I managed to watch the first two episodes of this series last night and really enjoyed them. I thought White Bear was great, but then I'm into that kind of thing.
My take on it is simple. It's that the people who film nasty things going on in real life on their mobiles, can be just as guilty as those committing the actual crime as they're getting some kind of enjoyment/entertainment out of someone else's suffering.
Firstly, it mirrors the reactionary and psychopathic contradictions of society. We don't know if the main character is acting or is a convicted accomplice who volunteers for one weeks humiliation to escape the long 15 year sentence. The media can manipulate the truth to sex up their ratings (ie Network movie) and their profit. We cannot be certain that there is any truth in major stories on mainstream media and in newspapers; we just believe it to be the truth and react in a way that only a reactionary mob mentality would. The sick ones in my opinion are the people who pay to see the suffering. The main character could be an actress who is all part of a psycholigical operation to make the watching public think that they are receiving justice in a truly democratic society. Let us hope that she the subject will get her mind wiped when it's over. Then again to stop her committing further crimes, the idea might be for her to retain the memory of the humiliation as a deterrent to not doing it again.
Secondly, she is lucky to have her brain wiped as it removes a lifetime of programming, brainwashing, hate, fear, suffering, you name it. I am been trying for the last 4 years to to detox myself of 50 years of blatant indoctrination propaganda through, religion, tv, education, cinema and all matter of institutional oppression. Whether, i would volunteer to have all the good memories removes as well as the bad; i don't know.
Whatever, this is an amazing piece of thought provoking drama, well done Charlie, very clever. After watching this episode and all the previous ones, i feel i have been through a disturbing experience but was thoroughly entertained, very strange. Having said that, i can't wait to see next weeks episode.
Good point, in simpler terms which might amuse but this episode actually made me think of The Running Man as soon as the reveal happened. Arnie got set-up in that film quite easily due to corrupt manipulation, so as the audience we could easily assume that she could in fact have done nothing in the first place and was just a guinea pig.
That's kind of the point (as far as I interpret it); in the public's fervor to get satisfaction and 'justice' they've come up with a system which satisfies that fervor through repeated and futile torture, without serving any purpose in terms of delivering justice.
I loved it, I was gripped from the off (although the first act owes a big debt to The Walking Dead) and by the end I was feeling all beaten up inside. That = good TV for me.
Yep, same for me.
I thought it was excellent, really disturbing and in the end I was more disgusted with the normal folk and their fervour for relentless torture/populist justice versus Victoria's crime.
This show may be prophetic considering that a comedian in Italy might decide the outcome of the government as he is getting a great deal of votes :eek:
Comments
My take on it is simple. It's that the people who film nasty things going on in real life on their mobiles, can be just as guilty as those committing the actual crime as they're getting some kind of enjoyment/entertainment out of someone else's suffering.
Now going to hunt down his previous series.
Good point, in simpler terms which might amuse but this episode actually made me think of The Running Man as soon as the reveal happened. Arnie got set-up in that film quite easily due to corrupt manipulation, so as the audience we could easily assume that she could in fact have done nothing in the first place and was just a guinea pig.
Yep, same for me.
I thought it was excellent, really disturbing and in the end I was more disgusted with the normal folk and their fervour for relentless torture/populist justice versus Victoria's crime.
Good stuff, Brooker.
and the last half an hour of be right back wasn't over the top? be right back is probably my least favourite but it was still ok.
15 million merits
the entire history of you
white bear
be right back/the national anthem
Tristrams!
Interested to see what her involvement in all of this is going to be...
Maybe Waldo's opponent?
Never underestimate the combined power of comedy and alcohol
Is this Brooker's idea of the kind of crude humour enjoyed by the dumb proles?