GameSpot Universe I think White Bear remains the most depressing, maybe because I found the main character so sympathetic, and the ending is really powerful.
I loved the foreshadowing of Shazia’s car not starting. Earlier in the episode it stalled a bit, but eventually started. I knew shit was about to hit the fan.
Thiago Lopes yeah. The thing was horrible. Who kills a BABY?! All of this could’ve been avoided if she tatted herself out fifteen years before when the accident happened or when the friend wanted to apologize and potential plead guilty
+Ms Concave even though he didn't say nothing about her they were gonna acess his memory, that's why she killed him! it's rly cruel what she did but that's what happen when tec conflits with human
Thiago Lopes I don’t think they would have accessed the memory really. Sure for the sounds, but they wouldn’t see anything since he’s blind. I’m confused with your comment a bit, can you explain a bit more clearly?😊
The saddest part of the episode for me was actually when Shazi said the Islamic prayer right before she died. That was heartwrenching for me because she knew hope was lost. That entire ordeal looked so terrifying for her.
soso694 ikr the part when the baby dies is very sad but the way Shazi begged for mercy and starts praying moments before being killed is just gut-wrenching
I also found it chilling when you think about how Shazi in the beginning says that the guinea pig will "be good for Ali" and it eventually does help reveal Mia as the murderer
Don't miss the fact that the gerbil that was used to catch Mia, was in the blind baby's room. If you look at the scene, the only reason the gerbil even sees Mia is cause she goes into the room. If she had chosen to spare the baby after killing the husband in the bathroom she would have gotten away cause, as the cop later said, they had no evidence to go on.
Rudy Towsnell except she keeps throwing up near the crime scenes and the investigator likely recorded who she was going to speak to next for the memory investigation. It's her job, not some personal mission. The last would have been caught.
While we know in actuality the baby was blind, to Mia that would be another "witness" they could use the recaller on. So from her perspective she had to get rid of all the evidence (baby had already seen* her)
I agree with that in a cold hearted logical way, but we are talking about a baby not a witness. It is a lot different killing an adult that could actually try to defend themselves vs a baby. If she had any empathy left inside herself just as a human being, to just walk away after seeing that baby, she would have been able to be with her unknowing family.
This episode was so dark, it fucked my head up really badly. When they revealed that the baby was born blind my heart just dropped. The episode was beautifully made but depressing as all hell to watch.
I loved how karma accumulated to such a point she'll know she killed a blind toddler for nothing, which also lead to her prison, since if she'd never enter that room the hamster wouldn't have seen her. =)
Her best moment to avoid the string of murders was to let her ex bf write the anonymous letter, or better yet, write it with him. Write it in a public place with freshly bought items and wear disposable gloves the entire time. Incinerate everything you used to write the letter after you send it. Probably the safest option in the circumstances.
+Daniel, Dude, Computers exist. All they had to do was use Notepad/MS word, type the message and print it with a new printer/fresh paper, handle the note with gloves, then factory format the system.....no need for all those extra manual handwritten steps. "Write it in a public place with freshly bought items and wear disposable gloves".....what is this, the year 1850? lol.
Kninez Banky Wow, had no idea someone would get so triggered over a completely hypothetical proposal in a completely fictional situation. You have to get out more, buddy 😂
Shaquan Grimes but if she called the police after her boyfriend's incident then the letter in her 1st incident would never happen, thus she'd never have to kill :/
Shaquan Grimes yes. I would. Its the right thing to do and the fact that you dont know a person someone murdered doesnt dismiss the murder or make their death any less relevant.
The most disturbing thing about this episode was how logical the progression felt. How each step was more unthinkable than the last but almost justifies (in her mind) the next action. Almost like the trail of dead in her wake were a sort of sunk cost. And to her it’s better to add another body to the pile than to have let it all be for nothing. It’s twisted, but intuitive. An absolute descent into hell.
I didn't like this episode but it was still so well made and the cinematography was beautiful. Overall it just felt slow and depressing. I wish they had developed Mia's character a little more because I felt nothing for her character. I loved the ending though and I found it funny that they used the guinea pig's memories to catch her.
spongebob swag pants it didn't work, I hated that bitch and didn't want to get to know her. Usually black mirror does a fantastic job of pacing and making us feel connected to the people who do wrong in their universe but this episode the only thing I could think about was how is she going to get it in the end and they didn't even satisfy that. They left it at an undeserved open ending. I was hoping to watch her suffer like that guy in the episode with John Hamm locking the man in a prison inside his own head for years and years.
Simon James ya I didn't like this one as much either. I just didn't get the motivation for mia. The first two murders I get, but then she escalates way too quickly for her character. She feels so guilty about the first two and then what, she snaps? Idk she has so much time to think. I didn't feel like she was the type to go out of her way to kill 2 people and a baby. And the technology wasn't driving her like most other eps.
I don’t know what the hell most of the people in the comments are talking about? This was a fantastic and dark episode. Left me with chills! Fantastic writing in my opinion. Loved it!
I thought it was dark af. I wish though that they had ended with the zoomout from the lady in the house looking at the kid. Leaving the audience to decide whether or not she had descended to far as to be capable of killing a baby. Just giving us the answer was a bit unfulfilling.
Brandon Reed I agree, i though the episode was actually going to end there but then it kept going so i was a little disappointed. Overall still a great episode.
I disagree with Tamoor's comments stating, "Mia was able to switch off psycho-killer mode as soon as she goes to see her son's play and that shows that she's in serial killer murder territory' which I is utter nonsense. She was trying her best to act normal despite the fact that she committed numerous murders beforehand. She was fully aware of what she has done hence why we kept seeing her gag, vomit and break down in tears uncontrollably after each murder. In the last scene, it was visibly clear that the guilt was eating her up but she did was felt like she had to do but in the end, she knew and could feel what was coming for her.
@ Owlcoholic - I agree with your assessment of Mia. She’s not the textbook definition of a psychopath. She just found herself in the proverbial Fight or Flight mode.
TheLifeOnHigh You guys are both ridiculous. Fight for flight does not justify premeditated murder, not even in the slightest. Fight for flight is a stimuli response to an imminent threat that would insight bodily harm. Mia actively ended the lives of *four fucking people*, mind you none of which even directly threatened to oust her to the police or cause any harm to her whatsoever. Her actions have literally nothing do with "fight or flight". Owlcoholic, the only person full of bullshit here is you. "Feeling bad" or experiencing remorse for psychopathic actions does not absolve you from being a psychopathic monster like Mia is. Maybe she isn't a sociopath; but even that's debatable, it's very likely that Mia's crying is a form of her trying to convince herself she's still human, and not genuine remorse, hence the title of the episode "crocodile", Mia's tears are crocodile tears, if she truly felt bad about what she did she would more than likely have turned herself in after the first of FOUR MURDERS, or at the very least had drawn the line at infanticide. You can cry and be "sorry" all you want to but actions supersede apologies in every possible situation, Mia is unable to take responsibility for her mistakes and places the possibility of her career and emotional state of her family being tarnished above the lives of four people (one being a goddamn two year old, how could you honestly be defending this POS?). She did not *have* to do any of the irredeemable and unjustifiable atrocities she did, all she *had* to do was own up to her own mistake and not rob three innocents of their futures just to make sure her life faced no risk of being blemished. She is a psychopathic serial murderer, and defending her makes you either a sympathizer to said monster, or someone dumb enough to feel bad for such a cancer.
Eryk pannell damn son, it's just a show and owlcoholic isn't defending anyone, just disagreeing with someone else's assessment of a fictional character. Save your anger for something a bit more consequential than a comment on a review video ^_^
Agreed. She basically got a taste of the guilt that the guy had who killed the biker 15 years prior. I do feel she went a little haywire with all the killing!! But I did like the ending...as far as how they caught her.
this episode is so Kafkaesque. i like the "simple complexity" of the story. it shows how one would overlook their actions, to keep up with their "reputation"
I loved how the insurance mother (forgot her name) says that the baby will like the guinea pig because it's fuzzy. When I heard he was blind I immediately thought of that little bit of foreshadowing and cried
really enjoyed this breakdown video but i would have to disagree with your description of how mia went into 'psychopath killer' mode towards the end. throughout the entire episode she showed signs of guilt, shame, remorse. her disgust and horror with her own actions were clearly visible up until the last moment when she was visibly uncomfortable and disturbed while watching her child's performance. the whole point of the show is to show the dark side of technology and how it pushes normal people to extreme boundaries, which i think has been brilliantly translated in this episode
Linda B the song was sad too. They were singing about being anything they wanted and she killed a baby. Then we’re talking about it was their decision and she chose to kill three innocent people.
Linda B I think that's what the title is referring to; they're crocodile tears. She doesn't actually care about anyone but herself and she resents being "forced" into these situations as they are putting her more at risk of being caught and losing her life. It's all about her, not her victims.
Well, actually in this episode technology impact on poeple was set to minimum. If you change the way how investigator learned about what happened in the appartement (for example, some clues in her house), absolutely nothing will change in terms of general plot. So in that regard, i think creators cheated a little. But for me, if the episode is good on itself, why bother?
Kathryn Finch you gave an excellent analysis. mia is self obsessed about her life, but many does.the first one is an accident and justified a bit. tom's murder is also justified as a snap decision. but murder of shazzi and her family is totally her own action. there is no external force is involved. the tears she shed is her own way of justification. i say in a way she sabotaged herself. by killing the baby, she lost her chance of redemption. cry yourself an ocean,mia
I feel like they should have just ended with the woman in the house staring at the child, leaving the audience to decide whether she would actually kill the kid. That would be a true back mirror episode and make this really the standout episode.
Idk.. i feel like those living spaces were more of a metaphor for society rather than a physical representation of a world. More episodes should be like that imo
It's possible since 15 million merits was referenced in this episode when Shazia goes into the hotel asking for Mia and the guy at the front desk says he can't give out her information because of the incident with the judge of Hot Shots who "got caught with a rent boy and a tabloid got his name by hacking the booking system."
Gloria Camacho Crocodile is as mediocre as it gets. The creator of the episode was just lazy. All they did was make an episode to shock people without giving us a good episode or story.
I kinda thought Metalhead was weaker than Crocodile. At least Crocodile was beautifully shot. Generally, the horror in Black Mirror episodes isn't the technology itself, but more the people using it, or controlled by it, in this case, a sociopath. But I do agree with you that there were elements in this episode which seemed a little gratuitous (but hey, that's Black Mirror for you)
It was very interesting to me how they switched the perceived personality dynamics, of the two characters (Rob and Mia). He's the one who decides to dispose of the body, making him seem callous. Later on, Mia is the one killing people left and right, to hide the secret. Mia turns out to be essentially be a sociopath (with psychopathic tendencies).
Kidd Honest but she helped cover it up and dispose the body and logic doesn’t always work when people are stressed. If you helped to cover up a death and sat on it for 15 years, you’re definitely looking at jail time.
Dallas Delgado but now she looking at jail lifetime... like was the cops really gonna put out a worldwide search for a passenger when they got the driver...but i get what u saying about the stress
I think one of the reasons why some people didn't like this episode is because we as a society have become so desensitised to death, murder and violence. It doesn't hold the same shock value as it should. Not every episode needs to be about some over the top tech and have multiple twists. The episode is more of a character study, of how one can go to no lengths to protect what they have built. Not all killers are born that way or have gone through some form of abuse in their life, sometimes it's instant, kill or be killed.
Mia’s actions were not justified. But, what made my skin crawl was the other dude (forgot his name) that killed the guy on the bicycle. She wanted to call the police and do the right thing, but he forced her out of that idea. THEN, years later when she has her life established, HE WANTS TO RECONCILE? I would’ve killed him too! How dare he try to ruin my life after it’s been established because he can’t take it any more. NO, this is why I will never help any friend cover something up. If a murder goes down I’ll leave without saying anything (just in case they try to kill me too) and I’ll call the police.
iebiery yea I forgot to mention that! He had no problem forcing her to be apart of it. Being like “MIA HELP ME”, but when it came to his guilt he didn’t care about her take in the situation. Omfg that makes my blood boil.
She was fucking dumb tho cause he said he wouldn’t mention her and take the fall completely. It’s so stupid. It’s like she just wanted to kill people or she likes it.
Paul Aagam no she was actually smart. Think about it, an emotionally wreck confessing to the police. All it takes is for him to slip one word like “then we...” and it’s all over. The investigators would eventually find her especially with that machine they use.
This was my FIRST black mirror episode, because a friend wanted me to see it, and holy shit. Depressing, difficult to watch. But how everything hangs together, like the car having trouble starting which causes problems later in the episode, and psychological horror of guilt and becoming a killer in the end, No TV show has given such an emotional feedback before. It is insane.
Clorox Bleach really liked hang the DJ & black museum. Cinematography on metalhead was amazing. USS Callister was okay and arkangel was boring but had an amazing ending
should mention spoilers for other shows will be in every episode. sorry but I watch these after each episode, and it sucks to see things from the end of the season because it's a easter egg....like....here's an idea, just tell us you're spoiling every episode this season rather than just the episode in the title.
As a Muslim, the part where Shazia says "inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'oon" is what got me and made the tears flow. It broke my heart because at that point she accepted that she was going to die and said a prayer as her last words, that made the episode too real for me. Probably the best episode of the season along with Black Museum.
This one was classic Black Mirror, in my opinion. You start off with this character you kind of relate to (young Mia, a mostly innocent bystander that gets roped into aiding in disposing of a body for her lover,) only to find out the horrible things they are capable of later on. Kind of how Shut Up and Dance made you feel sorry for the kid, then you find out what he was looking at and it sends you reeling. Or White Bear, where you’re rooting for this woman to get away safely, only to find she’s a convicted child murderer. These are some of my favorites because they get you to empathize with someone you’d typically dismiss or condemn in a handful of seconds. Part of me thought, “Why the fuck didn’t she just give up after Rob decided he was going to come forward?” But then I remembered, there’s a lot more at stake when Rob decides he wants to confess than fifteen years prior. Young Mia had nothing to lose, older Mia has virtually *everything* to lose, and the stakes only rose as the body count went up. It makes you question what you’d truly do if put in the same position.
As horrific as what she does is, I couldn’t help but understand why she felt the need to do it, up until she murdered the baby. It was pointless since the baby was most likely not gonna recall a thing and I thought it was idiotic of her to present herself within the potential vicinity of the of the being she heard baby sounds from.
This episode was terrible. It was bleak with no substance. The main character wasn't developed *at all*. We know one moment from her past, her living situation, and that she doesn't want people to know what she did. The first few scenes were a fine set up, but then it did nothing with plot structure. We had no reason to like her. The murders had no conflict. The episode didn't achieve suspense because I didn't want her to succeed. She's a bad person. Her motives were selfish. She had no relatability.
I had a lot of problems with this episode: 1) It takes 10+ mins to strangle someone to death. The perpetrator has to be fairly strong to cut off the air supply for that amount of time. She maybe weighed 110 pounds taking out a 180+ man, can't see how she pulled that off. 2) Managed to stuff an entire man in a serving cart, no legs or feet popped out the entire trip from the 4th(?) floor to her car. From what I could see he wasn't secured in any way, in fact any curious passer by could see the body under the cart, as it wasn't even fully covered. 3) She got the serving cart to her car attracting no attention and got the victim into the back of the car, again attracting no attention. Perhaps her and the naked exhibitionist were the only people at that hotel. ugh... 4) She manages to drag the body out of the car over the snow covered ground up at least one flight of stairs and into the Sizzler. Bodies are heavy, especially ones wearing now wet clothing. 5) Finally that ending!?! I jokingly turned to my daughter and said, "Hah she forgot about the guinea pig!" When that turned out to be the actual answer I laughed. So this device works on animals as well or is it just pets or guinea pigs? Animal brains are very different from a humans brains. 6) And finally a guinea pig can see in color, has 340 degree vision, and oh yeah can not see much past it's fricking nose. It has very blurry vision which is great for detecting movement in the wild, shitty for making a positive id of a person. Poorly written episode, relied on the viewer to forgive a lot of stupid crap of the episode. On the plus side, well acted and like everyone else is saying gorgeous scenery.
5) also the police were straight on that guinea pig, like it was standard operating procedure to capture animal witnesses memories... then surely that would be common knowledge to everyone in that world. Mia would have known they check animal memories unless the tech was super new and would have made sure to get rid of any animals in the house as they are as good as CCTV in that world
'We got something from the Guinea Pigs memories sir' 'Excellent sergeant, what do we have' 'well sir, it thought about food a lot, and water, taking a crap, oh and something about straw and a wheel' 'Straw and a wheel, hmmm, put out an apb on the local farmer.'
another dumb thing is that the insurance woman just screams 'no' when the killer dragged her out. or the bathroom scene... the guy just stares at her! there is something called arm reflexes....
Surely the society in this episode isn't so solely reliant on the recall tech that if the person's head is bashed in then the police just consider it an unsolvable crime? When that insurance woman is eventually declared missing then the detectives would've just retraced her steps, or checked her computer to see the details of the last person she went to visit. Did the main character not realise that? I guess she had started spiralling out of control by then anyway so it doesn't matter. I did have to really suspend my disbelief to get down with the logic of this episode!
I completely agree. She had no way of getting away with the murders, even without the tech. Also with her friend at the hotel. Someone would eventually find out, with hotel logging guests in and out, and probs there was cctv or something in the hallways.
I agree. I don't think those are plot holes though. The detective had literally just got to the scene, and had no idea why anyone would kill a baby. Obviously they would've gotten to Mia eventually by going through Shazia's computer. I think this just further emphasizes how pointless all of mia's murders were. She was NEVER going to get away with it. The hamster's memory catching Mia just gave her less time to get away with it.
There were a couple of 15 Million Merits references on this episode. I wonder if the people trapped in the bike pedaling industry have a choice or were forced into that lifestyle. My main question is why are they forced to pedal and others are not? Are the people from the outside world like Mia, even aware that there are people slaving away providing electricity for Hot Shots to air? Because obviously they all are living under the same universe. Or is the bike pedaling community just stuck living in another one of Brooker's virtual reality systems, similar to USS Calister and White Christmas?
Easter eggs and similar technology =/= _obviously_ same universe Its fun to theorise but they're not made with the intent of being a consistent universe according to interviews with Charlie Brooker
15 million merits is more of a metaphor for a world than an actual, literal world. The easter eggs tell us that the worlds we're experiencing are all the same, just seen through different perspectives. 15mm is like looking through a really small window at society, a window that Brooker opened, if that makes sense.
This episode was terrible. Super predictable and at times unrealistic. The best thing about black mirror is that you could place yourself in their shoes and at least agree with the decisions they make, based on the type of character they are. Before she killed her ex, she showed NOTHING that would be a valid explanation of why she would react so rash by KILLING SOMEONE! I'll admit, after that part, it completely ruined the rest of the episode for me, and mid way through the episode it became way too predictable for a black mirror episode. I think people are praising it because of how dark it is, which 1) its black mirror, that's somewhat expected 2)having a dark ending doesn't erase the lack of substance the rest of the episode lacks. Overall, great performances from all the actors, but the writing was god awful on this one. Good thing Hang the DJ was after this one, to restore my faith in Charlie Brooker's writing. And not even gonna touch on the fact that this bone thin woman can easily kill anyone she looks at.
I think if the story is more disorderly structured, it would be a much better experiences. An examples of this would be something like "Rememory" (Peter Dinklage movie) or Memento. Overall it's a good episode.
Croz Raven I agree it would of been more interesting if we didn’t know about the hotel murder until we see the insurance lady looking through her memories
Jack III okay but hear me out on this one. What if we just saw Mia and her ex boyfriend talking about the murder and we saw how he wanted to tell the truth but we didn’t see Mia kill him, then when the insurance lady comes we would be worrying about if she’s going to see the conversation they had about the first murder, then to our surprise we would see that she also kill him as well.
Ethan Washoe interesting, but i think it would ruin the connection between the audience and the character Mia. The show was establishing trust with its audience. A reveal like that isnt big enough, that's why they used it later with the baby, when it is most bleak.
15 Million Merits was actually linked to this episode. In the hotel where Mia stayed, the receptionist talks to Shazia about an incident with one of the judges from Hot Shots. Hot Shot is the show where things with Abby took place in 15 Million Merits.
I thought you guys were going to explain the name 'Crocodile'? I feel really stupid I don't get the reference, is it referring to Mia's killer instinct or something? 😅
It's called Crocodile because it's referencing a crocodiles recall memory. They remember using a combination of sights, smells and feelings. Thus the tech of this episode is like a crocodile.
I just did some research too and found that there is something called "The Crocodile Brain Syndrome". It deals with our innate flight or fight response to immediate danger and I guess is a comment on Mia's impulse killings to protect herself? Here's a paper on the syndrome, quite interesting: startup-port.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/65/2015/12/Crocodile-Brain-syndrome.pdf
Sure, but then why was she so against them dumping the body and hiding the accident/murder in the first place? The concept is solid, and the backbone of the episode is good, but the execution and character background/development is non-existent, I don't care about anyone in that episode except the blind baby.
The theme of this season is basically how to people react with you take away their ability to choose and of course the usually go too far to be saved. I'm not excusing the murders, she's a monster, but she didn't start out like that. She was young and dumb and didn't want her boyfriend to go to jail, her first instinct to call for help was right but she was stopped. Everything for her would have been over if she simply stood her ground and called for help, if she was too scare of her boyfriend she could have help dispose of the body got the ride home and then contact the people at that point she might get into trouble for for assisting but that months not years if your even charged, after 15 years you'd definitely be in trouble and it grows from there every choice built off that first bad choice.
Not only that, but the technology made it impossible for her to escape the memories of her past. From now on, any happenstance that she was even remotely involved in would bring about this tech that would reveal her past crimes. Mia, essentially, was a prisoner to that moment (that memory) and that decision...forever.
There is also the possibility her boyfriend would have killed her if she did not comply with dumping the body, but this was not hinted at as far as I remember.
Its a guinea pig, not a hamster. Also they don't need to talk to the guinea pig, they just need to hook it up to the thing and it'll play back the things memory
Forgotten Memes if it works like that, why did the girl keep asking for more details if she could just playback their memory? If that were the case, couldn’t she just skip ahead to the murderers head when she looked out the window?
Ms Concave they said the fresher the memory the clearer the recall- perhaps it was easier to withdraw it from the guinea pig when it had just witnessed it, compared to others who saw it a while ago
Jess Johnson she killed them then went straight to her son's school concert (starts at 7:30).... by the end of it, the police were there (about an hour, hour and a half if the school's big enough)... so say the police got to the home half hour after... that's no time at all for a guinea pig to recall
I found this to be the worst episode of the season. Boring tech, and an incredibly simple and predictable witness killing plotline. Also it makes no sense how a frail woman is able to push and man to the floor and choke him to death.
Also the guy in the bath. She was standing over him for several seconds, raises the hammer, waits a beat, then hits. At no point did he attempt to block the hammer, raise his hand, grab her arm, anything. Apparently as well as superhuman strength she shows with her first victim, she also has the ability to render victims unable to defend themselves. One of the worst episodes of the series, because of these stupid 'wtf?' plot points. Luckily we didn't see the aftermath, Swat team goes to arrest her based on the memories of a Guinea Pig. But all their guns jam, they then panic, and shrivel and cry and she beats them all to death with a rock.
The point of the episode was to create piss poor plot conveniences to get to a "super dark twist" which wasn't all that dark or much of a twist. I made to comment to my girlfriend "Hey how much do you wanna bet the fucking kid is blind or something stupid like that?" and low and behold I called that shit.
Yeah the snow the accident the escalation of murders and the inevitable fate of the woman made me think of it. Also the USS Callister episode with Jesse Plemons and Cristin Milioti who both played in Fargo season 2 !
Probs one of my least favorite if im honest, not because its bad in any way, but in terms of Black Mirror its kind of lacking. Feels more like a separated crime drama than a traditional Black Mirror episode
I don’t think she killed the guy (sorry, I’m bad with the names) with pure adrenaline, a think the beer bottle had something to do with it meaning sharp edges.
As far as Easter eggs, what about the hotel worker that won’t give Shazia Mia’s name because “of the thing with the judge of Hot Shots... and the tabloid got his name by hacking their system”? Wonder which judge it was?
I didn't like the hamster twist, Its the only part of the episode hated. a more psychological twist would've been more satisfying. like stick to the blind baby twist and somehow make it more heart wrenching . oooooor make the twist that it works on dead people within a certain time or something!!! that would've been amazing.
