Black Mirror : Season 5

** Spoiler Free **

Season 5 of Black Mirror is here and I can't find a more better opportunity to get back into my blogging boots. "Striking Vipers", "Smithereens" and "Rachel, Jack and Ashley too" are the 3 stories that are brought before us this time by  Charlie Brooker. While the previous seasons shocked us with the stark portrayal of the dark sides of technology, seasons 5 has surprisingly more emotional content and also Miley Cyrus in it.

Yes, starting off with Striking Vipers, Anthony Mackie plays the role of a family man who plunges into emotional chaos when a video game questions his sexual orientation. Simulated Reality sequences included in this episode relates to San Junipero from Season 3 and also Play test. The story is quite well narrated but the dearth of a shocking screenplay which generally made this show an instant hit, is visibly missing.

Andrew Scott in Smithereens stands out among performances this time with his exquisite portrayal of the guilt driven, devastated husband. Other than that, "Smithereens" has nothing to offer but a tense hostage situation with an ambiguous ending. This episode is more of an emotional ride and feels like an odd addition to this series which had brilliant predecessors.

Miley Cyrus plays Ashley O, a singing sensation with a nervous breakdown. Yet again several questions arise about the narrative. With parallel stories of a celebrity and her fan girl, this episode gets reduced to a drama with no emotional or technological connect.

The performances are and have always been the highlight of this show and that remains intact. The technologies portrayed however has been already introduced in the previous seasons and hence we are not in for a shocker in that respect. But in reality, a real script holds together the entire show, performances cannot help if the former is missing and for a show like Black Mirror, the dark shades ought to be there!

Unfortunately all 3 episodes lack the wow factor which is infact the nerve - wracking disturbing, yet scintillating screenplay. Fanboys are in for a slightly major upset!

My Ratings :
Striking Vipers : 3/5
Smithereens : 2.5/5
Rachel Jack and Ashley too : 2/5