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Post by harlequinade on Dec 4, 2017 20:14:51 GMT
So this will drop this month? Just in time to depress me for Xmas
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Post by mhynson27 on Dec 5, 2017 0:16:28 GMT
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Post by mhynson27 on Dec 5, 2017 15:07:47 GMT
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Post by cheesecake on Dec 10, 2017 2:59:07 GMT
Upcoming season looks promising. Love how it drops around the holidays. So cheery.
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Post by cheesecake on Dec 10, 2017 4:02:32 GMT
Upcoming season looks promising. Love how it drops around the holidays. So cheery. which excites you most basically episode wise. I've actually avoided the trailers because I love going in blind. Which ones are you looking forward to?
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Post by harlequinade on Dec 10, 2017 12:40:55 GMT
which excites you most basically episode wise. I've actually avoided the trailers because I love going in blind. Which ones are you looking forward to? Yeah same here, it's so close now no point to ruin any surprises
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Post by notacrook on Dec 29, 2017 22:38:38 GMT
"USS Callister" - I was worried about this episode going in. It looked like it could either be a surprise show highlight or an utter disaster. Thankfully, I'd say it's much closer to the latter. First 15 minutes tried my patience a bit, but once the main premise kicked in I was riveted pretty much from start to finish. It was funny and dark in equal measure, as well as hugely creative and just plain fun. Moments of tension often relied on classic cliches, but they still had me gripped. Overall, loved it. 9/10
"Arkangel" - the premise for this was so intriguing, but I don't think it really lived up to it. It was far from a bad episode, but I don't think it did a good enough job of showing how the Arkangel system really messed up the girl's (and mother's) life as we're lead to believe. She was shown to be a relatively normal teen after the 10 year transition, and then seemingly over the course of a few weeks it goes to complete shit? Ehh don't really buy it. I was also kinda disappointed that this was the episode Foster directed. Again, it wasn't bad, just sorta mediocre. 6.5/10
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Post by harlequinade on Dec 29, 2017 23:49:21 GMT
USS Callister - AMAZING, one of the best episodes of the show. Simpson was incredible, lovely balance of hilarious and disturbing - 9/10 Arkangel - 6/10 - meh, it was OK Crocodile - 7/10 - great ending but the pacing wasn't the best Hang the DJ - 8/10 - just a repeat of San Junipero, clever but overrated already Black Museum - 8/10 - repeat of White Christmas and nowhere near as good, fun to watch and few very disturbing twists
Haven't seen Metalhead yet
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Post by notacrook on Dec 30, 2017 0:55:01 GMT
"Crocodile" - I actually kinda started to laugh at how absurdly dark this episode got. It had a few smart ideas and some great performances. However, while Riseborough never fails to amaze, her character made so little sense to me and her actions became so erratic, lurching from one extreme to the next, that I just couldn't take it all that seriously. It was reasonably gripping and in many ways very memorable, but certainly one of the weaker episodes of the show. 5.5/10
"Hang the DJ" - Very reminiscent of both "Nosedive" and "San Junipero". I'd say it lands in the middle of those two in terms of quality. It was really well paced, refreshingly light and visually it might have been the show's best. The two leads were really likeable and had great, believable chemistry. It got a bit too convoluted at times, but otherwise I loved it. 9/10
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Post by DeepArcher on Dec 30, 2017 4:17:38 GMT
Alright, I did my binge of the whole season today, here are some thoughts on each (with minor spoilers ahead):
"USS Callister": A good episode in general that becomes kind of jarring in its second half. I wasn't a huge fan of how the perspective drastically shifted to being almost entirely contained within the simulation instead, as I found the "outside" storyline far more interesting and it ultimately lacked clear resolution. It also rubbed me the wrong way that they straight-out vilified Daly in the entirety of the second half, abandoning any sort of exploration of moral grayness that would have made the conflict as a whole far more interesting. I still had a blast with this episode, despite the fact that it feels like two different approaches smushed together into one story, and the whole thing is sort of tonally unbalanced. It works not just as a self-aware subversion of cheesy space opera classics, but more so as the series' second go-around at the VR concept after the calamity of "Playtest", finally able to explore both the opportunistic potentials and eerie consequences of the technology in a satisfying way. The cast here was also fantastic, especially Plemons. Like I said, I had a lot of fun with this one. Also loved that ending cameo.
"Arkangel": I enjoyed this episode a lot. The biggest flaw with this one would be that both of the main characters are sort of unlikable and never really justified in anything they do. The conflict still works for plot purposes, but it definitely causes there to be an unnecessary rift between the audience and the characters. Was really hoping for more pathos from Jodie Foster's "mother-daughter" relationship episode. It still worked as is, just in a far more tragic, nihilistic way, one that succinctly demonstrates negative ramifications that even the simplest of technological ideas can have on basic, everyday life. The drama in this one is always engaging as the development of the conflict is patient and thoughtful, flowing as the years fall away until it finally boils over in the coming-of-age period. It's a bit surface-level, but it's forgivable for how satisfying it is as a whole.
