I will choose Black Mirror if I can only watch one TV show in my life. The season 7 comes in the end after I have waited for it for two years. The brand new season presents the words like that. It shatters your mind and your perceptions.
Let’s take a look at how the first story “Common People” shatters your perceptions in Black Mirror Season 7 Episode 1.
Amanda and Mike are an ordinary couple. They’re living on a shoestring, but they’re happy. The wife Amanda is an elementary school science class teacher. Her husband Mike is a blue collar worker. The two are not financially well off though, they would go to the town where they met to relive the romantic times every anniversary.
Their greatest wish is to have a child. They even buy a crib in advance, longing for the baby to come. But Amanda has a headache when Mike tries to kiss her. They don’t mind it. They think they’re tired after they made the baby. Mike works hard for earning more money. But his colleague Shane doesn’t work well. He’s addicted to the livestreaming website Dum Dummies.
There’re many desperate blogger on the website. They will perform self-harm as long as they’re give some money. Mike doesn’t understand those people. He thinks they should go to look for a job. Amanda is in the class. She feels dizzy suddenly. She passes out.
Mike is working. He receives the message. He goes to the hospital. The doctor tells him that Amanda has a tumor in her brain. The tumor grows with the parietal lobes. So the condition isn’t good. She may never wake up. Mike doesn’t believe it. The doctor reveals Rivermind Technologies invented a new technology. Although experimental therapies carry some risk, only it can save Amanda. Mike agrees to have a talk with the company.
The next day, the representative of the company Gaynor comes. She’s warm to introduce the cross-generational technology to Mike. The neuroscience technology combines high technology and convenience. First of all, Rivermind will copy Amanda’s neural structure that was affected. It will upload it to the cloud server of the company. It’s like backing up your brain’s emotional memory to a computer. Removing the brain tumor and surrounding tissue. Using synthetic reception equipment to replaced the excised parts.
Mike is nervous. Because he worries that there are risks associated with this technique. Gaynor comforts him that she’s the first beneficiaries of the technique. She had an accident and she almost became a vegetable. But she was saved. He’s moved after he thought about that he can save his wife. She’s honesty to tell him the drawbacks of the technology. Amanda cannot leave the signal coverage.
Mike worries that his money isn’t enough. Gaynor claims that the surgery is free. He just needs to pay 300 dollars every month. He smiles after knowing it’s very cheap. The operation is a great success. Amanda wakes up the next day.
She has no after-effects. She’s conscious and she doesn’t look like that she had a brain surgery. She recovers and she leaves the hospital soon. The price they paid is just $300 membership fee every month. But the fee is too expensive to the ordinary family. They cannot pay it as long as there’s person losing job. So Mike decides to work overtime. The two return to the happy life.
Everything is fine after three months. Mike works hard to work overtime. But Shane watches Dum Dummies everyday. There’s a guy performing a tooth extraction. Shane gives him a lot of money. Mike isn’t in the mood to watch it. He needs to earn money to pay all kinds of fees.
Amanda needs to sleep ten hours everyday. Mike decides to go to take a walk. It’s their marriage anniversary today. The two decide to go to the town to relive the romance. Mike is tired because he worked overtime. He drives listlessly. Amanda needs to get enough sleep so that she cannot look for a second job. She doesn’t speak suddenly. She passes out. Mike mistakes that his wife is going to die. He’s startled. He drives to the hospital and he almost has a car accident. She recovers at this time.
The next day, the two go to Rivermind to ask what happened. Gaynor reveals Amanda left the signal coverage. But Mike thinks he did do it because he checked the map. Gaynor tells Mike that there’s a new version which can make Amanda travel anywhere. But Amanda has to stay in the town if he doesn’t upgrade.
Mike mentions what Gaynor promised that she will make sure the signal covers the whole world. But she claims that the service is only available for the enhanced edition. He has to ask her about the cost. She tells him that he just need to pay 800 dollars every month. But he can’t afford it.
Amanda needs to sleep more and more. She goes to take class for supporting herself. She’s incoherent when she’s teaching. She forgets the words she just said. There’s a little boy telling Amanda that his parents are going to get divorced after the class. But she tells him to visit the Christian website.
The couple is going to make a baby in the evening. Amanda speaks again. He’s bummed and he wants to go to sleep. She’s gentle to say something to him. She doesn’t know what she said. So they go to Rivermind again. Gaynor tells the two that it’s an advertisement.
