Black Mirror Episode 1 Season 5

The black mirror is a TV series created by Charlie Brooker. Is a science fiction that tells a story about the relationship between humans and technology? It started to be aired in 2011, and since then, five series have been released (Tate, Katherine 5). In general, the black mirror is a terrific series because of its brilliant screenplay, and the suspense created by the plot. However, the first episode of the fifth series stands out in all the episodes produced because of its intriguing story about a queer love that is mediated by technology. The episode is called "striking vipers." The episode challenges the notion people have about love and identity and gives a new perception.

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The first episode of season five is the most complex of all episodes, and therefore, there are many different interpretations of the episodes which are equally productive. The episode has a unique plot because it has a well-written dialogue, backed up with subtle background details. The story entails virtual reality that technology that allows the players of the game to enter its world (Robb, Lachlan 143). Sticking vipers pose a question about identity, love, and sexuality to its audience. That creates a room for a multitude of interpretations.

The episode has several instances of showing near-future realities which aim at exploring human stories the emotional connection s which are facilitated by technology. However, the characters move to new emotional and psychological areas which compel them to face uncomfortable things about themselves and the world.

Danny (Anthony Mackie), Karl (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Theo (Nichole Beharie) are longtime friends who separate as they mature and start new lives elsewhere. When they become adults, Danny and Theo marry, gets children, and now the lives revolve around their families (Tate, Katherine 45). However, Karl doesn't marry and instead, continues dating and gaming.

The three friends are brought back together by Danny's birthday after ten years in the future. Karl gives his friend the latest generation of a fighting game they used to play when they were kids. The episode is set into motion by the game. On the eve of the birthday, the three friends enter viper's simulated reality and try to outsmart each other's avatars.

The game takes a new twist when they find themselves sharing a passionate kiss. They later assume the kiss meant nothing because they never went to another intimate level. However, when they re-enter the game, the avatars bash their faces and engage in wild passionate sex. That makes the beginning of their virtual affair (Robb, Lachlan 147) even though neither of the men are cheating their spouses.

That indicates that identity is shaped by culture. Danny, Karl, and Theo had a history of playing a video game as children, and it became part of their childhood. As an adult, Karl re-enters their lives and influences them to continue with their childhood culture. Therefore, the people around someone can affect the way they behave and who they are.

The game is created with the capability of transporting the players into the game itself without neural connection. In this way, the players experience the game as if they were the characters. The characters can experience every sensation. As a result, they start getting intimate with each other intimately.

The emotional affair between Danny and Karl takes a significant part of the striking viper's plot. Their issue is complicated by characters which the men choose for the game. For instance, Karl decides Roxette, a kick-heavy fighter who is not Chun-Li. Also, Danny doesn't know its implication on their relationship and sexualities (Robb, Lachlan 157). This scenario proves that identity is a personal choice. The players can decide the character they want to be and the behavior they want to have.

Rosette and lance, Danny and Karl are having a sexual relationship that is not physical. They lie and talk, and therefore, no one is entirely certain if they are genuinely in love with each other. It is hard for the audience to decide whether they are cheating or not. They are friends with benefits, and those benefits are kept away from the real world. In the real world, the messages they exchange have no sexual inclination.

The two players can obtain different characters. At day time, they relate as buddies by at night, during the game takes a new turn. Even though the two players are middle-aged, black men, their avatars are white, and they are a woman and a man (Tate, Katherine 56). They can take a new identity of their choice, and therefore, it agrees with the third assumption that a personal choice shapes identity.

The episode challenges the issue of sexuality. Danny and Karl play with avatars which engage in passionate sex. The viewers are posed with the challenge of deciding whether an avatar having sex in a simulated reality video with another man's avatar is being gay. Karl and Danny ask themselves about that but immediately drop the topic as they continue to play. However, as the game nights stay, they slowly pull away from their real-life partners. They spend their time thinking about their avatars, lance, and Rosette (Robb, Lachlan 158). That becomes a defining moment in the entire black mirror series. Technology creates a gap between the relationships in the physical world, while the virtual relationships are strengthened.

