One of the most common way for people to meet romantically these days is via a dating app. Basically everyone I know around my age and younger has (or has had) a Tinder, Grindr, Bumble, or other dating app profile. Its supporters claim that dating has never been easier, finding matches based on personal interests and various filters, it’s a far cry from the ‘old fashioned way’ of meeting someone by chance and hoping for a spark.
But what if dating apps required you to stay with someone for a randomly generated period of time, stripping the element of free will from your decisions?
Frank (Joe Cole) and Amy (Georgina Campbell) meet on a blind date thanks to their dating assistant ‘Coach’ (Gina Bramhill), but they can only stay together for twelve hours. This is all part of Coach’s algorithm, building a profile of each person by trialling relationships for random timeframes, before being able to reveal their ‘ultimate match’.
Having hit it off really well, they each struggle to adapt to their new relationships, both wondering if Coach got it wrong and whether they were each others ultimate, prompting each other to consider breaking the rules in spite of the dire consequences.
Similar to Season Three’s ‘San Junipero’, Hang the DJ is one of Black Mirror’s very few more optimistic episodes.
Frank and Amy are both really great characters, and the chemistry the actors have with each other is undeniably infectious. You just can’t help but have a smile on your face as they initially awkwardly flirt and then blossom into runaway romantics.
Campbell & Coke are both really funny, and when the stakes get Hugh they also deliver on the drama. In fact I often forgot I was watching performances, they felt that genuine.
But what if dating apps required you to stay with someone for a randomly generated period of time, stripping the element of free will from your decisions?
Frank (Joe Cole) and Amy (Georgina Campbell) meet on a blind date thanks to their dating assistant ‘Coach’ (Gina Bramhill), but they can only stay together for twelve hours. This is all part of Coach’s algorithm, building a profile of each person by trialling relationships for random timeframes, before being able to reveal their ‘ultimate match’.
Having hit it off really well, they each struggle to adapt to their new relationships, both wondering if Coach got it wrong and whether they were each others ultimate, prompting each other to consider breaking the rules in spite of the dire consequences.
Similar to Season Three’s ‘San Junipero’, Hang the DJ is one of Black Mirror’s very few more optimistic episodes.
Frank and Amy are both really great characters, and the chemistry the actors have with each other is undeniably infectious. You just can’t help but have a smile on your face as they initially awkwardly flirt and then blossom into runaway romantics.
Campbell & Coke are both really funny, and when the stakes get Hugh they also deliver on the drama. In fact I often forgot I was watching performances, they felt that genuine.
Without going too far into spoiler territory, the final scene decontextualises the whole episode and gives it a bittersweet kind of quality. You can’t help but feel sad for them both, but in a way that leaves you equally excited.
The technology in the episode is kind of understated, yet also ever present which is a nice touch. Coach is contained within a small disc shaped object that’s always with the characters, and they’re almost always interacting with it when they aren’t interacting with each other. But because it’s so minimalist in design, it’s unobtrusive in its inclusion.
Hang the DJ is probably the strongest episode of Season Four (maybe tied with USS Calister) because everything just meshes so well. Everything about it just works, and the love story at the middle of it is just so cute (though not as emotionally resonant as that seen in San Junipero). It’s a sweet tale with just the right amount of darkness to give it some bite, a refreshing break from the usual doom and gloom of Black Mirror.
The technology in the episode is kind of understated, yet also ever present which is a nice touch. Coach is contained within a small disc shaped object that’s always with the characters, and they’re almost always interacting with it when they aren’t interacting with each other. But because it’s so minimalist in design, it’s unobtrusive in its inclusion.
Hang the DJ is probably the strongest episode of Season Four (maybe tied with USS Calister) because everything just meshes so well. Everything about it just works, and the love story at the middle of it is just so cute (though not as emotionally resonant as that seen in San Junipero). It’s a sweet tale with just the right amount of darkness to give it some bite, a refreshing break from the usual doom and gloom of Black Mirror.