meddlecore

First off, don't watch (or read) this, if you haven't seen the original episode from Season 4 (S04E01: USS Callister).

Because this episode picks up exactly that one leaves off...with the crew having escaped from the game's creator's mod...into Infinity itself (the game in it's pure form).

Here, they find themselves trying to survive in a resource based game that has been heavily monetized.

Which forces them to resort to guerilla tactics in order to salvage enough to get by.

Their targets being users of the game from out in the real world.

Our main character has not only become the commander of the ship...but finds herself at the helm of the game (as it's primary coder), due to the fact that their previous leader has become mentally trapped inside the confines of his own mod (thus preventing him from accessing the, otherwise, open world of the game itself).

The company has been taken over by Walton, who sacrificed himself to free the other players their previous leader has trapped in the game.

And it is he who has monetized every aspect of it, in the name of feduciary responsibility (though, mostly for his own personal gain).

Only to find that he, and the other crewmates on the USS Callister, are causing havoc in the system.

As they run around like hackers, extorting users out of their hard earned in-game dollars.

Which they are forced to do, merely to survive.

Unbeknownst to them, however, their actions are having implications back in the real world.

As the company tries to root out the identity of these hackers, that are running rampant through the world of the game...without gamer tags.

Meanwhile, the media starts to question the company on the actions of their previous, not-so-benevolent, leader...in regards to him having trapped digital clones of people inside the game, against their will, by harvesting their DNA.

Effectively creating a giant loop that blurs the boundaries of the fourth wall.

Posing the question: where does the digital world end, and the real world begin...and vice versa.

To put this into perspective...the people investigating the actions of these digital pirates, discover that they are, in fact, investigating themselves.

And that the rumours about Infinity's recently deceased creator are actually true.

All while their digital clones are trying to come up with a plan to overcome their inability to survive in such a resource poor environment.

Which leaves them only one option...to go, full circle, back into the original creator's mod...so they can implement an alternate universe where they can bestow "god mode" abilities upon themselves.

Effectively meaning they have to re-clone themselves (into this alternate universe).

...Some real quantum s---.

There is a catch, however...because they need someone with admin capabilities to access the "heart of Infinity" in order to be able to do so.

And the only person left that can do this is Walton...who they believe has died in the game.

Meaning, they must contact real-world Walton, in or to elicit his help.

All while their real world counterparts are attempting to hunt them down...having become privy to who they really are.

It's all a bit of a mindf--k...but I assure you...it's genius.

In essence...it's about the quantum entanglement of Infinity...and the real world!!!

With the only caveat being, that Walton may have actually survived, and respawned into Infinity, intact, after passing through the wormhole (because he was incapable of being killed in the mod).

So, it's just a matter of finding him...before their real world counterparts do.

A task that, inevitably, causes their paths to cross.

Which ultimately leads to a whole other slew of ethical conundrums.

Alongside a twist you'll never expect.

Inevtiably, bringing the whole thing full circle.

With the moral of the story being: even if you make mistakes and mess things up in this life...there's a version of you out there, in an alternate universe somewhere, where you got things right...and they couldn't have done it without you.

Even if that means you, and the rest of those worlds, are completed f--ked.

9.5 out of 10.

I had to come back and watch this episode before diving into the follow up from Season 7.

And I'm glad I did.

Because, what comes off as a cheesey spoof of Star Trek, is based upon a rather brilliant underlying concept.

Nirvana.

An escape from the cycle of rebirth into the realm of suffering.

Though, here applied to the matrix of an in-game world called Infinity, where the game's creator rules over a number of his employees - he has trapped there, after harvesting their DNA- with an iron fist.

Or...as they put it...like an "a--hole god".

They still exist, as their original selves out in the real world, unbeknownst of the fate their digital clones are being subjected to.

As this self-styled tyrant demands their absolute subservience, under the threat of all manner of sadistic torture.

Their only way out being to target an exploit that would allow them to contact themselves in the real world.

In order to get them to run a covert mission to steal back their DNA.

So they can kill themselves without the risk of being respawned by this a--hole god.

Which they plan to do by flying into a wormhole, that is actually an update to the system...so they can be permanently deleted.

Even though it might not work exactly as they suspect.

Either way, it's a wonderfully brilliant take on mystical liberation...nirvana, moksha...whatever you want to call it!

Which is what makes this episode so particularly genius.

If only in a subtle, esoteric sense.

Another winner from Brooker.

And one of the best episodes of the series as a whole.

8.5 out of 10.

Hotel Reverie

Conceptually speaking, this is actually one of my favourite episodes of the series.

Acting as a subtle jab at the speculative direction that regurgitative Hollywood remakes might take in the future.

In it, we have a big budget Hollywood studio using a technologically advanced AI system to immerse the actress into a virtually rendered simulation of the film's world.

Where she must play out the role of her character in real time.

Though, with rather "real" consequences.

Because, if she fails to do so adequately, not only could the film fail...the simulation, itself, could also crash.

And she could die in the process.

Which is aside from the point of any technological issues they may face during the whole shooting process.

Obviously, this gives the whole story a sort of Westworld vibe...in that it asks the question...what would happen if the simulated characters became aware of their nature as part of the simulation.

While also exploring the idea of what if the actor became so immersed in their role...that they didn't actually want to leave the simulation.

To the point that they were fully willing to give up their life in the "real world" to do so.

Kind of like if you were trapped in the dream world of a coma, but chose never to wake up.

Some real Matrix stuff.

I fully understand people taking issue with some of the casting decisions.

But, personally, felt they did an adequate job in their roles.

Remember, Issa was meant to be an action movie star, not an actress who was putting forward oscar-worthy performances.

While Akwafina was meant to portray the dry role of a producer, void of any actual creative abilities.

That being said, I obviously get why people didn't really "like" those choices.

But still do think that this episode was, conceptually, one the most interesting in the series.

Even if it does kind of fly under the radar.

I kind of enjoyed the fact that they kind of hijacked and re-envisioned the Westworld concept, in a story about Hollywood going as far as they can to be regurgitative as possible.

If only because it could very likely be the nature of our own reality...

...And the potential for that reality to break through the fourth wall.

7 out of 10.