Television, drug of the nation

Black Mirror great so far.

i remember seeing julian barratt exiting soho onto tottenham court road back when this was first being aired and i told him i loved his work. then rode off

JB and Julia Davis used to walk regularly on Hampstead Heath together (and maybe still do, I moved away), never speaking, both wearing headphones, both looking utterly fucking miserable. I mean, I love a lot of their stuff (altho Boosh has aged terribly), but it just made me feel sad.

altho Boosh has aged terribly

I turn my back on you.

There's a very weird coincidence between recent chat on here and the first new Black Mirror.

No spoilers, want to know if anyone else spots it.

I enjoyed it - just got up to speed recently.

Completely with you on the Columbo similarity!
‘….just one more thing….’ Moments aplenty.

Much better than Rian Johnson’s other recent whodunits I think too!
Glass onion was a bit eye-roll, and knives out was just okay.

Poker Face is a bit less reliant on his ‘clever’ plot, and just has some great characters

I've still never got round to watching Black Mirror and feel like I have to start soon. Am I right in thinking that each series is kind of stand-alone, so could jump in at the newest one, or would I need to watch from the beginning?

Otherwise: just finished yet another viewing of Stath Lets Flats from beginning to end in about a week. Absolutely joyous viewing and I'd happily do it again immediately.

Am I right in thinking that each series is kind of stand-alone

Each episode is standalone. They are very variable quality, I'd filter by review or rating.

You don't need to start at the beginning but it's a good enough series that it's probably worth going from the start. There are a few callbacks between episodes too - nothing that ruins a plot if you don't recognise it, but noticeable.
The best ones are the older ones, but even the lower quality ones are better than most of what's on TV. I'd say start at the beginning

Yeah I love the Boosh still. Some of the reference points maybe have aged a little true enough

I am surprised by the low ratings for the new Black Mirror episodes. Have seen 4 so far end enjoyed them all.

Watched the first 2 last night and thought they weee great tv.

Thirded. Excellent series IMO - one of the strongest. Beyond the Sea especially so, and only about 30 mins into last ep, Demon 79, which is also very good.

Just watched Loch Henry.

Definitely not what I wanted to watch before bed. Locking up the sheds in the dark was fun!

Demon 79 is probably my favourite of the latest season.

I loved the new series of Black Mirror, Demon 79 was my favourite.

Started watching The Power on Amazon prime. I enjoyed the book, and so far it’s OK and that’s about it. Quite heavy handed and unsubtle. I feel like they’ve failed to mail a lot of the elements that made the book enjoyable.

Only watched the first two episodes, but thought they were quite mediocre. Nowhere near as good as the first seasons.

Interesting. I've heard a few people / critics say this.

I watched the whole season and thought it was really strong. Although the run times of a couple of episodes could maybe have been trimmed.

Think maybe familiarity plays a part - Inside no 9 seems to get the same criticism but I still think they are generally superb television.

I've enjoyed the three I've watched because they're well made and well acted, but they're very predictable story wise. But then I think black mirror isn't necessarily a twist at the end show.

@goodhead the last season or two of Inside 9 were awful. I gave up after the first two eps of latest series. I think they should have stopped a while ago, they've just lost their magic.

Just finished the last episode. Better than most TV but thought it was still the weakest season so far. Beyond the Sea and Demon 79 were good, Joan is Awful was quite fun. Thought Loch Henry and the paparazzi ones were a bit shit though.
Doesn’t hold a candle to the early seasons imo

Agree on Inside Number 9. Shadow of what it was. The Phil Daniels one of this latest series was where I called it a day.

Watching some black mirror with a housemate, she'd seen a couple so started with daemon 79 and it was great, beyond the sea now.

Idk if it's the mood I'm in, age, or having children, but I'm really struggling with the horror and violence in the 2nd and 3rd one. To the point that I'm reticent to watch more. Or maybe I need to read a description first.

Alternatively if anyone want to call out which other ones are less violent than Loch Henry and Beyond the Sea.

1 Joan Is Awful
2 Loch Henry
3 Beyond the Sea
4 Mazey Day
5 Demon 79

Also the Media Show on R4/BBC Sounds had Charlie Brooker on. Worth a listen.

The other two are just as violent / deathy