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Comment by danso | Hacker News Reader

I've only watched 3 of the episodes (Playtest, Shut Up and Dance, and Hated in the Nation)...I've heard the other 3 episodes were better, but the 3 that I have watched seemed subpar compared to the previous 2 seasons. Not terrible as far as overall TV goes, but after the plot thrills were over, they just didn't leave the same queasiness-about-possible-future-dystopia that "White Bear", "White Christmas", "Entire History of You", "Be Right Back", and "Fifteen Million Merits" do (5 out of 7).

I am looking forward to watching "San Junipero", because unlike the other episodes, I have no idea what it's about based on its episode description (or 80s-themed screenshot).

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> they just didn't leave the same queasiness-about-possible-future-dystopia

Actually for me they do. Maybe I'm more sensitive to this than others but I've seen the first two and both left me rather disoriented, alomst detached from reality, the first minutes after watching them. I only reach such a state through brilliant (from my point of view, I guess) film or music, or by using drugs. So: no complaints here :]

E.g. I really like how the first episode makes you not only reflect on a possible-but-too-close future that looks horrible to live in, but at the same time reminds you to realize maybe it's already a reality for some people today - possible including yourself, and that in a broader sense it has been like that all throughout history.

Watching the first one I joked about how a horror movie can be done with only beautiful people with perfect hair talking politely and dressed in pastels.

Have you seen The Prisoner? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Village_(The_Prisoner)

Only the old one. The new one is on my list.

I don't see why a lack of queasiness is a reason for disliking an episode in the first place. This season is more nuanced, and explores worlds in which the characters are in varying degrees of rebellion against social mores.

San Junipero was nice in that it was the only episode in the season that wasn't completely dystopian, I won't give it away any more than that.

Personally, Shut Up and Dance was my favorite episode, as it was on the level of White Bear as being so insanely messed up. Also one of my favorite albums is OK Computer by Radiohead, so when Exit Music (For a Film) played, just wow.

That one was the worst. Not well thought out plot.

You might like "Everyone in Silico" too [1]. Almost felt like San Junipero was based on that. EiS paints quite a dystopia, but was more believable. Looking forward to reading Rabin Hanson's "The Age of Ems".

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyone_in_Silico

I thought the first three episodes were brilliant. The rest are also good - San Junipero is quite enjoyable - but the last episode was somewhat underwhelming for me.

S3 is probably not as good as the rest of the series, but it's much better than anything else currently on TV, except for Westworld of course.

And Mr. Robot, which doesn't get nearly enough threads on HN IMHO :)

I thought the last episode was great, although maybe slightly long. It was a good example of how a seemingly good piece of technology can be disastrous if a back door is put into it. Also it was a decent nod to Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"

It might have been more believable if it wasn't just the work of a single person. I just couldn't suspend my disbelief because of that. I mean, we are on HN after all :P

I think my problem with it was how plot-driven the last episode ("Hated in the Nation") was. It ended in a way as if it mattered whether the cops catch the bad guy. I love cop shows, but the procedural bits here took time from all the interesting tech concepts that had been brought up. Another reviewer described it as feeling like an episode of X-Files, which I think is an apt way to describe it: Good, but not the kind of good that Black Mirror is uniquely positioned to deliver.

I understood "Hated in the Nation" to be taking the piss out of the standard cop show format, with their happy endings, flashbacks from the debriefing, master villain, etc.

Charlie Brooker has already thoroughly massacred the procedural format:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Touch_of_Cloth

I think in an episode largely concerned with revenge and justice it does matter, thematically, that at least one character is very driven to catch the bad guy, right up to the end.

Dirty self-reply here because it's too late to edit, but it has occurred to me that the ending is also indispensable to that character's arc.

Season 3 is not as hard-hitting as previous seasons, but it's still brilliant and thought provoking science fiction.

Production value is better and stories can sometimes have happy endings. Definitely more mellow for larger audience.

So far I am enjoying season 3 the most, one of the main reasons is the obvious higher production value. The first two seasons had that low-budget cheesy feel to them, which I find slightly distracting.

I think the episodes so far (1-4) are more hard hitting than the rest of them (playtest + shut up and dance, especially), but it might be because they are more recent in my mind.

San Junipero was one of the more moving TV episodes I've seen in a long time.

I understand what you are saying.

Do you feel like the earlier episodes could be applicable to anyone in future society, but the current episodes are too specific to apply to "anybody" - rather, "This is the dystopian future, but only for these personality types."

Affecting society versus affecting the self?

Additionally, not sure if anybody agrees, but I considered the end of episode 1 season 3 a happy ending.

I don't see episode 3 being sub par. It's classic Black Mirror.

Yeah, just saw this one and it's very reminiscent of the very first episode. Incredible.

I'd say it's closest to (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER I guess?) White Bear.

4 and 6 were the best and among the top 5 for the series, easily.

1 was my least-favorite episode of the entire series. Flabby editing, could have trimmed a solid 5 minutes, and something about the shot choices and/or the editing made every serious conversation look like watching two people ACTING, which is not a good thing.

5 was a bad episode in an interesting world. If 1 hadn't had technical issues I'd definitely rank this one under it. Story needed more work.

2 and 3 were mid-tier. 2 is pretty much a really great Outer Limits episode and 3 is just... well, Black Mirror. Good, but not amazing like some others in the series.

I'd say that puts its average under either of the other 3-episode seasons, yeah. Still some good stuff in there.

If by "1" you mean Nosedive... then maybe it was /supposed/ to look like you were watching two people acting?

No, I mean specifically the scenes where the characters were being more genuine, mainly between the main character and her brother and a certain sage-character later in the episode (trying to avoid spilling too many details). The parts where characters were being fake were mostly pretty good, though a little more subtlety might have sold it better.

I share your opinions about the first three episodes of the newest session. Still, I strongly recommend watching San Junipero. Don't read anything about it lest you encounter spoilers. In my opinion, it more than makes up for the mediocre first half of the season.

I've only watched "Nosedive" of the new set, and it has had more of an impact than any of the other episodes. I find it the closest to "real" and "frightening" of the bunch - only the first episode is closer in terms of "This is possible", but it wasn't nearly as existentially terrifying.

Two of those three episodes you saw are actually the worst (or least-good?) of the new season. They're definitely not as good as previous seasons, but the three you're missing are a lot better.

I did consider "Shut Up and Dance" to have a pretty interesting progression though.

San Junipero is superb!

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