Amanda goes to the school. She’s called to the principal’s office. The little boy’s mother complained about Amanda. But Amanda couldn’t control herself. The principal feels speechless. She threatens to fire Amanda. Amanda cannot pay the membership fee for regular version if she loses her job. Mike comforts her that he will find a way.
The main mission is to earn money. Mike carries his laptop to the basement. He makes the decision after he hesitated. He closes the door so that Amanda won’t find it out. He wears a mask and he signs up for an account on Dum Dummies. He has to be a blogger.
The next day, Amanda is still advertising. She spends her time in commercials except sleeping. Mike pays Rivermind 500 dollars. He opens an enhanced membership for a month. He asks Gaynor to let his wife stop promote. The advertising stops. Mike brings the good news to his wife. He reveals he upgraded the version after he earned some money. She’s very happy. But she doesn’t know what his husband paid behind it.
Mike is doing livestreaming on Dum Dummies in the evening. He will stick his tongue in the mousetrap if he’s given 100 dollars. He needs money because he needs to pay utility bills. He begins his performance after the fan agreed to pay 90 dollars.
The next day, Amanda wakes up after she slept till noon. Mike tells her that he bit his tongue. The two go to Rivermind again. Gaynor tells the two that it actually extended the bedtime after the upgrade. He claims that the brain needs to feed energy back to the server. Amanda refuses to feed the energy back because she paid the membership fee.
But Gaynor thinks Amanda should put up with the hidden consumption since she chooses to skip the ads. But there’s a Supreme Premium Edition. The beauty promotes the edition under the sunshine. The edition can make brain work great and it can enhance the senses.
The version is great. But the membership fee costs 1800 dollars. Gaynor knows the two cannot afford it. The company released the experiential version for the users. They don’t need to pay one month. They can just pay a few hours. Amanda knows it’s a trap. She leaves the office.
Mike wants to let his wife enjoy the best life. But where does the money come from? He has to do livestreaming again. The fan promises to pay Mike 500 dollars as along as he puts his finger into his ass when he exposes his face. Mike can do anything for his wife. So he does it.
Mike takes his wife to go to make up for their wedding anniversary. He lets his wife open the glove compartment. There’s a gift for her inside. She opens it and she sees the half day experience card. What Mike wants is happiness. He scratches the card and he scans her eyes.
Amanda downloads a pleasure program from her cell phone. She turns it up. The dopamine in her body begins to be secreted. She feels intense new pleasure. The effect begins to appear. Mike goes to work on the construction site. He finds out that his colleagues are mocking him. He walks into his office and he sees the photo he exposed his face on Dum Dummies.
He knows only Shane visited Dum Dummies. Shane was the one who spread it. Mike is furious to find Shane. The two have a fight. Shane trips when he argues. A road roller goes over him. Mike is fired after the accident. He cannot pay the membership fee of the enhanced version.
Amanda continues to advertise. The two have a talk. They think they can beg Rivermind for the mercy. They go to the company and they ask for the extension service. Mike promises to find a job and cover the costs. He decides to touch the childbirth fund he’s tried his best to save.
Gaynor is told that Mike has some money. She disagrees with it. She claims that the two cannot have a baby. The cerebral cortex will change once Amanda is pregnant. The company will ask for extra 90 dollars every month. Mike cannot stand it. He throws a fit to her. She’s startled to be silent. Mike and Amanda are lost to leave. Gaynor takes out her cell phone. She turns up the indifference mood.
One year later. Amanda pays the fee of the normal version with the baby fund. Her life is kept. But she lost her job early. Mike sells the crib to a young couple. But they burn it for performing performance art. Mike laughs and he shows the teeth that were pulled.
Amanda is old and she doesn’t like a human. It’s their wedding anniversary today. They cannot go anywhere. Mike uses the last of his money to buy his wife the experience card. Amanda feels sorry for his teeth. He turns up the tranquil mood. They haven’t felt the mood for a long time. Thirty minutes have passed. Amanda returns to the pain of helplessness. The time is up. Mike covers her with the pillow. He keeps crying. She passes away. He carries a knife and he closes the door.
Have you ever been filled with fear? Have you ever suffered from despair? Everyone is manipulated by the pressures of life. Paying for the constant upgraded subscription life. It’s the life which is manipulated. But is the future in your control?