Like a Fringe episode--FBI Olivia Dunham has 6 hours after death to enter the mind through the use of a sensory deprivation tank. There have been other references like in Netflix's "The Discovery" to record after-life brain activities and suggests its a mixture of memories and new thoughts after death.
Its a guinea pig, not a hamster. And I agree with other people in that the blind baby twist was stupid tbh. The guinea pig twist made sense and was a call back to guinea pig being bought in the first place ( seeing as the scene about the guinea pig being brought up earlier in the episode was subtle foreshadowing ). She clearly at the end of the episode thought she was free and safe to go back to her life. She thought she had gotten rid of all witnesses, but then nope! She left one witness. The guinea pig that she didn't notice watched her kill the baby. And now she's fucked. So the family gets the justice they deserve in the end. though the recalled working on dead people would have been an interesting twist as well, that I agree on.
I know the guinea pig was referenced but the payoff isn't great or meaningful enough. to make that more impactful it would've had to have been...say, a commentary on animals that is sprinkled through the episode or something like that. The baby twist is indeed stupid which is why I suggested to push it further so that it isn't so pathetic because theres something there at least, an emotional impact that could've maybe, probably(?) been explored more because that clearly drew a lot of reactions from people.
I CAN NOT BELIEVE no one found out this GIGANTIC metaphor, so in her sons play. THE LYRICS ARE ABOUT MIA. "We coulda been anything that we wanted to be, and its not too late to change... yes that decision was ours... You will be remembered for the things that you say and do" talks about how mia CHOSE to try to go through this elaborate complex scheme to keep her success, and how she could have changed and told the widow in the beginning, but instead, she CHOSE to kill them, and the last quote "you will be remembered for the things that you say and do." Is 2 sided. 1. It is a reference to the memory Corroborator thingy. Or 2. It is saying that, instead of being remembered as a great architect, she will be remembered as what she really is. A crocodile
Of all the episodes in season 4, I found this one the least entertaining. I get that she's trying to keep no witnesses, but I don't buy the lengths of her desperation. That she would kill an entire family to keep two other murders under wraps just feels...I dunno. I just don't buy her willingness to kill to keep a secret. Especially with the baby. Felt like a whole lotta shock value.
thewhatness that’s because your brain is sane. You can’t wrap your head around it, but it’s totally plausible. To the sane mind it doesn’t make sense, but there are psychopaths out there with brains that work this way.
thewhatness the husband knew that the wife went to the murderer’s house, so eventually the police would’ve come knocking on her door. She could’ve either hid the Indians body and hoped the police wouldn’t find it or guarantee your crime goes unnoticed by eliminating all potential witnesses. She would’ve gotten away with it if she knew that animals memories could be recorded also
Adetunji Adeoba III if she didn’t even go in the child’s room she would have gotten away with it. The guinea pig was in his room so it saw what she did to him. Ironically by trying to kill the last “witness”, she created one.
Dallas Delgado - Your comment on the insane mind is spot on. As someone with a family member who is highly educated yet has a Mental Disorder (BPD), I can tell you that a rational thinking person has a difficult time grasping the way mentally disturbed people can think.
Holy cow! Just had a revelation about the opening scene in the episode. So throughout the episode we're told how our memories can be subjective and they can become distorted. What if the opening scene of the episode is Mia's memory of what happened as told through the way she would recall it 15 years later having compartmentalized and rationalized what happened. Maybe it was actually her idea to toss the body in the lake but we as an audience never actually see how the bike accident occurred since we're seeing it through her distorted memory.
Well, i find it very interesting that some people consider this episode under their top 3 black mirror episodes while others didn't at all. Same goes with me about Nosedive.. i couldn't really enjoy it while other consider it to be the best out of all BM episodes. This is what i find to be especially great in Black Mirror, as it brings people together to discuss what they themselves consider to be the best story, of course while discussing the problematic society displayed in each of the ones.
You’re both so inarticulate that you made me want to watch this episode again to regain how amazing it was. If this is your day job, quit, or at the least just rehearse some more so you don’t come off so unpolished.
Philosophical Zombie lmao you don’t have to watch this shit check out nitpix or Harry’s moving castle they have more monotone voices but plenty of the British accents you crave and way more in-depth views at the episodes.
Novo Vires Their accents weren’t true british accents, the mans accent was a Pakistani accent and the lady’s is just the boring modern incarnation of an accent. Btw Britain has many accents
One scene in particular that made me think of the Title "Crocodile" was the scene were She was coming to kill the husband in his house and crept at the stairs and poked her head up like a crocodile would out of the water then the husband got in the tub (water) and like a crocodile she attacked when he entered the tub (water) for the kill.
My "worst" episode was the first one. Intercourse with a pig was a cheap trick for the shock value only. it was uncomfortable and was just gross and it is the ONLY reason I don't recommend to my nieces, nephews, friends' kids, young adults who would enjoy the technology aspect and honestly should watch the show to see the darkness of innovation.
jennie QT Agree with everything you said, it was my least favourite episode before this one. I also had reservations about recommending this series to family members for the same reasons. I just tell them not to bother with the first episode.
The song during the kid’s play has lyrics along the lines of “they’ll remember everything you say and do,” which I thought was a nice little wink if you’re paying attention.
I discovered black mirror like two weeks ago and I binge watched the entire thing in like two days. I really like this episode because it just shows you the length people would go to preserve their perfect lives.The irony of this story is that Mia kept what the friend did a secret and even helped him dump the body so it wouldn't ruin his life but later the same secret is used to ruin her life and she wasn't even the one who committed the crime to begin with. I actually felt bad for her at first because after everything that happened she managed to turn her life around and be successful but then everything she worked for was at risk because the friend suddenly grew a conscience. Then she went from scared to psychopath killer real quick, who would have seen that coming. I also found the end of the episode a bit funny too because she killed everybody but the guinea pig lol. She took four lives to keep her secret but gets screwed over by a fucking guinea pig! That's some shit....
ara is sleepy yeah,but I feel like this one almost forgot it had the rememberer and focused almost exclusively on people. Not necessarily their reactions,just basically Mia trying to get away by murdering others.Really liked the montage with the witnesses though
This episode is very much centered around the tech. Without the memory recall technology, Mia wouldn't need to keep killing. Shazia would've asked her a few questions and they both would go on their merry ways. But with the added technology, no one can fully escape their past (and their memories). So in order to maintain her way of life, Mia must continue to kill to cover up her past crimes, only to create more memories and crimes she can't escape. The technology creates a even more vicious of a cycle.
I found this episode really hard to believe. Maybe if the hotel room death was depicted as a more of an accident, then the plot wouldn't seem so over the top and fake. She was more or less at peace with what happened on the road, she has a family, a son, a successful career. Whether or not this race for normality is a form of her escape from bad memories, she managed to create a good life for herself and that suggests that she doesn't feel that guilty. There is just too many ifs in this story. Maybe if Rob confessed he was the only one responsible, maybe if she was honest with him or with that investigator, there are so many ways out of it. I get that this episode is all about that freedom of choice, but she didnt seem like a person who would panic to that extend. Maybe an expositional character design flaw. Eh. I love black mirror with all my heart but so far in this season, no episode left me with this feeling of filthinest and being partially responsible of what just happened. In previous seasons I was almost always one of the background characters, in this one I'm merely a distanced observer. I really hope the other 3 episodes will be better. The first one was really good, though, although surprisingly light.
Philosophical Zombie umm? 😐 Some people like myself like to go to analysis videos of black mirror after they finished an episode. The video is solely based on the episode they put in the title, so they wouldn’t really expect spoilers. Sure some easter eggs from other episodes, but not big events. I myself don’t watch the vid, but like to read the comments of other ppl who watch. Sorry if I seem rude, but you could’ve been kinder.
Philosophical Zombie accountability? I didn’t click on this video knowing they would talk about other episodes I haven’t gotten to this season. The title pretty much says the said episode will be discussed, not the entire season.
Yo her stealth was at 100.. No way i wouldnt know there was a small lady walking in my house. We put bells on our doors! 😂 I was pissed off at the lack of security. ALL THIS FUCKIN TECHNOLOGY. Her job sketchy as fuck! Sml I'm just mad the black guy died.
I don’t like it because it was too simple. There were no twists like other episodes. There wasn’t any real moment where I went oh shit became I didn’t see something coming. It wasn’t as deep as other black mirror episodes. Please explain if there is a deeper meaning than just the spiral into insanity Mia undergoes as she murders to maintain her social position and reputation and life.
Personally, I don't really enjoy the Black Mirror episodes when the tech is more or less irrelevant to the main conceit of the story. I have seen this storyline specifically many times - someone goes overboard trying to cover up a mistake and it eventually gets them caught. The memory technology could be removed and the story would still work, if you tweaked the writing. It's also why National Anthem is one of my least favourites. No future tech at all.
This episode was one of the worst. The main character was totally unrealistic: a succesful architect commits four murders to keep conceiled that she helped cover up a manslaughter someone else committed? Also, this episode wasn't "dark". People being murdered is sad, but not "dark" per se. The concept of the memory corroborator was quite cool, though, a shame they didn't work it out properly (esp with the guinea pig).
Some other possible Easter Eggs in this episode: - The name Outpost 21 could be a reference to the outpost cabin in "White Christmas". - At the same time, it could also be self referencing to the fact that Mia's house is located in a remote "Outpost" location. - The fact that they chose to feature Bugsy Malone as the school play might also be tip of the hat to Jodie Foster who was heavily involved in the filming of Arkangel. I say this because the movie Bugsy Malone was an early role for Jodie Foster. - The guinea pig in the episode is a literal reference to the metaphorical saying given that they also test the Recaller on it. The following observations are stretching it a bit. Anyway: - The manner in which Mia becomes disheveled is very similar to that of Kenny in "Shut Up And Dance". - I noticed that the character Rob is also very similar to Rafe Spalls character in "White Christmas".
It’s better to confess and tell the whole truth. She was not part of killing the cyclist, she could have gotten not harsh punishment. Instead she got paranoid and start killing people.
Night King incorrect. She assisted in hiding the body, she assisted in keeping the event quiet despite being involved. Not to mention the fact that there wasn’t any way to PROVE that the guy they hit was in fact dead at the time they put him in the water. He could have been alive, on his last breaths and soon to be dead, but alive nonetheless. She very well could have been charged with murder
maybe if the remorseful guy leaves enough evidence in his letter or goes to the point that they find out his identity. He already seems in a weak state of mind and would likely tell the police the whole truth (not to mention they could now use that machine on his memories) I think Mia realizes this which is why she stopped him
Two easter eggs that they didn't mention were both references to "Fifteen Million Merits". At [17:26], one of the adult films she flips through was "Best of Wraith Babes", which was the name of the porn company constantly advertised in that episode. And at [34:30], the hotel worker mentions something regarding a "judge of Hot Shot", which was the TV show integral to that episode's plot.
I believe that the peppermint candies are linked to cognitive function and memory in the episode. I was always told to chew on a piece of mint gum when writing an exam. Supposedly the smell was beneficial to memory, so I googled it. "Once ingested, or even smelled, peppermint can have profound brain health benefits. According to recent research from Wheeling Jesuit University, the smell or flavour of peppermint can have profound effects on cognitive functions".
She simply should of refused to be hooked up to the machine. Would she be forced to use the machine simply to be a witness to a accident that did not involve a murder? Who knows...but I would have cited fear of electronics or something. Also....the insurance investigator...what she saw was garbled images. She saw the accident from 15 years ago and a few images of the main character possibly killing someone. For all she knows the guy just finished raping her. Was what she saw enough to go to the cops? Who knows. But she even said herself she cant use any other info seen besides info needed directly related to her case.
on the other hand we as viewers happen to know that she's also the case worker for the biker's disappearance (life insurance or sth?), as we see her visit his widow at the beginning. so she would know the guy's face and probably recognized him from Mia's memories. but your point still holds, because that's what WE know, Mia doesn't know that. then again, maybe Shazia only looks so shocked because she understands what that memory means. and Mia may not have decided to kill her if she had not realised Shazia had understood what the memory meant. hmmmmmmm
@Yuti "on the other hand we as viewers happen to know that she's also the case worker for the biker's disappearance (life insurance or sth?)" The woman the insurance lady visits in the beginning was in an accident unrelated to the bikers death. Shazi says she is there to follow up on the accident. Before the lady opened to the door she was scrambling to put her neck brace on and her walker cane lol. Also this visit was in current time as she has the same car , scarf and jacket. (The bikers death also happened 15 years prior.) I think Shazi was just shook up to see a possible murder and a hit and run. And what she did see most likely wouldnt hold up if she went to the police because she was at the womans house for the pizza thing accident. Just a guess since this is not in our universe. I would have refused to hook up the machine also because like we saw she had been drinking. Would have cited I was intoxicated and my verbal testimony would have to be good enough for now. Once she left...contacted a lawyer and see what the laws are regarding this machine and can she be forced to use it especially in a non murder case.
