I would binge watch.....
2 more episodes (Although the Arkangel wasn't enough to lure me into the series, considering the fact that my only experience with Black Mirror is with the 2 of the lowest ranking episodes, I would give it a second chance.)
-------------------------------------------Short Review for the Lazy-------------------------------------------
Although "Arkangel" received mixed reviews and low ratings (from the general audience and me, the writer of this review), it succeeded in posing the question "Who is to blame?" This question is complex, bringing out a variety of answers in our class discussion. It is hard to judge whether a character is to blame or not. Although Marie's actions were extreme, they were understandable. Although Sara acted like a delinquent, her actions were not that strange for a teenager of her age. In the end, following traditional Black Mirror fashion, most people will agree that the new technology is to blame.
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DISCLAIMER:The following review was written for an audience of people who watched the episode. There will be spoilers in between the text so I strongly advise the reader to watch Arkangel before reading this review.
Character achieves something that they believe will bring happiness. Something bad happens and it is trashed. The character gives into their urges and uses it again, causing chaos. This is a basic story pattern that can be applied to many different stories, more importantly, "Arkangel". Perhaps the familiar story pattern, along with the predictable storyline of Black Mirror episodes that new technology will ruin our world is what caused the not too positive reaction towards "Arkangel". One can't say "Arkangel" was a success due to the mixed (mostly negative) reviews or the fact that it is the third lowest ranking Black Mirror episode (based on the ratings of imdb). However, it did succeed in leaving the viewers pondering the question: "Who is to blame?".
One can easily blame Marie, the mother of Sara, for how Sara turned out. Over-controlling parenting gone wrong is a familiar concept to us and Marie is definitely a great example. She literally watched (or had the power to watch) everything that Sara did. She mixed contraceptive pills into Sara's drink for crying out loud. It is hard to argue the fact that Marie went too far.
However, after my first initial reaction of shock towards Marie's actions, I started to wonder if Marie was so wrong. After all, the dream of many parents to stop their kids from growing up and forever protect them from the world is not new. Apart from the new technology and the pills, the actions of Marie are not that strange. Any parent who witnessed their 15 year old daughter saying "fuck me harder" to a drug dealer would have reacted similarly. Marie's actions are more understandable if we consider her situation. She is a single mom who feels like she is "inadequate as a mother, as if she’s let her daughter Sara down even in the manner of her birth" (from the Verge review of "Arkangel" https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/8/16864378/black-mirror-arkangel-season-4-jodie-foster-rosemarie-dewitt-review-analysis) She already experienced what it feels like to lose her daughter and would have done anything to prevent that. While sneaking pills in was a bit extreme, her other actions aren't too far off from what any parent would have done.
Then, is it Sara's fault for causing Marie to show extreme actions? We can't say that Sara is free of any blame for doing drugs or having sex with an older man. In the end, Sara was the one who chose to do what she did, even insisting to do them even though Trick was apprehensive. However, even though her actions weren't role model, having sex and doing drugs isn't that peculiar. The average age of virginity loss in the UK (where Black Mirror was created) is 16.9 for men and 17.5 for women. Also, females tend to lose their virginity to men who are 1.4 years older. (National Survey of Family Growth by the U.S. Center for Disease Control). 13 percent of 8th graders, 30 percent of 10th graders and 40 percent of 12th graders have tried using drugs. (Monitoring the Future Study by National Institute on Drug Abuse by Teens). Although these actions are enough to drive any parent crazy, they aren't the end of the world.
What is truly problematic about Sara is how she went batshit crazy on her mom. And most viewers will agree that this is a side effect from using Arkangel. The Arkangel seemed like a parent's dream come true at first. They were able to monitor their child's health and protect them from encountering the corrupting dangers of the world. However, it soon became clear that the corrupting influences was crucial for a child's development.
After Marie stopped using the Arkangel after witnessing how desensitized Sara became to violence, it seemed like Sara grew up to be a typical teenager. However, we can clearly see the long term effects the use of the Arkangel had. The most obvious is when Sara nearly beat her mother to death. The scene is similar to that of when Sara was younger where she repeatedly stabbed herself with a pencil. We can see that Sara didn't improve that much from when she was younger.
