Board 8 > Rate the Black Mirror Episode: S1E3 - The Entire History of You

(+) Yeah! (+)

Screen buzzes, cracks.

Last episode couldn't get quite a 15 million average, but it did really well still! To be honest, it might remain on the top for a long time yet. After a dark and not particularly hi-tech first episode, a horrifying evolution of technology in the second episode, the third episode brings a relatively grounded approach to technology (yet still more advanced than what we have) and a more direct examination of how it might affect our thoughts, relationships, and lives.

The episode is set in a future where a "grain" technology records people's audiovisual senses, allowing a person to re-watch their memories. The lawyer Liam (Toby Kebbell) attends a dinner party with his wife Ffion (Jodie Whittaker), becoming suspicious after seeing her zealously interact with a friend of hers, Jonas (Tom Cullen). This leads him to scrutinise his memories and Ffion's claims about the nature of her relationship with Jonas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Entire_History_of_You

Guidelines:

• Rate the episode from 1 to 10
• Feel free to share your reasoning
• You can rate previous days

Previous ratings:
9.02 - S1E2 - Fifteen Million Merits
6.15 - S1E1 - The National Anthem

10/10.

My favorite episode of Black Mirror. So many great insights in just one episode.

9.8

I've always considered this to be one of the episodes that really defined the series. It's a technology that is immediately desireable in a way the viewer can grasp what it does, what it's capable of, why people would want it. And what really sets Black Mirror apart usually is that this isn't a show about technology turned bad. This is technology that is extremely useful that works exactly as intended. And every moment of this is just filled to the brim with tension, with the final moments still sitting in my head years later. Written so well and filled with excellent performances

10/10

This is my favorite Black Mirror episode as well. I love how it doesn't do anything crazy. It simply examines how such a technology would impact peoples lives. The technology isn't inherently evil and it doesn't glitch out in some unexpected way or anything. The grain is flawless, even, and likely does have countless positive impacts on the world. I loved all the little touches in the setting, like when he needed to show someone a quick scan of his recent past in order to travel similar to airport security. The tech is fine. It's the people using it, and their human nature dictating how they use it, which causes all the problems. It starts small with him overthinking the job interview (and, even without the technology, I'm sure all of us are guilty of replaying events in our head over and over about some event or another). Then, of course, it gets a lot darker from there. Even once everything is revealed, I like how the morality of the whole situation is still super unclear. It stuck with me and gave me a lot to think about.

I'm a little afraid to make any comments on this one, but 5.4/10 for me. I know, it's supposed to be an amazing episode, I know.

Even though it's one of my favorites, I'd be interested in hearing your comments! I certainly didn't hold back against The National Anthem, and there are a few in the future that I dislike nearly as much.

Robazoid posted...

Even though it's one of my favorites, I'd be interested in hearing your comments! I certainly didn't hold back against The National Anthem, and there are a few in the future that I dislike nearly as much.

For me there's a bizarre push-me pull-you of pacing; I constantly found myself looking at my watch and yet, at the same time, I thought the male lead spiraled far too fast in his paranoia. This reached the point that the technology was the most realistic thing about the episode. I honestly thought the human beings were really just in service to a point, to preach a moral that felt end written first, premise over personhood. When you write to an idea, sometimes the characters just seem like their arms are being broken in the getting there, and I found that it just didn't feel organic. It's really a problem with the Black Mirror/Twilight Zone concept as a whole.

Oh, and I have to reiterate - I was watching the clock a lot during this particular episode. The tension was so manufactured, I just wanted Brooker to post the moral of the story so I could move on to catching up on binging Spartacus (it was a different time, 2014).

That's a lot of complaining to explain an above-average score, I guess, but I realize that this is a beloved episode so you go in on the defensive, right?

genny where you at

9

7/10.

Yeah not as on board with this one as a lot of people. Great premise, but just okay execution.

9 out of 10

9/10
Pretty amazing, though it drags a little at times.

6/10

i recall not being particularly invested in this one and it's themes didn't feel particularly deep to me or give me anything new to think about. honestly i don't remember much about it at all. i think i found it very straightforward and predictable.

I always associate this one as 'the episode Robert Downey Jr supposedly bought the film rights to after watching it' rather than its actual content.

7.8/10 for this one

Grimlyn posted...

genny where you at

I'm here.

7/10

I thought it was a very interesting way to tell a story. At first it frames the protagonist as fundamentally unlikable, paranoid and obsessive, and his wife as calm, somewhat aloof, and unflappable only to later flip this framing on its head. As her lies and her past catches up to her I get the feeling that the audience isn't meant to feel sympathy for her nor is it supposed to feel like the protagonist is justified. Instead the entire point is that nothing good could come out of a society like this. Having access to a flawless recreation of your own memories or that of anyone else's via screen sharing is a nightmarish thought.

So yeah everyone is kind of a trash person, but I would be too if I were in the same circumstances. Go grainless.

7/10

6

9/10

Loved the concept

I actually just recently watched the entire series for the first time, so this is a really timely topic for me!

S1E3: 6.5/10

I think Scarlet summed up my thoughts on it pretty well, though I'm still positive overall on it.

Previous days:

S1E1: 7.5/10
S1E2: 8.5/10

8

I'm surprised this was one is getting so much praise. I hardly remember anything about it.

7/10

I do like the concept and execution, and it is well-made, but it doesn't really grip me easily.

8.5/10

Not much I really want to add that hasn't been said here but I will say I didn't like this episode on first watch and liked it considerably better on a re-watch.

i'm probably due for a rewatch anyway. i've always known it was considered a fan-favourite, maybe i'm missing something!

10

I've only watched S1 of Black Mirror and this was easily the highlight of the whole thing. Thought it was pretty much a perfect episode

9.25

Excellent episode, but doesn't quite reach my personal Hall of Fame.