"Crocodile": Conceptually re-hashes ideas explored so much better in "The Entire History of You", trying to take the idea on from a different angle, one that *could* have been fascinating yet ultimately falters with bizarrely inept writing. Basically all of Mia's actions were not properly motivated and just came across as absurd, and ultimately really lazy writing as a way to salvage something easy out of the initial idea. Really, the ultimate message of this is, "hey, if this convenient technology exists, it maaaay influence regular people into becoming stone-cold killers", and that's: a.) simply not going to cut it for a series of this caliber, and b.) sourly nihilistic to the point of not being entertaining or insightful in the slightest. It's a shame, because I enjoyed this visually, Shazia is a great character and I enjoyed all of her scenes, but this ultimately doesn't pan out into anything fruitful. Kinda liked the ending, for what it's worth.
"Hang the DJ": Without a doubt, this season's finest hour. It's not only its best concept, but it's also the one that never truly falters in its plot progression, despite threatening to do so later on. The chemistry between Frank and Amy, while far from the level of Yorkie and Kelly, is genuinely palpable, making their love story an easy one to latch onto and root in favor of. The final "twist" was actually clever, and created one of my favorite ending scenes this series has ever had (The Smiths' "Panic" has never been a particularly emotionally weighty song in my eyes, but that has all changed), capping it off with a perfectly quiet moment of intimacy that speaks volumes without actual dialogue. Really love the vision that Van Patten brought to this one in general, which particularly shows off in some of those montage sequences that depict the passing of time as it would exist within this context. It's wonderful and creative, and a great complement to the episode's clever writing. Loved this one a lot, I can't wait to re-visit it.
"Metalhead": Essentially a bleak take on a story that Philip K. Dick would have written. The use of "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" throughout really sold me on this one, with that sort of backbone paired with the stark black-and-white imagery creating one of the series' more unsettling settings (even if it's not in the most subtle of ways). The tension is truly top-notch and exhilarating, and I love that they went the minimalist direction of having limited dialogue and limited backstory, focusing instead on the in-the-moment story and therefore becoming all the more thrilling for it. This one ultimately seemed to lack any true message, but as its own self-contained thing, it's well-made entertainment.
"Black Museum": Very clever episode that is perhaps just a tad too...meta, I guess? The idea of Black Mirror all taking place within the same universe has been fine with me when it's kept on a more subtle level, but in this episode it just became a bit too much. The references were sort of grating. That being said, this episode was pretty clever on the whole; it doesn't do anything sensational, and it sort of drags out its running time, but thankfully the conflict is centralized within the final ten minutes so that it all feels worth it; it's just a shame there weren't any tangible characters or themes up until that point in this episode. The way it plays out is satisfying, and some of the ideas were great, but there's also something a little "off" about it. It's good, but I'm not yearning to go back to it anytime soon.
The season as a whole is probably the most consistent the show has been, with fewer highs but no true lows as well. Most of this season's concepts were essentially just variations of ones that were explored earlier, just approached from a different angle; which is fine, with the only real consequence being that much of this season lacked a certain boost that it would have gotten from a bit more originality. It made for an enjoyable binge, for sure, as this series always does, but it just felt lacking in something. It certainly doesn't help that most of these episodes were a couple of tweaks away from being immediate classics. Oh, well. I'll take it as it is and be satisfied.
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Post by DeepArcher on Dec 30, 2017 4:21:23 GMT
Aaaand updated episode rankings for the whole series:
1. "The Entire History of You" 2. "San Junipero" 3. "Hang the DJ" 4. "Shut up and Dance" 5. "White Christmas" 6. "Nosedive" 7. "Fifteen Million Merits" 8. "Metalhead" 9. "Be Right Back" 10. "Arkangel" 11. "USS Callister" 12. "White Bear" 13. "The National Anthem" 14. "Black Museum" 15. "Hated in the Nation" 16. "The Waldo Moment" 17. "Crocodile" 18. "Men Against Fire" 19. "Playtest"
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Post by DeepArcher on Dec 30, 2017 4:30:14 GMT
Did you see the cameo with Ms. Plemons?. Had to look this up to confirm.... No, I didn't notice her at all. That's awesome she made an appearance. Thanks for pointing that out.
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 30, 2017 16:26:41 GMT
I don't really get this show, I watch it here and there and cherry pick episodes I think I'll like but there is something off in the artistic realization of it, I have to say. Uneven doesn't begin to describe it.
