S01.E02: Fifteen Million Merits

[David T. Cole]

This is the gameification episode. Probably my least favorite episode.

[ethalfrida]

That was depressing! I couldn't watch another one after that. Had to take a break but interested in what everyone else says here about it.

[Slovenly Muse]

Wow. I've just started watching this series and I can tell it's going to be slow going. I can NOT take more than one of these at a time!

 

I absolutely loved this episode. It was much more depressing/upsetting/disturbing than The National Anthem, and it did not pull any punches, which was tough. I expected The National Anthem to be upsetting, based on what it was about, and it sure delivered, but this was brutal. Almost too much to take. What I love about this series so far is that it does not try to be disturbing by reaching for more and more outrageously dark material, the way other shows do (like torture, rape, cannibalism, incest, paedophilia, murder, etc), but rather by delving more deeply into the true horror of what can be found under our noses on a daily basis. They don't show us the act of bestiality in episode 1, or make us watch the entire "Wraith Babes" shoot, because the over-the-top visuals would only distract from the overwhelming emotional authenticity of these awful situations, and in that case, NOT showing the graphically disturbing content is what makes the show so damned effective. Unlike other shows, who seem to believe that the more graphic the visuals they can use, the more "horror" they achieve. Black Mirror is proving them wrong, and it is breathtaking. (Actually literally, for a few seconds there! Holy crap!)

 

What I loved about this episode is that, while at first it might seem like a portrayal of a dystopian future society, it actually serves very nicely as a simplification/analogy for the actual world we live in TODAY. The meaningless, pointless jobs we do, the pre-packaged empty entertainment we are sold, the advertisements with which we are inundated, the exploitation that goes along with "fame," etc... I would say the show took these things to an extreme, but they didn't really. They just addressed them a little bit more directly, spotlighting them without the distraction of the context of the real world, sometimes taking a shortcut to eliminate a complex journey and arrive quickly at the destination (the "cuppliance" for example - a quick shorthand for the many and varied levels of manipulation that go into persuading someone to sell themselves like a product.) I think it's the basis in reality that makes this one so upsetting. The horror it inspires is just a reflection of the horror we feel at our own society, our own situations. Their hopelessness can feel like our hopelessness, and that hits hard. But while Bing and Company didn't have access to the complex real world, we do. We do still have access to authenticity, we just might have to deviate from our normal routines in order to find it. We have to be WILLING to deviate from our normal routines, and not just passively accept what we are given until the choice is taken away. (Black Mirror itself is very like Bing in this episode - It seems to have something real and important to say about the way we live our lives, but it elects to say this from WITHIN the system it criticizes, which in turn only feeds the system and reinforces its power. Not a complaint, just an observation. It seems to know this about itself.)

 

And it turns out I had more feelings about this one than I first thought, because, honestly I just came here to say that while I know they are only symptoms of a much larger problem, I was totally rooting for Bing to cut those judges UP! And yeah, that probably makes me a bad person but I do not care. KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!

[ethalfrida]

I have to agree with the above point of view. Totally disturbing without being graaphically extreme.  I confess, though, I didn't know they didn't show the act withnthe pig. I had already covered my eyes when it came to that part.  

[Slovenly Muse]

ethalfrida, no, they didn't show the act with the pig - instead they showed the faces of the people watching it on TV all over London, which was actually much worse. ~shudder~

[Red Fields]

Yes, another good one! I agree it was a reflection of what is going on today. It was visually stunning!

[benteen]

Riveting episode.  Depressing and dark to be sure but quite a piece of work.  The dystopian world they created was a very impressive one and I loved the score.  Terrific performances by all, especially the lead.

[romantic idiot]

And it turns out I had more feelings about this one than I first thought, because, honestly I just came here to say that while I know they are only symptoms of a much larger problem, I was totally rooting for Bing to cut those judges UP! And yeah, that probably makes me a bad person but I do not care. KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!

 

This, pretty much. It was interesting that they zagged there, but ultimately it just became a treatise on the essential weakness of humanity. And I don't agree enough with that point of view enough for me to put this episode anywhere near the top.

[Anela]

I thought it would probably end the way it did, but I was hoping that he would kill the judges, as well.

 

I also can't watch more than one of these at a time. I had to turn my face away, and turned down my headphones until I could barely hear anything, with the pig segment. This one, I watched just before going out Christmas shopping, and I was wishing that I'd put on Christmas Vacation instead.

