Black Mirror: Crocodile
December 29, 2017 8:15 AM - Season 4, Episode 3 - Subscribe
Architect Mia scrambles to keep a dark secret under wraps, while insurance investigator Shazia harvests people's memories of a nearby accident scene.
This was very grim, but I liked that the grimness we saw wasn't exactly driven/enabled by the technology this time around. The device could absolutely be used poorly (and we do get a taste of that), but this episode kind of tricks you into initially seeing the device as not too bad...
Maybe a nice lady who ignores your indiscretions to help the young musician get his due from a giant corporation might not be the worst. But then, oh yeah, it's legally mandated, and oh yeah, it might dredge up unrelated things, and oh yeah, it works on your pets... It's a sort of fridge logic of the best kind, when you realize the next day that this world is about a week away from destroying any freedom of thought. I'd love to see another episode where it's not the friendly eager insurance adjuster toting around the device.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 10:47 AM on December 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
Maybe a nice lady who ignores your indiscretions to help the young musician get his due from a giant corporation might not be the worst. But then, oh yeah, it's legally mandated, and oh yeah, it might dredge up unrelated things, and oh yeah, it works on your pets... It's a sort of fridge logic of the best kind, when you realize the next day that this world is about a week away from destroying any freedom of thought. I'd love to see another episode where it's not the friendly eager insurance adjuster toting around the device.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 10:47 AM on December 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
Taken down by a guinea pig! F'ing awesome. By far my favorite episode this season.
posted by grumpybear69 at 3:11 PM on December 30, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by grumpybear69 at 3:11 PM on December 30, 2017 [7 favorites]
I've pointed it out elsewhere, but this may be the first instance of a guinea pig squealing literally and figuratively.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 4:48 PM on December 30, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 4:48 PM on December 30, 2017 [15 favorites]
I really loved the premise and the mood and the cast but that twist ending... *facepalm*.
posted by crossoverman at 5:10 PM on December 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by crossoverman at 5:10 PM on December 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
This episode is divisive! I think it goes too far with the BUT WAIT twists but I enjoyed the PDKness of an investigation with a memory machine and the low key shabby Icelandic /Scottish City. If they pulled back a little on the last act it could’ve been a nice slice of life noir
posted by The Whelk at 5:11 PM on December 30, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 5:11 PM on December 30, 2017 [5 favorites]
Why did she go back in and kill the kid? He didn’t see the bathroom murder. And how did the cops find out about the father/son murders so quickly? This one didn’t hang together for me at all.
posted by Sukey Says at 7:25 PM on December 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Sukey Says at 7:25 PM on December 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
The final bit are so weird, don’t you have forensic files in the future lady? If they had her like, drive up to the house then cut to black that would’ve been better.
posted by The Whelk at 7:37 PM on December 30, 2017
posted by The Whelk at 7:37 PM on December 30, 2017
Why did she go back in and kill the kid? He didn’t see the bathroom murder. And how did the cops find out about the father/son murders so quickly?
When the insurance investigator didn't check in with her office they may have sent someone around to her house who might've then become suspicious why no one was answering the door.
She killed the baby because he saw her face. She didn't know he was blind.
Seems like those memory scanners should've had automatic wireless backup. That would've eliminated the immediate point of killing an investigator. Of course that also would mean a lot of irrelevant, possibly self-incriminating memories in the possession of private companies and law enforcement.
So is the theme of this season "remember Minority Report"?
posted by fuse theorem at 8:12 AM on December 31, 2017 [7 favorites]
When the insurance investigator didn't check in with her office they may have sent someone around to her house who might've then become suspicious why no one was answering the door.
She killed the baby because he saw her face. She didn't know he was blind.
Seems like those memory scanners should've had automatic wireless backup. That would've eliminated the immediate point of killing an investigator. Of course that also would mean a lot of irrelevant, possibly self-incriminating memories in the possession of private companies and law enforcement.
So is the theme of this season "remember Minority Report"?
posted by fuse theorem at 8:12 AM on December 31, 2017 [7 favorites]
I have to admit, my most fascinated moments of "this is the very near future and we are living in it" were in regard to the decision to make the celebrated professional on a business trip and the insurance investigator both women, and to have their male partners be the primary childcare providers - right down to the little gendered details of how the drinking, porn, departures and even bathing were handled. There was an interesting self-awareness without heavy-handedness there, and I'd love to see more of it.
posted by haruspicina at 9:30 AM on December 31, 2017 [23 favorites]
posted by haruspicina at 9:30 AM on December 31, 2017 [23 favorites]
Jesus this one was a mind fuck. When she killed the husband in the tub I was feeling oddly sympathetic because she obviously didn't want to do it but she felt she had to and it screwed with her head so much...but then it went all Black Mirror (obvs) with the blind baby and then the guinea pig and...fucking hell. That was amazing.
posted by elsietheeel at 7:42 PM on December 31, 2017
posted by elsietheeel at 7:42 PM on December 31, 2017
> This was the grimmest so far, I thought
This episode was directed by John Hillcoat, Aussie director of The Road and Ghosts... of the Civil Dead, two of the bleakest films ever made.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 8:31 PM on December 31, 2017 [4 favorites]
This episode was directed by John Hillcoat, Aussie director of The Road and Ghosts... of the Civil Dead, two of the bleakest films ever made.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 8:31 PM on December 31, 2017 [4 favorites]
the scenery in this bit was amazing. the rest, I was not feeling it. i'd probably tell people to skip it and get some sleep.
posted by eustatic at 11:19 PM on December 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by eustatic at 11:19 PM on December 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
I want to know more about the pizza truck thing... like did it make them fresh, while it was on the road... like that's a thing I can see happening pretty soon.