@jcaashby3oh you're right! i got it mixed up for some reason. sloppy viewing haha so i think Shazia (um, the name is Shazia fyi, not Shazi i looked it up after i wrote that comment. sorry for confusion) so Shazia actually says she has to report crimes; she tells the dentist: "your memories remain under seal unless they indicate you're harming yourself or another person". so that sounds like she would in fact have to notify the police in case she digs up a murder. from watching The Sopranos way long ago, i remember the shrink telling Tony not to be too specific about committing violent acts because she would be under legal obligation to report them, so reporting any info regarding murder supersedes even patient-doctor confidentiality... so assuming Sopranos is factually correct, and i remember right, and this is also law in, er, Iceland; then think that would be precedent enough to justify that memories gathered with the corroborater could be legal evidence in an unrelated crime investigation... but then, she could (and i agree, she should) refuse to submit to the device. but Shazia clinches it, where she's at Mia's door, when she says "as a witness to an accident, if you refuse to have your memories recorded i'm legally required to notify the police". now to me, *that* sounds like BS. She drove 50mi, there's a bonus for closing the case quickly, and... well hey, she's essentially a private eye, although that character is made to seem super nice there's a chance if she's any good at her job she's rather ruthless and devious. so she just makes up something half-plausible with the word "police" in it, and hey, it works...
Yeah your right about "your memories remain under seal unless they indicate you're harming yourself or another person". I could see Shazia would bend the truth just to get the machine hooked up and on with her day. They going to have to drag me kicking and screaming before I would use the machine lol. All speculation but would the police even care to get involved with someone refusing to use the machine. Especially since its a simple case involving someone hit by a pizza truck. I would imagine a law kind of like pleading the 5th as I may incriminate myself as a result of witness an accident. Not witnessing a crime but a freaking accident.
it does raise the question as to how the legal system in that (ostensibly not so different) universe deals with the sort of biopower. right now in france where i live, you can't be literally forced by police officers to give DNA samples, but when you refuse that can be punished. and of course people are in fact routinely forced in spite of their refusal. the point where this intersects with the corroborater is, if your DNA is collected for a minor offence (say shoplifting) the DNA bank might connect you to some other earlier unresolved crime. so your incentive to refuse is higher if you think you might be traced to some worse stuff you've committed. so as with all such privacy-encroaching technologies and laws today, any appeal to one's right to privacy predictably prompts the venomous counter: "well, if you've nothing to hide, what are you afraid of?" implying that only "bad people" will have any incentive to combat invasive technology and policing. essentially that's what Shazia tells the doctor: "if you haven't committed any crime, you surely won't have anything against my creepy violation of your mind?" problem is, you get into this slippery slope thing: once a technology has become accepted to investigate child pornography or murder or terrorism, it *will* given time be used for lesser and lesser offences. and by more and more agencies, as in this case with insurance companies... and that at heart is what black mirror means to me: it's near future dystopia that says we have to resist the techifying of every aspect of our lives, right now. (well i think the series is being a bit too subtle and ambiguous with that message, tbh)
Mia didn't need superhuman strength to strangle Rob. He was very compromised from falling backward and cracking the back of his skull on the floor, as evidenced by his nose bleeding (sign of traumatic brain injury). Still a bit of a stretch for a woman of her physicality to choke him to death but his weakened state make it somewhat believable.
Ross Watson the point of crocodile is sometimes you cant just bury your dark secrets. they will find a way to haunt you back. just like tom willing to confess. sometimes no matter how perfectly you commit a crime, it takes a little clue to get you caught. just like the hamster thing. mia's story line tells us that some people are willing to go to any extremities to cover their tracks or to save themselves. mia made herself a monster
Keelan Rochard you just hit the right spot. you are absolutely right. some people do anything to bury their secrets. for them, morality is what that saves them and keeps them protected.
When Shazia ID's Mia in the recaller through facial recognition software she mentions to her husband 'if she cooperates' and that if Shazia completes the investigation in 24 hours she gets paid double. I think that this drops a hint that perhaps Shazia is lying when she tells Mia that Mia is legally required to cooperate with the recall span. as far as timeline with in the universe i would assume that this recaller is the grandparent technology of the grain from entire history of you but also the tech that uploads ppl to the cloud in san junipero and enables interaction with social media in nosedive, the perception alteration from men on fire, the tech that enables cookies in white christmas and uss callister. i assume this because the way the tech is styled, the temple bot is square with the lil lights instead of a circle and the box tv that Shazia/the police watch the recalls on. plus the fallibility of the retrieved memory.
Thought I was the only one who caught it. Remember, she told her husband she was going to get paid double, if she finished the investigation. She lied to get in quickly, and when Mia was reading the contract, Shazia distracted her by saying, her private thoughts are confidential and apart from this.
If Mia is so bothered by what she's doing then why does she keep choosing the more brutal ways of killing? It is bad enough she will do anything to cover her own ass but why not a quick clean throat slash? Why blugeoning nearly every time? And the baby!! She barely hesitated about that.
One thing I found interesting was when Mia was in the kitchen making coffee for Shazia and looking at the knives they had the brand name 'taylors eye witness' written on them. Not sure if this was intentional irony or not but thought that was pretty clever. They are a real brand. I own a set
Is Crocodile the most depressing episode of Black Mirror ever?
GameSpot Universe I think White Bear remains the most depressing, maybe because I found the main character so sympathetic, and the ending is really powerful.
Just for a fucking guinea pig yeah
That was my reaction after the episode
Dude I just finished it and, i don't know where i am at with my life
Nope. 'Shut up and dance' is.
I loved the foreshadowing of Shazia’s car not starting. Earlier in the episode it stalled a bit, but eventually started. I knew shit was about to hit the fan.
Dallas Delgado hit the fan like a damn brick
As soon as the car had issues starting up I turned to my GF and said that is going to play a part later in the show.
In Metalhed too. When she got into the car, I somehow knew it won't start. It kinda looked similar too.
Twenty Nothings hit the Shazia like a wooden log...
this episode is messed up. i still thinking about, the fact the child was blind damn
Thiago Lopes yeah. The thing was horrible. Who kills a BABY?! All of this could’ve been avoided if she tatted herself out fifteen years before when the accident happened or when the friend wanted to apologize and potential plead guilty
Thiago Lopes also, because of your comment, I know realize that since the kid is blind, they can’t recall anything. The whole thing is horrible
+Ms Concave even though he didn't say nothing about her they were gonna acess his memory, that's why she killed him! it's rly cruel what she did but that's what happen when tec conflits with human
Thiago Lopes I don’t think they would have accessed the memory really. Sure for the sounds, but they wouldn’t see anything since he’s blind. I’m confused with your comment a bit, can you explain a bit more clearly?😊
That was the best twist in this episode I think
The saddest part of the episode for me was actually when Shazi said the Islamic prayer right before she died. That was heartwrenching for me because she knew hope was lost. That entire ordeal looked so terrifying for her.
soso694 ikr the part when the baby dies is very sad but the way Shazi begged for mercy and starts praying moments before being killed is just gut-wrenching
Doesn't it feel so vivid? They make you feel like how it is murdering people. This show fucks you up xD
I know I literally cried at those specific parts
soso694 I think it was a Hindu prayer, Shazi doesn’t seem to be a Muslim
Chunk Ogre Nah it was in Arabic so yeah it was a Muslim prayer
I also found it chilling when you think about how Shazi in the beginning says that the guinea pig will "be good for Ali" and it eventually does help reveal Mia as the murderer
But it doesn't help Ali anyway
@@XOPOIIIO Sure it does. It helped to find his murderer.
@@HereIsWisdom1318 Nothing of this could happen if it was illegal to read people minds.
@@XOPOIIIO The cyclist and Rob would still be dead and Mia would've gotten away with it so i don't completely agree.
Why are you in prison?
A hamster ratted me out.
Not Sure guinea pig
Not Sure Thank you so much, I was so depressed after watching this episode and when I saw your comment I just started cracking up 😂
Lmaoooo i was too excited that the guinea pig saved the day. We need that technology for animals in real life. Pets see every damn thing.
Not Sure in the subtitles says guinea pig
Lol, I read that in her accent. Anyone else?
Don't miss the fact that the gerbil that was used to catch Mia, was in the blind baby's room. If you look at the scene, the only reason the gerbil even sees Mia is cause she goes into the room. If she had chosen to spare the baby after killing the husband in the bathroom she would have gotten away cause, as the cop later said, they had no evidence to go on.
Rudy Towsnell except she keeps throwing up near the crime scenes and the investigator likely recorded who she was going to speak to next for the memory investigation. It's her job, not some personal mission. The last would have been caught.
Brandon Reed I missed the shot where she threw up outside the husbands house. The other instances, well the police wouldn’t know to look there
Rudy Towsnell it’s a guinea pig ack sorry that bothers me 😅
While we know in actuality the baby was blind, to Mia that would be another "witness" they could use the recaller on. So from her perspective she had to get rid of all the evidence (baby had already seen* her)
I agree with that in a cold hearted logical way, but we are talking about a baby not a witness. It is a lot different killing an adult that could actually try to defend themselves vs a baby. If she had any empathy left inside herself just as a human being, to just walk away after seeing that baby, she would have been able to be with her unknowing family.
It's like that episode of spongebob where spongebob keeps shrinking everyone so he won't get in trouble.
timmylovesguitar YES
Lmfao analogy of the year already.
LMAAOOO!!
Next Stop for Mia.........
White Bear Spa resort and relaxation village.
This episode was so dark, it fucked my head up really badly. When they revealed that the baby was born blind my heart just dropped. The episode was beautifully made but depressing as all hell to watch.
It would be worse if the baby was healthy. Euthanasia isn't so bad.
Black Mirror does racial diversity right -- it never feels forced. It's awesome.
Dan Williams exactly
I never even thought about racial diversity until you mentioned it. You had to be that guy.
altho 100% intentional as Charlie Brooker is a proper libtard
it felt very forced to me
B r u n o I'm very against forced diversity but somehow black mirror never annoyed because of the great acting .
I think the real warning about technology here is to *always repair your car's ignition* 😑
...
Damn you, Brooker
Or avoid relying on a Suzuki when you need it the most
AfternoonBaboon or buy an electric vehicle and never have that problem to begin with 😂
You do know, that this is Black Mirror, though? They *will* find a way to make electric cars appear terrifying and potentially nefarious :D
Technology is so futuristic, but your car still doesn’t work when your running away from a murderer😐
AfternoonBaboon bikes are bad
I was about to throw remote at tv when they sais the child was blind
LOL!!!!
I had to pause it and walk away for a minute LOLSMH
I loved how karma accumulated to such a point she'll know she killed a blind toddler for nothing, which also lead to her prison, since if she'd never enter that room the hamster wouldn't have seen her. =)
To my utter embarrassment (and to this brilliantly written episodes credit...) I actually screamed the word "No!"
She may have overreacted a bit.
Miss Kitty Fantastico You think?😂😂
Her best moment to avoid the string of murders was to let her ex bf write the anonymous letter, or better yet, write it with him. Write it in a public place with freshly bought items and wear disposable gloves the entire time. Incinerate everything you used to write the letter after you send it. Probably the safest option in the circumstances.
A bit?
+Daniel, Dude, Computers exist. All they had to do was use Notepad/MS word, type the message and print it with a new printer/fresh paper, handle the note with gloves, then factory format the system.....no need for all those extra manual handwritten steps. "Write it in a public place with freshly bought items and wear disposable gloves".....what is this, the year 1850? lol.
Kninez Banky Wow, had no idea someone would get so triggered over a completely hypothetical proposal in a completely fictional situation. You have to get out more, buddy 😂
All it takes was one bad day.
Which one is the bad day though? :P
The accident, the hotel, or the insurance investigator's visit?
