odd noises in his direction. But, through all this talking, Hamm gets Spall's character to open up, to tell his story, and it is bleak. Meanwhile there is another story going on, involving Oona Chaplin, you may know her from "Game of Thrones" or "Taboo", and it is depressing too. This one also involves Hamm.

Jon Hamm is a type of salesman, and Chaplin plays a super busy, needs everything done her way business lady. In this "Black Mirror" universe an egg like home has been created, and busy people like Chaplin can spend their days in the egg, with everything planned out perfectly accordingly by a host. Hamm plays this host. At first this is a great thing for Chaplin. She loves the structure. But, it becomes more and more insane as time goes on. The problem with the egg, you are at the whim of your host. They control you. You are shrunk down to fit in the egg, and if the host, who is regular sized decides to leave, you are left all alone. Oh, and time flies by in the egg. A day is an equivalent of a year. There are points when we see Chaplin in total disarray, or just laying on the floor, just waiting for her host to come back and start her day. And Hamm uses this to his advantage. He toys with her. He gives her menial tasks. He basically ruins her life. She becomes depressed, then insane. It is heartbreaking to watch her go through what she goes through.

We then go back to the cabin. As Spall begins to open up to Hamm, we find out that maybe this isn't a couple of buddies on a camping trip. This cabin might not be a cabin after all. It may be a snow globe that is essentially a prison. As the 2 men open up to one another we find out that they both have done some shady stuff.

Jon Hamm tells his story first. He ran this business that helped guys pick up girls. It was a shady online thing. A dude gets killed kind of shady. Hamm’s wife finds out that he was doing this, and she left him and blocked him. In this world, "blocking" means that you cannot hear the person, and there voice is inaudible. It is tragic. 

With Spall, what he has done is much, much worse. One night during a dinner party, after it is over, Spall is cleaning and he happens upon a positive pregnancy test. He is thrilled and brings it to his girlfriend. She is not so thrilled. She tells him she doesn't want the baby, leaves him and blocks him as well. He is devastated. He then becomes obsessed with her and begins to follow her around. After some time he sees, through the blocking system that his ex girlfriend had the baby and is raising it with the help of her father. Again, Spall becomes despondent. His stalking becomes much, much worse. He even tries to communicate with the child, although he cannot see or understand it, and neither can the child with him. After 4 years, Spall finds out that his ex has died in a train wreck, and this lifts the block. He can now see is child. He then proceeds to the ex's father's cabin to see her. Here he finds out that the child is not his. She is of Asian decent, and Spall is a white guy. Again, devastation befalls him. He realizes his ex was cheating on him, and the whole abortion idea was just a way to rid him of her and the baby. When he sees the child again, he has a snow globe to give her as a present. But, he runs into the ex's father first, and while pushing and pleading to see the kid, he gets into a fight. He then proceeds to hit the ex's father with the snow globe, and the blow to the head kills him. Spall has committed murder, and he flees the scene, leaving the child alone in the cabin in the woods.

After spilling all this to Hamm, we realize that they are in a prison version of the ex's father's cabin. He is in the very prison where he committed his heinous act, and he is left there to live in this nightmare for the rest of his days. After getting Spall to confess to what he has done, it is revealed that Hamm is talking to him via a type of virtual reality helmet like the one in the first story about the egg. He then removes his face and the 2 other people in the room with him seemed pleased with what he done. He has basically agreed to a plea deal, and if he could get Spall to confess, he would be free from his charges, running that shady online hook up thing, and all the stuff he did to Chaplin working for another shady online company.

When freed, it is revealed that there is a catch. The 2 other gentleman working with him tell him he is free, but everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, in the world is blocked. He walks out of the room, into the city, and it is all amorphous blobs and static sounds. Sure, he can see it is Christmas because of the décor on the buildings, but every single person, he is blocked from. This is almost the most tragic thing. He will spend the rest of his days as a free man, but in a prison of no human interaction. It is a harrowing end to a harrowing episode.