(That the guy in the first one got a pizza delivered to his door by an actual human is a strike against the shared universe theory)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:26 AM on January 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
(That the guy in the first one got a pizza delivered to his door by an actual human is a strike against the shared universe theory)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:26 AM on January 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
They don't tip in Britain.
posted by adept256 at 3:50 AM on January 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by adept256 at 3:50 AM on January 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
This struck me as the least Black Mirror-ish episode I've seen so far, in that the technology was completely unnecessary except as a punchline.* Without the memory-reading technology or pizza drones, all the same stuff could have happened and an insurance investigator could have still put together the whole story from people just remembering stuff. The only development that depended on the tech conceit was "the pet saw her do it," which turns the whole episode into a bad joke.
A thing I liked though, is that while watching the confrontation in the hotel room I was thinking "why not let him confess but neglect to mention her?" She says "There are things they can do, they'll trace it back," but it's not evident she means memory-reading technology until later in the episode.
Regarding the shared universe theory: The hotel porn channel included "Best of Wraith Babes" from "15 Million Merits," which either confirms that theory or shatters it into a million itsy bitsy pieces.
*Granted, the very first episode of BM had no tech conceit at all, but at least it made a point more interesting than your average EC comic.
posted by ejs at 8:31 PM on January 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
A thing I liked though, is that while watching the confrontation in the hotel room I was thinking "why not let him confess but neglect to mention her?" She says "There are things they can do, they'll trace it back," but it's not evident she means memory-reading technology until later in the episode.
Regarding the shared universe theory: The hotel porn channel included "Best of Wraith Babes" from "15 Million Merits," which either confirms that theory or shatters it into a million itsy bitsy pieces.
*Granted, the very first episode of BM had no tech conceit at all, but at least it made a point more interesting than your average EC comic.
posted by ejs at 8:31 PM on January 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
This struck me as the least Black Mirror-ish episode I've seen so far, in that the technology was completely unnecessary except as a punchline.*
It's Black Mirror-ness comes from answering the question: How far am I willing to go to see justice for a murdered child?
Answer: I'm perfectly willing to accept maybe the stupidest ending ever and have her convicted based on a guinea pig's memories.
posted by Gary at 12:50 AM on January 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
It's Black Mirror-ness comes from answering the question: How far am I willing to go to see justice for a murdered child?
Answer: I'm perfectly willing to accept maybe the stupidest ending ever and have her convicted based on a guinea pig's memories.
posted by Gary at 12:50 AM on January 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
ejs beat me to it: as soon as she dumps her ex-bf in the steamy hole I thought immediately of a Vault of Horror or Tales from the Crypt-style EC comic. In those stories the murderer is usually a crooked business partner looking to keep the cash for themselves or a bored, sadistic lover who wants somebody else, but the set-up felt the same. The main difference is that the corpse didn't reanimate and drag her down into a watery grave, but a guinea pig for a witness isn't that far off. It's an O. Henryish twist on a long, depraved trail of blood (EC's stock in trade), and while realising that maybe BM is this era's EC was a nice revelation, sadly it also ruined the episode for me. It felt a bit... cheap, and silly.
The disposal of the ex-bf's corpse is where it started souring for me, and the thin preamble didn't help enough to underpin what happens after. What were we shown of this woman's character that would encompass murdering strangers, babies even? Her guilt over the cyclist? The barely-explored love of her husband and child, or the pride she took in her work? It's still a world where you don't even need a recaller to prove a crime - computer and phone records, car GPS, actual forensics - so it felt to me like the character we were presented with, even as sick with desperation as she was, would have begged the insurance investigator for mercy rather than dispassionately bashing her head in with a stick. I didn't feel like we were given enough reason to buy Mia's mad descent.
I do think this series is stronger when it explores feelings like grief and loss (Be Right Back, White Christmas, San Junipero) instead of fear and shame (Playtest, Shut Up and Dance, this ep), but that perhaps says more about me than the show, which I understand couldn't likely exist on the former plotlines alone. Maybe I've just lost my tolerance for violence too, I dunno. I still adore Brooker's work and can't wait to discuss all he gives us with anyone who's willing. That's the best thing about BM: even the weaker episodes contain some disturbing nugget worth our consideration. In this case, it's about the usefulness of memory scanners and the trustworthiness of guinea pigs. Who knows, maybe Mia couldn't stomach any more killing after smothering the baby, so instead she bribed Codger with some carrots before she left?
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 5:08 AM on January 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
The disposal of the ex-bf's corpse is where it started souring for me, and the thin preamble didn't help enough to underpin what happens after. What were we shown of this woman's character that would encompass murdering strangers, babies even? Her guilt over the cyclist? The barely-explored love of her husband and child, or the pride she took in her work? It's still a world where you don't even need a recaller to prove a crime - computer and phone records, car GPS, actual forensics - so it felt to me like the character we were presented with, even as sick with desperation as she was, would have begged the insurance investigator for mercy rather than dispassionately bashing her head in with a stick. I didn't feel like we were given enough reason to buy Mia's mad descent.
I do think this series is stronger when it explores feelings like grief and loss (Be Right Back, White Christmas, San Junipero) instead of fear and shame (Playtest, Shut Up and Dance, this ep), but that perhaps says more about me than the show, which I understand couldn't likely exist on the former plotlines alone. Maybe I've just lost my tolerance for violence too, I dunno. I still adore Brooker's work and can't wait to discuss all he gives us with anyone who's willing. That's the best thing about BM: even the weaker episodes contain some disturbing nugget worth our consideration. In this case, it's about the usefulness of memory scanners and the trustworthiness of guinea pigs. Who knows, maybe Mia couldn't stomach any more killing after smothering the baby, so instead she bribed Codger with some carrots before she left?
