After being really blown away by the first season of Black Mirror, I found myself struggling quite a bit with season two. I genuinely loved all of season one, I’d say, but I found White Bear, from season two, to be flawed on a pretty fundamental level and pretty problematic; and I bring up White Bear because it’s the one I liked the MOST from season two. The Waldo Moment, on the other hand, is quite possibly the worst episode of television I’ve ever seen. White Christmas was flawed, but a step up. But with this opening to season three, the show is back on top with a pure masterpiece. The premise of the episode, which revolves around a world where every single thing, from the briefest social interaction all the way up to the big stuff, is rated on a simple five star rating system, is absolutely fantastic and the way the episode pulls it apart and really explores it is creative, often surprising and really thought-provoking. The way that these star ratings infiltrate every area of life and effect everything from where a person can live to the medical treatments they’re able to get is chilling and really fascinating. Director Joe Wright brings a really unique style to the episode as well; in contrast to the typically chilly color palette of the show, Wright fills up every carefully constructed symmetrical frame with pastels and manages to evoke a softer, fluffier version of the surburbia of Tim Burton. The episode really revolves around a truly maniacal performance by Bryce Dallas Howard. I’ve always found her to be an underrated actress and I’m darned if she might not be doing her best work in this episode as a neurotic with a forced smile and a barely hidden panic in her eyes. I’d like to give props to Joe Wright for this as well, because this is an extremely strange, weirdly pitched performance and, while I haven’t read any reviews of the episode, I would bet that it’s a performance a lot of people really hated. It’s certainly a performance that could easily cross the line into being just a bit too annoying to even tolerate in a television character and, as an actor, I feel like it’s a really brave performance by Howard and one that required a very, very high level of trust in her director. It’s a real high-wire act and it’s wonderful to watch. The rest of the cast is excellent as well. Michaela Cole has a very small role as an airport worker, but she absolutely steals the scene she’s in. Sope Dirisu also only has one scene and his character doesn’t even get a name, but his encounter with Howard in the episode’s final scene is fantastic. Cherry Norton makes the most of her role as a long-haul truck driver. Anyway, I really, really loved this episode, top to bottom; it’s a return to the kind of intricate and detailed world-building that really elevated episodes like Fifteen Million Merits and The Entire History of You. It takes a great premise, uses it in great ways and features a mesmerizing star turn from its lead performer. I eschew the five star system in favor of one with four stars, but the math works out the same. 4 stars.
tl;dr – a fantastic high concept is explored with creativity, wit and insight; visually striking, emotionally impactful and boasting a phenomenal performance from Dallas Howard. 4 stars.