Black Mirror is a series that has been broadcast in the United Kingdom since 2011. It has recently been added to Netflix and has since blown up around the world. It makes frequent comments on how technology is affecting the world, and harsh and intense realizations for the viewer. The very first episode that aired is one that has stuck with me the most due to the harsh reality that is told at the end of the episode.
*WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD*
"The National Anthem" is the first episode of the first season of Black Mirror and it is quite the one to start on. In the beginning, the Prime Minister of England views a video of the princess of the royal family tied to a chair in a mysterious setting. The man who kidnapped the princess tells the Prime Minister that in order for the princess to be released, he must have sex with a pig on live television at 4 pm exactly that day. This of course gets spread around the country rather quickly, and various polls are presented to the public about what the Prime Minister should do and it is finally decided that he will go through with it. At 4 pm, every television was screening the same thing and everyone in the country sat in silence and watched as the disgusting act was performed. An hour later, the Prime Minister is told he can stop because the princess had been found. It was discovered that she had been released from capture at about 3:30. This comes at a great shock to the Prime Minister because it means he could have never committed the act.
The man who kidnapped the princess and performed the entire crime did all of it as an art statement. He knew that everyone in the country (especially the surrounding area of London) would be flocking to a television, thus leaving no one outside to see the princess wandering the streets. Once the broadcast ended, people started to go outside and eventually find the princess.
The show was making a comment on how technology has impacted people and what their priorities are. In the episode, everyone was completely willing to drop everything and watch the Prime Minister do the unspeakable but no one bothered to stay out and look for the missing girl. This extreme acknowledgement is calling for everyone to look up from their screens every once in a while to check what is going on in the real world. It is possible that something super important will happen and it will go right past you.
I've watched a few episodes of this show and it is incredibly interesting. It always brings up and issue that is debatable.
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