I love this take on "A Christmas Carol" from "Black Mirror". At least that was what I took it as. There are three stories that all seem to have that past, present and future story line. But this one is super bleak. I highly recommend that people who may be a little sick of the saccharin holiday movies or shows, and want something a little different, to watch this episode. It is "Black Mirror", so you know it will be well told and properly acted, but it will also be sad and scary. It is a good change of pace. This episode is now something I revisit every year around the holidays, and it gets better every time. This is a stand out of a show that is filled with nothing but great episodes. It's a masterpiece.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. For another tale that looks happy, but is quite bleak, check out the Pogues sing “Fairytale of New York”.

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Ty Watches "Black Mirror" Season 4

I have just recently finished season 4 of "Black Mirror", and I want to break down, very simply, each episode, in my personal order. With this being said, there will be some minor spoilers. I will do my best to keep them minimal, but if you haven't watched the new season yet, watch it before reading this piece. Second, I LOVED every episode this season. I thought all 6 were fantastic and different and unique in only a way Charlie Brooker and the rest of the writers can do for a show like "Black Mirror". So, when I say "favorite to least favorite", every episode would get an A grade from me. Third, and final thing before I get into it, this is my own personal ranking. I am going strictly off what I liked about each episode and why I think one episode is better than the other. For a show like "Black Mirror", I purposefully stay away from social media while I'm watching the show. I don't want anything spoiled for me, and I do not want to hear what critics think of the episodes since they get to see them all well in advance. Those are my three rules. Here we go. Oh yeah, I will go from 6-1 by the way.

My sixth favorite episode of the season was "Crocodile". This is a very, very dark and brutal episode of "Black Mirror". There is a lot of murder and covers up that happen in this hour long episode. The acting is very well done. The actors are creepy and silent and fearful and worried in all the right ways. I really enjoy the idea of finding things out by using people's memories. The tech in this episode was very cool too. I like all the tech in this show in fact. The ending was brutal and one of the tougher things I have ever had to watch on TV. While "Crocodile" is a great episode, it is a very tough watch. Some very brutal things, unfortunate things, happen in the episode. Being a father made this one that much more rough. While still great, again, it is a tough, tough watch.

At number 5 I have "Arkangel". Again, this is another tough one for parents to watch. I love the story behind this episode. I am one of those parents that have always said, "if I can put a chip in my kids head and see what they are doing at all times, I would". Well, "Arkangel" has me really rethinking that idea. "Arkangel" shows you all the problems that something like this could cause to your child. Kids with chips in their brains may not know how to properly process things like violence, eroticism, drugs and all the bad parts about growing up. I, just like the mom in this one, a great performance from Rosemarie DeWitt, am OCD, and I could never not look at my screen to see what my kids are doing. She shows a little more control that me, but I would have given in way earlier. This too has some very bad consequences. This episode should be shown to young adults that are contemplating having kids, what with all the advances in tech nowadays.

At number 4 I have "Black Museum". This was a very well done "parody" episode of "Black Mirror". A girl stops at a museum of crimes, and the majority of the exhibits are from past "Black Mirror" episodes. It was pretty cool to see them reintegrate stuff from previous seasons. The lady and the masks from "White Bear" where in there. The bees from the season 3 finale were there. The tub from "Crocodile" was there. The pad from "Arkangel" was there. It is neat. Fortunately "Black Museum" did not rehash these old "Black Mirror" episodes, but told new stories. The pain addict doctor story was nuts. The guy who puts his coma ridden baby mother's conscience in is brain was wild. But, the twist at the end was awesome. Since watching this episode, I have read that this episode was a kind of sequel to the "White Christmas" episode, and I can totally see the similarities. As I said, the twist near the end is incredible and very, very satisfying. This episode is pretty dark too, especially the pain addicted doctor. Also since watching this one, I have heard that some critics don't like it. Those critics are stupid. This was a great episode of "Black Mirror".

