It has been four years since the last season of Black Mirror had us gripped, and a lot has happened in the real world since.
Season five hit Netflix in June 2019, and in the years that have followed we’ve experienced a global pandemic, rapidly changing governments and AI has gone mainstream.
When creator Charlie Brooker discussed the latest series with Esquire, he explained that he wanted to ‘confound expectations’ – and he has certainly delivered on that front. From the retro-slasher episode Demon 79 to the commentary on our obsession with true crime in Loch Henry, this season has definitely shifted in an unexpected direction.
However, fans of the show are saying the same thing about the opening episode, Joan Is Awful.
With Annie Murphy and Salma Hayek leading the cast, it tells the story of Joan – an ‘ordinary’ woman – whose life gets turned into a TV show on a popular streaming app called Streamberry.
As she begins to realise her every move and interaction is being turned into entertainment as soon as it has unfolded in real life, Joan sets about taking down the quamputer that is creating the show.
During one scene with her lawyer, Joan is told that there’s nothing she can do about it as she had in fact given the streaming giant permission when she accepted the terms and conditions of usage. Because does anyone actually read through the Ts and Cs? Perhaps it’s an argument to double check.
As a result, viewers have been taking to Twitter to reveal that they’re now going through the Netflix terms and conditions – just in case they find their lives playing out on TVs everywhere.
One fan wrote: “Me reading the terms and conditions of Netflix after Joan is Awful.”
Another said: “This first ep of Black Mirror..should I start reading these terms and conditions.”
Me reading the terms and conditions of every app I am downloading after watching Black Mirrors Season 6 Episode 1. https://t.co/vWGViMUh2l pic.twitter.com/nINZkUnAnmJune 16, 2023
A third added: “Me reading the terms and conditions of every app I am downloading after watching Black Mirrors Season 6 Episode 1.”
If that’s not a nudge to make sure you know what you’re agreeing to in future, we don’t know what is.
Black Mirror season six is now available to watch on Netflix.