Black Mirror : Did anyone else feel 'The Entire History of You' was a complete waste?

Did anyone else feel 'The Entire History of You' was a complete waste?

I haven't seen every episode of this show yet but I am surprised at how highly this one is regarded. Here you have a fantastic setup - Our entire collection of memories recorded, which you can access and watch anytime you want to and as much as you wish. And they waste this on a jealous husband with the cheating wife??? Really?? There are innumerable ideas you can use with this stored memory setup, and it just seemed really weak to me how they used this on a cheating wife/jealous husband scenario.

Not to mention the wife was that awfully annoying woman who plays Beth in Broadchurch.

Re: Did anyone else feel 'The Entire History of You' was a complete wast

To put things in some perspective, we have access to an insane amount of information. Just through the internet which has been in common use for about 20 years (and I mean "common" in the sense that your grandmother didn't need help using it), we have access to learn nearly anything, get to know people we've never met, and virtually visit places we'll never go.

But what do we do with it?

We read fake news, share gif's of cats/tv clips/memes, watch porn, and insult each other on social media. That's the thing about technology: it progresses faster than human nature. And if we have the ability to record our memories, do you think we'd do something extraordinary with it or just use it to throw each other's pasts in our faces?

The Entire History of You wasn't my favorite episode but it's a far better episode if viewed as a study of human behavior through the conceit of a new technology instead of an imagining of a technology that doesn't exist being used to its highest or most noble capacity.

Re: Did anyone else feel 'The Entire History of You' was a complete wast

Your post actually really does put it in perspective, thanks, moviemasochism. The episode is actually wiser to me now that you've put it that way...and you're right, we essentially have access to learn semesters of knowledge which was once confined mostly to universities. But instead, it's easier (and preferable) for most people to watch funny cat videos and post semi-clever memes on social media and argue with idiots. So much for human progress :(

Re: Did anyone else feel 'The Entire History of You' was a complete wast

I think this is what would happen if everybody could actually review everything that happened to them and to everybody else. You'd find out things you'd have been happier not knowing. Which is what that jealous husband realized when he did what he did at the end.

Re: Did anyone else feel 'The Entire History of You' was a complete wast

Other repliers kinda hinted at this, but I think the episode was saying that this piece of technology, which initially looks awesome (I can relive myself having sex! I can sit and watch the best day of my life whenever I want!) would ultimately just make us bitter and paranoid and unable to really live properly.

We already obsess over all the little details anyway. If you see your wife glance at another guy and wonder if it meant anything, it might haunt you for a while but you'll otherwise just get on with your life, maybe thinking about it from time to time. Unless...you have technology like this, in which case you can sit up all night with a bottle, watching it over and over again. And humans being humans, that's exactly what you'd do. We'd be an entire race of people living in the recent past, never the present, given carte blanche to over-analyse and over-analyse all the things that we already over-analyse now.

I personally really liked the episode, but in looking at why it might be considered a waste of time, I do think it's fairly atypical for the series. It tells a 'smaller' story than the others- it's set only over two days, like a 'snapshot' rather than a full, fleshed-out narrative, and we are given no indication of what life is like outside the bubble of this small circle of people. None of the characters are likable, we have no-one to really root for, and neither are we given a villain or a huge central conflict. It's not particularly funny, either; it doesn't really balance light moments with dark moments, it's just kinda the same tone all the way through, with a low hum of paranoia and awkwardness hanging underneath, nothing Earth-shattering. No twist, no nightmarish imagery, no killer robotic bees or man-sized 'roaches'. It should be a minor Black Mirror episode, but I don't think it is. Its technology is fascinating, and unusually, something I would consider having myself if the opportunity arose. I imagine many other people would too, whereas no-one in their right mind would choose to live the way they do in Fifteen Million Merits or Nosedive.

Re: Did anyone else feel 'The Entire History of You' was a complete wast

The majority of people who already replay events in their mind over and over are jealous partners so clearly it was the best possible subject for the episode. A jealous person with this technology would drive themself potty.



Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived. -Isaac Asimov

Re: Did anyone else feel 'The Entire History of You' was a complete wast

They don't just replay events in their mind, they can scour social media for any slightest hint that verifies their suspicions. "I watched you laugh at his lame joke over and over" is not so far removed from "I kept looking at how you liked his lame post over and over".

Re: Did anyone else feel 'The Entire History of You' was a complete wast

Oh I am sure there could be endless ideas how much you could do with the memory grain but it does not mean it was a waste people say it's a Twilight Zone in the future(the rights to it have been bought by Robert Downey Jr! He may be turning into a movie project) I kept replaying the episode in my head and reading youtube comments. The episode is emotionally shocking, to be betrayed by a lover, raw human emotion hurts so much. Black Mirror makes use of the classic showbusiness chiche 'always leaving the audience wanting more'. I felt justice for him but I felt heartbroken and wanted more did she check? Did she know the child was the other man's, Where did she go? How would all the friends react?

Re: Did anyone else feel 'The Entire History of You' was a complete wast

I agree. Its like Total Recall(the original) instead of finding the briefcase and going to Mars and having all the trippy stuff with reality vs fake memories and activating an ancient alien artifact to create an oxygen atmosphere he just sat at home and realized his wife was cheating on him.

Its not just that episode though IMO, ive seen 5 episodes and they all feel like half a story. I know the BBC can't be bothered to make more than 3 episodes a year, but they could at least do a full story.

Maybe that is too harsh, its half of a very interesting story. Its not a bad show, its just not very good. Its like someone telling a joke:
A priest a rabbi and an italian walk into a bar
... yes?
Yes what? Thats it.
I just felt like you were going somewhere with that setup.
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