jneiberger-1

Season one was absolutely fantastic. I couldn't get enough of it. It was quirky and smart and hit all the right notes. The story was interesting and mysteriously frustrating, mostly in a good way. I cared about the characters and what happened to them, both their innies and the outies. And then came season two...

Season two has had a couple of very high points, mostly involved John Turturro, who is an insanely good actor. Most of the best scenes of the show have been from him.

But other than those very few high points, the rest of this season has been awful. A total snoozefest. I don't understand why this episode is rated so highly. I'm struggling to even finish season two now and there are only three episodes left. After watching this episode, I'm seriously considering not even bothering.

But then again, it's only three more, so I'm sure I'll push through.

I was excited in the opening scene to see Paul Giamatti, one of my all-time favorite actors. I immediately had a feeling that the episode would be one to tug on the heart strings, but I wasn't really prepared for what was to come.

I don't want to include any spoilers, so I'll just say that it becomes more heart-breaking as it goes on and ultimately delivers a pretty solid punch to the gut, figuratively speaking.

The story is superb and the acting is perfect. Unlike that horrible episode with Issa Rae, this one is perfectly cast and perfectly executed. As you would expect, Giamatti is incredible. This might be the first time (okay, maybe the second time) that Black Mirror has moved me to tears.

Pretty much every person I know who has seen this moved raved about how good it was. It was epic and incredible, according to all of them. But after watching it tonight, I'm going to have to disagree with them. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but it wasn't *that* good. The music and cinematography are superbly done, but the story drags too much.

I'm sure I'll listen to the soundtrack of the score again. Hans Zimmer nailed the vibe on this. But I didn't like this good enough to watch it a second time. I enjoyed the first movie much more. Maybe this was overhyped and my expectations were too high, but I doubt I'll watch it again.