Summary: Liam is a lawyer who lives in a world where everyone has a grain - an implant in their heads which allows them to re-watch any of their memories at any time. Liam attends a party with his wife Fi, involving an old friend of hers named Jonas. Liam suspects some adultery to be going on and by examining memories with his grain he finds them to be true and discovers that his child isn't even his. Fi seemingly moves out with the child, leaving Liam alone and he removes his grain to cut off his memories.
The Good: This was another tremendously powerful episode with depressing themes and a strong look at technology and how it can affect lives. This show continues to impress me with its storytelling and understanding of how to make the audience emotionally invested while also providing impactful scenes which hit hard. First of all, the concept of this episode was brilliant. It wasn't as far-fetched as the previous episode and the idea of having some sort of chip installed in your head to film all of your memories seems to fit very nicely in the real world. After all, it does seem like an appealing idea on the surface, and I'm sure that most people have at least wondered about how convenient it would be if you could just record everything you experience. But this episode takes a look at how these chips will make us suffer and it was immediately used in a clever way to solve a relationship drama, which is pretty much the first thing each of us would expect the chip to be useful for. Yet of course, as we see in this episode, the grain won't provide us with the satisfaction we may expect and it could very well do more harm than good. I'll be going into more detail about that later (see: Best Moment). The concept of the grain was implemented in really smart ways too. I really liked Liam re-watching his interview over and over again in an attempt to get some answers, and even more, I liked how the grain has become an important security measure in the world, with the airports viewing a person's private memories to ensure that there isn't anything suspicious. I thought that Liam's paranoia was conveyed really well and that his scenes with Fi had real tensions to them. It seemed pretty clear that there was something going on, and the episode did a great job of making us suspect that something was up during the party at Jonas' without ever telling us the details. From Fi's reactions and her suspicious behaviour, it seemed clear that there was something going on between her and Jonas, but it never felt horribly obvious until Liam started scavenging his memories and finding more and more evidence that something isn't right. The tension built beautifully and led to a lot of fantastic scenes between Liam and Fi where they argued about what happened before Fi is ultimately exposed as an unfaithful wife who lied to Liam. There were a lot of great small things too. The sex scene was creepy and disturbing in every way as it cut between both Liam and Fi recalling their past memories of sex before showing us the 2 of them, dead-eyed and straight-faced in bed, just slightly moving. It was a haunting visual for sure and one that really conveyed how different the grain would make real life. I also really loved how Liam accidentally estranged the babysitter when he showed her a joke he had made about her which he had completely forgotten about. That moment felt very real and really demonstrates how the grain would o just as much harm as it would good, as it has serious potential to destroy relationships. The Bad: This episode was flawed though. The biggest issue for me was that the characters weren't really likable at all. I didn't sympathize as much with Liam as I think I should have. He came across as an asshole and wasn't much better than his cheating wife. Because of this I felt a disconnect with the characters, and I didn't root as much for Liam to find the truth as I think I should have. While the episode was powerful because of its ideas and handling of themes, I think it missed a trick by not making us care about the characters' story. The previous episode made me care about Bing's character but I really couldn't be bothered by Liam or Fi's characters in this episode. I feel like Liam descended a bit too quickly into his paranoia and anger. It felt rushed and wasn't really aided by the fact that I hardly knew who Liam was before he started suspecting his wife of cheating. The transformation didn't feel earned in the same way Bing's or even Michael's was in the previous episode and that also affected the quality of the episode. It's hard to buy that Liam didn't get arrested. Surely Jonas just got footage on his grain of him being threatened by Liam who was obviously impaired and driving. That's really illegal, so shouldn't the cops have been called for Jonas to show the evidence against Liam to get him arrested? It seems ridiculous that he seemed to have gotten away scot free after such a serious crime. The Unknown: What happed at the end? Did Fi just move out with her child? Is she with Jonas now? Where did that leave Liam? We never got confirmation that the baby was Jonas', but I don't think we needed to get it. It just makes perfect sense for it to be, so I'm going with that assumption. Why did Jonas feel the need to remove his grain? Was it because he blames it for what happened to him, or rather was it because the memories he had were just torturing him so he had to remove it? Either way, the final scene was sad and powerful. Best Moment: The final 4 minutes were spectacular. It was horribly sad seeing Liam around his house all alone, just re-watching all of his past memories when he was happy with his wife. The use of colour was tremendous as the past memories were bright and vibrant whereas the present was dull and lonely. This final sequence did a tremendous job of showing us exactly what Liam had lost in the past day or so. This final scene also reinforced the message of the grain can do more harm than good. Sure, without the grain, Liam would have been living with a cheater, but is this depressing, miserable life really better for Liam? Besides now he has all of these happy memories which have become bittersweet and will likely haunt him more than they ill do good. And that's what makes the ending so powerful, as we see that Liam can't stand the pain he feels anymore which is brought on by these past memories which have now become even easier to access and dwell in. One can only assume that depression rates have increased now that these grains have become popularized, due to the easy ability to stress from past experiences. This scene was so good because of how thought-provoking it is and how it makes a very clear and powerful point about the new technology. Character of the Episode: Liam. Conclusion: This was another great episode, though it was certainly flawed. It didn't reach the heights of "Fifteen Million Merits" due to some character and writing issues, but overall it was still another powerful episode with a meaningful message. After just 3 episodes, Black Mirror has completed its first season, and in those 3 episodes, it has already made its case to be one of the best TV shows I have ever seen. With a focus on standalone episodes, thematic exploration and raw emotional power, this show is basically primed to succeed. And I'm so glad to say that the writing is superb and allows this show to exceed all of its potential, making for some special viewing. I can't say anything about the rest of the series yet, but this first season of the show is excellent television and is must-watch. Score: 74
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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