Browsing the TV section of Netflix can be an anxiety inducing exercise. While the upside in the new Golden Age Of Television has some of the best programming the medium has ever seen, the downside has been the impossibility of keeping up with everything, to the point where the sheer amount of choice can be overwhelming. And so, I walked into the Toronto International Film Festival press screening of two episodes from the upcoming third season of “Black Mirror,” a series I hadn’t previously watched, knowing there could only be two outcomes: I will have spent two hours regretting I hadn’t watched a movie instead or walked out with a new show to binge watch. And the good news is, when I return home Toronto, I’ll be catching up with the rest of “Black Mirror.”
While I had been informed the previous seven episodes of the “Twilight Zone” style anthology series generally leaned toward the more darkly dystopian, “San Junipero” and “Nosedive” seem to offer a slightly different flavor in its look to the future, but retains a pretty sharp edge of satire in its observation of human interaction.
Directed by Owen Harris (who also helmed season two’s “Be Right Back”), “San Junipero” drops viewers right into neon soaked 1987, where Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis) is newly arrived in the titular California town. Her buttoned down style and shy demeanor makes would make her a wallflower to most, but a chance encounter with Kelly (a bubbly Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who is trying to avoid the attentions of a one-night stand who is eager for a relationship, sparks a friendship between the pair, that soon turns romantic. However, it isn’t long until some curiosities begin to surface. The remaining time before midnight becomes an increasing concern, while the title card of “one week later” starts becoming more frequent, slowly revealing…well, you’ll just have to wait and see. However, it’s safe to say that “San Junipero” becomes much more than its richly ‘80s setting, which includes a surprisingly large number of soundtrack cuts, which I can only imagine were available thanks to the generous budget of Netflix. And while the episode generally plays as a straight drama, Harris does show flashes of funny, none more so than in a sex scene, which in a direct nod to “North By Northwest,” cuts from the action on a bed to waves washing up on the beach nearby. I’ll let you figure out the symbolism.
Davis and Mbatha-Raw are already two very talented rising young actresses, and no surprise, they are strong here, seeing the arc of their characters across the hour take an incredible journey, but one that also feels gradual, no doubt aided by writer/creator Brooker’s script. And while the episode feels like it has one too many endings, its touching resonance is aided by a score from Clint Mansell, which even among the wall-to-wall soundtrack songs, manages to stand out. However, while “San Junipero” is a very good sampling from what’s coming up in “Black Mirror,” it’ll likely be “Nosedive” that has everyone talking.
Featuring a wickedly precise script by Rashida Jones and Mike Schur (old pals from “The Office” and “Parks & Recreation”), and lively direction from Joe Wright (“Atonement,” “Hanna,” “Anna Karenina“) who shows he can do flat out comedy, it’s Bryce Dallas Howard who makes it sing. She plays Lacie in the story, set in the slight future, where every human interaction and social media posting is ranked by friends and strangers, and helps determine your personal and professional status. While taking a knife to the age of self-obsession and over-sharing is nothing new, Jones and Schur not only find a refreshing and highly-entertaining angle on the subject, it’s one that only sings more strongly when contained to a strongly composed, single hour of television
Constantly practicing her smile in the mirror, Lacie’s aspirational dreams are tied to the numerical ranking that follows her (and everyone) around, every moment of the day. She currently sits just above 4 out of a total of 5, with top influencers ranking 4.5 or higher, and sharing some prestigious perks. Nudging up to those kinds of heights isn’t easy, and as Lacie learns from her personal analytics advisor (a particularly hilarious scene), it could take over a year. However, she soon discovers a possible shortcut to a higher score, when Naomi (Alice Eve) — ranked 4.7 — asks Lacie to be the maid of honor at her wedding. Even though she hasn’t been in touch with her old friend in quite some time, Lacie accepts, but the exclusive ceremony — undoubtedly filled with high ranking types — will allow her to boost her own score….if all goes well….
The entire episode hinges on the lead turn, and with Howard in every single minute of “Nosedive,” she delivers what might be one of the best performances of her career. She absolutely nails wearing a mask of artificial happiness, blending it with a pitiable undercurrent of desperation, one that unravels as the story unfolds. There’s no big twist to “Nosedive” so much as a continually building madness which is lots of fun, and there’s another great score too, this time from Max Richter.
Fans have a lot to look forward to in season three of “Black Mirror,” including a series order from Netflix of six episodes, which nearly doubles the total number so far delivered across seasons one and two. And if the quality is as high as these two episodes, the show will be a fall highlight, confirmation to longtime fans that they’ve back the right horse, and incentive for people like me to put it at the front of the catch-up queue.
“San Junipero” [B]
“Nosedive” [A]
“Black Mirror” season three will be available on Netflix on October 21st.
Click here for our complete coverage of the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival
