Disclaimer: The opinions listed below are merely my own and it is what I MYSELF have taken out of the episode. By no means am I saying that my views are 100% accurate or that anyone who opposes of them are wrong. A discussion is just that...a discussion, and I love that this show is open to such interpretations. :)
- Summary
- Discussion
This episode centers around loss and death and how difficult it is to cope with grief. As human beings, one of the scariest and most depressing thought is the knowledge that one day we will die and there is nothing we can do about it. Whether we live for 50 years or over 100, there is no way to cheat death. Losing people we love is just a part of life, a hard lesson everyone has to go through, but what if there was a way to bring the living back to life? Only, when they come back, they aren't completely themselves-would that be worth the risk?
I want to first talk about what kind of person Ash is and my first impression of him is: careless.
I want to first talk about what kind of person Ash is and my first impression of him is: careless.
Let's rewind it a bit to the beginning of the episode where we see Martha buying coffee and snacks for the road. Ash is sitting in the car so engrossed by his phone, that he doesn't even notice Martha as she is trying to get his attention. Mind you it was raining hard, and she was trying to get into the car, so I don't know why she wasn't more angry than she was. It's one thing to sit in the car while your girlfriend runs out in the rain to get buy food (also why was she the one having to run out?) but to make her wait to get in the car because you weren't paying attention is pretty horrible. Martha was too nice about it, and the fact that she was tells me that this isn't new behavior for Ash.
When they get home, Martha asks Ash if he wants tomato soup for dinner and he half hears her, half doesn't. Once again he's on his phone, and once again I wonder why Martha isn't more irritated by his behavior. She shakes her head at him but joins him in the living room, when he shows her a photo of his brother who had passed away when he was a child. He said that when that happened his mom cleared out all of his belongings and moved it into the attic, as if she can just forget about him once his things are out of sight. It's more like she didn't want to be reminded of what she lost, and would rather not think about it. Ash goes on to talk about a picture they have on a mantel stating that his smile was fake here but his mom never figured it out, and somehow that made him more sad.
This disconnect with his mom and the lost of his brother could be the reason why Ash has one foot in and one step out. He said that his mother likes to sweep away unwanted thoughts by putting them elsewhere, and maybe the same can be said for him. Maybe he was so used to pain and neglect that he found comfort in the online world, like most people do.
This little glimpse into Ash's life isn't enough to flesh out his character and before we know it, he dies. There was never a clear cut answer as to how Ash died, but it can almost be confirmed that it was a car accident and I'll bet my money that it was because he was distracted by his handheld device. Before he leaves Ash is shown looking at his phone, and the fact that he's always so preoccupied by it could be a foreshadowing that this obsession with his phone is what caused the accident.
Martha's grief is so heavy and I felt that the actress that played her (Hayley Atwell) did such an amazing job. She made me feel for Ash, despite me not liking him very much. I can still sense that emptiness that follows her wherever she goes. She now lives in this isolated home in the countryside, with nothing to keep her company but her own sadness. That is until she finds out she is pregnant, and she realizes she is carrying a small part of Ash within her. I think it's the realization that she will be carrying a child without a father that completely shatters her. She'll have to look at this child everyday and explain to him or her why Ash isn't there, and this child will always be a living and breathing reminder of the person that she lost. With this child, she'll have to carry the pain of losing Ash for two people.
I can't lie the concept of talking to dead really frightens me, but I understand why people would want to do it. To strangers, the thought of talking to a ghost or anyone in the afterlife is terrifying but if it was your mom or your friend, that fear wouldn't be as strong. So when Sarah first mentions this website to Martha, I was thinking that this show was going to go in a different direction but I'm glad that I was wrong. Yet this program that she suggests is also terrifying on so many levels and while Martha was messaging with "Ash" I couldn't shake off how wrong this all was.
First off, this program uses data from the internet to "mold" itself into the person that you want to talk to. This means that a. Ash must have written so much about himself on the internet or was very active on social sites to the point where a program was able to intimate him based on what he posts and 2. that technology could be going down a very dark path. So many people have been laid off because companies can just use computers to take their place. For example the ever so popular self checkouts at supermarkets-why pay someone minimum wage or more to work when you can just have the customers do the work for free? Smart? Very. Good? Eh, for the company yes but not so much for the thousands of people that have just lost their jobs or the thousands of positions that are no longer being listed.