 

The episodes are well done, but too heavy. I'm sure I've seen part of the first episode before, but I read that they've only been broadcast on DirecTV until now, so I'm not sure where I would have seen it. I remember the part where it showed the faces of everyone watching, and the girl collapsing on the bridge. I wasn't sure if she had planned to be a part of it all along, or if she was really kidnapped.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Anela

[NorthstarATL]

I had a hard time with the episode because I didn't much care for Bing, as he seemed just as manipulative of Abi as the judges eventually were in his own way. He pushed her far beyond her meager talent Initially because I think he found her attractive, but then I guess as a project to break the monotony. But we don't know that anyone else really felt the same despair that he did. That he ended up being their Howard Beale was ironic I guess, but I wish I could have empathized more.

[allthatglitters]

What is searingly depressing about this episode is that it ends showing just how much hubris the ruling elite and their game show hosts have to actually allow him to say whatever he wants to twice a week for 30 minutes, without a worry in the world. They know exactly what will happen and that is he will become just another novelty item for the riders to consume...among many other choices. And how in the end Bing has totally lost the whole bite of his message, after being bought, and packaged up for consumption and he has become no more than what he said he aspired to be...an entertainer. And on a program that makes money for one of those very assholes he told "fuck you" to.

 

Provoking because that also speaks of our time. Mega-Corporate filtered and scripted news "items" to define our world for us on the approved TV channels. Giving us info-tainment with the "hottest" story of the day repeated ad nauseum 24/7.  Real news is out there, but you have to dig it up for yourselves. And if those big media corps get their way, soon they will have paid off enough politicians to dismantle Net Neutrality, and divide it all up for themselves. Then they can really start to divert your information streams, like, slow down the ones with Bing speaking on them, and increase the ease and speed loading, say Fox News or CNN etc.

[CofCinci]

They spend their whole lives powering the system that imprisons them. You rise up and then you're manipulated into being controlled opposition.

[Jade Foxx]

Just found this on Netflix..

 

This ep was horribly depressing. (especially after watching Childhood's End) I'll try to hang in there, but sheesh. 

[ToxicUnicorn]

I thought this was another brilliant, perverted take on the world, and I agree with Red Fields that it was "visually stunning".  I also thought Bing was perfectly cast.

 

I found the episode slow going and uneven at first.  The divisions between the gray people and the yellow people didn't seem to go anywhere, I was interested in what would happen to the young violinist, and I very much wanted the crude cycling guy next to Bing to get some kind of comeuppance.

 

However, once Bing's story really got going, I appreciated the beginning more.  Once Bing had a goal, the change in him was so dramatic because he had evolved from such a hopeless state.  I loved everything from the end of the singer's audition to the end of his own and the twist of "Hope" offering him his own show caught me by surprise.  I thought all along that his plan was to get recruited by Wraith to join (or kill) the girl.  

 

Unlike some of the posters upthread, I found National Anthem far more horrifying horrifying than this one.  This one felt like a much more plausible extension of the world.  In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, there already has been an awful, awful competition show (or maybe it was all dramatized?) where "contestants" were kept in isolation boxes and given random horrible challenges by a disembodied computer voice.  The one who made it the longest, won.  Oh dear, I've found it: the show was called Solitary, it seems.  (Sometimes, Google is too effective.) 

 

I guess I'll have to think more about the ending for Bing.  I can sort of rationalize that the Wraith Babes are medicated, which is why they go along with their roles.  That's disturbing in itself, but it's a familiar issue.  For Bing to hold his end of the deal, though, he can't be medicated, so I wonder if he has accepted the trade he made in the sense that he has decided that living with real orange juice is preferable to any alternative, or if he meant every word of what he said, which is the only thing holding him back from killing himself was the fear it would not end quickly.  Either one is possible, I think - and because I think the show intends for us to conclude that Bing is miserable at the end, I'm hard pressed to figure out which scenario makes him more miserable.

 

As with the pilot, I would be completely happy to explore this situation more: who made the rules of this world?  As frustrating as it is to be left wanting more, I have to congratulate the show for having the good taste to do that.  

 

What a great follow up to National Anthem.  I am loving this show.

[Brn2bwild]

Of all the ones I've seen so far (about 6), this one is my least favorite.  The lead character is flat and I had trouble understanding him once he did start talking.  Jessica Findlay Brown isn't a very good actress.  The premise, while interesting, seemed way too far fetched, whereas the others have seemed at least plausible.

[Captanne]

This is the one with the arcade stationary bicycles?  I couldn't get through it I was so bored.  I've since seen several other episodes and -- I know I'm older and grew up on the real Twilight Zone -- but this show is either cliche or boring.  I stopped watching with the one set in the snow country with that milk toast American actor playing a smarmy salesman of internal tiny soulbots (™, me).  Petoowie.  

[LadyArcadia]

Odd to see a different perspective here. I've seen about six episodes so far and this one was my favorite.  It was so dark and disturbing it really stuck with me.  I originally thought the lead was so bland  I was bored, until he lit up when he had a purpose.  The blandness was played that I could see the soullessness.  I thought this episode was brilliant!  

[Brn2bwild]

On 11/21/2016 at 7:55 AM, LadyArcadia said:

Odd to see a different perspective here. I've seen about six episodes so far and this one was my favorite.  It was so dark and disturbing it really stuck with me.  I originally thought the lead was so bland  I was bored, until he lit up when he had a purpose.  The blandness was played that I could see the soullessness.  I thought this episode was brilliant!  

I watched The Waldo Moment yesterday and revise my assessment.  This is my second-least favorite episode now.

[knaankos]

Bing's soliloquy was nothing short of epic. Some of the best acting I have ever seen. And yet despite all of that passion he was simply bought and packaged like everyone else. He chose himself in the end. Brilliant episode

[cmfran]

Watched this ep last night with my wife (a re-watch for me, first time for her), and I still have some questions. Was the whole thing elective, or is it just everyone in the world's reality? My wife thought the latter, but I'm not sure if I agree. If that's just how the entire world is in the future, where were the children/senior citizens? Were they allowed to have relationships? 

I liked the thematic elements of this one, but logistically it doesn't make much sense.

[LadyArcadia]

On 12/13/2016 at 7:42 AM, cmfran said:

Watched this ep last night with my wife (a re-watch for me, first time for her), and I still have some questions. Was the whole thing elective, or is it just everyone in the world's reality? My wife thought the latter, but I'm not sure if I agree. If that's just how the entire world is in the future, where were the children/senior citizens? Were they allowed to have relationships? 

I liked the thematic elements of this one, but logistically it doesn't make much sense.

I don't think it was elective. I took it as they were slaves and some accepted it, some embraced it, and some wanted out.  Not sure where the children/senior citizens were. That's a good question.

[marcee]

Based on what Abi said - about her just turning 21 and wanting to be assigned to the Air [Something] with her sister...it doesn't appear to be elective. Instead, at 21 everyone is drafted into something; I'd guess some kind of labor - but there are apparently things other than bikes. So far, this has been my favorite episode. I found the whole thing fascinating.

Edited January 3, 2017 by marcee

[Dobian]

I got the impression that the bike riders were just there to power up the generators or whatever, which is why they are all young and fit.  The schlubby ones we saw were assigned to janitorial duty (and obviously just earn a fixed small amount of merits for their work, compared to the riders who can rack up a ton of merits by just riding more).  The episode deliberately doesn't give many details about this dystopian society they live in, focusing instead on the narrow scope of this one group of people, which I like.  Obviously this is some totalitarian world.  Children might be raised and educated by the state, for all we know, with their futures assigned based on their intelligence and talents.  Of course you would have people working in all areas of this society earning merits in different ways, most of them effectively slave labor.  This story just focuses on those at the power plant or whatever it is.  The bike riders were likely chosen for this work because they are young, fit, and not particularly skilled or talented at anything else (no budding doctors or engineers in this group).  Older people might be dealt with similar to Logan's Run or Soylent Green.  We don't know, and it's really not that important for the story.  The use of avatars like Nintendo Wii people was funny.  Living in a room like that with the floor-to-ceiling screens would make me crazy.

