In class we watched the second
episode of the first season of Black
Mirror titled “Fifteen Million Merits.”
The dystopia that is created in this episode would be terrifying to live
in. The first scene literally shows the
main character, Bing, waking up in what I consider a box. What stuck out most to me about this small
room is that there were no windows, and no sign of a world outside of it. Ironically a country sunrise scene with an
animated rooster is what Bing woke up to everyday. This rural scene, and Bing’s “rolling road”
selection on his bike indicated early on that Bing was going to be a character
that desired a “simpler life” or someone who valued the outdoors. One the show,
people live their lives between the little boxes that are essentially their
homes, and stationary bikes that they peddle day in and day out to earn
“merits” which is what they use as currency.
They use these merits to buy food, apps for their room, entertainment,
and to pay penalties on skipping ads or content that they do not want to
experience. The show also has its own
talent show, Hot Shot (similar our America’s Got Talent), for fifteen
million merits a person can audition for the show. Success from the show promises a better life,
one where you can pick out your own clothes and look outside every day (what a
concept!). Bing spends his inheritance
to get his friend on the show for her singing ability. When she is degraded and taken advantage of,
he works tirelessly to get himself on the show to make a statement, threatening
to take his own life in the process. In
the end, he becomes part of exactly what he hated and has his own show. When we see his life then, we see how much of
a façade it really is, because seeing outdoors means seeing screens with images
of trees on them.
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