I watched Callister and while I thought it was a fun - it's also ..........odd. This is a story where an incredibly gruesome, sad, horrifying death is described to you and it's used as just a small point really. It just doesn't make sense that I should be able to shrug it off like that.
The very first episode of the show ever is like a metaphor for the whole show where Rory Kinnear gave a great performance at the service of something that wasn't remotely believable but you watched to see where they'd go with the premise and it's quality gets all jumbled up in that - it doesn't fully gel, it gels in fits and starts and scenes.
I'll keep watching here and there and cherry picking episodes but I wish I liked it more because the anthology approach is right up my alley.....
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 30, 2017 21:22:40 GMT
Now I just watched Hang The DJ and that was an absolutely terrific and thematically on point piece of work (greatest Smiths song too )
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Post by DeepArcher on Dec 31, 2017 3:52:50 GMT
Had to look this up to confirm.... No, I didn't notice her at all. That's awesome she made an appearance. Thanks for pointing that out. Should they have maybe just followed Shazia I wonder? and cut out Mia's whole story as well. Honestly, yeah. I would've preferred it had it been centralized as an insurance investigation storyline.
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Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on Dec 31, 2017 7:25:34 GMT
Quick thoughts after a binge:
Hang the DJ – going into it, I was a bit concerned that the worldbuilding wouldn’t convincingly sell the premise, but it’s quite cleverly handled and makes a great complement to San Junipero. Easily the best of the bunch.
Black Museum – this episode maybe felt a bit disjointed and overstuffed, but the ending brings everything together in a satisfying way. The middle section reminded me of Being John Malkovich.
USS Callister – I think this is definitely one of the funnier episodes of the show. Plemons is great, but I absolutely loved Jimmi Simpson’s performance. I think the episode could have had a more coherent resolution, and the way time is handled seems a little contrived, but overall this was immensely entertaining.
Arkangel – this was another episode where I felt like if the events leading up to its resolution were tweaked a tiny bit, I would have liked it more. Some aspects aren’t entirely believable, but I enjoyed this one overall. It doesn’t have very many surprises and honestly follows a rather predictable dramatic trajectory, and I don’t think the premise really reaches its full potential, but I still thought it had a strong thematic backbone.
Metalhead – where “Black Museum” perhaps tried to do too much, I think this episode maybe didn’t do enough. I loved the stark visual look and the scoring, and it’s all nail-bitingly suspenseful, but I just wish this episode had a little more to it. The ending kind of reminds me of the ending of The Rover, only not as effective.
Crocodile – this was definitely the weakest of the bunch. The scif-fi elements didn’t feel as well-integrated into the narrative as the other episodes and, as others have mentioned, the main character’s actions didn’t feel properly motivated. This episode too often strained believability.
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Archie
Based
Eraserhead son or Inland Empire daughter?
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Post by Archie on Jan 12, 2018 23:06:31 GMT
Jesus, Crocodile is fucking awful. Worst episode of the entire show.
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Post by pacinoyes on Jan 15, 2018 14:29:58 GMT
Still working my way through this show and I've definitely noticed that the ones pacinoyes likes best (when he's referring to himself in the 3rd person lol) are the less sci-fi ones. Like I do get San Junipero and liked it but would never rank it as highly as the fans do - I know people obsessed with this particular episode....and honestly, as good as it was, it gave me a headache, it's like Inception, the TV version lol...meanwhile Be Right Back and Shut Up And Dance I loved.
Straight forward, somber, relatively believable premise, gripping pace, and not convoluted in the plot mechanics. Shut Up and Dance in some ways is like Dead Man Walking even in that it takes you back to the crime and plays with who you're rooting for and why. Be Right Back - my fave so far - one of my favorite episodes of any show ever - is a just gut wrenching experience about wanting the past even in the present.
My friends who like this show dismiss these 2 episodes specifically as lacking a twist....and that's the whole point to me. That IS the twist. I'm 10 of 19 down - still got these to go (because I went out of order):
"The Entire History of You" "Fifteen Million Merits" "Metalhead" "Arkangel" "White Bear" "Black Museum" "The Waldo Moment" "Crocodile" "Men Against Fire"
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Post by pacinoyes on Jan 15, 2018 19:41:03 GMT
Haven't seen that one yet but I look forward to seeing it - the list at the bottom is what I have left to see........