Edited March 27, 2017 by Dobian

[iMonrey]

I just discovered this series on Netflix and find it oddly unsettling and dreamlike and can't look away. But this particular episode stands out as probably the most bizarre IMO. And I don't necessarily mean that in a good way. Each episode seems to take place in a slightly altered reality or near future whereas this one - I just can't tell. There are too many questions about this "world" that I found distracting, which lessened my involvement in the story. I couldn't figure out where everyone lived. I couldn't figure out where this game show took place. It sort of seemed like everything took place in one big building. Someone above noted that the logistics didn't make a lot of sense and I agree. They sort of bit off more than they could chew with this one. I sort of get the point they were trying to make, and I'm sure a lot of viewers didn't need the gaps filled in for them. But whereas I've been able to jump right into the story in all the other episodes, I just couldn't quite get into this one as much because there were too many questions. 

[Hanahope]

I get that riding a bike all day, every day, and no other entertainment than the constant tv-type shows/games/porn could get boring, but sheesh, agreeing to do the porn instead?  Or was it that Abi didn't really know what she was agreeing to because of the drug drink they gave her.  And then it seems all Bing does now is record his two 30 minute shows a week and then, what else does he do?  

obviously, we don't get much info from a 60 minute show.  it was just almost too weird.

[methodwriter85]

Rupert Everett looked great in this episode. I loved the whole take on American Idol and other singing contests.

I agree that there were way too many questions about the world they set this place in that it was almost distracting.

I did like the ending. In the end, he agrees to become a commodity because it's better than riding a bike, and he gets to live much better. But at the same time, major cost to his soul.

[babs]

On 12/13/2017 at 11:45 AM, Hanahope said:

I get that riding a bike all day, every day, and no other entertainment than the constant tv-type shows/games/porn could get boring, but sheesh, agreeing to do the porn instead?  Or was it that Abi didn't really know what she was agreeing to because of the drug drink they gave her.  And then it seems all Bing does now is record his two 30 minute shows a week and then, what else does he do?  

obviously, we don't get much info from a 60 minute show.  it was just almost too weird.

Yes, I originally was screaming in my head for her to just say no! But later remembered she'd been drugged with "Compliance", so I guess anyone who goes on stage is disposed to agree to whatever is asked of them. Horrible. Poor Abi.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 1/22/2018 at 11:18 AM, babs said:

Yes, I originally was screaming in my head for her to just say no! But later remembered she'd been drugged with "Compliance", so I guess anyone who goes on stage is disposed to agree to whatever is asked of them. Horrible. Poor Abi.

Yea the drugs in her system plus the offer of living comfortably and never having to bike again would be a hard offer to turn down. Especially once they said there would be other drugs so you wouldn't feel any shame. I would be curious to know what happens when you get too old for porn.

As for Bing it seems he sold out for slightly better living conditions since I assumed the image out of his windows was fake too. Although before they showed it I was totally expecting his view to be outer space.

One thing I did like was how they set up the world, there were no goons with guns forcing people to ride the bikes, but everything is so connected that if you don't ride you can't even brush your teeth. They also set up a really good class division, where sure being on a bike might suck, but it's better than being a cleaner so you have got that going for you. And even if you are a cleaner you are better off than people on that embarass fat people show.

[kokapetl]

Why would they even need humans for porn? People in that dimension clearly want to see hardcore porn made using Nintendo Wii figures. 

I assumed the bike slaves were surplus labor literally warehoused and given busywork. A human on a bike can basically power a lightbulb. Not 24 large flatscreen TVs plus air conditioning. And it makes perverse sense that people who didn’t earn anything couldn’t really buy anything aside from virtual hairstyles and such with “merits”. 

[Blue Plastic]

On 12/7/2014 at 4:15 PM, Slovenly Muse said:

What I loved about this episode is that, while at first it might seem like a portrayal of a dystopian future society, it actually serves very nicely as a simplification/analogy for the actual world we live in TODAY. The meaningless, pointless jobs we do, the pre-packaged empty entertainment we are sold, the advertisements with which we are inundated, the exploitation that goes along with "fame," etc... I would say the show took these things to an extreme, but they didn't really. They just addressed them a little bit more directly, spotlighting them without the distraction of the context of the real world, sometimes taking a shortcut to eliminate a complex journey and arrive quickly at the destination (the "cuppliance" for example - a quick shorthand for the many and varied levels of manipulation that go into persuading someone to sell themselves like a product.) I think it's the basis in reality that makes this one so upsetting.