Kyle Dolor I'd say for her it was the visit. The 1st incident would've been the other guys bad day
Shaquan Grimes but if she called the police after her boyfriend's incident then the letter in her 1st incident would never happen, thus she'd never have to kill :/
Astral Cosmos Celestial the Third Would you really call the cops on your significant other, for incidentally killing a person niether of you know?
Shaquan Grimes yes. I would. Its the right thing to do and the fact that you dont know a person someone murdered doesnt dismiss the murder or make their death any less relevant.
The most disturbing thing about this episode was how logical the progression felt. How each step was more unthinkable than the last but almost justifies (in her mind) the next action.
Almost like the trail of dead in her wake were a sort of sunk cost. And to her it’s better to add another body to the pile than to have let it all be for nothing. It’s twisted, but intuitive. An absolute descent into hell.
Adam Kessler agreed!
I didn't like this episode but it was still so well made and the cinematography was beautiful. Overall it just felt slow and depressing. I wish they had developed Mia's character a little more because I felt nothing for her character. I loved the ending though and I found it funny that they used the guinea pig's memories to catch her.
it was a guinea pig
I think it was all happening slow to make you feel more involved with the problem the protagonist is having
spongebob swag pants it didn't work, I hated that bitch and didn't want to get to know her. Usually black mirror does a fantastic job of pacing and making us feel connected to the people who do wrong in their universe but this episode the only thing I could think about was how is she going to get it in the end and they didn't even satisfy that. They left it at an undeserved open ending. I was hoping to watch her suffer like that guy in the episode with John Hamm locking the man in a prison inside his own head for years and years.
Mia isnt the one you're meant to feel bad for
Simon James ya I didn't like this one as much either. I just didn't get the motivation for mia. The first two murders I get, but then she escalates way too quickly for her character. She feels so guilty about the first two and then what, she snaps? Idk she has so much time to think. I didn't feel like she was the type to go out of her way to kill 2 people and a baby. And the technology wasn't driving her like most other eps.
I don’t know what the hell most of the people in the comments are talking about? This was a fantastic and dark episode. Left me with chills! Fantastic writing in my opinion. Loved it!
Pretti Nikki I agree with you!
I thought it was dark af. I wish though that they had ended with the zoomout from the lady in the house looking at the kid. Leaving the audience to decide whether or not she had descended to far as to be capable of killing a baby. Just giving us the answer was a bit unfulfilling.
Brandon Reed yes!!!!
Brandon Reed I agree, i though the episode was actually going to end there but then it kept going so i was a little disappointed. Overall still a great episode.
This was my second favorite after USS Callister
This episode is so fucked up I can't even
I disagree with Tamoor's comments stating, "Mia was able to switch off psycho-killer mode as soon as she goes to see her son's play and that shows that she's in serial killer murder territory' which I is utter nonsense. She was trying her best to act normal despite the fact that she committed numerous murders beforehand. She was fully aware of what she has done hence why we kept seeing her gag, vomit and break down in tears uncontrollably after each murder. In the last scene, it was visibly clear that the guilt was eating her up but she did was felt like she had to do but in the end, she knew and could feel what was coming for her.
@ Owlcoholic - I agree with your assessment of Mia. She’s not the textbook definition of a psychopath. She just found herself in the proverbial Fight or Flight mode.
TheLifeOnHigh You guys are both ridiculous. Fight for flight does not justify premeditated murder, not even in the slightest. Fight for flight is a stimuli response to an imminent threat that would insight bodily harm. Mia actively ended the lives of *four fucking people*, mind you none of which even directly threatened to oust her to the police or cause any harm to her whatsoever. Her actions have literally nothing do with "fight or flight".
Owlcoholic, the only person full of bullshit here is you. "Feeling bad" or experiencing remorse for psychopathic actions does not absolve you from being a psychopathic monster like Mia is. Maybe she isn't a sociopath; but even that's debatable, it's very likely that Mia's crying is a form of her trying to convince herself she's still human, and not genuine remorse, hence the title of the episode "crocodile", Mia's tears are crocodile tears, if she truly felt bad about what she did she would more than likely have turned herself in after the first of FOUR MURDERS, or at the very least had drawn the line at infanticide. You can cry and be "sorry" all you want to but actions supersede apologies in every possible situation, Mia is unable to take responsibility for her mistakes and places the possibility of her career and emotional state of her family being tarnished above the lives of four people (one being a goddamn two year old, how could you honestly be defending this POS?). She did not *have* to do any of the irredeemable and unjustifiable atrocities she did, all she *had* to do was own up to her own mistake and not rob three innocents of their futures just to make sure her life faced no risk of being blemished. She is a psychopathic serial murderer, and defending her makes you either a sympathizer to said monster, or someone dumb enough to feel bad for such a cancer.
Eryk pannell damn son, it's just a show and owlcoholic isn't defending anyone, just disagreeing with someone else's assessment of a fictional character. Save your anger for something a bit more consequential than a comment on a review video ^_^
Thank you! I was just expressing my own thought on someone else's opinion, that's all. This guy just completely went at it in full force.
Agreed. She basically got a taste of the guilt that the guy had who killed the biker 15 years prior. I do feel she went a little haywire with all the killing!! But I did like the ending...as far as how they caught her.
Ever heard of a Guinea pig? That’s what the gerbily hamster thing was.
Just an fyi :P
I thought guinea pigs where common knowledge
Same lol
andy pearson ikr lol, apparently every rodent is a hamster now
They even said it in the episode, idk why the fuck no one here knows what the animal is. Its common sense
this episode is so Kafkaesque. i like the "simple complexity" of the story. it shows how one would overlook their actions, to keep up with their "reputation"
yeah..totally kafkaesque
You've miss understood Kafka boiiiiiiii
well, not the literal definition of Kafkaesque. only its characteristics though : having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality
I loved how the insurance mother (forgot her name) says that the baby will like the guinea pig because it's fuzzy. When I heard he was blind I immediately thought of that little bit of foreshadowing and cried
She's extremely successful/rich and I love how this episode showed how far someone would go to maintain their wealth/empire
Tory Williams she doesnt have no fucking empire.
Tory Williams she mostly did it for her family
What empire lol. She had a nice house and probably six figure salary a few times over. Hardly an "empire".
I think empire was just a metaphor
Lisha TheGoat thank you lol they also said she was one of the greatest architects of the time so I'm sure she had followers and some form of fame
really enjoyed this breakdown video but i would have to disagree with your description of how mia went into 'psychopath killer' mode towards the end. throughout the entire episode she showed signs of guilt, shame, remorse. her disgust and horror with her own actions were clearly visible up until the last moment when she was visibly uncomfortable and disturbed while watching her child's performance. the whole point of the show is to show the dark side of technology and how it pushes normal people to extreme boundaries, which i think has been brilliantly translated in this episode
Linda B the song was sad too. They were singing about being anything they wanted and she killed a baby. Then we’re talking about it was their decision and she chose to kill three innocent people.
Linda B I think that's what the title is referring to; they're crocodile tears. She doesn't actually care about anyone but herself and she resents being "forced" into these situations as they are putting her more at risk of being caught and losing her life. It's all about her, not her victims.
thats a good point!! agreed
Well, actually in this episode technology impact on poeple was set to minimum. If you change the way how investigator learned about what happened in the appartement (for example, some clues in her house), absolutely nothing will change in terms of general plot. So in that regard, i think creators cheated a little. But for me, if the episode is good on itself, why bother?
Kathryn Finch you gave an excellent analysis. mia is self obsessed about her life, but many does.the first one is an accident and justified a bit. tom's murder is also justified as a snap decision. but murder of shazzi and her family is totally her own action. there is no external force is involved. the tears she shed is her own way of justification. i say in a way she sabotaged herself. by killing the baby, she lost her chance of redemption. cry yourself an ocean,mia
I feel like they should have just ended with the woman in the house staring at the child, leaving the audience to decide whether she would actually kill the kid. That would be a true back mirror episode and make this really the standout episode.
YES!!!
I agree
Has anyone ever thought that mia could’ve been the architect that made the living spaces in 15 million merits, the diagrams kinda resemble it.
Idk.. i feel like those living spaces were more of a metaphor for society rather than a physical representation of a world. More episodes should be like that imo
It's possible since 15 million merits was referenced in this episode when Shazia goes into the hotel asking for Mia and the guy at the front desk says he can't give out her information because of the incident with the judge of Hot Shots who "got caught with a rent boy and a tabloid got his name by hacking the booking system."
You can also see Wraith babes pop up when Mia is flipping through the adult films, which can imply that this all happens around the same time!
Lilibeth Valdez its easter eggs though, put there for fun
They are fun! its also fun to theories :D
I wish we could have gotten the satisfactory of seeing her suffer in the end.
Princess Burrito YES
I enjoyed this episode. It entails what Black Mirror is all about, dark evil twists.
Gloria Camacho You’re opinion of what’s enjoyable is very average.
American Hero Oh really? I was not aware that my opinion of what is enjoyable is very average? Thank you for letting me know. I appreciate it.
Gloria Camacho Crocodile is as mediocre as it gets. The creator of the episode was just lazy. All they did was make an episode to shock people without giving us a good episode or story.
American Hero your opinion of what’s lazy is very average.
I kinda thought Metalhead was weaker than Crocodile. At least Crocodile was beautifully shot. Generally, the horror in Black Mirror episodes isn't the technology itself, but more the people using it, or controlled by it, in this case, a sociopath. But I do agree with you that there were elements in this episode which seemed a little gratuitous (but hey, that's Black Mirror for you)
Crocodile tears.
It was very interesting to me how they switched the perceived personality dynamics, of the two characters (Rob and Mia). He's the one who decides to dispose of the body, making him seem callous. Later on, Mia is the one killing people left and right, to hide the secret. Mia turns out to be essentially be a sociopath (with psychopathic tendencies).
The main reason this episode sucked was because SHE WASNT EVEN DRIVING.. she went from getting a year... maybe!! now she might get life for 4 murders
Kidd Honest but she helped cover it up and dispose the body and logic doesn’t always work when people are stressed. If you helped to cover up a death and sat on it for 15 years, you’re definitely looking at jail time.
Dallas Delgado but now she looking at jail lifetime... like was the cops really gonna put out a worldwide search for a passenger when they got the driver...but i get what u saying about the stress
GET THIS EPISODE OUT OF MY HEAD!
i need a hug
Who else is screaming “it was a guinea pig!” at those in the comments? 🙄😂
ME!! As someone who has owned 9 rodents in total, it really irks me lol
No because people don’t care about hamsters, I mean gerbils. What was it?
Also fuck a gerbil, they could go extinct for all I care 😂 get a dog
mummypage Guinea pig right. I said hamster too
No one cares about the right terminology. They're all worthless rats
I think one of the reasons why some people didn't like this episode is because we as a society have become so desensitised to death, murder and violence. It doesn't hold the same shock value as it should.
Not every episode needs to be about some over the top tech and have multiple twists. The episode is more of a character study, of how one can go to no lengths to protect what they have built. Not all killers are born that way or have gone through some form of abuse in their life, sometimes it's instant, kill or be killed.
Mia’s actions were not justified. But, what made my skin crawl was the other dude (forgot his name) that killed the guy on the bicycle. She wanted to call the police and do the right thing, but he forced her out of that idea. THEN, years later when she has her life established, HE WANTS TO RECONCILE? I would’ve killed him too! How dare he try to ruin my life after it’s been established because he can’t take it any more. NO, this is why I will never help any friend cover something up. If a murder goes down I’ll leave without saying anything (just in case they try to kill me too) and I’ll call the police.
iebiery yea I forgot to mention that! He had no problem forcing her to be apart of it. Being like “MIA HELP ME”, but when it came to his guilt he didn’t care about her take in the situation. Omfg that makes my blood boil.
She was fucking dumb tho cause he said he wouldn’t mention her and take the fall completely. It’s so stupid. It’s like she just wanted to kill people or she likes it.
Paul Aagam no she was actually smart. Think about it, an emotionally wreck confessing to the police. All it takes is for him to slip one word like “then we...” and it’s all over. The investigators would eventually find her especially with that machine they use.
This was my FIRST black mirror episode, because a friend wanted me to see it, and holy shit. Depressing, difficult to watch. But how everything hangs together, like the car having trouble starting which causes problems later in the episode, and psychological horror of guilt and becoming a killer in the end, No TV show has given such an emotional feedback before. It is insane.
