My Life (and Death) Online: thoughts on 'Be Right Back', Black Mirror Series Two

When I first heard 'Black Mirror' had been commissioned, I was in telly nerd heaven. Charlie Brooker's 'Screenwipe'/'Newswipe' on BBC 4 were favourites of mine, and I'd loved the '28 Days Later' vs Big Brother mash-up which was E4's 'Deadset'. With Brooker (as well as other fantastic comedy writers such as Jesse Armstrong) at the show's helm, satire, technology and probably a bit of filth thrown in for good measure were certainties, and I waited eagerly for its release in December 2011. I found the first series of Black Mirror had a slow start. 'The National Anthem' with it's infamous bestiality scene felt like it was trying too hard to shock. It was relatively predictable and didn't do much to get me thinking except 'I'm going to vomit'. However, I enjoyed '15 Million Merits' more, with Daniel Kaluuya's gripping portrayal of a desperate and frustrated character in an unimaginable yet realistic future. As an avid (albeit slightly guilty) fan of crappy reality TV contests this episode had a particular resonance. My favourite of the series had to be 'The Entire History of You'. The idea of capturing, recording and manipulating memories in such a way was fascinating and I'd have loved to have seen more. I was pleased to read the film rights to the episode's premise have been acquired by Robert Downey Jr, and have my fingers crossed for a feature length sci-fi thriller in the not-too-distant future. 

The trailers leading up to series 2 were Channel 4's take on the simpering, wide-eyed world of marketing for tech and gadgets, hinting at the dark side of technology and the culture of openness and 'sharing' which comes with it. With this (and the legacy of series 1) in mind, we braced ourselves on the sofa for more skin-crawling discomfort and an eerie look into how the future of Britain might play out.The episode began with a scene which could have easily been a car advert; a cute, cosy young couple (Ash and Martha) sheltering from the rain in their over-sized gas-guzzler, on their way to move into their new home together. The car's slightly-too-reliable sat-nav and a news report on 'synthetic flesh' tell us immediately that we are in the future, but we are talking more 2020 than the year 3000. As with Brooker's other forays into predicting the future, the tech is fanciful enough to be science fiction, but relatable enough to make us believe that one day these advancements might be achieved.



Tragedy strikes our young protagonists early on (relatively unsurprisingly thanks to the episode's trailer), and Ash dies, leaving a pregnant Martha to fend for herself. Her also-bereaved friend offers to sign her up to a service which gather's information from Ash's online activity (social media, videos, photos, emails) and creates a simulation of him which she can chat to using IM. Genius! You could keep your dear old Nanna informed about your life after she's passed on, or even keep chatting away to that ex who isn't interested any more. However, the story descends into a dark tale of loss, grief and relationships, culminating in Martha ordering a very creepy life-size simulation of Ash's body, which looks and talks like him (but has clearer skin and is better in bed, and only serves to please her...brilliant!) The episode ends with Martha and her daughter keeping Ash locked away in an attic upstairs; he is too similar to her deceased love to get rid of him, but too different (and creepy) to keep him around all the time. The episode was insightful,  well written and had us squirming and cringing in all the right places. It was moving without the cheese of traditional dramas, and there were also some darkly funny elements, as is to be expected from the 'Black Mirror' team. I love the way each episode is divided into four parts, segmented with a black-and-white caption. It gives the viewer the impression that each part is going to be more disturbing than the next and builds up our anticipation for the story's climax.

What I loved most about 'Be Right Back' was not how it got me musing about the fragility of life and the certainty of death, but that it got me thinking about my online legacy. My social media accounts are a barrage of nonsense tweets about being hungry/tired/bored or sharing celeb gossip and pictures of dogs wearing clothes; which is a pretty accurate representation of my stream of conciousness. There are comments ranging from brash, obnoxious and scathing to philosophical, romantic and downright depressing. The majority of my Facebook photos are of me drunk on holiday, wearing not enough clothes and too much neon face-paint  or of my uni years, where I'm still drunk but wearing more clothes and slightly and less face-paint  My Instagram is full of pictures of cakes, clothes and concerts, all very specific to me but not totally unique.

Would my posthumous simulation it be an amalgamation of all of this or just the most common image? There are no photos of me in my pyjamas with no make up on, or at work going about my daily routine. I've hardly got any photos of me with my family but tonnes with friends (including many that I no longer speak to). I very selectively post feeds of what music I listen to; perhaps not showing my true taste or at least what I listen to when I'm not being watched? (In the episode, Ash admits to liking the Bee Gees, for instance, but the reproduction of him has no recollection of this). I suppose the online version of me would take the most extreme elements of my personality and combine them all, and I'm not sure if anyone would want to meet that person! A very clever idea from 'Black Mirror', and I look forward to the next episode.