I can't watch more than one or two of these episodes at a time, either, often just one.  It is not binge-able like most of the other stuff I watch on Netflix.  I have been thinking about this episode off and on for the past 24 hours or so after watching it.  Most of my thoughts are similar to what the above poster expressed - how similar the characters' situation was to modern life in the western world NOW.  We are packaged and used as the product, forced into unfulfilling and underpaying jobs, given just enough money/"merits" to buy some small, meaningless forms of entertainment to keep us complacent/compliant and hopefully not notice how we are being used and screwed over by TPTB.

On 9/30/2015 at 11:59 PM, allthatglitters said:

Provoking because that also speaks of our time. Mega-Corporate filtered and scripted news "items" to define our world for us on the approved TV channels. Giving us info-tainment with the "hottest" story of the day repeated ad nauseum 24/7.  Real news is out there, but you have to dig it up for yourselves. And if those big media corps get their way, soon they will have paid off enough politicians to dismantle Net Neutrality, and divide it all up for themselves. Then they can really start to divert your information streams, like, slow down the ones with Bing speaking on them, and increase the ease and speed loading, say Fox News or CNN etc.

How prophetic.

On 1/4/2016 at 9:58 PM, ToxicUnicorn said:

I found the episode slow going and uneven at first.  The divisions between the gray people and the yellow people didn't seem to go anywhere, I was interested in what would happen to the young violinist, and I very much wanted the crude cycling guy next to Bing to get some kind of comeuppance.

As with the pilot, I would be completely happy to explore this situation more: who made the rules of this world?  As frustrating as it is to be left wanting more, I have to congratulate the show for having the good taste to do that. 

Yes, I was hoping for something bad to happen to Crude Guy, too.  Also wanted to know more about how the world worked.  I do get that they had only an hour and no time to show Bing's story AND do a complete job of world building AND some kind of resolution in which the bad guys get their comeuppance (and happy endings are not this show's style anyway), but wondering about all of these things did take me out of the show somewhat.  Not enough to keep me from making the connections between the story and the real world that I think the show was going for, but I did wish for more.

On 12/13/2016 at 7:42 AM, cmfran said:

Watched this ep last night with my wife (a re-watch for me, first time for her), and I still have some questions. Was the whole thing elective, or is it just everyone in the world's reality? My wife thought the latter, but I'm not sure if I agree. If that's just how the entire world is in the future, where were the children/senior citizens? Were they allowed to have relationships? 

I liked the thematic elements of this one, but logistically it doesn't make much sense.

Abi mentioned her mother and sister, so they seemed to be suggesting that there are families.  But how does that work?  Nobody in the stationary bike complex would be able to have a normal family life, being stuffed into those little cells.  Maybe when you turn 25 or 30 you "graduate" to a different facility with apartments instead of cells?  It occurred to me that maybe the biking wasn't actually powering anything, as the participants were told.  It was just busy work meant to control them.  I also wanted to know what happens to the "lemon" people.  Can they earn their way back to a better existence (if being a bike rider can be considered better)?

On 3/29/2018 at 1:01 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

As for Bing it seems he sold out for slightly better living conditions since I assumed the image out of his windows was fake too. Although before they showed it I was totally expecting his view to be outer space.

One thing I did like was how they set up the world, there were no goons with guns forcing people to ride the bikes, but everything is so connected that if you don't ride you can't even brush your teeth. They also set up a really good class division, where sure being on a bike might suck, but it's better than being a cleaner so you have got that going for you. And even if you are a cleaner you are better off than people on that embarass fat people show.

I thought the scene Bing was watching at the end was fake, just better graphics than what you get to see as a bike rider.  That's all you can do - work to buy an expensive ticket that gives you a small chance to get yourself on a "show" that humiliates you sexually or otherwise, then you get better graphics and maybe fewer or none of those horrible ads.

[wrlord]

One thing that distracted me: there's no way a world like that would let you inherit your brother's credits. They'd either tax them heavily or directly take them.

[theatremouse]

I figured it was more like brother knew he was likely to die, transferred them as gift, then died.

[Kel Varnsen]

15 hours ago, wrlord said:

One thing that distracted me: there's no way a world like that would let you inherit your brother's credits. They'd either tax them heavily or directly take them.

Keep in mind that the credits don't really get you anything good. It's not like you can use them to buy your freedom. You can use them for extra food or to watch some tv or a new avatar.