Am I the only person who wasn't that impressed by this episode?
Super mediocre and very predictable. The only thing that really broke me was the twist at the end
I thought it was utter shit to be honest after the first two I couldn't wait for it to finish, Also the way her ex died looked so unrealistic.
Worst episode.
bungeegum which was yalls favorite?
Clorox Bleach really liked hang the DJ & black museum. Cinematography on metalhead was amazing. USS Callister was okay and arkangel was boring but had an amazing ending
should mention spoilers for other shows will be in every episode. sorry but I watch these after each episode, and it sucks to see things from the end of the season because it's a easter egg....like....here's an idea, just tell us you're spoiling every episode this season rather than just the episode in the title.
Queen McDerpFace same I just read the comments now
I couldn't agree more. They've done it for future episodes. Like WTF
As a Muslim, the part where Shazia says "inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'oon" is what got me and made the tears flow. It broke my heart because at that point she accepted that she was going to die and said a prayer as her last words, that made the episode too real for me. Probably the best episode of the season along with Black Museum.
Hang the DJ was my favorite episode!
Ahh that was a great episode
That episode was boring af
This one was classic Black Mirror, in my opinion. You start off with this character you kind of relate to (young Mia, a mostly innocent bystander that gets roped into aiding in disposing of a body for her lover,) only to find out the horrible things they are capable of later on. Kind of how Shut Up and Dance made you feel sorry for the kid, then you find out what he was looking at and it sends you reeling. Or White Bear, where you’re rooting for this woman to get away safely, only to find she’s a convicted child murderer. These are some of my favorites because they get you to empathize with someone you’d typically dismiss or condemn in a handful of seconds. Part of me thought, “Why the fuck didn’t she just give up after Rob decided he was going to come forward?” But then I remembered, there’s a lot more at stake when Rob decides he wants to confess than fifteen years prior. Young Mia had nothing to lose, older Mia has virtually *everything* to lose, and the stakes only rose as the body count went up. It makes you question what you’d truly do if put in the same position.
As horrific as what she does is, I couldn’t help but understand why she felt the need to do it, up until she murdered the baby. It was pointless since the baby was most likely not gonna recall a thing and I thought it was idiotic of her to present herself within the potential vicinity of the of the being she heard baby sounds from.
This episode was terrible. It was bleak with no substance. The main character wasn't developed *at all*. We know one moment from her past, her living situation, and that she doesn't want people to know what she did. The first few scenes were a fine set up, but then it did nothing with plot structure. We had no reason to like her. The murders had no conflict. The episode didn't achieve suspense because I didn't want her to succeed. She's a bad person. Her motives were selfish. She had no relatability.
Sam ...because there’s no reason to like her. That’s the point.
The episode just felt a little messy, but I thought it wrapped up well in the end
I had a lot of problems with this episode:
1) It takes 10+ mins to strangle someone to death. The perpetrator has to be fairly strong to cut off the air supply for that amount of time. She maybe weighed 110 pounds taking out a 180+ man, can't see how she pulled that off.
2) Managed to stuff an entire man in a serving cart, no legs or feet popped out the entire trip from the 4th(?) floor to her car. From what I could see he wasn't secured in any way, in fact any curious passer by could see the body under the cart, as it wasn't even fully covered.
3) She got the serving cart to her car attracting no attention and got the victim into the back of the car, again attracting no attention. Perhaps her and the naked exhibitionist were the only people at that hotel. ugh...
4) She manages to drag the body out of the car over the snow covered ground up at least one flight of stairs and into the Sizzler. Bodies are heavy, especially ones wearing now wet clothing.
5) Finally that ending!?! I jokingly turned to my daughter and said, "Hah she forgot about the guinea pig!" When that turned out to be the actual answer I laughed. So this device works on animals as well or is it just pets or guinea pigs? Animal brains are very different from a humans brains.
6) And finally a guinea pig can see in color, has 340 degree vision, and oh yeah can not see much past it's fricking nose. It has very blurry vision which is great for detecting movement in the wild, shitty for making a positive id of a person.
Poorly written episode, relied on the viewer to forgive a lot of stupid crap of the episode. On the plus side, well acted and like everyone else is saying gorgeous scenery.
Thomas Fadigan I literally said the same things
5) also the police were straight on that guinea pig, like it was standard operating procedure to capture animal witnesses memories... then surely that would be common knowledge to everyone in that world. Mia would have known they check animal memories unless the tech was super new and would have made sure to get rid of any animals in the house as they are as good as CCTV in that world
dont think she even noticed it...
'We got something from the Guinea Pigs memories sir'
'Excellent sergeant, what do we have'
'well sir, it thought about food a lot, and water, taking a crap, oh and something about straw and a wheel'
'Straw and a wheel, hmmm, put out an apb on the local farmer.'
another dumb thing is that the insurance woman just screams 'no' when the killer dragged her out. or the bathroom scene... the guy just stares at her! there is something called arm reflexes....
I really liked this episode.
Surely the society in this episode isn't so solely reliant on the recall tech that if the person's head is bashed in then the police just consider it an unsolvable crime?
When that insurance woman is eventually declared missing then the detectives would've just retraced her steps, or checked her computer to see the details of the last person she went to visit. Did the main character not realise that?
I guess she had started spiralling out of control by then anyway so it doesn't matter. I did have to really suspend my disbelief to get down with the logic of this episode!
I completely agree. She had no way of getting away with the murders, even without the tech. Also with her friend at the hotel. Someone would eventually find out, with hotel logging guests in and out, and probs there was cctv or something in the hallways.
I agree. I don't think those are plot holes though. The detective had literally just got to the scene, and had no idea why anyone would kill a baby. Obviously they would've gotten to Mia eventually by going through Shazia's computer. I think this just further emphasizes how pointless all of mia's murders were. She was NEVER going to get away with it. The hamster's memory catching Mia just gave her less time to get away with it.
Ikr? She was a really bad serial killer. Had no chance to get away with them
That's why I couldn't get with the episode. She just wasn't gonna get away with it
There were a couple of 15 Million Merits references on this episode. I wonder if the people trapped in the bike pedaling industry have a choice or were forced into that lifestyle. My main question is why are they forced to pedal and others are not? Are the people from the outside world like Mia, even aware that there are people slaving away providing electricity for Hot Shots to air? Because obviously they all are living under the same universe. Or is the bike pedaling community just stuck living in another one of Brooker's virtual reality systems, similar to USS Calister and White Christmas?
Or are all of these bike peddling people just stuck in one of Brookers's virtual realities,, similar to the White Christmas and USS Callister episode?
Maria Maria right?! 😂
Youre a little late
Easter eggs and similar technology =/= _obviously_ same universe
Its fun to theorise but they're not made with the intent of being a consistent universe according to interviews with Charlie Brooker
15 million merits is more of a metaphor for a world than an actual, literal world. The easter eggs tell us that the worlds we're experiencing are all the same, just seen through different perspectives. 15mm is like looking through a really small window at society, a window that Brooker opened, if that makes sense.
This episode was terrible. Super predictable and at times unrealistic. The best thing about black mirror is that you could place yourself in their shoes and at least agree with the decisions they make, based on the type of character they are. Before she killed her ex, she showed NOTHING that would be a valid explanation of why she would react so rash by KILLING SOMEONE!
I'll admit, after that part, it completely ruined the rest of the episode for me, and mid way through the episode it became way too predictable for a black mirror episode. I think people are praising it because of how dark it is, which 1) its black mirror, that's somewhat expected 2)having a dark ending doesn't erase the lack of substance the rest of the episode lacks.
Overall, great performances from all the actors, but the writing was god awful on this one. Good thing Hang the DJ was after this one, to restore my faith in Charlie Brooker's writing. And not even gonna touch on the fact that this bone thin woman can easily kill anyone she looks at.
I have no idea why everyone thinks this is the best one I thought it's the worst black mirror ep ever.
Charlie Holland that's why it's called opinions .
I think if the story is more disorderly structured, it would be a much better experiences. An examples of this would be something like "Rememory" (Peter Dinklage movie) or Memento. Overall it's a good episode.
Croz Raven I agree it would of been more interesting if we didn’t know about the hotel murder until we see the insurance lady looking through her memories
Odd, I thought the narrative structure was one of the strengths of Crocodile...
The fact that we are shown what Mia knew makes us fear for her getting busted by the insurance lady.
Jack III okay but hear me out on this one. What if we just saw Mia and her ex boyfriend talking about the murder and we saw how he wanted to tell the truth but we didn’t see Mia kill him, then when the insurance lady comes we would be worrying about if she’s going to see the conversation they had about the first murder, then to our surprise we would see that she also kill him as well.
Ethan Washoe interesting, but i think it would ruin the connection between the audience and the character Mia. The show was establishing trust with its audience. A reveal like that isnt big enough, that's why they used it later with the baby, when it is most bleak.
15 Million Merits was actually linked to this episode. In the hotel where Mia stayed, the receptionist talks to Shazia about an incident with one of the judges from Hot Shots. Hot Shot is the show where things with Abby took place in 15 Million Merits.
I thought you guys were going to explain the name 'Crocodile'? I feel really stupid I don't get the reference, is it referring to Mia's killer instinct or something? 😅
Saw something on twitter about it being a reference to crocodile tears e.g she cries yet feels no remorse.
It's called Crocodile because it's referencing a crocodiles recall memory. They remember using a combination of sights, smells and feelings. Thus the tech of this episode is like a crocodile.
I just did some research too and found that there is something called "The Crocodile Brain Syndrome". It deals with our innate flight or fight response to immediate danger and I guess is a comment on Mia's impulse killings to protect herself?
Here's a paper on the syndrome, quite interesting: startup-port.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/65/2015/12/Crocodile-Brain-syndrome.pdf
Hausofcozy108 thx
Sure, but then why was she so against them dumping the body and hiding the accident/murder in the first place? The concept is solid, and the backbone of the episode is good, but the execution and character background/development is non-existent, I don't care about anyone in that episode except the blind baby.
I love how people is saying this episode was "bad" this episode was great, and better than Arkangel
Arkangel sucked
The theme of this season is basically how to people react with you take away their ability to choose and of course the usually go too far to be saved. I'm not excusing the murders, she's a monster, but she didn't start out like that. She was young and dumb and didn't want her boyfriend to go to jail, her first instinct to call for help was right but she was stopped. Everything for her would have been over if she simply stood her ground and called for help, if she was too scare of her boyfriend she could have help dispose of the body got the ride home and then contact the people at that point she might get into trouble for for assisting but that months not years if your even charged, after 15 years you'd definitely be in trouble and it grows from there every choice built off that first bad choice.
Cangel Tibon yup. She dug her own grave
Not only that, but the technology made it impossible for her to escape the memories of her past. From now on, any happenstance that she was even remotely involved in would bring about this tech that would reveal her past crimes. Mia, essentially, was a prisoner to that moment (that memory) and that decision...forever.
There is also the possibility her boyfriend would have killed her if she did not comply with dumping the body, but this was not hinted at as far as I remember.
Jason Lee that’s what I thought. Just wait till they get home and then tell the cops
So who will speak hamster 🐹 and can get that hamster to draw the memory 🤔
Its a guinea pig, not a hamster. Also they don't need to talk to the guinea pig, they just need to hook it up to the thing and it'll play back the things memory
Forgotten Memes if it works like that, why did the girl keep asking for more details if she could just playback their memory? If that were the case, couldn’t she just skip ahead to the murderers head when she looked out the window?
Ms Concave they said the fresher the memory the clearer the recall- perhaps it was easier to withdraw it from the guinea pig when it had just witnessed it, compared to others who saw it a while ago
Jess Johnson she killed them then went straight to her son's school concert (starts at 7:30).... by the end of it, the police were there (about an hour, hour and a half if the school's big enough)... so say the police got to the home half hour after... that's no time at all for a guinea pig to recall
Its the future...we will make him talk..or else
I found this to be the worst episode of the season. Boring tech, and an incredibly simple and predictable witness killing plotline. Also it makes no sense how a frail woman is able to push and man to the floor and choke him to death.
the women in MM are so strong they can overcome the Terminater and Rambo .
Also the guy in the bath. She was standing over him for several seconds, raises the hammer, waits a beat, then hits. At no point did he attempt to block the hammer, raise his hand, grab her arm, anything. Apparently as well as superhuman strength she shows with her first victim, she also has the ability to render victims unable to defend themselves.