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 5:08 AM on January 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
so it felt to me like the character we were presented with, even as sick with desperation as she was, would have begged the insurance investigator for mercy rather than dispassionately bashing her head in with a stick.
I think she smashed the car window in a sort of blind panic and then couldn't recover the situation from that. I doubt the inspector would just let that go. She clearly had moral misgivings when the inspector (Shalia?) was tied up. She told us her motive when the ex-bf told her he wanted to write the letter to the victim's wife: she'd come so far from her druggie partying days and had a lot to lose if she went to prison.
Out of all the episodes this season, this isn't my favorite but I do think it's the most realistic insofar as the tech is the closest to what we have now. We can "read people's minds" with brain scans and I can see that being used to answer simple questions ("did you see this person at the scene?" "what color was the car?"). That article was from 2013 so maybe we can do that now. It's not that much of a stretch to say we could pull images from longer-term memories someday. Like I said, the likelihood is only relative to other episodes.
posted by AFABulous at 6:20 AM on January 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
I think she smashed the car window in a sort of blind panic and then couldn't recover the situation from that. I doubt the inspector would just let that go. She clearly had moral misgivings when the inspector (Shalia?) was tied up. She told us her motive when the ex-bf told her he wanted to write the letter to the victim's wife: she'd come so far from her druggie partying days and had a lot to lose if she went to prison.
Out of all the episodes this season, this isn't my favorite but I do think it's the most realistic insofar as the tech is the closest to what we have now. We can "read people's minds" with brain scans and I can see that being used to answer simple questions ("did you see this person at the scene?" "what color was the car?"). That article was from 2013 so maybe we can do that now. It's not that much of a stretch to say we could pull images from longer-term memories someday. Like I said, the likelihood is only relative to other episodes.
posted by AFABulous at 6:20 AM on January 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
In this case, it's about the usefulness of memory scanners and the trustworthiness of guinea pigs.
Heh. Remember when the dentist's memory changed the color of the woman's coat on the insurance investigator's say-so? Why yes, I certainly do have some questions about the trustworthiness of guinea pigs.
Fridge logic dystopia. Every time I think about the memory device it's worse and worse than I first took it to be, which makes this episode even more enjoyable.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 8:21 AM on January 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
Heh. Remember when the dentist's memory changed the color of the woman's coat on the insurance investigator's say-so? Why yes, I certainly do have some questions about the trustworthiness of guinea pigs.
Fridge logic dystopia. Every time I think about the memory device it's worse and worse than I first took it to be, which makes this episode even more enjoyable.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 8:21 AM on January 2, 2018 [8 favorites]
"Okay, according to the record we pulled from the guinea pig, the murders were committed by...a giant blueberry?"
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 8:48 AM on January 2, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 8:48 AM on January 2, 2018 [14 favorites]
The disposal of the ex-bf's corpse is where it started souring for me, and the thin preamble didn't help enough to underpin what happens after. What were we shown of this woman's character that would encompass murdering strangers, babies even? Her guilt over the cyclist? The barely-explored love of her husband and child, or the pride she took in her work?
In my opinion, Mia murdering the boyfriend did make sense. For so many years, she had to live with and rationalize crossing a line that she didn't think she would cross. So for decades she's been telling herself that what she did was ok and has rationalized that to the point where it's not a huge step to go ahead and kill the ex to keep it quiet. Then once she made that step, what's a few more murders? I think the idea is that we all say we would never do the things she did, but if you're in a frog-in-boiling-water kind of situation, how far would you really go?
It's still a world where you don't even need a recaller to prove a crime - computer and phone records, car GPS, actual forensics - so it felt to me like the character we were presented with, even as sick with desperation as she was, would have begged the insurance investigator for mercy rather than dispassionately bashing her head in with a stick. I didn't feel like we were given enough reason to buy Mia's mad descent.
Agreed. That was really the hardest part to believe for me: shouldn't the hotel have like a million cameras in the halls and parking garage? And it was hard for me to believe that, considering all the things the recallers could find, they wouldn't send the adjusters out in pairs. Both to keep check on the adjuster that they aren't prying where they shouldn't but also as a backup for when the adjuster finds something that someone would kill for.
posted by LizBoBiz at 9:19 AM on January 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
In my opinion, Mia murdering the boyfriend did make sense. For so many years, she had to live with and rationalize crossing a line that she didn't think she would cross. So for decades she's been telling herself that what she did was ok and has rationalized that to the point where it's not a huge step to go ahead and kill the ex to keep it quiet. Then once she made that step, what's a few more murders? I think the idea is that we all say we would never do the things she did, but if you're in a frog-in-boiling-water kind of situation, how far would you really go?
It's still a world where you don't even need a recaller to prove a crime - computer and phone records, car GPS, actual forensics - so it felt to me like the character we were presented with, even as sick with desperation as she was, would have begged the insurance investigator for mercy rather than dispassionately bashing her head in with a stick. I didn't feel like we were given enough reason to buy Mia's mad descent.
Agreed. That was really the hardest part to believe for me: shouldn't the hotel have like a million cameras in the halls and parking garage? And it was hard for me to believe that, considering all the things the recallers could find, they wouldn't send the adjusters out in pairs. Both to keep check on the adjuster that they aren't prying where they shouldn't but also as a backup for when the adjuster finds something that someone would kill for.
posted by LizBoBiz at 9:19 AM on January 2, 2018 [5 favorites]
The shared universe theory is pretty much confirmed in the last episode of this season, Black Museum.
posted by elsietheeel at 9:23 AM on January 2, 2018
posted by elsietheeel at 9:23 AM on January 2, 2018
My only complaint with this episode is that Iceland should have played Iceland.
posted by emelenjr at 10:50 AM on January 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by emelenjr at 10:50 AM on January 2, 2018 [3 favorites]
I don’t think she murdered the boyfriend. She assaulted him, but he fell and cracked his head.
