Episode one starts strong, giving us a generous dose of what Black Mirror has come to represent. Irreverence, disturbance, and an abundance of nightmarishly claustrophobic moments, “Joan is Awful” is a worthy instalment in Black Mirror’s catalogue of Orwellian farces. The episode uses meta-commentary to deal with social issues we are facing as a society today; disturbing the sanctity of cinema, prioritising AI and algorithms. A disturbing tragicomedy which shows us what the future could look like if we continue on this path, the idea of AI constructing cinema is terrifying, having little to no control over what is released to the public is terrifying and Black Mirror perfectly encapsulated this fear. Annie Murphy who stars as the infamous Joan is a perfect casting for this role, she manifests her anxiety and pure confusion beautifully. Making this episode all the more uncomfortable yet enjoyable?
Overall, this was a very enticing start to the season. This episode catapulted the audience into a modern display of mayhem and fear. Showing us the potential future of our current actions, I in no way support the mass use of AI and find it truly heartbreaking when creatives prioritise the software. AI is a powerful source of technology which we should be careful of over using. Joan is Awful wasn’t the strongest episode of season six but it is a very strong contender.
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