From dubious social algorithms to killer surveillance systems, the dystopian anthology series Black Mirror is not afraid to shine a black light on the complex relationship between humans and technology.
The decade-old series, created by Charlie Brooker, straddles the line between bleak and thought-provoking technological and psychological horrors brought to life through carrying degrees of mortality in each episode. “Joan is Awful,” the standout episode of the latest Season 6, follows the ordinary goings-on of a smarmy woman named Joan (Annie Murphy), who finds out that through the powers of AI-generated content, her life life has turned into a glossy TV show starring Salma Hayek on Streamberry, a Netflix surrogate streaming platform.
Here, Brooker discusses veering into absurdist humor while maintaining the process of creating a permanent state of mesmerizing horror. DEADLINE: Where did the concept of “Joan is Awful” come from? CHARLIE BROOKER: Ideas were spinning around in my head for a while.
One, I wanted to do a story about a news network that pumped out constant deep fake footage of things and political candidates doing ridiculous things to humiliate or make them look heroic.
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