In a single episode, Black Mirror did so many things wrong that it is hard to focus on just one disappointment. From queer-baiting to cheating, “Striking Vipers” was a mess.
Leading up to the fifth season of Black Mirror, I was excited to see how the series would utilize the amazing talent that had signed on to be a part of the show. Every season has given us new, mind-bending episodes that leave you thinking about the world around us more and more.
From technology gone rogue, to our own obsession with perfection and making our lives easier, Black Mirror is like a modern-day take on the classic Twilight Zone (yes, I know there is a remake), with a scientific edge. Even relationships and the way we interact with the world around us is taken into account when it comes to this series.
So, heading into season 5 of Black Mirror, I was excited to see how people like Anthony Mackie and Miley Cyrus would add their unique talents to the show. But, after watching the episode, “Striking Vipers,” all I feel is a sense of disappointment.
Not only were stars like Mackie and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II under utilized, but the storyline itself left a lot to be desired. There was so much promise in the idea of these two men exploring possible romantic feelings using a virtual reality game.
And then to not only have these two men barely even acknowledge the very real emotions that go into a sexual relationship (even within the confines of the game), but also to make it clear that they are completely straight and what they are doing has nothing to do with the possibility of love or even affection, makes it clear that this episode has no desire to dig deep into what it means to live outside of the heteronormative constructs of life.
If ever there was a controversial episode of Black Mirror, this would have to be it. Rather than exploring emotions and what it could mean to be queer after living the married life with children, the show chose to have these two men kiss and then fight each other in the real world. It’s as if the show was determined to prove that just because their characters in the virtual reality world may have sex, they are in no way gay or interested in a physical or emotional relationship with each other.
If the show had left it there, perhaps there would have been less disappointment. But to have the story then show a future date in which the husband and wife give each other back their wedding rings in order for her to go to a bar for a potential hook-up, and he gets to go back in the game for another fling with his friend, just hammers the nail into the coffin of disgust.
Instead of seeing a true discussion of what happened and how people feel, we get to see cheating being condoned as a gift. As someone who is fine with non-monogamous relationships, this ending felt wrong on so many levels.
There is more to non-monogamy than one day out of the year being allowed to trade-off wedding rings. Actual conversations have to happen and accepting these decisions.
In this case, no one actually looked happy to be trading rings or going off to do these things with other people. And even once Mackie’s character gets into the game, there is no sense that he is all that happy, more that this is a need that has to be filled.
To say that this episode was controversial might be an understatement, because in many cases all that would have needed to happen to bring this story to life would have been actual depth and discovery. Having these characters dive into the way they were feeling or why they were doing these things could have changed every second of disappointment into a chance to have an honest discussion about relationships, monogamy, sexual orientation, and so much more.
And it is perhaps the fact that we don’t get more depth out of these characters that really compounds the problem with “Striking Vipers.” We never get to see the actors dig deep and give us true emotions.
I wanted to love this episode as it felt like a chance to finally see a discussion about the human connection and unconventional relationships. Instead, we got sex scenes, no real emotions, and a minimization of what it means to be queer.
Maybe I was expecting too much from Black Mirror in this episode. And hopefully the other episodes save the day and the series, but considering how social media is reacting to this season, I am worried that the show has jumped ship and forgotten what has made it so engaging in the past.
What did you think of “Striking Vipers?” Were you disappointed in the way the story played out? What did you think of the rest of Black Mirror season 5? Tell us what you thought in the comments.