What is “fridge logic”?
posted by AFABulous at 1:06 PM on January 2, 2018
What is “fridge logic”?
posted by AFABulous at 1:06 PM on January 2, 2018
And then she strangled him
posted by LizBoBiz at 1:30 PM on January 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by LizBoBiz at 1:30 PM on January 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
What is “fridge logic”?
I'm kind of misusing the term, but the normal usage is a plot that holds together for the length of the show, and then while you're up grabbing a drink from fridge, you stop and say "wait a second..."
My meaning is that generally this world seems pretty acceptable (after all, they just tracked down a killer), but I'm slowly realizing how messed up a place it is - Or least could be. Maybe the Icelanders are all friendly philosopher kings who wouldn't abuse pet-mind-reading.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 1:36 PM on January 2, 2018
I'm kind of misusing the term, but the normal usage is a plot that holds together for the length of the show, and then while you're up grabbing a drink from fridge, you stop and say "wait a second..."
My meaning is that generally this world seems pretty acceptable (after all, they just tracked down a killer), but I'm slowly realizing how messed up a place it is - Or least could be. Maybe the Icelanders are all friendly philosopher kings who wouldn't abuse pet-mind-reading.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 1:36 PM on January 2, 2018
My only complaint with this episode is that Iceland should have played Iceland.
Since this show almost never goes into real life political ramnifacations I choose to believe everyone is speaking Scots accented English in Iceland because Scotland, Iceland and a United Ireland have formed powerful pan North Sea Union with troops on the DMZ with England to make sure they don’t get any ideas.
Instead of the auld alliance and it’s cod alliance
posted by The Whelk at 3:00 PM on January 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
Since this show almost never goes into real life political ramnifacations I choose to believe everyone is speaking Scots accented English in Iceland because Scotland, Iceland and a United Ireland have formed powerful pan North Sea Union with troops on the DMZ with England to make sure they don’t get any ideas.
Instead of the auld alliance and it’s cod alliance
posted by The Whelk at 3:00 PM on January 2, 2018 [9 favorites]
Turns out this has been a shared universe since season 2. Though I'm glad that it's done with a light touch.
posted by ejs at 3:39 PM on January 2, 2018
posted by ejs at 3:39 PM on January 2, 2018
Can confirm Iceland is a magical wasteland full of pragmatic yet overly friendly people, want to move there immediately having recently visited.
There really are far more Shazias than Mias there, though me driving is a big old nope. There really is no traffic there. Iceland is a place where you could totally hide a body and nobody would see you. Very sparse people and no traffic in many areas.
But holy shit, that ending.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 10:24 PM on January 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
There really are far more Shazias than Mias there, though me driving is a big old nope. There really is no traffic there. Iceland is a place where you could totally hide a body and nobody would see you. Very sparse people and no traffic in many areas.
But holy shit, that ending.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 10:24 PM on January 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
Yeah, definitely thought about the phone GPS and car GPS giving her position away, and making the memory device unneeded. Even the boyfriend's whereabouts could be determined through tech.
And the if the guinea pig has similar eyesight as a rat, it wouldn't be able to see a thing.
But like other Black Mirror episodes, this isn't really about the technology, it's about humanity. In this case someone turning into a monster through increasing acts of awfulness.
The ex-boyfriend promised to keep her name out of it, and report the old crime anonymously. But she saw the potential of her life being over, and decided she'd do anything to prevent that. And as she started to engage in violence, the justifications became less necessary, until it went to an absurd level, but all in furtherance of keeping her own status quo.
But even before she was caught she had turned into a shell-of-a-human, and had already destroyed her own life.
Yeah, a number of gaping 'plot-holes' and the technology use was one of the less compelling I've seen (certainly in this season) on BM, but I thought it was a strong story. Depressing as hell though.
posted by el io at 11:53 PM on January 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
And the if the guinea pig has similar eyesight as a rat, it wouldn't be able to see a thing.
But like other Black Mirror episodes, this isn't really about the technology, it's about humanity. In this case someone turning into a monster through increasing acts of awfulness.
The ex-boyfriend promised to keep her name out of it, and report the old crime anonymously. But she saw the potential of her life being over, and decided she'd do anything to prevent that. And as she started to engage in violence, the justifications became less necessary, until it went to an absurd level, but all in furtherance of keeping her own status quo.
But even before she was caught she had turned into a shell-of-a-human, and had already destroyed her own life.
Yeah, a number of gaping 'plot-holes' and the technology use was one of the less compelling I've seen (certainly in this season) on BM, but I thought it was a strong story. Depressing as hell though.
posted by el io at 11:53 PM on January 2, 2018 [4 favorites]
I was amused that the maguffin had a crt while every other screen in the show was the BMU-standard 4mm piece of glass.
I was ok with the plotting right up to the point where the cops have found the dead kid, memory dumped the guinea pig, and headed diectly to the children's performance before the show is over. I found it not only problematic from a suspension-of-disbelief perspective but also thought it was a storytelling beat too far.
while the guinea pig twist is amusing, it in conjunction with the immediate police resolution of the case pushed the story into "artificial resolution" terrain, an ending which promises a rectification of the story-universe's moral order. When in our world, and presumably the BMU, wealthy and powerful people who look like Mia absolutely get away with killing people who look like Shazia, and her husband, and their baby. But that's more commonly the result of military action.
