I used to love Black Mirror for its fantastic imaginings of what could happen as our lives become more and more intertwined with technology. See how it explored hypotheticals ranging from transferring our consciousness into a simulated reality to parenting microchipped children to living in a society where social media likes determine socioeconomic status.
The show’s cultural criticism was always spot on, and the aforementioned episodes – “San Junipero,” “Arkangel,” and “Nosedive” – received numerous well-deserved nominations and awards. However, “Common People,” the first episode of season 7, blurs the lines of fiction and reality to the point I questioned why we needed a new season of Black Mirror at all.
The episode opens significantly beyond the Save the Bees movement, because guess what? School children are learning all about how autonomous drone insects help pollinate flowers. Soon after, Amanda and Mike Waters (played by Rashida Jones and Chris O’Dowd) face troubling news regarding Amanda’s health. In a desperate attempt to pay for an experimental procedure that keeps his spouse alive, Mike begins posting videos on Dum Dummies, a website where people are paid to hurt or humiliate themselves for money.
I refused to keep watching. What’s the point here? One could argue that the show is criticizing companies that use predatory business tactics to exploit vulnerable people who need their services. Or it’s saying we need better healthcare. Or better pay across industries so that people don’t resort to crowdfunding (or in the case of this episode, exploitation), to pay their bills, but… we already know these things!
Yes, throughout its many episodes, Netflix’s Black Mirror deals with dark themes and the what-ifs of the future. But the season seven opener comes off like one of those obnoxious people who love to say “Just wait until – [whatever terrible thing awaits]” to new parents who are already struggling. ENOUGH. You’re not doing us any favors. You’re not warning us at this point. We get it. We’re in it.
For many, the world feels bleak. One quick look at the news or our social media feeds shows us war, corruption, and hate that just generally leave us feeling sick to our stomachs.
The Trump administration has rolled back environmental protections that will have long-term consequences on our planet – so I don’t need to see a fictionalized reality where bees truly no longer exist. Additionally, according to the American Hospital Association, as of 2024, an estimated 14 million people (6% of adults) in the U.S. owe over $1,000 in medical debt, and as a whole U.S., residents owe at least $220 billion in medical debt. With the cost of living soaring, and wages not keeping up, one medical emergency can cause financial ruin. Remember when Blue Cross Blue Shield was trying to stop covering enough anesthesia to make it all the way through surgery just a few months ago? These things aren’t what-ifs, they’re our reality.
Unlike other episodes that impart a lesson on our need to examine our world and the direction it’s going in, there isn’t anything to be learned here. We don’t see someone getting a much-deserved comeuppance. There aren’t any new philosophical questions being posed. All we see are people in the depths of despair and tiresome reminders of how capitalism and privatized medical industries create more inequality and suffering.
Given the state of the world, Black Mirror really missed the mark with its season 7 premiere. Viewers need escapism or at least thoughtful questions, and they delivered neither. I’m sure there is at least one feel-good episode tucked away in the season, I just don’t care to suffer through the rest of it to find out. There’s enough pain to go around already.
