And thus begins Dr Who’s Black Mirror episode. We are introduced to an abundance of characters with posh, pretty faces and silly names, all existing in a world where social media is the be all and end all, and people are stagnating in their imposed luxury. Instead of face-to-face we have ditty little apps and instant messaging. Hey, we can’t even see the real world because we have a semi-opaque bubble all round our heads, shielding us from real life. And i need to remind you this is fiction – but it bloody nearly isn’t.
RTD takes this opportunity to commentate on our social situation and present a dark prediction for whats to come… and throw in some Dr Who monster nonsense too, for good measure. The monsters in question here are huge, globular slug creatures that put me in mind of Tractators, but are probably more in line with what the giant gastropods looked like. I’ve done a quick google and i can’t find any reference to the name of these hideous creatures, so we’ll stick with carnivorous slugs for the time being.
Lindy Pepper-Bean (see what i mean about silly names) is our central protagonist here, and is an excellent performance from relative newcomer Callie Cooke. Her sharp, curt dialogue makes her immediately dislikeable, and for a long time i was sort of rooting for her comeuppance. Are we really meant to empathise with this annoying character? Isn’t she a poor choice for the protagonist?
Inside her social media bubble of ignorance, she is hampered by, at first, some unknown miscreant known as the Doctor, then a slightly more persuasive character called Ruby, who is apparently part of some health and safety audit, or something. She is led to believe something wicked this way comes, and after finally dropping her bubble, she sees it. A giant carnivorous slug devouring her classmate.
Battling her own insecurities and inexperience with the outside world, she must team up with renowned celebrity Ricky September (silliest name yet) and follow the Doctor’s clues to escape.
Except. Thats not what the show is about. This is not about Lindy’s battle with the decline of society. This could happily have been a savage comment on the youth of today followed by redemption and, (Doctor Who’s forte) hope. Instead, RTD pulls an absolute blinder.
The finale is heart-stopping. The Doctor offering his help to all those poor people, only for that hand to be batted away by a population of idiotic youngsters too caught up in their own self-importance. These are spoiled, irredeemable and frankly racist brats (calling the TARDIS “voodoo”), who, if i’m honest, deserve to be fed to those rather wonderful carnivorous slugs.
The lack of Ncuti is a downside (he was filming Sex Ed) but in all honesty, this isn’t about the Doctor’s involvement. This is a statement about the world today, and lets be honest here, its not far off. Sure, we’re probably still decades off an invasion of the slug people, but we’re just seconds away from surrounding our heads in media bubbles and then being prey to a vindictive AI.
Its not a happy episode, and as a result, ends up being one of the best.
the FANGG of HORROR ROCK 