I suspect the episode's title makes reference to this concept, and that Mia is the crocodile.
posted by mwhybark at 10:55 AM on January 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
I was ok with the plotting right up to the point where the cops have found the dead kid, memory dumped the guinea pig, and headed diectly to the children's performance before the show is over. I found it not only problematic from a suspension-of-disbelief perspective but also thought it was a storytelling beat too far.
while the guinea pig twist is amusing, it in conjunction with the immediate police resolution of the case pushed the story into "artificial resolution" terrain, an ending which promises a rectification of the story-universe's moral order. When in our world, and presumably the BMU, wealthy and powerful people who look like Mia absolutely get away with killing people who look like Shazia, and her husband, and their baby. But that's more commonly the result of military action.
I suspect the episode's title makes reference to this concept, and that Mia is the crocodile.
posted by mwhybark at 10:55 AM on January 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
I was ok with the plotting right up to the point where the cops have found the dead kid, memory dumped the guinea pig, and headed diectly to the children's performance before the show is over.
I just rationalized it by saying they followed the trail of dead bodies between the house and the school.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 2:12 PM on January 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Once they used facial recognition software to identify Mia, they just tracked her phone.
posted by EarBucket at 3:48 PM on January 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by EarBucket at 3:48 PM on January 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Goddamnit, show, don’t kill babies. I get it, it’s a horrifying spiral of self-protective violence, but you. don’t. kill. babies.
Fuck. My mom hormones are like a bunch of distraught hornets.
posted by lydhre at 6:56 PM on January 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Fuck. My mom hormones are like a bunch of distraught hornets.
posted by lydhre at 6:56 PM on January 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
Meh I didn't like this episode. It seemed very slowly paced and the story was kind of silly. I get it; one lie leads to the next. And pretty soon you're murdering blind babies in front of the guinea pig memory machine. Twist!
I was also distracted by the Reykjavik inhabited by Scottsmen. I mean you don't use the highly recognizable architectural landmark the Reykjavik Opera House as a location for your architect to give a speech, then populate the city with people with Scots accents and a diversity of ethnicity that would be hard to believe in Scotland, much less Iceland. Just a weird choice. And I like Iceland.
posted by Nelson at 9:36 PM on January 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
I was also distracted by the Reykjavik inhabited by Scottsmen. I mean you don't use the highly recognizable architectural landmark the Reykjavik Opera House as a location for your architect to give a speech, then populate the city with people with Scots accents and a diversity of ethnicity that would be hard to believe in Scotland, much less Iceland. Just a weird choice. And I like Iceland.
posted by Nelson at 9:36 PM on January 3, 2018 [2 favorites]
i thought this was a great episode, really digging into a descent into madness. the plot holes of modern police forensics also being able to track her is valid, but perhaps that's after they can't get anything from the guinea pig.
Without the memory-reading technology or pizza drones, all the same stuff could have happened and an insurance investigator could have still put together the whole story from people just remembering stuff. The only development that depended on the tech conceit was "the pet saw her do it," which turns the whole episode into a bad joke.
If the tech didn't exist, she wouldn't have had to kill Shazia. And further back, the musician might not have remembered the passing woman's face, which really set the whole thing off. Come on, now.
posted by numaner at 10:12 PM on January 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
Without the memory-reading technology or pizza drones, all the same stuff could have happened and an insurance investigator could have still put together the whole story from people just remembering stuff. The only development that depended on the tech conceit was "the pet saw her do it," which turns the whole episode into a bad joke.
If the tech didn't exist, she wouldn't have had to kill Shazia. And further back, the musician might not have remembered the passing woman's face, which really set the whole thing off. Come on, now.
posted by numaner at 10:12 PM on January 3, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm not entirely clear on why this episode is called Crocodile. Is it to do with that one IRL murder case where they found evidence in the stomach of a crocodile?
posted by numaner at 10:26 PM on January 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by numaner at 10:26 PM on January 3, 2018 [1 favorite]
nevermind, I think it's alluding to how Mia becomes cold-blooded, and her tears are "crocodile tears".
posted by numaner at 10:34 PM on January 3, 2018
posted by numaner at 10:34 PM on January 3, 2018
sorry for the quadruple post. so in this interview with Charlie Brooker, he confirms that it's the same pizza company from USS Callister
posted by numaner at 10:39 PM on January 3, 2018
posted by numaner at 10:39 PM on January 3, 2018
a diversity of ethnicity that would be hard to believe in Scotland, much less Iceland
My interpretation, building on the idea that Mia is the crocodile of the title, is that the ethnicity of the family killed in the later acts of the show and the ethnicity of Mia are not incidental, and that the black-and-white landscape of Iceland is a visual metaphor for this. I suspect that Brooker's story in part expresses the idea that Northern European people are predators, something that is largely taboo in pop culture entertainment aimed at audiences skewing to lower melanin counts. It's a damn shame the episode is undercut by various plot and world-building flaws.
posted by mwhybark at 12:16 AM on January 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
My interpretation, building on the idea that Mia is the crocodile of the title, is that the ethnicity of the family killed in the later acts of the show and the ethnicity of Mia are not incidental, and that the black-and-white landscape of Iceland is a visual metaphor for this. I suspect that Brooker's story in part expresses the idea that Northern European people are predators, something that is largely taboo in pop culture entertainment aimed at audiences skewing to lower melanin counts. It's a damn shame the episode is undercut by various plot and world-building flaws.
posted by mwhybark at 12:16 AM on January 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
a diversity of ethnicity that would be hard to believe in Scotland, much less Iceland
Scotland is a pretty white place, but there's a pretty large Indian and Pakistani community, especially in Glasgow. And about 1% of the population is from an Afro-Carribean/Black background. Cite.