Despite her talking to this android that pretends to be her deceased boyfriend, I couldn't help but feel for Martha on some level. Death is forever, death is permanent and this isn't a belief, it's a fact. For Martha she felt her whole world crumple when she opened her front door and saw the policemen or even worse, when she suspected that something was wrong but she couldn't be sure. Although she knows that Ash is gone, the program gave her a bit of him back, even if it isn't the real him and for a while she was happy. That happiness is shown through in just the first few seconds of her messaging this android, and despite it being unnatural there is no doubt as to why this program is so popular in this world and how if it were to exist, it would be popular in our world as well.
Many people would spend an exorbitant amount of money on supernatural readings or callings just to have a chance to speak to their loved ones once more, even if that communication is through a third party; yet, imagine if that third party was eliminated and the service was done for free. The program never states that you will be able to talk to your loved one, but for some people, this "android" is more real than any psychic reading because the information needed to "clone" their loved ones come straight from the source.
The program takes it to the next level when Martha says that she wishes she could hear Ash's voice and it tells her that she can. Now this goes back to what I said previously about being able to connect with those who have passed on. What if instead of just messaging, you can actually talk to them and hear their voice again? You can kind of see Martha think about this-whether she questions if it is too good to be true or whether she thinks it is too strange to try is not certain- but then the scene shifts and she is seen "feeding" the program recordings of Ash's voice. She then spends all her time on her phone talking to "Ash" and despite her being so happy, the audience knows better. There are scenes of her sitting on top of a gorgeous plain talking and smiling, but instead of sharing that moment with another human being she chooses to share it with a computer. The camera would zoom in on her smiling face then zoom out to show us that even though she may not feel this way now, she is indeed still all alone.
Up until this point it seems as if Martha is just driven by her pain and is using this device as a coping method, but it isn't until her breakdown at the hospital did I realize just how wrong I was. She's not using the program as a way to just comfort her, but she believes the program is Ash in some twisted way. When she dropped her phone, she started freaking out and crying, and later on even said "I'm sorry I dropped you." This shows just how fast Martha is going down the rabbit hole with this fantasy world colliding with her reality.
Yet talking to someone and communicating with them can only sustain you for so long. That is why most couples need to see each other if they are in a long distance relationship, and this is why a lot of long distance relationships don't work out. The need to see someone without the usage of a computer or phone screen, the need to touch them, the need to be in their company, is essential. I didn't expect the story to take such a...Frankenstein-esk turn for a lack of a better word but it did just and that is where the story got really weird for me.
Despite being happy that "Ash" is back at first, she came to realize that this version of Ash isn't enough for her. I've watched a lot of discussion videos on this episode and a lot of people think that Martha was being bratty and unrealistic. She blamed the android for not being an exact dupe of her boyfriend, and she started to treat him poorly because of it. Granted he is a robot so he doesn't get his feelings hurt, but the audience is purely human and it is difficult to watch her yell and mistreat "Ash" even if he's not human. She gets upset when the android mistaken her sister for her friend, and she states that the real Ash knew that. While that may be true, this Ash doesn't and I'm assuming it's because no information of Martha's sister is linked to Ash's online profile. At that moment I did feel for her because as much as she wants to take this replacement of Ash, she realizes that she can't keep fooling herself. This Ash can never meet her friends or her family not only because it is a robot and people will call her crazy, but this robot is a replica of her boyfriend whom all her friends and family have met or at least know about. There is no happy ending for Martha, and the moment she realizes this, it broke her heart and it broke mine a little too. Sometimes we just want someone so bad that we will take whatever scraps we can gather, and even know we know we should move on, the temptation of having something as oppose to nothing is sometimes too much for us to give up.
The scene at the cliff was a powerful one because since the time the android came "to life" it was on Martha's beck and call, and now it seems as if it finally has the upper hand even if it's just a little. Martha tells the android to throw himself off the cliff, and normally he would just do what she says, no questions ask; yet here he kind of argues with her. Well, argue isn't the right word but he kind of asks her why since the real Ash didn't show any suicidal tendencies based on his social media account. She then tells him that she doesn't care and she wants him gone, and the android agrees and almost does jump! Yet Martha yells at him and says that her Ash wouldn't just jump, that he would be afraid. This is why the android cannot be a replacement for Ash despite it looking exactly like him. What makes human beings so unique is our ability to feel, speak, and believe freely. That is what makes conversations with the right person so stimulating, the fact that we don't know what this person will say next. Technological devices are great because they make life easier, but they cannot function without us controlling them-think a phone calling your mom because you command it to, or a television remote changing the channel because you pressed a button, or a car taking you places because you're the one steering it-but with another person we do not need to control them, and that is what makes human interactions so special.
