CJ Robles, Tech Times

As the world endures the new normal after the coronavirus pandemic took away so much liberty from the people, it seems that an episode in the first season of the "Black Mirror" has shown what life in 2020 would be like almost a decade earlier.

Face masks and social distancing has become a normal thing for most people. Industries have also adjusted to the guidelines applied by the health authorities and the government. Numerous shows have been cut-off for the entertainment industry, but some have shifted to digital screening or combined live and virtual entertainment. From the NBA to America's Got Talent to the VMAs, they all have one thing in common: a virtual audience. 

The resemblance of the 2020 situation in Season 1, Episode 2: "Fifteen Million Merits" in 2011 freaks out people, and expressed their amazement to social media. The episode was co-written by Charlie Brooker and his wife Kanak Huq.

The episode happened in a dystopian world where people are surrounded by screens and cycle to earn "merits," which they use to pay for everything. 

The 15 Million Merits episode is about Bingham "Bing" Madsen, who is already fine living his monotonous life and cycling all day to earn. Then, he meets Abi Khan in the bathroom, and he convinces her to audition in the talent show One Shot after hearing her sing.

Abi sang Irma Thomas' Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand), playing in the series. Abi nailed the audition to the digital crowd's applause. Yes, the show features a virtual audience who are emojis of actual people. Sounds weird? Actually, no.

Nowadays, it has been the normal scene: in talent shows, music awards, even in sports and social events. Since only a limited number of people can be in an enclosed area, producers decided to remove the live audience altogether and switch to a digital crowd by including those who watch the live feed. 

Here are some posts in social media comparing reality with 15 Million Merits:

Hot Shots vs America's Got Talent

Look at how the NBA Game audience resembles the show's virtual crowd

The reality of how we are surrounded by screens nowadays

 How about the WWE RAW

 

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What happened in Black Mirror 15 Million Merits?

The Black Mirror 15 Million Merits episode shows a tale of the reality competition shows. But what happened with Bing and Abi in that episode?

After the audition, the judges thought Abi's talent was so common, and they looked for something else. She then became a WraithBabe port star, which enraged Bing as she thought the Hot Shot judges just pressured her.

Bing worked day and night to earn enough merits to audition on Hot Shot. During the audition, he threatened to kill himself as he ranted about how the show destroyed the pure and good. Ironically, the judges loved Bing's performance, and they gave him his show.

According to the Daily Express, the episode came about when Huq was watching Brooker pat at an iPad while checking Twitter on the phone, which later led to a conversation about how much discomfort could someone bear while being entertained on these small screens.

However, Brooker clarified that the episode was not meant as a "satire on talent shows" as it is more about the suffocating air that Bing and Abi had to breathe. "It's about wanting something better than you currently have," he added.

Watch all five seasons of the award-winning Black Mirror on Netflix.

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Written by CJ Robles

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