'Black Mirror' brings the dark side of human relationships, the most epic crossovers, paranoia and more in season 5
Within just a couple of days the most anticipated Netflix show of the year, 'Black Mirror', will return with its fifth season. While fans last year were greeted with a whole separate interactive film from the franchise titled 'Bandersnatch', this time the thriller is blessing us with three brand new episodes, starring some of the biggest stars from the industry. Andrew Scott, Miley Cyrus, and Anthony Mackie feature as the three protagonists from the three individual episodes and the series look set to take things to a whole new level!
But while the show has gained massive popularity for showing the dark side of the tech revolution, there has to be something different about the episodes in the upcoming fifth season to jazz it all up compared to its predecessors, right? Worry not, we have all the answers about what you can look forward to in this year's collection of the Charlie Brooker created anthology thriller.
1. Moriarty, Hannah Montana, and Falcon — the golden trio of pop culture crossovers
While 'Black Mirror' is known for introducing unique but stellar actors throughout, this time it decided to bless pop culture enthusiasts with the golden trio of crossovers. We have Andrew Scott who is widely celebrated for bringing to life the vicious sociopath mastermind Jim Moriarty in the 'Sherlock' TV series; there's our childhood Disney pop sensation Miley Cyrus indulging in the best of both worlds once again, only a much darker second world this time; and we have Marvel superhero the Falcon, played by Anthony Mckie in the film adaptation of the 'Avengers' franchise. There truly is a bit of the finest of everything pop culture holds precious and we can't wait for their individual episodes to finally pan out on screen.
2. Miley Cyrus's episode 'Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too' is really "out there"
In a recent interview with BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat, the Disney actress-turned-pop sensation opened up about her upcoming 'Black Mirror' debut in the episode centered around an AI robot based on her character, Ashley. The plot is pretty simple" Ashley (Cyrus) releases an AI gadget based on her personality, and a teenage fan gets obsessed with trying to meet the star through the gadget. The highlight of the episode is mostly the narrative exploring the journey of women in the music industry.
"This is the story of females in the music industry. I understand everyone's gone through this but I do think for females in the industry… it’s hard to be taken seriously," Cyrus told BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat. "People assume that if you're not wearing a body suit and singing pop music, why would anyone want to see you." She also added that the episode gets extremely "dark" and is "outrageously out there." So that should be fun!
3. Andrew Scott starring 'Smithereens' will make you reconsider cab service apps
The entire concept of commuting has been revolutionized by new age apps like Uber and Lyft which lets you book a ride at the tip of your fingertips. But a little research on the safety of these rides will also reveal that not everything that goes on after booking an Uber is convenient, or even safe. 'Smithereens' shows our favorite Jim Moriarty from the 'Sherlock' TV series as the worst Uber driver ever. And in that, he channels his homicidal instincts after something as expectedly calming as a meditation app drives him insane. The episode is basically a stern reminder about how things that are supposed to make meandering through life convenient, can often prove to be your bane.
4. Anthony Mackie's 'Striking Vipers' might put you off friendships and dating for good
It's all fun and games to introduce your special someone to your old friends; that is unless the special someone is jealous to the core, and the said friend is a frivolous dater. Mackie's partner, played by Nicole Beharie, finds him scrolling through a dating app, right after he has managed to reunite with the same estranged friend (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), thus weaving a web of insecurities, suspicious, and trust issues, where Mackie somehow ends up bearing the brunt of both his old friend, and his partner's wrath. The biggest teaser about the episode is how even fans overly familiar with 'Black Mirror's established trajectory, won't be able to guess what exactly goes so devastatingly wrong. And for that, you just have to watch the episode; no other way out.
5. The familiar wave of emptiness and paranoia that every season brings
As thrilling a joyride that every 'Black Mirror' episode has proven to be so far, there's no denying that it truly raises a reasonable doubt about the same technology that has become so indispensable in our lives. There's also no overlooking the onset of paranoia that every episode is capable of kicking in, be it something as simple as social media, or something as complex as the ruler of the nation making a dangerous compromise. Soon the paranoia dies down to give rise of a haunting emptiness within us as we realized just how crippled by modern day technology we are. And that is exactly what makes one of the finest horror shows of our times, something we look forward to year after year.
'Black Mirror' returns with season five on Wednesday, June 5, only on Netflix.
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