I feel like the memory recall song that soundtracked the episode has been used recently, either in another Black Mirror episode or something with a similar vibe. But I can't quite nail it.
posted by Happy Dave at 12:48 PM on January 4, 2018
Scotland is a pretty white place, but there's a pretty large Indian and Pakistani community, especially in Glasgow. And about 1% of the population is from an Afro-Carribean/Black background. Cite.
I feel like the memory recall song that soundtracked the episode has been used recently, either in another Black Mirror episode or something with a similar vibe. But I can't quite nail it.
posted by Happy Dave at 12:48 PM on January 4, 2018
Ahhh, it was used in Fifteen Million Merits. As a key plot point even. And also used as background in White Christmas. And Men Against Fire.
Basically it's the in-universe theme song for super dark stories about memory and perception.
posted by Happy Dave at 12:54 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Basically it's the in-universe theme song for super dark stories about memory and perception.
posted by Happy Dave at 12:54 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
I take it the Bugsy Malone bit was a tie-in to the director of the last episode.
Partially, but I think it's mostly for the ending song's lyrics; "Give a little love and it all comes back to you...You know you're gonna be remembered for the things that you say and do".
posted by Jon Mitchell at 4:25 AM on January 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Partially, but I think it's mostly for the ending song's lyrics; "Give a little love and it all comes back to you...You know you're gonna be remembered for the things that you say and do".
posted by Jon Mitchell at 4:25 AM on January 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
I couldn't believe the Bugsy Malone musical. Or that the song was in my browser history. I loved this episode. Just perfect.
posted by Catblack at 6:00 PM on January 5, 2018
posted by Catblack at 6:00 PM on January 5, 2018
I'm a "yes" on this episode, too. I thought maybe she'd get caught at some point, resolving the "first victim's waiting wife" line, but this is probably better. The waiting wife thing was genius, btw.
I thought it was neat that the whole ball of wax was put into motion by her dissuading the boyfriend from sending a retro-tech letter. I wonder how the traceability of one of those compares with the memory machine.
posted by rhizome at 1:09 AM on January 6, 2018
I thought it was neat that the whole ball of wax was put into motion by her dissuading the boyfriend from sending a retro-tech letter. I wonder how the traceability of one of those compares with the memory machine.
posted by rhizome at 1:09 AM on January 6, 2018
The memory device needed to have a CRT because Deckard's magic Enhance Machine from Blade Runner had a CRT.
posted by tobascodagama at 3:22 PM on January 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by tobascodagama at 3:22 PM on January 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Wow, this was like a grimdark version of that Futurama bit where Leela wants to see what would happen if she were more impulsive.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 8:37 PM on January 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Kitty Stardust at 8:37 PM on January 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
“It’s a video will, it shows you killing him!”
posted by The Whelk at 10:02 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by The Whelk at 10:02 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
She left so much DNA and GPS evidence everywhere -- they could have tracked her to the murder site just using cell tower records.
posted by benzenedream at 12:35 AM on January 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by benzenedream at 12:35 AM on January 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
Yeah. Not so fond of this one but I have little patience for crime dramas in general. They never really leave me satisfied - people do bad things and get caught... Or not.
If we look beyond the standard "lady who swallowed a fly" murder story, all that's left is the examination of the ramifications of using memory in investigations. As people have noted above, the proof of the murders could be found using existing evidence gathering techniques.
My favourite bit was the insurance employee using power of suggestion to change the colour of the coat in the dentist's memory. How often would the insurer have made those corrections with her crowdsourced recollections? Still a pretty standard explication on the fallibility of memory.
It was interesting that the admissibility of memory evidence being used against a volunteer hinged on whether they were putting themselves or other people in danger. So the voyeur dentist was not dobbed in because they want to encourage people to cooperate?
Also, none of them saw the pizza van crash except for the murderer, so they couldn't have been compelled to give evidence. I understand why the crash victim gave evidence because he wanted to get his massive claim but why did the others? Just wanted to help?
I wonder how often memory investigators get killed for stumbling on murderers' recollections. Seems like a case of a cheapass insurance company not teaming up employees in pairs, or at the very least providing panic buttons.
TLDR: Blah. Yeah probably my least favourite episode so far this season just because the technological aspect didn't really help to enlarge on any broader issues beyond what a standard crime procedural does.
posted by Start with Dessert at 2:58 AM on January 11, 2018
If we look beyond the standard "lady who swallowed a fly" murder story, all that's left is the examination of the ramifications of using memory in investigations. As people have noted above, the proof of the murders could be found using existing evidence gathering techniques.
My favourite bit was the insurance employee using power of suggestion to change the colour of the coat in the dentist's memory. How often would the insurer have made those corrections with her crowdsourced recollections? Still a pretty standard explication on the fallibility of memory.
It was interesting that the admissibility of memory evidence being used against a volunteer hinged on whether they were putting themselves or other people in danger. So the voyeur dentist was not dobbed in because they want to encourage people to cooperate?
Also, none of them saw the pizza van crash except for the murderer, so they couldn't have been compelled to give evidence. I understand why the crash victim gave evidence because he wanted to get his massive claim but why did the others? Just wanted to help?
I wonder how often memory investigators get killed for stumbling on murderers' recollections. Seems like a case of a cheapass insurance company not teaming up employees in pairs, or at the very least providing panic buttons.
