The series "The Black Mirror": reviews, actors, how many episodes, the plot

With the development of special effects, the cost of filming has decreased significantly. Due to this, dozens of television series are annually stamps. However, most of them are of the same type and boring. The happy exception is the British project "The Black Mirror" (2011). Being unique in its kind, for several years he continues to amaze his fans with fresh ideas and relevant topics.

The TV series "The Black Mirror"

As if humanity did not try to deny this fact: but television, the Internet, social networks and other "gifts" of the digital age affect not only the quality of life, but also gradually force users to change their worldview. Very often this does not happen for the better. These and many other similar problems are devoted to the British television series "Black Mirror", launched in 2011 and is still one of the leaders of television.

The format of the series

The author of the idea, as well as the main screenwriter of most Black mirror series is the English TV presenter and writer Charlie Brooker.

As the director of each series stands a separate person, which allows you to simultaneously work on several episodes. Among those who directed the project were stars such as Eyros Lin (Doctor Who and Sherlock), Joe Wright ("Redemption", "Pride and Prejudice") and James Thomas Watkins (Steep Measures, Woman in Black ").

As a format for the project, the so-called procedural drama is chosen (the plot is built around each series), with a separate episode - a new story, not related to the previous or subsequent. In fact, the "Black Mirror" is a television series consisting of separate films that sharply criticize the dependence of modern society's thinking on the media.

Theme of the project

In the "Black Mirror" a lot of topical problems of our time are being raised, and to bring them more clearly to the audience, most of the events are carried forward in the near future.

The series "Nosedive" and "Hated in the Nation" are devoted to the hobby of "Laika" in Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and similar social projects. The main heroine of Nosedive, trying to raise her standard of living, is forced to constantly pretend and deceive not only others, but herself, repelling people who are really close. Having lost her rating due to a series of unfortunate accidents, she overestimates her views on life and understands that happiness is not related to the number of "likes".

Episode Hated in the Nation tells how an unknown hacker with the help of bees-drones exterminates famous personalities, if the idea of killing them collects enough "likes" on his site.

The falsity of all the so-called reality shows is dedicated to the episode Fifteen Million Merits. It shows the world of the future, in which the talent show is the only chance for a man from the bottom to break out to the top. However, in fact, the jury of the program does not help people develop their abilities, but makes them do hideous things for the entertainment of the crowd. So, the beloved of the protagonist, who dreamed of becoming a singer, at the behest of judges turns into an actress of porn films, and the guy himself threatens daily to kill himself on the air in order to provide himself a comfortable life.

The series The Entire History of You, Be Right Back and White Christmas tell about the influence of modern technologies on family life. In the first story, a man learns about the betrayal of his beloved wife, looking through his memoirs (the plot of the episode echoes with the film "Final Installation" in 2003). In the second - the widow collects data about her husband in social networks and on the basis of this creates a similar like two drops of water to the deceased spouse of the robot. The third story tells about the attempt of the wife to hide the betrayal from her husband in the future, where the concept of "banishment" acquires physical meaning (a person who has undergone this does not see or hear the "banned" him).

The influence of the media on politics is devoted to the episodes of The National Anthem, The Waldo Moment, Men Against Fire and Hated in the Nation.

In The National Anthem public opinion forces the head of government to sleep with the pig on the air to save the lives of the princess taken hostage. However, when the princess is released - no one notices this, because everyone is keenly watching the politician having sex with the animal.

In The Waldo Moment for entertainment, the candidates of political parties are asked questions by the blue bear-cartoon Waldo. Gradually, he begins to like spectators so much that he himself becomes a politician, despite the fact that he has neither a program, nor any special knowledge and skills, in order to amuse the crowd with base jokes.

The episode Men Against Fire tells how the inhabitants of Denmark are forced to hate and mercilessly exterminate fellow human beings, using the media to force them to perceive them as monsters.

"Black mirror": how many episodes and seasons

As in the mega-popular British television series "Sherlock", "The Black Mirror" originally consisted of 3 episodes in one season. In addition, the project's seasons did not come out annually, but with minor breaks of 1.5-2 years. Such a format was chosen not only to warm up the audience's interest, but also that the writers had enough time to select interesting subjects.

Thus, the first two seasons contained 3 series (6 in total). In addition, in the middle of December 2014 was released a separate Christmas edition - White Christmas, which combines in one episode three stories. Total - 7 series.

Features of the third season

In the fall of 2015, the American company Netflix bought from the British the rights to the project "Black Mirror".

The new season of the television series (the third) was released in October 2016 already on Netflix (previously the series was broadcast on Channel 4). Americans decided to slightly change the format of the project. Now consists not of 3, but of 12 episodes, one season of the series "The Black Mirror".

3 season started on October 21, releasing six new episodes simultaneously. This act Netflix caused mixed reviews from viewers. But now the debate on whether the next 6 episodes of the project "Black Mirror" (the release date is scheduled for 2017) can be considered as a separate - the fourth season, or it is the second part of the third, as it was previously announced.

To date, the air has been released 13 episodes of the project: 3 in the first two seasons, special issue and 6 series of the third season.

The first season of the "Black Mirror": actors and roles

In addition to an interesting story, viewers on all continents, in this project attracted carefully selected performers of the main roles.

In the debut of the series The National Anthem, the main role went to the British Rory Kinner ("Horror for Cheap", "Be a Man", "Empty Crown"). The name of his charming pink "partner" in the erotic scene, unfortunately, is not known, but some other performers of the leading roles are already familiar to the domestic audience. This Lindsay Duncan ("The Ideal Husband", "Berdman") and Lydia Wilson ("Boyfriend from the Future", "Startrek 3"), who played the kidnapped princess.

