Never would I have guessed that my favourite Black Mirror episode would be a romcom. Whereas most Black Mirror shows how technology can bring out the worst in human behaviour, Hang the DJ puts a sweet, optimistic spin on the future of dating. And importantly, it feels like the most 'Black Mirror' Black Mirror episode so far in the season, with its wildly creative way of exploring the effects of future tech in a humorous way whilst providing social commentary.
The concept is genius, although the whole way through the episode I was puzzled, trying to work out what I was supposed to think. That technology is no substitute for real relationships? That no attempt to control human behaviours such as love will work? Or that this technology actually DOES work (because it does)? The final twist made everything clear in the most wonderful, heartwarming way. The whole point of the system is that it wasn't supposed to work as it told you. The forced trials with different types of people was never intended to get to know people's preferences. It was supposed to annoy, to encourage people to rebel. For two people to rebel against a system that stops them from being together is the truest sign that they are a match. That terrific final scene, when Frank and Amy look at each other, conveys so much in a single moment. They haven't even met, yet they know they will have a wonderful life together. For a series that is usually so gloomy about humanity's future, that's a beacon of hope.
Hang the DJ has a more depressing commentary on the current dating scene, showing how the instant availability of men and women using dating apps strips love of anything but sex. Having sex with all these people you don't know and have no emotional connection to takes everything out of it, making it exactly the opposite of what it should be.
Georgina Campbell and Joe Cole blossom in their roles, with a real spark between their two characters that make their relationship onscreen totally work. Their scenes have this awkward energy, which in contrast to the other, unsatisfying relationships they're made to have.
For me, Hang the DJ is the best Black Mirror of all, with all sorts of twists and turns that ensure you never know what's coming, topped off with an ending that causes you to consider everything you just watched in a whole new light.
The concept is genius, although the whole way through the episode I was puzzled, trying to work out what I was supposed to think. That technology is no substitute for real relationships? That no attempt to control human behaviours such as love will work? Or that this technology actually DOES work (because it does)? The final twist made everything clear in the most wonderful, heartwarming way. The whole point of the system is that it wasn't supposed to work as it told you. The forced trials with different types of people was never intended to get to know people's preferences. It was supposed to annoy, to encourage people to rebel. For two people to rebel against a system that stops them from being together is the truest sign that they are a match. That terrific final scene, when Frank and Amy look at each other, conveys so much in a single moment. They haven't even met, yet they know they will have a wonderful life together. For a series that is usually so gloomy about humanity's future, that's a beacon of hope.
Hang the DJ has a more depressing commentary on the current dating scene, showing how the instant availability of men and women using dating apps strips love of anything but sex. Having sex with all these people you don't know and have no emotional connection to takes everything out of it, making it exactly the opposite of what it should be.
Georgina Campbell and Joe Cole blossom in their roles, with a real spark between their two characters that make their relationship onscreen totally work. Their scenes have this awkward energy, which in contrast to the other, unsatisfying relationships they're made to have.
For me, Hang the DJ is the best Black Mirror of all, with all sorts of twists and turns that ensure you never know what's coming, topped off with an ending that causes you to consider everything you just watched in a whole new light.