We can also interpret Sara's decisions as an influence of the Arkangel. In her childhood, Sara was deprived of being able to feel properly. Because of this, Sara always had the desire to feel more. This maybe what caused her to fall in love with Trick, the boy who first satisfied her desire by showing her videos like porn or a beheading. This may also be why she wanted to have sex or try drugs at a young age. There are many psychological studies that confirm the relationship between childhood deprivation and adult mental health. From the use of the Arkangel, Sara was deprived of any real stimulation causing her to obsess over feeling more.
Of course, we can't simply say that it was all the Arkangel's fault. It was ultimately Marie's decision to start using the Arkangel and to use it again later that enabled the Arkangel to influence Sara so much. Also, even though Sara was influenced by the Arkangel, it does not mean that she inevitably had to make the choices that she made. However, we need to acknowledge the fact that the Arkangel was a huge factor in how things turned out. So, this leaves us with another question: Are we going to use a real life Arkangel if we had the chance?
(Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift is a great example of wanting children to never grow up)
Then, is it Sara's fault for causing Marie to show extreme actions? We can't say that Sara is free of any blame for doing drugs or having sex with an older man. In the end, Sara was the one who chose to do what she did, even insisting to do them even though Trick was apprehensive. However, even though her actions weren't role model, having sex and doing drugs isn't that peculiar. The average age of virginity loss in the UK (where Black Mirror was created) is 16.9 for men and 17.5 for women. Also, females tend to lose their virginity to men who are 1.4 years older. (National Survey of Family Growth by the U.S. Center for Disease Control). 13 percent of 8th graders, 30 percent of 10th graders and 40 percent of 12th graders have tried using drugs. (Monitoring the Future Study by National Institute on Drug Abuse by Teens). Although these actions are enough to drive any parent crazy, they aren't the end of the world.
What is truly problematic about Sara is how she went batshit crazy on her mom. And most viewers will agree that this is a side effect from using Arkangel. The Arkangel seemed like a parent's dream come true at first. They were able to monitor their child's health and protect them from encountering the corrupting dangers of the world. However, it soon became clear that the corrupting influences was crucial for a child's development.
After Marie stopped using the Arkangel after witnessing how desensitized Sara became to violence, it seemed like Sara grew up to be a typical teenager. However, we can clearly see the long term effects the use of the Arkangel had. The most obvious is when Sara nearly beat her mother to death. The scene is similar to that of when Sara was younger where she repeatedly stabbed herself with a pencil. We can see that Sara didn't improve that much from when she was younger.
We can also interpret Sara's decisions as an influence of the Arkangel. In her childhood, Sara was deprived of being able to feel properly. Because of this, Sara always had the desire to feel more. This maybe what caused her to fall in love with Trick, the boy who first satisfied her desire by showing her videos like porn or a beheading. This may also be why she wanted to have sex or try drugs at a young age. There are many psychological studies that confirm the relationship between childhood deprivation and adult mental health. From the use of the Arkangel, Sara was deprived of any real stimulation causing her to obsess over feeling more.
Of course, we can't simply say that it was all the Arkangel's fault. It was ultimately Marie's decision to start using the Arkangel and to use it again later that enabled the Arkangel to influence Sara so much. Also, even though Sara was influenced by the Arkangel, it does not mean that she inevitably had to make the choices that she made. However, we need to acknowledge the fact that the Arkangel was a huge factor in how things turned out. So, this leaves us with another question: Are we going to use a real life Arkangel if we had the chance?
Nice review that really steers your audience into a clear and core question. To say that the episode is among the lowest rated MIGHT be true, but it is sort of like saying Dartmouth is the lowest rated Ivy League college. Lowest of the best, but still better than the vast majority. So even a relatively low scoring episode is far above most stuff - say for example recent seasons of Sherlock. ;) As this is a blog I don't mind seeing colloquial language, but be careful in formal essays.
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