Black Mirror 7x03 Hotel Reverie
After Common People and Bete Noire, i had to take a break, forgot how emotionally tolling Black MIrror can be, so i had to watch Brooklyn 99 to get my spirit up...to then watch the rest of season 7.
Fortunately for me, this episode hit the right notes of comedy and tragedy. Not as bleak or anxitety inducing as the two episodes before. A nice change in pace, although i don't think some people will be fond on this, because i did had some issues with the episode.
But for starters, love how the begining prepare us for what we were about to watch, from the old countdown and using the old movie format.
The line: "Please, don't call it content, Makes me heave" What a fucking mood. Also relevant now with how art, being drawings, photos, videos, movies are treated.
And also: "You're gonna use one of those AI paint boxes and deepfake Ryan over Ralph....". The sad thing is that i can totally see some executive foaming his mouth about this idea.
Interesting to see this episode touch the topic of certain roles given in movies to black women. And when Brandy gets interested in playing the lead of Hotel Reverie, the choice is questioned by the owner of Keyworth Pictures, but awkwafina's character, Kimmy, was interested. Even when the filming started, the owner quickly realize that Brandy was very different from the OG actor, which also bring a new side of Clara's character. I can see some people and mention remakes with character of different gender or race and others don't liking it for that reason, but i think is that this episode is trying to say is: Allow actors to play outside of the "designated" roles and you might get something unexpected and something you might enjoy.
And when the simulation starts, i quickly notice a lot more humor, from Brandy having to adapt to the new enviroment and the outside crew. I quite like it and i got many chuckles out of Kimmy and the Owner. Specially the Owner. She got some killer lines.
Now, Clara/Dorothy is an interesting character, in the fact that what we see of her, during the recording of the new version and what we later get to learn about her, outside of the movies, paints a picture of isolation and how an heteronormative space can affect queer people.
I was specially astounded with the scenes of black and white, the scenes that were replicating the old 40s movies look. I ended up wanting to watch the original Hotel Reverie.
When the movie starts to derail and then Brandy hears Kimmy say: "We're experiencing a slight technical difficulty", being the one thing you don't want to hear when your consciousness is plug in, i was already hooked. At that point i had two predictions: Brandy won't want to get out and won't say the final line. Because she will fall for Clara Or Clara dies and Brandy won't have anyone to say the line to.
I said out loud: FUCKKKKKKK....HOLY FUCK....THE DAMN COFFEE.
And honestly? I feel like that part halted the plot of Brandy being in danger of dying, but i love is that progress the relationship between Clara and Brandy. So, instead of just Brandy trying to avoid her death and solving the pot hole, Brandy and Clara get their time to be alone and together, not tied by the story, in universe and in a meta fictional sense, they fall in love. But not because Clara loves Dr. Alex, but because she is interested in Brandy and her personality. Is specially tragic when this gets to an end and the plot has to continue, Clara gets her memories wipeout like nothing happened, but for Brandy...she lost her once.
Shout to Emma Corrin and Issa Rae, through the episode but that last scene in the movie and in the end of the episode, that got to me.
"Do you think it worked? The ending?
Did it for me" For me too.
I quite like it, but the USB not being noticed and the lack of safety precautions, feels like it was there to make the plot progress. Doesn't ruin the episode for me.