Black Mirror - The National Anthem

I sat and watched a new series to Channel 4 called Black Mirror and straight away thought that I needed to write a review of it.

The series was advertised as being a dark programme pushing the boundaries of social understanding.

Having just and only watched the first episode the above statement is spot on.

The story is set in a similar reality to our own (the only differences really being is names of people and companies)

The episode opens up on the Prime Minister waking up to get an emergency phone call from his office and that he needed to report to them straight away.

What then seems to unravel is that he is presented with a film footage of a ransom order from a kidnapped Princess. ( I would assume that this Princess is meant to represent the Princess Katherine) The Princess begs for her release, as I would expect to see in any ransom video. The officials stop the tape and warns the prime minister that what happens next in the bargaining ransom is unprecedented. The kidnapped princess will only be released if he has sexual intercourse with a pig by 4 o'clock that day.

What would you do?

The story unfolds that the Government make attempts to deceive the terrorist by trying to set up a "fake film" only for the terrorist to know and stop them by sending in a cut finger with the princesses wedding ring on.

Now, as you would suspect it portrays the Government as one of secrecy and cover up. However, there seems to be a very quick down fall in their scheme. The internet. The original video that was released was done via youtube. by the point that it was ready to be taken of 40,000 people had viewed it. From that they estimated that 5 to 6 copies were appearing to everyone that they deleted from the site. The video was then trending on Facebook and Twitter, Yet with the news under a Government agreement of silence the world is waiting "knowing" of the event without any real clarity.

I am sure we are all aware of the great way that things spread over the social media networks.

With the severed finger now in the possession and the news teams breaking the silence that they had promised and are now publishing the Prime minister gets a phone call from the Queen, from which the only thing we know is that she has asked him to do all that is in his power?!

With the country in 89% support of the prime minister going a head with the act of which they are standing by their TV screens waiting for the 4 o'clock broadcast. The with his Government officials meeting half hour before the deadline, they have informed him that all parties have agreed that he goes a head with it and that if he didn't they couldn't guarantee the life of him or his family. He gets in the car and heads into the TV studio.

I have to admit I was cringing at this point. He was put into a position where he had no other option, the option not to do it would have put him, his family and the Princess in danger. I asked it before, but what would you do?

The scene unfolds and he has sex with the Pig whilst the nation sickeningly sits and watches via their televisions. The act last an hour before the Princess is found. Could you sit and watch the act? Could you for an hour?

We then find that it was an elaborate prank by a dying artist, trying to make the greatest artistic work of the 21st century. He takes his own life by hanging. Therefore making him free and a dead artist.

It is a sick concept really and towards the end I was really cringing at the show (even with the obvious presentation that you didn't actually witness any bestiality, you just were implied the concept)

A few things stood out though.

How quickly things spread via the internet and social media sites, so much that a pressure built of 1.3 Billion people had wanted this man, this father this husband to perform this sickening act.

Would you really watch him go through with the act? I would like to think and say no I wouldn't, but my thoughts went back to studies regarding how far people get pushed into events through peer pressure and group/mob mentality of pushing for an undesirable outcome (Look at the context of some of the rioters in London this past Summer)

The last thought (thoughts) is a disturbing one. What would you do when put under so much pressure? What would you do to save another persons life? What would you do to save your wife and children?