15 Million Merits

Recently gaining more attention, Black Mirror episodes are primarily satirical commentary on different aspects of society and the way it functions. One episode that stuck out in particular for me is "15 Million Merits." Beware - spoilers and details about the episode are ahead.

"15 Millions Merits" is the second episode of the first season of Black Mirror, and was originally released in 2011. It is set in a dystopian future in which most people must ride exercise bikes to power their world and earn merits, which are their form of currency. Their society is highly driven on the amount of merits one has, and what they can buy with those merits. People can also use merits to skip advertisements that come on screens while they are riding the exercise bikes or in their rooms.

The main character, Bing, is a man who has inherited 12 millions merits after his brother died. The plot really begins when Bing meets Abi, who is an incredible singer. One of the most expensive items  a person can buy is a ticket to perform on a game show called Hot Shot, which costs 15 million merits. Bing convinces Abi that she should audition, and gifts her a ticket. She performs after being drugged with a compliance drink called Cuppliance, and the judges tell her that they have no place for an "Above Average Singer." They then offer her a position as an adult actress which she accepts, and following this, Bing returns to his room without Abi and with hardly any merits. This becomes an issue when a pornographic commercial featuring Abi comes on the screen in Bing's room, and he is unable to skip it because he does not have enough merits. Following this, Bing begins to save up his merits until he can afford a ticket to Hot Shot for himself. Bing begins by performing a dance routine, and at the end of his audition breaks down and delivers a speech, which you can watch here.

The entire episode, and especially Bing's speech, is a commentary on how we place so much emphasis on material things that truly have no substance. We as a society have become heartless; we can feel nothing in violence portrayed by media, we can buy into a system that thrives on an imaginary concept of worth, and we can separate ourselves based on how much of something we have. Additionally, there is an element of body image and how it plays into a person's abilities and worth, which strikes many similarities with what we value today in our society.

Following Bing's speech, the judges applaud him for his "performance" and offer him his own show, where he can talk freely about what he thinks is important. He accepts, and is removed from his everyday position of cycling, in addition to getting a larger room with an actual window. All of this goes to show that when offered, even those who think they have figured out the system will still buy into it when given a good opportunity.