In the second series about the reality show of the future Fifteen Million Merits, Rupert Everett ("Without hysteria", "The End of the Parade") played the role of a jokey member of the jury. And the roles of his main victims went to Daniel Kaloy (Bing) and Jessica Brown Findley (Ebi, who dreamed of becoming a singer, but turned into a porn actress).

In the last episode of the season (The Entire History of You), the unfaithful wife was played by Jody Whittaker ("Classmates", "Royal Wedding"), her husband - Toby Kebbell (Ben-Hur, "The Voice of the Monster"). The role of the lover went to Tom Cullen ("The Last Days on Mars", "Father's Daughter").

Who played the leading roles in season 2 of the project

After a two-year break in 2013, the television series "The Black Mirror" again appeared on the screens. Despite the fears of the audience, the new season proved to be no worse than the debut.

The first series of Be Right Back, touched to the depths of the soul, millions of viewers from around the world. In the center of the plot was not a specific event, but the experience of the main character, who decided to replace her deceased husband with his robocopy. The role of the rushing widow of Martha was played by Hayley Atwell ("The Duchess", "Agent Carter"), and her husband and his robocopy was embodied on the screen by Donal Gleeson (Do not Let Me Go, Brooklyn).

The heroine of the second episode (White Bear) was a woman guilty of killing her own daughter. As punishment for the deed, she is daily subjected to public harassment and beatings by other citizens. The role of Victoria - the mother-killer, was played by Lenore Crichlow ("The Open Door", "Death in Paradise").

In the last episode of the season (The Waldo Moment), the role of a man who plays a bear-cartoon was played by Daniel Rigby ("Miss Marple Agatha Christie", "Funny Showcase"), and his greedy unprincipled barefoot performed by Jason Fleming ("Journey to China. "," League of outstanding gentlemen "). Also in this series, Tobias Menzies ("The Game of Thrones", "Night Administrator") was shown playing one of the candidates.

Actors White Christmas

The Christmas special release, which was released during the break between the 2nd and 3rd seasons of the project "The Black Mirror", was also welcomed by the audience. The reviews left by them, in the first place, praised the performers of female roles: Natalia Tenu ("Wart", "Dear Friend"), who played a psychotic killer; Unu Chaplin ("Quantum of Solace", "Taboo") and Janet Montgomery ("Downton Abbey", "Space Between Us"). The main male roles, comrades in misfortune, divorced from society, were performed by Rafe Spall and John Hamm.

The plot and actors of the first half of the third season of the "Black Mirror"

In the new season, the main roles began to be entrusted not only to British, but also American actors in the project "Black Mirror".

3 season opens a series of Nosedive, dedicated to the world, where the number of "likes" depends on the social situation of a person. The main character was played by American Bryce Dallas Howard ("Twilight Saga: Eclipse", "Pete and his dragon"). Her friend was portrayed on the screen by the British beauty Alice Eve ("Get in the Top Ten", "Before We Part"), and James Norton (War and Peace, The Comedians) played a low-rated brother.

In the second series of Playtest, dedicated to testing a new virtual game that eventually killed the protagonist, he was played by the son of two Hollywood movie stars Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn - Wyatt Russell ("To each his own", "Cowboys vs. Aliens").

The third episode of Shut Up and Dance tells how people become hostages to Internet blackmailers, forcing them to do terrible things. The roles of the victims were played by Alex Lowther ("The Game of Imitation", "Departure") and Jerome Flynn ("Game of Thrones", "Ripper Street") in this series of the project "The Black Mirror". The feedback of many viewers who watched this episode, characterizes it as the most believable for all 3 seasons.

Slightly reminiscent of the plot of the "Matrix" is the fourth series of San Junipero. In her two residents of the nursing home live an active life in the virtual world, where they are young and happy. The roles of young projections of old women were performed by Gugu Mbata-Rowe ("Beauty and the Beast", "Jupiter's Ascent") and Mackenzie Davis ("Friendship and no sex?", "In the trash").

The fifth series of Men Against Fire shows how easy it is to manipulate a social creature through the media. The main roles in it were played by Sarah Snook ("Time Patrol", "Steve Jobs") and Malachi Kirby ("The Roots", "The Fallen").

The last of the episodes that have left to date (Hated in the Nation) tells how ordinary law-abiding people, choose victims for a hacker-killer, do not consider their act immoral, because everyone does that. The main roles were played by Faye Marsay (Doctor Who, The Game of Thrones) and Kelly MacDonald ("The Trap for the Bride", "Bravehearted").

Project "Black mirror": reviews of viewers and critics

Since the first episode of The National Anthem, this project has attracted attention around the world. He especially liked the Chinese audience, having received the highest rating among all English-language projects, on the Douban website.

The well-known edition of The Beijing News called the project "The Apocalypse of the Modern World", which, despite its desperation, is deep enough in content. In another article in the same edition, it was said that the Black mirror shows all the immorality of modern society.

The popular English-speaking site-aggregator Metacritic put the television series one of the highest ratings 82/100 based on 23 positive reviews.

As for ordinary viewers, just loving to see a good movie, they also quite appreciated the "Black Mirror". Reviews of such people, as a rule, contain praises for an unusual story, as well as the absence of too bright special effects.

"This is a spectacle for thinking people who are able to analyze and draw conclusions" - write in their reviews the fans of the project. Most fans appreciate in it exactly that in every story a lot of questions are raised, but the ready answers to them are not given to spectators, leaving in each series an open ending.

It is said that all television series with time bother fans. The project "The Black Mirror" is still a happy exception to this sad rule. He not only does not give up his positions for many years, but also with each new season acquires new fans.