Season 7 of the highly anticipated Netflix original series, Black Mirror, has made its debut, beginning with the episode ‘Common People’. The chilling first episode stars Chris O’Dowd, Rashida Jones, and Tracee Ellis Ross in what can be described as a quintessential Black Mirror experience. Creator Charlie Brooker mentioned that this new season returns to the basics of the show, with sci-fi stories that include horrifying and disturbing content, albeit not in an overt horror-movie manner.
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In ‘Common People’, O’Dowd and Jones portray Mike and Amanda, a couple leading a simple life until Amanda experiences a medical emergency due to a brain tumour. To save her consciousness, Rivermind, a tech company represented by Gaynor (Ross), offers to clone Amanda’s brain, store it on their server, and stream it back into her body. However, the catch is that Amanda would require increased sleep hours with the subscription costs escalating beyond their means.
As the couple struggles to keep up with the mounting expenses of Rivermind’s tiers, they face severe financial strain, loss of jobs, and emotional exhaustion. Ultimately, Amanda makes the heartbreaking decision to end her life as she asks Mike to smother her with a pillow while she goes unconscious during streaming adverts – a bleak and distressing turn of events that is synonymous with Black Mirror’s signature narrative style.
Following Amanda’s tragic demise, Mike is seen contemplating his next actions. Holding a box cutter with an extended blade, he appears to make a final decision, leaving viewers with a sense of uncertainty. The ambiguous ending, as interpreted by Brooker, suggests a grim outcome for Mike as he looks ‘straight down the lens’, hinting at a chilling conclusion that leaves room for speculation and introspection.
While ‘Common People’ stands as a standalone episode within the Black Mirror anthology, it notably includes a reference to a previous fan-favourite instalment, ‘San Junipero’. The episode showcases the challenges faced by Mike and Amanda as they embark on a journey that escalates towards an inevitable and tragic conclusion, underscoring the moral dilemmas and ethical questions surrounding technology and its impact on human life.
In conclusion, ‘Common People’ delves deep into the complexities of human nature and the moral dilemmas that arise when faced with life-altering decisions in a technologically advanced society. As Black Mirror continues to captivate audiences with its thought-provoking narratives and unsettling portrayals of the future, fans can expect more gripping and emotionally resonant stories in the episodes to come.