Imagine your personality is completely based off of social media, emails, text messages, and the limited amount of knowledge you choose to share over the internet. Black Mirror turns this concept into a layered depiction of what most feel after the sudden death of a loved one in the episode "Be Right Back."
The episode begins with the spatting relationship of Martha and Ash. The two seem to be in a constant state of disagreement, and Ash, like most of today's society, is glued to his phone. This creates a rift between the pair and makes Martha feel as if he is ignoring her. The episode continues with Ash going out in a rainstorm, eventually getting himself into a fatal crash. Martha is flung into a deep and dysfunctional depression over the loss of her partner, and the sudden unveiling of a pregnancy arises, sticking the knife in deeper. This panic and grief are what drives Martha to fight death. Wikipedia explains; “ "Be Right Back" had two sources of inspiration: the question of whether to delete a dead friend's phone number from one's contacts and the idea that Twitter posts could be made by software mimicking dead people.” She buys a program that will let her text and call Ash, all by downloading the information found online and on his phone. At first, this method is relieving to Martha, and gives her a feeling of safety, like Ash had never died in the first place. This leads Martha to buy a human replica of Ash; arriving in a cardboard box, what looks like a mass “synthetic flesh” as David Sims of AV/TV club describes it, requires Martha to sit the contents in a dark bathtub with a Frankenstein-esque birth, bubbling tank of water and all. Over the course of many hours, the Ash-bot emerges from the bathroom, looking as good as new. This is when the episode begins to take a dark turn. Morgan Jeffery of Digital Spy describes the situation: “it's not really Ash - the replicant is hollow, without a soul - and so much of what made Ash the man he was, and the intricacies of his and Martha's life together, is lost in translation.” Some people habitually overshare online, and Ash seems like the type to do so, but even so, social media is not an accurate description of a person's true colors in any way. Instead, it is a carefully calculated set of information used to create an illusion of perfection. So, although “Ash-bot” is a duplicate at face value, he is an inhuman shell. These little details make themselves clear over the course of the episode, starting with a missing mole on his chest. The fact that Ash had a molle had never been shared online, and it hadn’t been shared in any images. As the story progresses, these little details, and Ash-bots constant and only purpose to serve is what Martha found the most unsettling and unauthentic. Ash was in Martha’s uncanny valley, similar to what she had been so fond of, but off ever so slightly enough to make an uncomfortable shift in his presence. As the end of the episode draws near, it cuts to a shot of Martha and Ash on a gusty cliffside. Martha had grown so tiresome of the fake Ash, that she had decided to ask him to jump off the edge. “Martha walks with Ash to a cliff and bids him jump off it, which confuses him since the real Ash wasn’t suicidal. She bemoans that her real Ash would have screamed and cried, and as if she’s turned on a light, the Ash-bot does exactly that, begging for his life as she might expect... it makes Martha’s decision all the more wrenching—she lets out an almighty scream.” (AV/TV) The show flashes to a coda, years later, Ash sits in the attic of Martha’s home, and patiently waits to be greeted. Ending on such a pessimistic note; Martha aware of her mistake right above her, It shows how the combination of technology and toying with death can be a terrible one.
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Behind every great nation, there are often dark times and unruly deeds hiding in the shadows. Similarly to most things in life, there must be battle and bloodshed before a peace agreement is reached, and things can move on to better, more progressive times. But, do we always have to forgive for the wounds that have been created by these fights? The barbaric massacring of the Human Roaches during the founding of our New Society is unforgivable in the eyes of many.
Long before our country evolved, it was impoverished and surrounded by mortality and tragedy. Villagers worked long and grueling days for little fruition and the country was war-torn; this is the armed conflict between the Human Roaches and the MASSmen. MASSmen were the trained soldiers that occupied the country, a droning mass of deadly men and women. The pseudonym of MASSmen originate from the neural implant each solidier has, under the acronym of MASS. The implant provided many services, from improving their senses, generating “comforting” erotic sex dreams at night, to augmented realities and “advanced visions.” It was implanted to every soldier without question, thus creating the perfect killing machines. With heightened perception and an internal database, it seemed like the cadets had a foot up on the Roaches, but that was only the surface level. The real purpose of the MASS unit was to hide the soldiers from reality, by masking the truth of wanton havoc they were creating. MASS turned a weak race strain, riddled with muted DNA perfect for sustaining cancerous and fatal diseases, into Roaches. It morphed the soldier's view of them into vicious beings, with ceraceous skin, shard-like teeth, and warped the desperate pleas and screams of the Roaches into incoherent and hostile-sounding growls. This is why the government had decided to implant the MASS unit into each fighter; it is instinctual for humans to protect those in need, and by eliminating the innocence and humanity from the Roaches with technology, it turns them into a faceless swarm of dangerous animals. Even individuals without the implant, like villagers, sustained the idea that Roaches were feral and predatory beasts, although they could see them in their true form, a wounded and hunted people. This inhumanity fueled the killing of millions of Roaches. The government ultimately manipulated thousands of people into eliminating an entire race of people and tries to cover this fact up. They claim that “The Roaches provided a threat to our way of life.” In reality, it was impossible to cure the diseases ingrained into the Roaches, but during this dark age, the government soldier turned their back on an injured group in need and proved that the technology of the era was too advanced for its time. Thank you for choosing to spend a fun-filled day with the White Bear Crew! We hope you will enjoy your time here, so we’ve typed up a set of rules to ensure that things run smoothly throughout the day.
1. You must remember that we are working with a very sick, murderous woman. Victoria Skillane was convicted with filming the murder of young Jemima, and tried to aviod the consequences, similarly her boyfriend, Ian, who committed suicide before receiving the repercussions of his actions. We can’t let her escape in the same fashion without receiving a proper punishment first. She will not be restricted in her movements, and on occasion has been known to become violent with guests in the park. For this you must... 2. Keep a distance of 3 meters away from her at all times. By doing this it ensures no one will be harmed, but in the case that Victoria becomes violent, all staff are equipped with a taser. 3. Take as many photos and videos as possible! We must keep Victoria under the illusion that everyone is hypnotized and brainlessly photographing her pathetic pleas. Take images and video recordings. 4. Don’t let her get your phone or view your screen. In the situation that Skillane gets a phone, staff members have been known to damage them to prevent Victoria from seeing the screen. It would ruin the illusion. 5 . Keep to the schedule. Each staff member has a walkie talkie to tell us when she has reached a certain location, and many of our guests will live-stream Victoria, you can find the link to that on our webpage. We always will know where Skillane is, and its important to have as many people photographing her as possible, so its best not to loiter. 6. Trust the staff and have a good time. From the time Victoria wakes up, disoriented and unaware of the monster that she is, to when she finds out her true identity, the staff will be there to make sure you and your family is enjoying your day in the White Bear Justice Park. Make sure to attend as many extra events as possible, like additional set up times where you can watch the staff set up the scenery, get into positions, and do makeup. Come and watch Victoria’s identity reveal at the end of the each day, and the Parade back to her daily starting point in the evening. Unlimited Red Water balloons to throw at her cage are included in the admission price, so toss to your hearts content, and make sure to have fun! |
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