One of the worst episodes of the series, because of these stupid 'wtf?' plot points.
Luckily we didn't see the aftermath, Swat team goes to arrest her based on the memories of a Guinea Pig. But all their guns jam, they then panic, and shrivel and cry and she beats them all to death with a rock.
My reaction too, I cannot believe how she killed the first guy who was much bigger on her own
Yeah I was thinking the same thing.. that dude just let this tiny woman kill him, wtf
The point of the episode was to create piss poor plot conveniences to get to a "super dark twist" which wasn't all that dark or much of a twist. I made to comment to my girlfriend "Hey how much do you wanna bet the fucking kid is blind or something stupid like that?" and low and behold I called that shit.
She could've just asked the dude to leave her name out of the letter...
This episode reminded me of Fargo
Moussa Soumare i got the exact same vibe lol just much more bleak
Yeah the snow the accident the escalation of murders and the inevitable fate of the woman made me think of it. Also the USS Callister episode with Jesse Plemons and Cristin Milioti who both played in Fargo season 2 !
Moussa Soumare Yes exactly! Haha also in U.S.S. Callister Kirsten Dunst has a very tiny cameo
Yeah That's what I've heard but I missed that part when watching the episode. I am glad to see "interconnections" between my two favorite shows 😊
Never thought I'd love the tv show more than the movie
is it called crocodile because the device is shaped like a crocodile?
no because her crying is not sincere aka crocodile tears
Look up crocodile tears
Elize Hernandez tears from who
She threw the first body underwater, and then it resurfaced unexpectedly to bite her again and again--like a crocodile.
Crocodiles are also known to have a great memory and a thick skin much like Mia
legit seems like i'm the only person who's favorite episode is this one
Mehr S. nahh it’s mine too, found it the most powerful
MrMaxrodriguez i wrote that comment after browsing through the comment section, almost everyone rated it as one of their least favorite episodes.
Probs one of my least favorite if im honest, not because its bad in any way, but in terms of Black Mirror its kind of lacking. Feels more like a separated crime drama than a traditional Black Mirror episode
i liked this and hang the dj the best
I don’t think she killed the guy (sorry, I’m bad with the names) with pure adrenaline, a think the beer bottle had something to do with it meaning sharp edges.
Carl C. Carl when he fell to the floor , he hit his head so yeah that's the cause
g suave No he's definitely alive after he falls, she kills him entirely on purpose.
He was injured but definitely alive after hitting his head on the floor. He puts up a visible struggle for a good 15-20 seconds before he dies.
He's alive when he falls. She strangles him to death.
Carl C. Carl v
Just watched this episode and I am traumatized 😖. I need cocoa and a blanket.
TheLifeOnHigh ☕
If you think this was bad, watch metalhead lmao
As far as Easter eggs, what about the hotel worker that won’t give Shazia Mia’s name because “of the thing with the judge of Hot Shots... and the tabloid got his name by hacking their system”? Wonder which judge it was?
Or wonder which hackers it was??? Could be a shut up and dance ref also.
I didn't like the hamster twist, Its the only part of the episode hated. a more psychological twist would've been more satisfying. like stick to the blind baby twist and somehow make it more heart wrenching . oooooor make the twist that it works on dead people within a certain time or something!!! that would've been amazing.
Like a Fringe episode--FBI Olivia Dunham has 6 hours after death to enter the mind through the use of a sensory deprivation tank. There have been other references like in Netflix's "The Discovery" to record after-life brain activities and suggests its a mixture of memories and new thoughts after death.
Its a guinea pig, not a hamster. And I agree with other people in that the blind baby twist was stupid tbh. The guinea pig twist made sense and was a call back to guinea pig being bought in the first place ( seeing as the scene about the guinea pig being brought up earlier in the episode was subtle foreshadowing ). She clearly at the end of the episode thought she was free and safe to go back to her life. She thought she had gotten rid of all witnesses, but then nope! She left one witness. The guinea pig that she didn't notice watched her kill the baby. And now she's fucked. So the family gets the justice they deserve in the end. though the recalled working on dead people would have been an interesting twist as well, that I agree on.
Julie Chen not really because then they could just use the victims body's
just call that plot convenience. its easy this way. maybe the writer ran out of ideas. no offence
I know the guinea pig was referenced but the payoff isn't great or meaningful enough. to make that more impactful it would've had to have been...say, a commentary on animals that is sprinkled through the episode or something like that. The baby twist is indeed stupid which is why I suggested to push it further so that it isn't so pathetic because theres something there at least, an emotional impact that could've maybe, probably(?) been explored more because that clearly drew a lot of reactions from people.
Me: Mia, eat a snickers
Mia: Why?
Me: Because you becoming a murderous sociopath when you're hungry.
Mia: Ok.
Me: Better?
Ellen: It's time to dance.
I CAN NOT BELIEVE no one found out this GIGANTIC metaphor, so in her sons play. THE LYRICS ARE ABOUT MIA. "We coulda been anything that we wanted to be, and its not too late to change... yes that decision was ours... You will be remembered for the things that you say and do" talks about how mia CHOSE to try to go through this elaborate complex scheme to keep her success, and how she could have changed and told the widow in the beginning, but instead, she CHOSE to kill them, and the last quote "you will be remembered for the things that you say and do." Is 2 sided. 1. It is a reference to the memory Corroborator thingy.
Or 2. It is saying that, instead of being remembered as a great architect, she will be remembered as what she really is. A crocodile
Of all the episodes in season 4, I found this one the least entertaining. I get that she's trying to keep no witnesses, but I don't buy the lengths of her desperation. That she would kill an entire family to keep two other murders under wraps just feels...I dunno. I just don't buy her willingness to kill to keep a secret. Especially with the baby. Felt like a whole lotta shock value.
thewhatness that’s because your brain is sane. You can’t wrap your head around it, but it’s totally plausible. To the sane mind it doesn’t make sense, but there are psychopaths out there with brains that work this way.
That's how Black mirror works. It's not real life.
thewhatness the husband knew that the wife went to the murderer’s house, so eventually the police would’ve come knocking on her door. She could’ve either hid the Indians body and hoped the police wouldn’t find it or guarantee your crime goes unnoticed by eliminating all potential witnesses. She would’ve gotten away with it if she knew that animals memories could be recorded also
Adetunji Adeoba III if she didn’t even go in the child’s room she would have gotten away with it. The guinea pig was in his room so it saw what she did to him. Ironically by trying to kill the last “witness”, she created one.
Dallas Delgado - Your comment on the insane mind is spot on. As someone with a family member who is highly educated yet has a Mental Disorder (BPD), I can tell you that a rational thinking person has a difficult time grasping the way mentally disturbed people can think.
Holy cow! Just had a revelation about the opening scene in the episode. So throughout the episode we're told how our memories can be subjective and they can become distorted. What if the opening scene of the episode is Mia's memory of what happened as told through the way she would recall it 15 years later having compartmentalized and rationalized what happened. Maybe it was actually her idea to toss the body in the lake but we as an audience never actually see how the bike accident occurred since we're seeing it through her distorted memory.
I thought the episode was decent but it was very over hyped and it was more shock value than good story telling
I completely agree.
Same
Well, i find it very interesting that some people consider this episode under their top 3 black mirror episodes while others didn't at all. Same goes with me about Nosedive.. i couldn't really enjoy it while other consider it to be the best out of all BM episodes. This is what i find to be especially great in Black Mirror, as it brings people together to discuss what they themselves consider to be the best story, of course while discussing the problematic society displayed in each of the ones.
Does anybody know where the episode was shot? The Nature is so beautiful
You’re both so inarticulate that you made me want to watch this episode again to regain how amazing it was. If this is your day job, quit, or at the least just rehearse some more so you don’t come off so unpolished.
Where can I find a video of you making an analysis of this episode. I’d love to watch it
I guess you have a true British accent while explaining an episode of Black Mirror.... Smh
Philosophical Zombie lmao you don’t have to watch this shit check out nitpix or Harry’s moving castle they have more monotone voices but plenty of the British accents you crave and way more in-depth views at the episodes.
Lol right. I was cringing at the dude trying to make pointless connections
Novo Vires Their accents weren’t true british accents, the mans accent was a Pakistani accent and the lady’s is just the boring modern incarnation of an accent. Btw Britain has many accents
One scene in particular that made me think of the Title "Crocodile" was the scene were She was coming to kill the husband in his house and crept at the stairs and poked her head up like a crocodile would out of the water then the husband got in the tub (water) and like a crocodile she attacked when he entered the tub (water) for the kill.
Not finished the season yet but this was easily the worst episode of Black Mirror so far. also minus point for the car not starting cliche
My "worst" episode was the first one. Intercourse with a pig was a cheap trick for the shock value only. it was uncomfortable and was just gross and it is the ONLY reason I don't recommend to my nieces, nephews, friends' kids, young adults who would enjoy the technology aspect and honestly should watch the show to see the darkness of innovation.
jennie QT Agree with everything you said, it was my least favourite episode before this one. I also had reservations about recommending this series to family members for the same reasons. I just tell them not to bother with the first episode.
Third worst for me behind Waldo Moment and Hated in the Nation.
thing is ... Cameron actualy did it www.gq.com/story/why-is-everyone-saying-the-uk-prime-minister-had-sex-with-a-farm-animal
The song during the kid’s play has lyrics along the lines of “they’ll remember everything you say and do,” which I thought was a nice little wink if you’re paying attention.
you shouldn't connect to things from the next episode. I'm watching them slowly and come here afterwards. You spoiled Metalhead
I discovered black mirror like two weeks ago and I binge watched the entire thing in like two days. I really like this episode because it just shows you the length people would go to preserve their perfect lives.The irony of this story is that Mia kept what the friend did a secret and even helped him dump the body so it wouldn't ruin his life but later the same secret is used to ruin her life and she wasn't even the one who committed the crime to begin with. I actually felt bad for her at first because after everything that happened she managed to turn her life around and be successful but then everything she worked for was at risk because the friend suddenly grew a conscience. Then she went from scared to psychopath killer real quick, who would have seen that coming. I also found the end of the episode a bit funny too because she killed everybody but the guinea pig lol. She took four lives to keep her secret but gets screwed over by a fucking guinea pig! That's some shit....
did she just say its her favorite episode of the season....i mean the bleakest part was like whatever, but are u serious.......your favorite!?!?!?!
agthaog1986 it's her opinion dickwad .
hopoff plane n simple
agthaog1986 it’s my favourite as well, people have different opinions
I didn’t like it that much because instead of the plot being around the tech (like most black mirror episodes),the tech was around the plot
i feel like a lot of this season was like that
i feel like that’s key to black mirror though, it’s not so much the danger of technology as the danger of our reactions to technology
ara is sleepy yeah,but I feel like this one almost forgot it had the rememberer and focused almost exclusively on people. Not necessarily their reactions,just basically Mia trying to get away by murdering others.Really liked the montage with the witnesses though
Siobhan Cassidy besides this one,I only thought Metalhead was like that
This episode is very much centered around the tech. Without the memory recall technology, Mia wouldn't need to keep killing. Shazia would've asked her a few questions and they both would go on their merry ways. But with the added technology, no one can fully escape their past (and their memories). So in order to maintain her way of life, Mia must continue to kill to cover up her past crimes, only to create more memories and crimes she can't escape. The technology creates a even more vicious of a cycle.
I found this episode really hard to believe. Maybe if the hotel room death was depicted as a more of an accident, then the plot wouldn't seem so over the top and fake. She was more or less at peace with what happened on the road, she has a family, a son, a successful career. Whether or not this race for normality is a form of her escape from bad memories, she managed to create a good life for herself and that suggests that she doesn't feel that guilty. There is just too many ifs in this story. Maybe if Rob confessed he was the only one responsible, maybe if she was honest with him or with that investigator, there are so many ways out of it. I get that this episode is all about that freedom of choice, but she didnt seem like a person who would panic to that extend. Maybe an expositional character design flaw. Eh. I love black mirror with all my heart but so far in this season, no episode left me with this feeling of filthinest and being partially responsible of what just happened. In previous seasons I was almost always one of the background characters, in this one I'm merely a distanced observer. I really hope the other 3 episodes will be better. The first one was really good, though, although surprisingly light.