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Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on Jan 15, 2018 20:28:28 GMT
Still working my way through this show and I've definitely noticed that the ones pacinoyes likes best (when he's referring to himself in the 3rd person lol) are the less sci-fi ones. Like I do get San Junipero and liked it but would never rank it as highly as the fans do - I know people obsessed with this particular episode....and honestly, as good as it was, it gave me a headache, it's like Inception, the TV version lol...meanwhile Be Right Back and Shut Up And Dance I loved. Straight forward, somber, relatively believable premise, gripping pace, and not convoluted in the plot mechanics. Shut Up and Dance in some ways is like Dead Man Walking even in that it takes you back to the crime and plays with who you're rooting for and why. Be Right Back - my fave so far - one of my favorite episodes of any show ever - is a just gut wrenching experience about wanting the past even in the present. My friends who like this show dismiss these 2 episodes specifically as lacking a twist....and that's the whole point to me. That IS the twist. I'm 10 of 19 down - still got these to go (because I went out of order): "The Entire History of You" "Fifteen Million Merits" "Metalhead" "Arkangel" "White Bear" "Black Museum" "The Waldo Moment" "Crocodile" "Men Against Fire" Unfortunately, I think the bottom 3 episodes you have listed are among the weakest of the show. The Entire History of You, however, is one of my favorites and I think you might like that one.
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forksforest
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Quit your shit-spitting
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Post by forksforest on Jan 18, 2018 5:02:02 GMT
Ill update it as I go:
Hang the DJ: 9.5/10 - incredible episode . Very similar to San Junipero (if not almost the same lol, I got the exact same vibe) but I liked it sooo much better and the ending was pretty perfect. The chemistry between the leads was undeniable, the visual cues were so vibrant, and I loved the pacing/storyline itself.
Archangel:6-7/10? eh, I go both ways. The weakest part of this was the ending, because we could all see it coming? It wasn't the typical gut punch that Black Mirror endings deliver, so that was disappointing. I also think the episode could have used a lot more balance--usually we see both sides to a strong argument, but here the mom just seemed pretty helicopter/crazy from the get-go. I liked the premise, the pacing of it, the actress playing the girl. Parts of it just seemed like it was missing and they would have been essential to a more cohesive storyline.
Crocodile: 5/10 k wtf. I will say this was intense from start to finish but this episode was the definition of stretching a plot too thin, like what was going on here? I can't even tell what the purpose here was, what the ultimate message was? There was no sense of realism here, it got to a point where I was like lol who's next. I've seen better serial killer crime thrillers. This was just offfff. Sucks because it had the right tone.
Metalhead:6.5/10 again, lots of pros and cons. more context would have been helpful but the central storyline was strong.
Black Museum: 6.5/10: yeah all these episodes, minus Hang the DJ, are middling. I hated a lot of aspects of this one (the editing/pacing of the stories, the damn voiceover, the terrible tone of the show, that actor made everything seem comedic) but that emotional punch at the end was deeply felt, and elevated the material a little. I hate that this show has become a repeated mesh of thing we have already seen. I liked Black Mirror when it was 100% innovative with every episode. But this season alone, we've revisited so many concepts (the egg/conscious insert thing)..it just feels like a different take on a previous issue that was done so well already. This episode felt like White Christmas + White Bear + idk what else. I also hate how unbalanced the episodes are when presenting new technology...I loved that before, we saw the pros and cons, before the ending left us with a really dark 'con'. Now, from the get-go, I'm like 'why would anyone on earth agree to that?', so it doesn't have the same kick at the end bc you already know the 100 different ways this could go wrong (Archangel did this too).
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forksforest
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Quit your shit-spitting
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Post by forksforest on Jan 18, 2018 5:06:33 GMT
Had to look this up to confirm.... No, I didn't notice her at all. That's awesome she made an appearance. Thanks for pointing that out. Should they have maybe just followed Shazia I wonder? and cut out Mia's whole story as well. This could have worked better. Especially having Mia bisect her story near the end after getting almost none of her [bizarre] storyline. I also think following Shazia's story would have been more in line with the technology aspect of the show (which almost seemed subsidiary to the 'look at her, she's gone crazy' storyline)
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forksforest
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Quit your shit-spitting
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Post by forksforest on Jan 31, 2018 22:03:43 GMT
My general disappointment at season 4 has definitely increased my appreciation for season 3.
Season 3 had some pretty big duds (Playtest, Men Against Fire) but also had the originality from the first two seasons. I disliked that season 3 didn't have the same, bleak and impactful endings from s1-2 but season 4 lacks both originality AND the dark, profound endings. I also only really enjoyed Hang the DJ, whilst s3 had Nosedive, San Junipero, and Hated in the Nation which were some of my all-time favourites.
The show seems to be on a decline. I much preferred the British production of it.
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Post by cheesecake on Apr 14, 2018 16:23:20 GMT
I know there are some Black Mirror fans here, so I thought you guys might get a kick out of this. Haven't made a montage for a series before, so this was a fun challenge.
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Oct 1, 2018 2:14:43 GMT
Late as fuck to the party.
Just finished The National Anthem. Holy fuck, that's a hell of a way to start a series. Amazing, amazing stuff.
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