Danny stops being physically intimate with Theo and decides to break-up. In their heartbreaking anniversary dinner, Danny realizes the dangerous level his dependency on the game had become. He asserts that he is not having an affair, but he cannot admit that he wants her physically. He realizes that his virtual world of vipers is ruining his real world.

Finally, the two men decide to reassess their relationship. Karl admits that he loves Danny through his avatar (rosette). They decide that they should kiss in the real world and see if there is real chemistry in the real world. If there were chemistry, they would be sure about their sexuality and relationship status. They meet at a club they used to hang out.

Their kiss is mired with nerves and confusion from both men, and they decide, it an "us thing." As a result, Danny decides to try to reset their friendship. However, Karl wants to continue playing the game. Karl's asserts that the games are deeply embedded in his mind and he cannot stop playing it.

Their differences result fight that is very uncomfortable to watch. The argument is a reflection of the bullying and physical conflicts that the real fictional people experience when the society doesn't accept or understand their choices. The police arrest them and put them in jail. When Theo come to pick Danny, she demands to be told why they were arrested. Additionally, the striking viper's poster has the name "Moonlight" a film which depicts a young black man who ignores his sexuality because of the society but slowly start to accept who he is (Robb, Lachlan 160). This is an indication that the community plays a crucial role in the way gender is supposed to behave and interact with each other. That support the assumption that the culture of society influences identity. However', one can decide the character they want in life. Some personalities are hard to embrace. However, if someone is determined to accept it, they can. There, the black mirror also agrees with the third assumption that personal choices shape identity.

Culture usually, categorizes people as either homosexual, heterosexual, or bisexual. However, Danny and Karl unable to fit into the descriptions because they are only having sex as different people in a virtual world. The black mirror makes it clear that both men are neither gay nor bisexuals. Their kiss, which they assert manifest that has no feelings attached (Tate, Katherine 76).

Instead of the series ending in the break-up of two relationships, it leads to their integration. Danny and Karl decide to be playing the "Striking Viper" once in a year, and Theo gets a night off from married life to explore her desires. The arrangement has an element of an open relationship and polyamory but with time limits and rules.

After one year, Danny decides to host another birthday barbecue. By then, Theo has a baby, and her marriage with Danny seems stable. After having a party, Theo gives her husband a VR disc for the game console (Robb, Lachlan 159). Danny gives Theo a wedding ring. The two present are to be returned the next morning. Theo packs it and heads to bars and finds a stranger and gets a one night stand. On the other hand, Danny meets with Karl in the game. Their identity is a creation of their desires. They can rise above the definitions from society and instead creates their own. Each one decides to respect each other's, and therefore, their marriage can embrace each other's personality.

The striking viper is the most hopeful of all episodes of black mirror because it places faith in the capacity of people to adapt to the relationships that are evolved by technology. In the current world, technology is taking a big part of our lives, and therefore, it is prudent to ensure that the traditional culture of monogamy and marriage can co-exist with technology.

The black mirror is an English based series that explores the influence of technology in human life and its implications. The striking viper is a single episode because it manifests an integration of technology in human being at a very intimate level. The main character is Danny, Theo, and Karl. As a birthday present, Karl gives Danny a simulated video game which allows the players to feel the sensation of the avatars. What seemed to be a game grows into an intimate thing that starts to affect the real relationship. Danny and Theo are forced to accept and respect each other desires.

Works Cited

Tate, Katherine. Black faces in the mirror: African Americans and their representatives in the US Congress. Princeton University Press, 2018.

Robb, Lachlan. "thanatopolitics THROUGH TECHNOPHOBIA: USING CHARLIE BROOKER'S BLACK MIRROR TO REFLECT UPON HUMANITY IN THE FACE OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY." Griffith Journal of Law & Human Dignity 6.3 (2019): 143-169.