Black Mirror

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elidib

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Juvarisx said:
Lol fuck these publications that say Hang the DJ is the most romantic happiest episode etc

If mankind ever put their faith into an AI for that we would be doomed
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Did they not watch it all the way through, or did I misinterpret it?

It was a simulation that just figured out what it could do so that the people inside it wouldn't reject it, like the matrix right? so it runs 1,000 times, and when it figures out some way of keeping you inside it, bam that's it, winner. The computer didn't give a shit about love, it just wants to make you docile, all the happy-in-love versions get fucking deleted because they want to (a) jump the wall or (b) marry and graduate out.

Right?
 
Enzee

Enzee

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Just finished episode 1, and wow that might be one of my favorites so far. It's not as 'mind fuck' as some, but the setting/tech is kind of everyone's fantasy, if we are being honest. Minus the whole negative part of
cloning people to be conscience inside..
cause that's kinda shitty, obviously. Everything else though? fuck yea.

Hope the rest of the season is similar quality. If so, I'm in for a ride.
 
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Lanx

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elidib said:
Did they not watch it all the way through, or did I misinterpret it?

It was a simulation that just figured out what it could do so that the people inside it wouldn't reject it, like the matrix right? so it runs 1,000 times, and when it figures out some way of keeping you inside it, bam that's it, winner. The computer didn't give a shit about love, it just wants to make you docile, all the happy-in-love versions get fucking deleted because they want to (a) jump the wall or (b) marry and graduate out.

Right?
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opposite, rebellions was considered a success, cuz tthey had 998 rebellions so 99.8 match rate
 
gshurik

gshurik

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I think her theory on them matching with enough people slowly wearing you down was actually the point. I wouldn't call it romantic really, just shows how fallible a system would be in choosing a partner.
 
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Xevy

Xevy

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gshurik said:
I think her theory on them matching with enough people slowly wearing you down was actually the point. I wouldn't call it romantic really, just shows how fallible a system would be in choosing a partner.
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They were two different aspects of the same app. The one they're in basically matches people and each rebellion is considered a match and true love, willing to go against everything for each other. So those simulations are based off real life people's characteristics and then the rebellion rate is sent to the real world app that is merely just a compatibility test lile eHarmony or something. They basically are just humanizing and anthropomorphizing the dating algorithms.
 
Caliane

Caliane

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Zindan said:
Has there been an episode that shows the development of the tech that has led to all these direct brain connection devices? I can't recall one.
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I think the "call mom" one could be the first. "playtest"
playtesting a new technology. Its an implant that allows circumventing real world senses, and puts the person into an Augmented reality.
This tech can then, scan the brain, and invent scenarios to scare a person. Essentially all the other cyber reality and digital clones come from this tech.
the augmented reality is obvious. if you can scan a brain, you can copy it, and thus all the others follow.


(The idea that you could copy a persons identity/memories from a gene swab is silly however.)
 
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Caliane

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yeah, Lanx and xevy are correct on Hang the DJ.
Imagine a dating personality profile on eharmony, that copied your personality literally. As well as everyone elses in the database. And, THEN creating a simulation of you. and put that simulation of you into a series of dates with every other profile. It ran this simulation 1000 times, and 998 times he ended up with her, by rebelling against the system that tried to force them to move on.
 
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Caliane

Caliane

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gshurik said:
So I just finished the season, and my god this was a great season. Black Museum and USS Calister are pretty fucking terrifying too.

The only miss for me was Metalhead, but that was just because it seemed like it didn't really have an overarching theme other than cynicism.
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It was more subtle. its a light Grey goo scenario.
Everyone buys a sentry dog. poor programming, likely due to a poor upgrade patch, the dogs with hunt and kill intruders, anyone that gets in their way, owners who forget passcodes, etc. So very quickly, everyone is a target for the sentries.

Automated sentries are a bad idea.
 
Enzee

Enzee

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Finished up the season, and Callister is still my favorite overall, from an enjoyment standpoint.. but Black Museum was the best 'dat's fucked up' episode this season.
The Rolo Haynes character was starting to feel like their version of Rod Serling, some guy over seeing most of the things going on in the whole show, after the first two stories. But, then they made him into more of an asshole with the last exhibit and was glad to see him put into that position. While they don't need a guy like that, the episode itself changes some of the tropes of the show by tying all the tech together loosely. It could be a fitting series finale if that's what ends up happening, too.

Overall, my ranking would be
6) Crocodile
5) Metalhead
4) Arkangel
3) Hang the DJ
2) Black Museum
1) Callister

With 4-6 being somewhat interchangeable, they were all just kind of 'meh', and the top 2 being much better then #3. If this had just been a 3 episode season like he used to do, with Callister, Hang the DJ and Black Museum, might have been arguably the best season ever.
 
Enzee

Enzee

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It's still the most fun episode, for sure. It's close with Callister to me, but only cause of personal bias towards the star trek world. Like, San Junipero is a better crafted episode, and it won awards for a reason, I just like the setting and premise of Callister slightly more. Would be more fun to be in that world then the Junipero one.

I am concerned that the show is starting to just use the same technology and similar ideas now, though. Only so many ways to do 'eternal digital torment' before it gets old.
 
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gshurik

gshurik

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I agree with you there, I do think the next season needs more episodes like National Anthem, White Bear and Shut up and Dance.

The common themeing being that the technology is pretty low-fi in those and I'm a bit bored of the super high tech technology that they use. (obviously white bear has one instance of that but yeah).

I still don't think White Bear and Shut up and Dance have been topped, but I really liked Callister and Nosedive. Black Museum was cool too, but it felt a bit different and I think it dragged a bit.
 
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Tenks

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I feel like Arkangel would have been better if the daughter committed suicide and the mother watched it happen. The ending of that episode seemed abrupt and awkward. I'm sure it was discussed and a pretty obvious ending so I wonder if they didn't do it just to "Black Mirror" us with this plot twist of her just smashing her face in with the tablet. Dunno.
 
Lanx

Lanx

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Tenks said:
I feel like Arkangel would have been better if the daughter committed suicide and the mother watched it happen. The ending of that episode seemed abrupt and awkward. I'm sure it was discussed and a pretty obvious ending so I wonder if they didn't do it just to "Black Mirror" us with this plot twist of her just smashing her face in with the tablet. Dunno.
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i would have wanted arkangel to end w/ the girl approaching a barking dog and the mom watching w/ the tablet. the barking censored dog would break free and smother the girls face and all the mom would see is a closeup of a censored dog. The girl doesn't know the dog is a danger b/c shes been censored for so long while its eating her face.
 
Ritley

Ritley

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I really liked USS Callister even though it already seems like a concept they have explored before. Still have to watch the rest of season 4, but if they are close to that quality then it will be fantastic
 
Rime

Rime

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Ritley said:
I really liked USS Callister even though it already seems like a concept they have explored before. Still have to watch the rest of season 4, but if they are close to that quality then it will be fantastic
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They are not (in my opinion). USS Callister was the strongest episode of the season.
 
Louis

Louis

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I thought episodes 1, 3 , and 6 were enjoyable. The others were very blah and won't really stick with me much at all.
 
Ritley

Ritley

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Rime said:
They are not (in my opinion). USS Callister was the strongest episode of the season.
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Eh, kinda sucks but I still enjoyed even the “bad “ episodes.

My favorite is probably White Christmas, but there are a few that are right up there for me. The only episode I didn’t like was the first one.
 
Rime

Rime

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Yep. Whenever I talk the series up to someone, I recommend they skip the first episode.
 
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