At number 3 I have my wife's favorite from this season, "Hang the DJ". This was one of 2 "Black Mirror" eps that have a "happy" ending. The idea behind this one, where you let a computer set you up and tell you how long you will be in a relationship with said person is so real, it is kind of scary. The 2 leads are wonderful. They have a great chemistry together. To see them go through a non-meaningful relationship, one right after the other, until they finally realize they need to be together is really sweet. That was my main takeaway from "Hang the DJ", how sweet and nice it was. My wife likes "Hang the DJ" more than the very well received "San Junipiero". Truthfully, I really like both the same. If you are looking for a nice and happy "Black Mirror", "Hang the DJ" is the right episode for you.

At number 2 I have the wonderful, and bleak, "USS Callister". Jesse Plemmons is amazing in this ep. He totally crushes his role as a put upon CTO of tech company, who is a creep that runs a virtual reality game in his apartment, placing the people he works with in a "Star Trek" type TV show. The whole way this episode was shot was awesome. It made me want to watch "Star Trek", and I have never had that feeling before. It was so cool and retro when they went into the video game world. Jesse Plemmons is very good at playing a creep. I actually felt bad for him at first, a "Black Mirror" staple, and then I found out how twisted he was and I wanted him to get what he deserved, which he does. The other actors in this ep, mainly Cristin Milioti, are awesome. They are subservient in the video game world, but in real life, they walk all over Plemmons' character. This is a classic "Black Mirror" episode. It is so perfect. Like I said, you feel bad, at first, for the main guy, find out he is a creep, then wish him or her the worst. "USS Callister" was awesome, and a great way to kick off the new season. It had me rapt and wanting to watch more. It is an awesome hour plus, and totally worth your time. 

Finally, my favorite episode of the season, which is ironically the lowest fan rated one on IMDB, is "Metalhead". "Metalhead" is the shortest episode in "Black Mirror's" short history. But, I was on edge for all 38 minutes. The episode takes place in a post apocalyptic Australia, I am guessing. It is shot in all black and white, and there are only 3 people in the entire ep. And, only one person makes it to the end, and she meets her demise as well. The three people go searching for something in a warehouse and they are greeted by a metal dog like creature that shoots shrapnel into their bodies so it can track them down, and wipe them out. It was a horrifying glimpse into what I expect the future to be like. The stuff that the one survivor from the initial meeting in the warehouse, the woman, goes through is pretty intense. Her attempts to get away from this murderous metal dog are heart racing and had me on the edge of my seat. "Metalhead" reminded me a lot of "Mad Max". Maybe that is why I liked it so much. I love heart pounding episodes like this, and "Metalhead" was perfect fro someone like me. This is a very sad episode, especially the ending, but everything leading up to that was fast paced and pulse pounding. "Metalhead" was the far and away winner of season 4 for me. I loved it.

With all this being said, "Black Mirror" rules, and season 4 was great. I highly recommend everyone check out this show, especially of you like seeing the dark side of new tech that we now have. "Black Mirror" is an achievement and a treat and I am so glad we have a show like this to watch now. I cannot wait to see where they go with the fifth season.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is not aware of a program where Head Editors put chips in their associate editor's head to track their writing output. Let's not tell Ty all about this.

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Ty is Going to Watch "Black Mirror"

This is going to be short because truth be told, I have a fever and I’m miserable right now. But, what makes me happy is knowing that season 4 of “Black Mirror” is currently on Netflix, and it’s just waiting for my wife and I to watch.

I love this show so much. I was hesitant to watch at first, thinking it was just going to be a horror genre show. “Black Mirror” is so much more though. The people are right, it is a modern day “Twilight Zone”. The subjects they’ve tackled so far, all centered around the bad sides of technology, have all made me think that all of it could happen. The show is so well written. The concepts for each episode are just perfect. I like the shorter seasons too. The first season only had 3 episodes, but I poured over all 3 weeks after I had watched them. The new season has 6 episodes, and I can’t wait to watch when I get back to full health. I’ve read some things about the new season, no spoilers though, and I’m pumped to see how they pull it off.

“Black Mirror” is one of the best shows on TV right now and everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, should be watching this show, especially now.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is near delirious from his late December sickness, but he is still a boss who writes. We appreciate it here at the virtual cube farm called SeedSing. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.