Black Mirror - Season 3 (2016)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2016
	Creator: Charlie Brooker
	Actors: Alex Lawther, Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Cloverfield Paradox, Jupiter Ascending)
	Country: GB
	Genre: Thriller, SF
	Conditions of visioning: January-May 2018, VOD, 10" tablet screen.
Synopsis: This SF anthology series explores a twisted, high-tech near-future where humanity's greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide.
Review: This third season of the British shocker series continues on the same path as the first two which were highly appreciated by JoRafCinema. I found the episode endings less abrupt in this season and they didn't need post-credits epilogues, maybe because they have been extended in length. But I still found some episodes quite depressing, in particular the 2, 3 and 4, so much that I paused watching the series for a few months, because watching an episode in the evening was not putting me in a quiet sleeping mood at all!  One could say it is a bad thing that I had to stop watching the series, while in fact I take it as a good thing that it triggered such a strong emotional reaction in me, different from one that makes you binge-watch a whole season, but maybe even stronger. As for the previous seasons it is possible to rate the episodes individually. S3E1: Nosedive. The results of the excessive and compulsive hunt for "Likes" and good ratings in an over-connected society. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World). An excellent opening to the season. 8/10 S3E2: Playtest. A man accepts to test a new immersive horror game. This reminded me of the immersion of playing Virtual Reality games. Another great story idea turning into horror. 7/10 S3E3: Shut Up and Dance. A story of Blackmailing / Ransomware that doesn't seem very futuristic in fact. Another episode that makes you feel bad at the end, and in fact the one that made me pause watching the series. 5/10 S3E4: San Junipero. Quite a poetic story of a young woman apparently discovering life. But the two sides of the story make its ending bittersweet. 7/10 S3E5: Men against Fire. Following soldiers on a mission to eradicate infected people. Nicely done and with the usual depressing ending, but unfortunately predictable if you have seen the 1998 Outer Limits Season 4 Episode 3 Hearts and Minds. 6/10 S3E6: Hated in the Nation. A 1.5 hour episode in the shape of a police investigation to conclude this season, this time targeting at our impulse to hide behind anonymity to be nasty on the internet. 7/10 This brilliant series keeps on impressing me and reminds me of the bittersweet feeling I had when watching The Outer Limits in the 90's, with the added value that the future depicted here seems quite plausible. And always a touch of Genre be it SF, Horror, Thriller, it always is Anticipation. After three seasons, still highly recommended.
Rating: 7 /10