The Premise
This episode begins with yet another shot of someone sleeping (seriously, is this some sort of pattern?) and we soon find out that our protagonist is in some kind of dystopian future where everything costs "merits" immediately, even toothpaste.
These merits are earned via peddling exercise bikes to generate power. The public is entertained by all kinds of programmes (ranging from simulations, porn and game shows) while performing this service, and every individual harbors dreams of making it big one day, and being able to get off their bikes.
The Characters
Daniel Kaluuya is Bingham Madsen, or just "Bing". I last saw him in Get Out (where he was excellent!) and Black Panther. This guy's facial expressions in this episode are a delight to watch, ranging from eye-rolling boredom, depression, hope and frenzied desperation.
Jessica Brown Findlay as Abi Khan, the talented singer and the subject of Bing's affections. She likes origami. When we first see her, she is sweet, pleasant and positively radiates serenity. The behavior is consistent as the show goes on, at least until her downfall.
Rupert Everett as Judge Hope. Wow, it's been a while since I saw this guy... probably twenty years ago or more, as the villain in Inspector Gadget.
Ashley Thomas, or "Bashy", as Judge Wraith, the man behind porn production studio Wraith Babes. Basically the lecherous black dude stereotype. But he does have some pretty good lines.
Man, just fucking kill yourself. You get heavy on me, dawg, I swear to God I'll kick your ass back to life just so I can cut your Goddamn head off.
Julia Davis as Judge Charity. Serves as the Paula Abdul archetype in the talent judges' panel.
Paul Popplewell plays Dustin with crassness, lewdness and sheer obnoxiousness.
Isabella Laughland is Swift, the girl who displays an interest in Bing. We don't see much of her, which is a shame, because I enjoyed their brief interactions.
Colin Carmichael as Kai, who seems to be a bit of a dim-wit, representing the kind who treat their online avatar too obsessively.
Kerrie Hayes has a grand time hamming it up as Glee. We only see her in a scene or two, but she is a hoot!
The Mood
The visuals are pretty bleak, which is quite apt for this story. The surroundings are angular and sterile, and everyone is dressed in shades of grey. Things get more colorful once we move to the virtual reality stage, but that somehow ratchets up the claustrophobia and drabness of it all.What I liked
It is pretty cute how different hand (and even finger) gestures control different screen interactions.Popup messages like these add to the sinister vibe. Not only are ads intrusive, they are mandatory. And if the viewer closes his eyes, the system refuses to continue until otherwise! Brrr! These ads are ubiquitous - at one point they even appear on the walls of urinals!
The concept of the Lemons - obese members of society who cannot contribute directly to producing power and thus are reduced to menial labor. They are made the butt of cruel jokes such as in games like Fattax and Gut Brothers, and the first-person shooter game that Bing plays even has him shooting them!
Call me a sap, but the interactions between Bing and Abi are pretty cute.
The bored, constipated looks of the staff of Hot Shot are practically a uniform. It's amusing.
Bing's expletive-laden speech to the judges of Hot Shot near the end. Daniel Kulaaya really nails this one with his raw anguish.
What I didn't
The brief flashes of nudity seem unnecessary. It's porn, we fucking get it.The plot point where Abi takes the drug-laced drink Cuppliance and gets persuaded into doing porn. This just feels unrealistic and lazy.
I feel like the episode could have just ended right there, with Bing being tortured by scenes of Abi's porn. Because the rest of it is just shaky. It hinges too much on the concept of Cuppliance, which wasn't all that compelling to begin with.
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