By We've labelled this spoiler-free because we're not giving away any of the major events that unfold in season 5 of Black Mirror. The details divulged are also included in the episode preview information. However, if you want to go into the episodes without any idea of what you're about to see, look away now.
While no two Black Mirror episodes are the same per say, similarities between the types of story and themes explored have emerged over the course of the techno-paranoid series.
Some hold up a mirror to the way we use technology, with almost recognisable apps or platforms used to make a point about the possible endgame of our device-obsessed times. Others look at unimaginable developments in science or technology, with characters who have had their consciousness trapped in time, or virtual afterworlds for couples to enjoy peacefully. Then there are scenes of pure dystopian hell: a torture park to serve justice to criminals or a time when humans flee robotic dogs.
The just-released fifth season of Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones' Netflix series contains some of these sorts of dilemmas, all repackaged in new nightmarish scenarios. If you're struggling to decide which episode to dive into first, or if you want pointing those most similar to your favourite Black Mirror episodes, allow us to help.
3 | Striking Vipers
Anthony Mackie and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II play two estranged university friends who rekindle their friendship, and love of gaming, by playing a virtual reality fighting game together. The episode explores how we behave online when we feel anonymous and juxtaposes the stale boredom of longterm relationships with the thrilling options technology distracts us with.
In a time where VR is a increasingly becoming a reality, Striking Vipers asks whether what we do in simulated reality is actually real, and if it can be wrong. It's also an interesting look at compromise in relationships, though the conclusion it reaches might feel a little contrived.
Episodes it's most similar to: Hang the DJ, 15 Million Merits, San Junipero.
2 | Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too
Miley Cyrus plays a pop-star Ashley O whose exploitation by the music industry causes her to start unravelling. Teenage fan Rachel buys an Ashley Too 'intelligent companion' robot to try and connect with her idol, eventually learning the truth about the life she yearned for. Cyrus has said the portrayal of the music industry felt eerily familiar to her, and the episode makes targets of the toxic world of YouTube 'Stan' culture and peddling of empowerment for profit.
Called "romp-y" by Brooker, who has said it might "piss people off", the episode has a comic shift that works in some senses, while occasionally undermining the delivery of its message.
Episodes it's most similar to: Nosedive (Interestingly Miley's favourite episode), Be Right Back.
1 | Smithereens
Andrew Scott might not break the fourth wall or instruct anyone to kneel, but he's just as electric as his lauded performance in Fleabag. In Smithereens he plays Christopher, a driver at an Uber-style ride sharing service who abducts an employee of a social media company because of a terrible burden he carries with him.
Smithereens poses timely questions about the overarching powers of tech companies at a time when they hold a terrifying amount of information on the public. It also throws into harsh light how brazenly we jump into the back of stranger's cars - an idea inspired by Brooker being alarmed by a taxi driver suddenly rummaging through the boot of his car.
Of all the new episodes, Smithereens best achieves that tricky knack of feeling unsettlingly of this world while still remaining dramatic enough to be riveting. It might be Brooker's most compelling argument yet for putting your phone down.
Episodes it's most similar to: Shut Up and Dance, The National Anthem, Crocodile.
'Black Mirror' Season 5 is available on Netflix today