TLDR: Blah. Yeah probably my least favourite episode so far this season just because the technological aspect didn't really help to enlarge on any broader issues beyond what a standard crime procedural does.
posted by Start with Dessert at 2:58 AM on January 11, 2018
When I saw the Wraith Babes ad here, I wondered if the ‘humans’ in 15MM are virtual rather than human - consciousnesses maintained in order to produce entertainment for actual humans. The actual consumer humans know the characters’ humdrum existences drive their desire to be special and therefore make them more interesting to watch...
posted by kalapierson at 3:07 AM on January 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by kalapierson at 3:07 AM on January 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
kalapierson: "When I saw the Wraith Babes ad here, I wondered if the ‘humans’ in 15MM are virtual rather than human - consciousnesses maintained in order to produce entertainment for actual humans. The actual consumer humans know the characters’ humdrum existences drive their desire to be special and therefore make them more interesting to watch..."
That would certainly explain why there appears to be some kind of societal setup in the UK that resembles a giant young offenders institute/never-ending X Factor semi-final made of glass bricks, while everywhere else seems pretty much 'today but with automated pizza delivery and better phones'.
posted by Happy Dave at 11:19 AM on January 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
That would certainly explain why there appears to be some kind of societal setup in the UK that resembles a giant young offenders institute/never-ending X Factor semi-final made of glass bricks, while everywhere else seems pretty much 'today but with automated pizza delivery and better phones'.
posted by Happy Dave at 11:19 AM on January 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
This reminds me of when I was young and thought there were people in my TV.
posted by AFABulous at 11:39 AM on January 11, 2018
posted by AFABulous at 11:39 AM on January 11, 2018
I can't help but think that this was an homage to Dario Argento's "Four Flies on Grey Velvet", from the device that carries the plot forward to the lead actress (Mimsy Farmer as she looked in the Argento movie).
Though the scenery was a wonderful backdrop, reflective of the emotional landscape, I did think this one was a bit... off. I turned to the person I was watching this with and said "so technology makes murderers more... murderery?" Facile, I know.
posted by BigBrooklyn at 10:20 PM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Though the scenery was a wonderful backdrop, reflective of the emotional landscape, I did think this one was a bit... off. I turned to the person I was watching this with and said "so technology makes murderers more... murderery?" Facile, I know.
posted by BigBrooklyn at 10:20 PM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
There were parts of this episode that felt really brilliant -- the way it incorporated music, the emotional power and weight of the landscape, the symbolism of Mia's role as an architect when she had built her entire life on the unstable foundation of her guilt in this crime.
Shazia was one of the most immediately relatable and likable characters we've seen in Black Mirror, I thought; a lot of people in the Black Mirror world seem pretty cold and selfish, while her warmth and conscientiousness made her sympathetic and made it easy to emotionally engage with her story. I felt genuine terror for her as she was trying to get away from Mia's house as quickly as possible while maintaining that "everything's cool" facade.
But then it ended and I was just like... Huh. Okay. Um. I don't know how I feel about that. And the next day my husband asked me what happened, because he fell asleep somewhere around the time that Mia was dumping her ex in the steamy hole, and as I described to him the escalating violence it just sounded comical and then when I got to the part about the guinea pig I couldn't stop laughing, and I realized that was in fact a very stupid episode. Maybe the worst episode of BM I've seen so far, actually.
posted by the turtle's teeth at 8:47 AM on January 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
Shazia was one of the most immediately relatable and likable characters we've seen in Black Mirror, I thought; a lot of people in the Black Mirror world seem pretty cold and selfish, while her warmth and conscientiousness made her sympathetic and made it easy to emotionally engage with her story. I felt genuine terror for her as she was trying to get away from Mia's house as quickly as possible while maintaining that "everything's cool" facade.
But then it ended and I was just like... Huh. Okay. Um. I don't know how I feel about that. And the next day my husband asked me what happened, because he fell asleep somewhere around the time that Mia was dumping her ex in the steamy hole, and as I described to him the escalating violence it just sounded comical and then when I got to the part about the guinea pig I couldn't stop laughing, and I realized that was in fact a very stupid episode. Maybe the worst episode of BM I've seen so far, actually.
posted by the turtle's teeth at 8:47 AM on January 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
I'm very late to this, but one more vote for "this was a brilliantly made terrible episode". Only terrible by Black Mirror standards, so it's still better than a lot of other stuff on TV, but still.
There were some lovely ideas -- particularly the nods towards the fallability and malleability of memory, belied by the very solid-looking recordings -- that went completely unexplored. It was beautifully shot, from the location choices to details like keeping the kitchen knives blurry but looming and prominent in the frame as the idea of violence grows in Mia's mind.* The handling of the characters' gender roles was great, as noted upthread. But yeah, lots of problems with the logic of the world and plot, which is especially disappointing as BM has typically been good at this, especially before this season. And, purely subjectively, the story just didn't interest me as a piece of scifi, and the dual twists of the blind child and the observant hamster just seemed daft.
Overall, watching it was an odd experience; everything about it apart from the actual story was so good, it was a beautifully crafted structure built around an empty core.
The
*Given that I currently live in Scotland and visited Reykjavik a few months ago, the mix of locations and accents was confusing as hell. But it's probably fine for most people.
posted by metaBugs at 4:44 PM on January 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
There were some lovely ideas -- particularly the nods towards the fallability and malleability of memory, belied by the very solid-looking recordings -- that went completely unexplored. It was beautifully shot, from the location choices to details like keeping the kitchen knives blurry but looming and prominent in the frame as the idea of violence grows in Mia's mind.* The handling of the characters' gender roles was great, as noted upthread. But yeah, lots of problems with the logic of the world and plot, which is especially disappointing as BM has typically been good at this, especially before this season. And, purely subjectively, the story just didn't interest me as a piece of scifi, and the dual twists of the blind child and the observant hamster just seemed daft.
