Warning
The twists within Black Mirror come thick and fast. It's possible to not have spoilers, but I'd rather have spoilers and give you this warning. Heavy, heavy spoilers.The Premise
The series kicks off with USS Callister, a virtual reality skit that at first seems to be harmless fantasy, until what we're led to believe is the protagonist of the story, turns out to be the villain (well, this is Black Mirror, amirite?).
And then things get horrifying real quickly. Suffice to say, if the plight of cookies in previous seasons of Black Mirror made you uncomfortable, this takes it up another notch.
This episode appears to take place in the USA, if the title is any indication.
The Characters
Jesse Plemons plays the role of Robert Daly, the put-upon CTO of a gaming company. I last saw Plemons in Breaking Bad, where he was suitably sinister. In here, he's far campier and more sadistic, and the prime example of how power, even virtual power, can get to someone's head. Plemons provides a fascinating portrayal of an incel who gets increasingly petty the more his power trip fantasies play out.Jimmi Simpson gives us a contrasting depiction of James Walton. As the CEO of Callister, Inc., he comes across as a charismatic but demanding boss and sleazy womanizer. It's only as the First Mate of USS Callister where we see his human side, where Daly's sadistic atrocities pile onto his tragedy.
Cristin Milioti as new hire Nanette Cole. Another contrasting portrayal. As the new hire, we see her as a gushing fangirl of Daly. But as his virtual prisoner, we see other aspects - her defiance, leadership qualities, and even her salacious side! She carries a good part of this episode with her pluck, and is, to me, a believable heroine. Also, very easy on the eyes. Just sayin'.
Michaela Coel makes her second Black Mirror appearance as Shania Lowry. She looks remarkably different here, from when she first appeared during Nosedive in Black Mirror Series Three. Her character acts as exposition - out in the real world, advising Nanette on the landscape of the office, and in the virtual world. Lowry is also depicted as the closest person to Nanette in the office.
Osy Ikhile as intern Nate Packer. He makes coffee for people, and a botched order causes Daly to imprison him in the simulation. Seems harmless enough, if largely colorless.
Milanka Brooks as receptionist Elena Tulaska. She's unsmiling and taciturn, and very straight-laced. This is what causes Daly to gun for her - not smiling enough - which only serves to underline his pettiness.
Paul G. Raymond as programmer Kabir Dudani. Does not seem to have done much to warrant his imprisonment as he actually seems to respect Daly in the office. Serves as the techie in the simulation, at least until Nanette comes along.
Billy Magnussen as Valdack, who is also the gym bro in the office. He came across as a nice friendly guy in the office, and gave some hammy overacting in the simulation. Fun to watch, a tad underused.
Hammed Animashaun as pizza guy. A cameo, nothing more, but he made the most of it!
The Mood
It starts off as a cheerfully campy Star Trek knockoff, complete with clunky visual effects, cheesy dialogue science fiction technobabble. Somewhat predictably (again, this is Black Mirror, amirite?) it turns out to be a simulation minutes later but there's still nothing overtly wrong until we see how Daily really treats his crew.
The bright cheery colors somehow make his scenes of torture even more horrifying.
This does change, though, near the end, and become more akin to an inspiring tale of courage and freedom. And yes, sacrifice.
What I liked
In general the campiness of the whole Star Trek setup was a huge plus for me. Love it. Love it!There's a funny background event as the unfortunate soul that Daly turned into an Arachajax, subsides and looks to be taking a break as Daly pauses the game.
And in that same scene, the hilariously over-the-top acting (which makes Nanette do an eye-roll) is just too good.
The reactions and remarks of the crew as they look over Nanette's racy pictures, are amusing.
That anguished fuck-you speech that Walton gives Daly is wrenching. He first admits his failings as a person, but also points out that Daly's retribution trumps everything that Walton ever did to him. This ends with a roar of defiance as Walton gets blown to smithereens. Maximum drama.
"Rannoch" and "Skillane" were the names of the destinations that USS Callister travelled to in the simulation. They seemed oddly familiar, and then it hit me - those names were used in White Bear of Black Mirror Series Two!
What I didn't
That little device where Daly feeds DNA samples into, to produce the virtual clones, is just a little too far-out. I get that this is supposed to be science fiction, but tech on this level seems to trump video game technology. This should be a bigger deal than is depicted in this story.
I'm not really sure the whole removal of genitals thing was necessary. It was mildly amusing, but I feel like it ultimately added very little to the plot while taking way too much time.
Wait, if all the characters in the simulation were reverted to their actual selves after escaping, whatever happened to Valerie from Marketing?!
Conclusion
A more than decent episode, albeit pretty predictable. Honestly, did anyone not see Robert Daly meeting a depressing end? This is Black Mirror, FFS.
On the other hand, this episode had plenty of funny bits, and a surprising amount of compelling acting. It's a great opening for Series Four! And if you're a Star Trek fan, this should totally be your jam.
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