The android sees that she is giving him a command (this is what the real Ash would have done, so since you are his replica you must do it too) and it ends up giving quite a performance I think, it begs for its life and Martha not being able to separate this performance with that of the real Ash, backs down.
What I found really interesting about this scene is the fact that the android's attitude towards ending its life. It's not so much that the android values its life-how can it since it isn't technically alive-but he states that Ash wouldn't do this. How would it know? Oh right because the program gathers all the information of Ash from his interactions online, and the android thinks it knows so much about Ash when it clearly doesn't. Sure Ash is quirky and funny online and the android is able to pick up on those qualities, but he doesn't know the story that he shared with Martha about his dead brother and his distant mother. Those stories are kept private or shared only with people he was closest too, very rarely do these raw stories get posted on social media. This just goes to show that you can never truly know a person based on their social media profiles, even if that person posts every single day. This is important for the audience to take from this episode because so many people envy others without truly knowing them, and they believe that life is perfect for those people because of their online profiles.
When the android starts mimicking Ash, it made it feel like he was a real person for once. This display of fear and emotion is so real that it makes Martha, someone who knows this isn't the real Ash standing in front of her, reconsider her decision. Her minds know that it isn't Ash but if she were to tell him to jump, it would be like losing Ash twice and she couldn't bare to do that.
This episode ends, like most Black Mirror episodes do, with a bittersweet ending. Martha is celebrating her daughter's birthday, and while she cuts the cake her daughter asks if she can bring Ash a slice. Martha states that she can only see him on the weekend, but her daughter insists. It's not so much that Martha's daughter knowledge of Ash is shocking (I mean how can she hide him forever with her daughter in the house) but the fact that she keeps him in the attic is kind of unjust and cruel at the same time. Sure, people can argue that it's just an android with no feelings and can stare at the wall for days if you command it to, but it's hard to see this android as just an android after following its story to this point.
I know Martha feels the same way because while her daughter is talking to the android, the camera zooms in on her face and it is clear that she feels conflicted and sadden by the android. It could be because the android reminds her so much of someone she can never have back, it could be because she sees her daughter interact and care about the android the way she was suppose to care about her father if he was still alive, or it could be her feeling guilty over the fact that she cannot get rid of it no matter how hard she tries. Either way, it seems Martha is doomed to live in this nightmare for the rest of her life.
I also find it sad how she hides "Ash" in the attic the same way Ash's mom hid the belongings of his brother and father once they passed away because she didn't want to constantly be reminded of their absence. The fact that this kind of brings the episode back full circle, is another reason why Black Mirror is such a fantastic show.
All in all I really enjoyed this episode because it really tugged at the heart strings, more so than the previous episodes BUT it still comes second to "The Entire History of You" for me. There was always this feeling of something lurking in the shadows throughout this episode because as a viewer we knew that there would be no happy ending for Martha, but we hoped and wished for one anyways and isn't having hope one of the core essences of being human?
Many people would spend an exorbitant amount of money on supernatural readings or callings just to have a chance to speak to their loved ones once more, even if that communication is through a third party; yet, imagine if that third party was eliminated and the service was done for free. The program never states that you will be able to talk to your loved one, but for some people, this "android" is more real than any psychic reading because the information needed to "clone" their loved ones come straight from the source.
Up until this point it seems as if Martha is just driven by her pain and is using this device as a coping method, but it isn't until her breakdown at the hospital did I realize just how wrong I was. She's not using the program as a way to just comfort her, but she believes the program is Ash in some twisted way. When she dropped her phone, she started freaking out and crying, and later on even said "I'm sorry I dropped you." This shows just how fast Martha is going down the rabbit hole with this fantasy world colliding with her reality.
Yet talking to someone and communicating with them can only sustain you for so long. That is why most couples need to see each other if they are in a long distance relationship, and this is why a lot of long distance relationships don't work out. The need to see someone without the usage of a computer or phone screen, the need to touch them, the need to be in their company, is essential. I didn't expect the story to take such a...Frankenstein-esk turn for a lack of a better word but it did just and that is where the story got really weird for me.Despite being happy that "Ash" is back at first, she came to realize that this version of Ash isn't enough for her. I've watched a lot of discussion videos on this episode and a lot of people think that Martha was being bratty and unrealistic. She blamed the android for not being an exact dupe of her boyfriend, and she started to treat him poorly because of it. Granted he is a robot so he doesn't get his feelings hurt, but the audience is purely human and it is difficult to watch her yell and mistreat "Ash" even if he's not human. She gets upset when the android mistaken her sister for her friend, and she states that the real Ash knew that. While that may be true, this Ash doesn't and I'm assuming it's because no information of Martha's sister is linked to Ash's online profile. At that moment I did feel for her because as much as she wants to take this replacement of Ash, she realizes that she can't keep fooling herself. This Ash can never meet her friends or her family not only because it is a robot and people will call her crazy, but this robot is a replica of her boyfriend whom all her friends and family have met or at least know about. There is no happy ending for Martha, and the moment she realizes this, it broke her heart and it broke mine a little too. Sometimes we just want someone so bad that we will take whatever scraps we can gather, and even know we know we should move on, the temptation of having something as oppose to nothing is sometimes too much for us to give up.