Overall, watching it was an odd experience; everything about it apart from the actual story was so good, it was a beautifully crafted structure built around an empty core.
The
*Given that I currently live in Scotland and visited Reykjavik a few months ago, the mix of locations and accents was confusing as hell. But it's probably fine for most people.
posted by metaBugs at 4:44 PM on January 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Instead of the auld alliance and it’s cod alliance
pax cod
(I'll wait)
posted by snuffleupagus at 1:58 PM on March 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
pax cod
(I'll wait)
posted by snuffleupagus at 1:58 PM on March 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
This one doesn't have the punch of the first two of the season. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it and my interest waned towards the end and I kept watching more to find out how it ends than because I was engaged.
The tech is almost a distraction in this one, except that I appreciate how it links the Infinity and Arkangel tech and follows up on implied questions about how that tech would be used out in the world.
More or less the same story about someone being drawn into string of killings of everyone they suspect might be part of a CCTV, cellular, online and transactional data trail (beyond the crime lab forensics familiar from L&O or CSI) that threatens to expose a similar accident would probably be both more plausible and more harrowing given that we're there already.
posted by snuffleupagus at 2:12 PM on March 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
The tech is almost a distraction in this one, except that I appreciate how it links the Infinity and Arkangel tech and follows up on implied questions about how that tech would be used out in the world.
More or less the same story about someone being drawn into string of killings of everyone they suspect might be part of a CCTV, cellular, online and transactional data trail (beyond the crime lab forensics familiar from L&O or CSI) that threatens to expose a similar accident would probably be both more plausible and more harrowing given that we're there already.
posted by snuffleupagus at 2:12 PM on March 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
I guess it has kind of been covered already, but the kid and ESPECIALLY the guinea pig would not be able to give useful evidence, both by our understanding of memory today and the logic as established in the show.
Remember how she opens the beer, coaches them to recall that night, blah blah blah? How does that happen for the 18 month old, pre-linguistic and still not forming long term memories?
How does that work for the guinea pig? The animal's memory (if it even was there a few minutes later, and could be coaxed out) would be: sawdust, sawdust, loud noises hide, sawdust, water bottle...
posted by Meatbomb at 7:27 AM on April 18, 2018
Remember how she opens the beer, coaches them to recall that night, blah blah blah? How does that happen for the 18 month old, pre-linguistic and still not forming long term memories?
How does that work for the guinea pig? The animal's memory (if it even was there a few minutes later, and could be coaxed out) would be: sawdust, sawdust, loud noises hide, sawdust, water bottle...
posted by Meatbomb at 7:27 AM on April 18, 2018
Yeah not to mention that their long distance sight isn’t that great, they can’t recognise faces and getting them to focus on the recall task is a bit hard.
Do they have guinea pig sized temple chips?
I kinda wish they’d used a cat or dog here and brought out a tinier little box that was somehow a scent recaller.
Mia’s accent was all over the place. Maybe I’m biased because I watched this episode in Liverpool, with a part Scouser, but I kept thinking she sounded like everyone here. And sometimes even hopped over to Ireland too.
These were horrible people and this whole episode was a mess.
posted by iamkimiam at 11:22 PM on May 4, 2018
Do they have guinea pig sized temple chips?
I kinda wish they’d used a cat or dog here and brought out a tinier little box that was somehow a scent recaller.
Mia’s accent was all over the place. Maybe I’m biased because I watched this episode in Liverpool, with a part Scouser, but I kept thinking she sounded like everyone here. And sometimes even hopped over to Ireland too.
These were horrible people and this whole episode was a mess.
posted by iamkimiam at 11:22 PM on May 4, 2018
Also, the gadgets on the temples is getting so old. I laugh every time I see one. It’s gotten so bad that anytime my partner and I are watching anything at all and a character has a small object or goes anywhere near their temple we scream “It’s an app!”
Which means, run, you are in an episode of Black Mirror. Every episode, ever.
I’d love to see this on Honest Slogans. Or Cards Against Humanity. “Black Mirror. It’s an app!”
posted by iamkimiam at 11:27 PM on May 4, 2018
Which means, run, you are in an episode of Black Mirror. Every episode, ever.
I’d love to see this on Honest Slogans. Or Cards Against Humanity. “Black Mirror. It’s an app!”
posted by iamkimiam at 11:27 PM on May 4, 2018
But what if it is us who is the guinea pig?
posted by chrchr at 5:44 PM on June 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by chrchr at 5:44 PM on June 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Or Cards Against Humanity. “Black Mirror. It’s an app!”
Mad libs.
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:08 AM on June 9, 2018
Mad libs.
"What if _________, but too much?"
....... [technology]............posted by snuffleupagus at 7:08 AM on June 9, 2018
So, I definitely got the vibe from the initial explanation of the thingamabob that the reason insurance adjusters had it was because cops weren't allowed to use them anymore, because goddamn. Which just adds another level of ire over terrible guinea pig twist at the end.
I also figured that the bit about being forced to involve the police if anyone refuses to give evidence was a bluff.
posted by ckape at 9:55 PM on December 20, 2018
I also figured that the bit about being forced to involve the police if anyone refuses to give evidence was a bluff.
posted by ckape at 9:55 PM on December 20, 2018
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This was the grimmest so far, I thought, but the cast are excellent, Riseborough in particular.
posted by Grangousier at 2:34 PM on December 29, 2017 [2 favorites]