Stupid Black Mirror

First, this wee rant is going to contain spoilers, so if you plan on watching Black Mirror and enjoying it, maybe skip this, because of the spoilers, of course, but also because I thought for the most part it wasn’t very good, and I don’t really recommend it, which is another reason I don’t mind including spoilers.
I mean, I watched all five episodes in two days, so I’ve got to admit there are worse things on Netflix. There have been plenty of shows I have quit on in the first ten minutes. That’s one advantage of television over the cinema, particular television with nearly limitless content. There’s no need to stay until you get your money’s worth, no need to watch something you’re not into.
But, do not confuse ‘there are worse things on Netflix’ with a recommendation. The fact that I didn’t hate it as much as I might have is a pretty low bar. If that was a literal bar, you could step over it in a casual walk without breaking your stride. Basically, I just can’t see why people rave on about this series.
First of all, only two out of the five were science fiction at all, which is not a criminal offense, but a series that promotes itself as dystopian sci-fi, and then just turns out to be dystopian bullshit is doomed and predestined to disappoint sci-fi fans, of whom I consider myself one.
Werewolves and Demons are not science fiction. A story about mass murderers with a sex dungeon is not only not sci-fi, it has been done to death. The last two series my wife has forced me to watch, and probably a dozen or so over the last few years, have had that stupid theme.
And the one with the astronauts and their robot replicas left on Earth would have worked much better if they’d actually set it in the future, and not had them living on an Earth where the cars still didn’t have seatbelts, and the allusion to the Manson gang was heavy handed. Also, I really, seriously, hated the ending. I mean, what the hell did he gain by killing the other guy’s wife and kid? That’s just nuts, and astronauts are not chosen for being nuts.
Joan is Awful was probably the least awful of the bunch, but even there, the idea that the internet will steal our privacy is not exactly original, and the whole bit about Salma Hayak playing Cate Blanchett playing Joan didn’t really make any sense and wasn’t terribly funny, unless for some reason I don’t know Cate Blanchett is like an automatic punchline.
So, I award the whole season zero stars and urge you to watch something, almost anything else.