Since Netflix recently released a sixth season of Black Mirror, a lot of people are reflecting on some of the most interesting and shocking quotes from previous seasons. This science fiction show became a fan favorite from day one for discussing in a controversial way the dangers of technology.
Many quotes in Black Mirror are included to make people think about their attitudes. Several episodes propose ethical questions about delicate subjects, such as death, punishment, and murder. Because of this, Black Mirror has some of the most interesting quotes in TV shows.
10 "He Thinks He's Got Free Will."
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
The 2018 Black Mirror film, Bandersnatch, deals with themes like volition, destiny, and control. In fact, viewers can change the ending and duration of the movie based on their choices. In the same way, the main character of the film, Stefan, is making an interactive video game and reflecting on his ability to affect his own story.
Colin has one of the most interesting speeches in Black Mirror, where he uses PAC-Man as a metaphor for real-life people. Colin says, "He thinks he's got free will, but really, he's trapped in a maze, in a system. All he can do is consume. He's pursued by demons that are probably in his own head." This quote reflects upon people's capacity to make decisions in their regular lives.
9 "People Don't Even Look Up Anymore."
Season 5, Episode 2, "Smithereens"
"Smithereens" follows Chris (played by Andrew Scott) as he deals with the aftermath of his wife's death. Since he was checking a social network notification when their car crashed, he decided to try to contact the CEO of Smithereens, as he blamed the addictive social network for the incident.
While the plot of "Smithereens" is very on the nose, it still portrays how social networks have impacted people's lives. Chris comments that "people don't even look up anymore. The sky could turn purple, and you wouldn't notice for a month." This may be an exaggeration, but it does convey people's struggle to balance their virtual lives and their real lives.
8 "People Try So Hard To Look How They Think They Should Look."
Season 4, Episode 4, "San Junipero"
"San Junipero" is one of the best Black Mirror episodes. In the virtual world of San Junipero, people may continue experiencing life after they die, transferring their consciousness to this world. Yorkie, who spent most of her life paralyzed after an accident, particularly enjoys getting to reinvent herself in San Junipero.
However, Kelly explains to her the different social expectations, as people don't really understand themselves. She says to Yorkie, "Look around. People try so hard to look how they think they should look. They probably saw it in some movie." In this way, Kelly points out the performative aspect of society and how everyone succumbs to artificial ideas of status.
7 "Show Us Something Real And Free And Beautiful. You Couldn't. It'll Break Us. We're Too Numb For It."
Season 1, Episode 2, "Fifteen Million Merits"
Bing's passionate speech at the end of "Fifteen Million Merits" is one of the most harrowing moments in Black Mirror. This character lives in a dystopic society where technology monitors their every move, and people are also constantly surrounded by advertisements.
When Bing can't take it anymore, he confronts the judges of a life-changing talent show with this powerful quote. Bing insists that technology is destroying anything genuine and beautiful, as people prefer modifying pictures and creating fictionalized versions of themselves.
6 "We Don't Actually Really Want To Kill Each Other."
Season 3, Episode 5, "Men Against Fire"
While this quote may seem hopeful, it's actually a part of the most piercing dialogues in Black Mirror. "Men Against Fire" is set in a futuristic world where the military wears a technology that makes them believe certain humans are what they call "roaches." This is with the intention of making soldiers ruthlessly kill their victims.
The villain of the story, Arquette, explains to Stripe that people don't want to kill each other. Because of this, he makes people look like monsters, so soldiers can kill without feeling guilty. This is a poignant metaphor about objectifying and demonizing minorities to stop people's empathy.
5 "Not Everything That Isn't True Is A Lie."
Season 1, Episode 3, "The Entire History of You"
"The Entire History of You" is set in a nearby future where people use a device that records all their memories. Such technology allows the user to revisit and display any of their memories in full detail. The episode explores notions of memory, truth, and misconceptions.
When Liam catches Ffion on a lie about how long she dated her ex-boyfriend, she replies that "not everything that isn't true is a lie." The quote explains very well how most situations aren't black and white. This technology makes people believe they have access to real evidence when in reality, they only get one version of it. This type of interesting comment is what makes Black Mirror one of the best sci-fi anthologies ever made.
4 "I Know People. We Love Humiliation. We Can't Not Laugh."
The National Anthem
Season 1, Episode 1, "The National Anthem"
"The National Anthem" is one of Black Mirror's most disturbing episodes. An unknown person kidnaps Princess Susannah and demands that the Prime Minister has sexual intercourse with a pig in exchange for freeing her. Obviously, this immediately triggers an ethical dilemma.
Since everything is televised, "The National Anthem" questions the dynamics of humiliation frequently seen in media. In fact, the Prime Minister's wife, Jane, directly addresses this issue when she comments that people "love humiliation." Her point is proven when Princess Susannah is released before the broadcast, but no one notices as they're too concerned with seeing the Prime Minister doing something so taboo.
3 "You're Just A Performance Of Stuff That He Performed Without Thinking."
Season 2, Episode 1, "Be Right Back"
"Be Right Back" delves into how technology has changed the way people experience grief. In this episode, Martha loses her husband and creates an Android version of him based on his social media information.
However, soon enough, she discovers that this is just a poor representation of her husband. Martha says to the android, "You're just a few ripples of you. There's no history to you." In this sense, social networks show an incomplete version of people, just one of the many facets they project onto the world.
2 "I Guess They Were Always Like That Underneath."
Season 2, Episode 2, "White Bear"
"White Bear" discusses the limits of morality and situations in which unethical acts are allowed. White Bear is a special prison where Victoria wakes up every day with no previous memories, and she's sentenced to relive a horrific scenario while other people watch. This is her punishment for having brutally murdered a little girl.
However, even though the original Victoria definitely deserved to be punished for her cruel actions, the one they are torturing doesn't even know who she is. When Jem says, "I guess they were always like that underneath. Just needed the rules to change, for no one to intervene," he ironically points out to the same vicious White Bear prison. The people watching this horrible event are enjoying it under the presumption that Victoria deserves it, even though, under other circumstances, this would be considered cruel.
1 "It Turned Out A Lot Of My Friends Didn't Care For Honesty."
Season 3, Episode 1, "Nosedive"
"Nosedive" is surprisingly one of Black Mirror's happiest episodes. In a society where social status is calculated through rated social interactions, this average is crucial to access medical care, housing, and jobs. Lacie used to have an average of 4.2 stars until one bad day completely destroyed her average.
Susan, a truck driver who doesn't care about this system, tells Lacie that when she stopped caring about social norms, it became clear that her friends didn't care about honesty. While this episode takes the idea of social status to the extreme, this quote makes sense in a society where a lot of people care more about their social network presence than about real intimate connections.