The scene at the cliff was a powerful one because since the time the android came "to life" it was on Martha's beck and call, and now it seems as if it finally has the upper hand even if it's just a little. Martha tells the android to throw himself off the cliff, and normally he would just do what she says, no questions ask; yet here he kind of argues with her. Well, argue isn't the right word but he kind of asks her why since the real Ash didn't show any suicidal tendencies based on his social media account. She then tells him that she doesn't care and she wants him gone, and the android agrees and almost does jump! Yet Martha yells at him and says that her Ash wouldn't just jump, that he would be afraid. This is why the android cannot be a replacement for Ash despite it looking exactly like him. What makes human beings so unique is our ability to feel, speak, and believe freely. That is what makes conversations with the right person so stimulating, the fact that we don't know what this person will say next. Technological devices are great because they make life easier, but they cannot function without us controlling them-think a phone calling your mom because you command it to, or a television remote changing the channel because you pressed a button, or a car taking you places because you're the one steering it-but with another person we do not need to control them, and that is what makes human interactions so special.
The android sees that she is giving him a command (this is what the real Ash would have done, so since you are his replica you must do it too) and it ends up giving quite a performance I think, it begs for its life and Martha not being able to separate this performance with that of the real Ash, backs down.
What I found really interesting about this scene is the fact that the android's attitude towards ending its life. It's not so much that the android values its life-how can it since it isn't technically alive-but he states that Ash wouldn't do this. How would it know? Oh right because the program gathers all the information of Ash from his interactions online, and the android thinks it knows so much about Ash when it clearly doesn't. Sure Ash is quirky and funny online and the android is able to pick up on those qualities, but he doesn't know the story that he shared with Martha about his dead brother and his distant mother. Those stories are kept private or shared only with people he was closest too, very rarely do these raw stories get posted on social media. This just goes to show that you can never truly know a person based on their social media profiles, even if that person posts every single day. This is important for the audience to take from this episode because so many people envy others without truly knowing them, and they believe that life is perfect for those people because of their online profiles.
When the android starts mimicking Ash, it made it feel like he was a real person for once. This display of fear and emotion is so real that it makes Martha, someone who knows this isn't the real Ash standing in front of her, reconsider her decision. Her minds know that it isn't Ash but if she were to tell him to jump, it would be like losing Ash twice and she couldn't bare to do that.
This episode ends, like most Black Mirror episodes do, with a bittersweet ending. Martha is celebrating her daughter's birthday, and while she cuts the cake her daughter asks if she can bring Ash a slice. Martha states that she can only see him on the weekend, but her daughter insists. It's not so much that Martha's daughter knowledge of Ash is shocking (I mean how can she hide him forever with her daughter in the house) but the fact that she keeps him in the attic is kind of unjust and cruel at the same time. Sure, people can argue that it's just an android with no feelings and can stare at the wall for days if you command it to, but it's hard to see this android as just an android after following its story to this point.
I know Martha feels the same way because while her daughter is talking to the android, the camera zooms in on her face and it is clear that she feels conflicted and sadden by the android. It could be because the android reminds her so much of someone she can never have back, it could be because she sees her daughter interact and care about the android the way she was suppose to care about her father if he was still alive, or it could be her feeling guilty over the fact that she cannot get rid of it no matter how hard she tries. Either way, it seems Martha is doomed to live in this nightmare for the rest of her life.I also find it sad how she hides "Ash" in the attic the same way Ash's mom hid the belongings of his brother and father once they passed away because she didn't want to constantly be reminded of their absence. The fact that this kind of brings the episode back full circle, is another reason why Black Mirror is such a fantastic show.
All in all I really enjoyed this episode because it really tugged at the heart strings, more so than the previous episodes BUT it still comes second to "The Entire History of You" for me. There was always this feeling of something lurking in the shadows throughout this episode because as a viewer we knew that there would be no happy ending for Martha, but we hoped and wished for one anyways and isn't having hope one of the core essences of being human?
★ ★ ★ ★ ★/ 5
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