At least she has some compassion of not killing that guinea pig.
that nier pin tho (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
My personal favourite of the season.
Very unfortunate to see that so many people didn't like it.
-_________- you guys should really warn about spoilers for other episodes for people who haven’t finished the whole season yet.
wishmaster they did first esp you think other would catch up from then
Or how about those people choose not to watch this video hmm. Have some accountability and self control.
Philosophical Zombie umm? 😐 Some people like myself like to go to analysis videos of black mirror after they finished an episode. The video is solely based on the episode they put in the title, so they wouldn’t really expect spoilers. Sure some easter eggs from other episodes, but not big events. I myself don’t watch the vid, but like to read the comments of other ppl who watch. Sorry if I seem rude, but you could’ve been kinder.
Philosophical Zombie accountability? I didn’t click on this video knowing they would talk about other episodes I haven’t gotten to this season. The title pretty much says the said episode will be discussed, not the entire season.
I guess you deaf
Yo her stealth was at 100.. No way i wouldnt know there was a small lady walking in my house. We put bells on our doors! 😂 I was pissed off at the lack of security. ALL THIS FUCKIN TECHNOLOGY. Her job sketchy as fuck! Sml I'm just mad the black guy died.
I'm convinced that most people don't like this episode because they don't understand it lol
Danny A What's there not to understand, its such a simple predictable episode.
I don’t like it because it was too simple. There were no twists like other episodes. There wasn’t any real moment where I went oh shit became I didn’t see something coming. It wasn’t as deep as other black mirror episodes. Please explain if there is a deeper meaning than just the spiral into insanity Mia undergoes as she murders to maintain her social position and reputation and life.
Personally, I don't really enjoy the Black Mirror episodes when the tech is more or less irrelevant to the main conceit of the story. I have seen this storyline specifically many times - someone goes overboard trying to cover up a mistake and it eventually gets them caught. The memory technology could be removed and the story would still work, if you tweaked the writing. It's also why National Anthem is one of my least favourites. No future tech at all.
This episode was one of the worst. The main character was totally unrealistic: a succesful architect commits four murders to keep conceiled that she helped cover up a manslaughter someone else committed? Also, this episode wasn't "dark". People being murdered is sad, but not "dark" per se.
The concept of the memory corroborator was quite cool, though, a shame they didn't work it out properly (esp with the guinea pig).
I want to know how did she just fall on top of that guy and he DIED?!?!????? She weighed like 90 lbs soaking wet
Lenina Crowne it was the headslam
Maybe pay a little more attention next time
Cat fuck off
She strangled him. Also he was impaired after he hit his head so he was quite weak to defend himself
Vina - thanks
Some other possible Easter Eggs in this episode:
- The name Outpost 21 could be a reference to the outpost cabin in "White Christmas".
- At the same time, it could also be self referencing to the fact that Mia's house is located in a remote "Outpost" location.
- The fact that they chose to feature Bugsy Malone as the school play might also be tip of the hat to Jodie Foster who was heavily involved in the filming of Arkangel. I say this because the movie Bugsy Malone was an early role for Jodie Foster.
- The guinea pig in the episode is a literal reference to the metaphorical saying given that they also test the Recaller on it.
The following observations are stretching it a bit. Anyway:
- The manner in which Mia becomes disheveled is very similar to that of Kenny in "Shut Up And Dance".
- I noticed that the character Rob is also very similar to Rafe Spalls character in "White Christmas".
It’s better to confess and tell the whole truth. She was not part of killing the cyclist, she could have gotten not harsh punishment. Instead she got paranoid and start killing people.
Night King incorrect. She assisted in hiding the body, she assisted in keeping the event quiet despite being involved. Not to mention the fact that there wasn’t any way to PROVE that the guy they hit was in fact dead at the time they put him in the water. He could have been alive, on his last breaths and soon to be dead, but alive nonetheless. She very well could have been charged with murder
@alexcolon212, how can they even trace her back to that? If the now remorseful guy doesn’t mention her in the letter? They wouldn’t be able to
maybe if the remorseful guy leaves enough evidence in his letter or goes to the point that they find out his identity. He already seems in a weak state of mind and would likely tell the police the whole truth (not to mention they could now use that machine on his memories) I think Mia realizes this which is why she stopped him
Two easter eggs that they didn't mention were both references to "Fifteen Million Merits". At [17:26], one of the adult films she flips through was "Best of Wraith Babes", which was the name of the porn company constantly advertised in that episode. And at [34:30], the hotel worker mentions something regarding a "judge of Hot Shot", which was the TV show integral to that episode's plot.
Crocodile is definitely in the top 3 best Black Mirror episodes for me
millers3888
I think it's the worst but to each their own.
I believe that the peppermint candies are linked to cognitive function and memory in the episode. I was always told to chew on a piece of mint gum when writing an exam. Supposedly the smell was beneficial to memory, so I googled it.
"Once ingested, or even smelled, peppermint can have profound brain health benefits. According to recent research from Wheeling Jesuit University, the smell or flavour of peppermint can have profound effects on cognitive functions".
She simply should of refused to be hooked up to the machine. Would she be forced to use the machine simply to be a witness to a accident that did not involve a murder? Who knows...but I would have cited fear of electronics or something. Also....the insurance investigator...what she saw was garbled images. She saw the accident from 15 years ago and a few images of the main character possibly killing someone.
For all she knows the guy just finished raping her. Was what she saw enough to go to the cops? Who knows. But she even said herself she cant use any other info seen besides info needed directly related to her case.
on the other hand we as viewers happen to know that she's also the case worker for the biker's disappearance (life insurance or sth?), as we see her visit his widow at the beginning. so she would know the guy's face and probably recognized him from Mia's memories.
but your point still holds, because that's what WE know, Mia doesn't know that.
then again, maybe Shazia only looks so shocked because she understands what that memory means. and Mia may not have decided to kill her if she had not realised Shazia had understood what the memory meant.
hmmmmmmm
@Yuti
"on the other hand we as viewers happen to know that she's also the case worker for the biker's disappearance (life insurance or sth?)"
The woman the insurance lady visits in the beginning was in an accident unrelated to the bikers death. Shazi says she is there to follow up on the accident. Before the lady opened to the door she was scrambling to put her neck brace on and her walker cane lol. Also this visit was in current time as she has the same car , scarf and jacket. (The bikers death also happened 15 years prior.)
I think Shazi was just shook up to see a possible murder and a hit and run. And what she did see most likely wouldnt hold up if she went to the police because she was at the womans house for the pizza thing accident. Just a guess since this is not in our universe.
I would have refused to hook up the machine also because like we saw she had been drinking. Would have cited I was intoxicated and my verbal testimony would have to be good enough for now. Once she left...contacted a lawyer and see what the laws are regarding this machine and can she be forced to use it especially in a non murder case.
@jcaashby3oh you're right! i got it mixed up for some reason. sloppy viewing haha
so i think Shazia (um, the name is Shazia fyi, not Shazi i looked it up after i wrote that comment. sorry for confusion) so Shazia actually says she has to report crimes; she tells the dentist: "your memories remain under seal unless they indicate you're harming yourself or another person". so that sounds like she would in fact have to notify the police in case she digs up a murder.
from watching The Sopranos way long ago, i remember the shrink telling Tony not to be too specific about committing violent acts because she would be under legal obligation to report them, so reporting any info regarding murder supersedes even patient-doctor confidentiality...
so assuming Sopranos is factually correct, and i remember right, and this is also law in, er, Iceland; then think that would be precedent enough to justify that memories gathered with the corroborater could be legal evidence in an unrelated crime investigation...
but then, she could (and i agree, she should) refuse to submit to the device. but Shazia clinches it, where she's at Mia's door, when she says "as a witness to an accident, if you refuse to have your memories recorded i'm legally required to notify the police".
now to me, *that* sounds like BS. She drove 50mi, there's a bonus for closing the case quickly, and... well hey, she's essentially a private eye, although that character is made to seem super nice there's a chance if she's any good at her job she's rather ruthless and devious. so she just makes up something half-plausible with the word "police" in it, and hey, it works...
Yeah your right about "your memories remain under seal unless they indicate you're harming yourself or another person". I could see Shazia would bend the truth just to get the machine hooked up and on with her day.
They going to have to drag me kicking and screaming before I would use the machine lol. All speculation but would the police even care to get involved with someone refusing to use the machine. Especially since its a simple case involving someone hit by a pizza truck.
I would imagine a law kind of like pleading the 5th as I may incriminate myself as a result of witness an accident. Not witnessing a crime but a freaking accident.
it does raise the question as to how the legal system in that (ostensibly not so different) universe deals with the sort of biopower.
right now in france where i live, you can't be literally forced by police officers to give DNA samples, but when you refuse that can be punished. and of course people are in fact routinely forced in spite of their refusal.
the point where this intersects with the corroborater is, if your DNA is collected for a minor offence (say shoplifting) the DNA bank might connect you to some other earlier unresolved crime. so your incentive to refuse is higher if you think you might be traced to some worse stuff you've committed.
so as with all such privacy-encroaching technologies and laws today, any appeal to one's right to privacy predictably prompts the venomous counter: "well, if you've nothing to hide, what are you afraid of?" implying that only "bad people" will have any incentive to combat invasive technology and policing. essentially that's what Shazia tells the doctor: "if you haven't committed any crime, you surely won't have anything against my creepy violation of your mind?"
problem is, you get into this slippery slope thing: once a technology has become accepted to investigate child pornography or murder or terrorism, it *will* given time be used for lesser and lesser offences. and by more and more agencies, as in this case with insurance companies...
and that at heart is what black mirror means to me: it's near future dystopia that says we have to resist the techifying of every aspect of our lives, right now. (well i think the series is being a bit too subtle and ambiguous with that message, tbh)
Mia didn't need superhuman strength to strangle Rob. He was very compromised from falling backward and cracking the back of his skull on the floor, as evidenced by his nose bleeding (sign of traumatic brain injury). Still a bit of a stretch for a woman of her physicality to choke him to death but his weakened state make it somewhat believable.
What was the point of this episode? To just be dark and bleak. Mission accomplished
Ross Watson Are you still reeling from the end of the episode? Poor dude
Ross Watson the point of crocodile is sometimes you cant just bury your dark secrets. they will find a way to haunt you back. just like tom willing to confess. sometimes no matter how perfectly you commit a crime, it takes a little clue to get you caught. just like the hamster thing. mia's story line tells us that some people are willing to go to any extremities to cover their tracks or to save themselves. mia made herself a monster
To show how far someone will go to protect their deepest darkest secrets
Keelan Rochard you just hit the right spot. you are absolutely right. some people do anything to bury their secrets. for them, morality is what that saves them and keeps them protected.
sarath431 guinea pig. Theres a big fucking difference
When Shazia ID's Mia in the recaller through facial recognition software she mentions to her husband 'if she cooperates' and that if Shazia completes the investigation in 24 hours she gets paid double. I think that this drops a hint that perhaps Shazia is lying when she tells Mia that Mia is legally required to cooperate with the recall span.
as far as timeline with in the universe i would assume that this recaller is the grandparent technology of the grain from entire history of you but also the tech that uploads ppl to the cloud in san junipero and enables interaction with social media in nosedive, the perception alteration from men on fire, the tech that enables cookies in white christmas and uss callister. i assume this because the way the tech is styled, the temple bot is square with the lil lights instead of a circle and the box tv that Shazia/the police watch the recalls on. plus the fallibility of the retrieved memory.
Thought I was the only one who caught it. Remember, she told her husband she was going to get paid double, if she finished the investigation. She lied to get in quickly, and when Mia was reading the contract, Shazia distracted her by saying, her private thoughts are confidential and apart from this.
Yes I noticed that too.
If Mia is so bothered by what she's doing then why does she keep choosing the more brutal ways of killing? It is bad enough she will do anything to cover her own ass but why not a quick clean throat slash? Why blugeoning nearly every time? And the baby!! She barely hesitated about that.
One thing I found interesting was when Mia was in the kitchen making coffee for Shazia and looking at the knives they had the brand name 'taylors eye witness' written on them. Not sure if this was intentional irony or not but thought that was pretty clever. They are a real brand. I own a set
So Mia was in center in almost every frame and the rest of the characters are slightly off center. Great job Jodi foster, awesome!
Not the Jodie Foster episode. That episode was "Arkangel"
Jodie didnt have anything to do with it