Rishida Jones in Black Mirror Season 7 Episode 1: Common People
Episode 1 of the new season of Black Mirror, titled Common People, very much falls into our book of classic Black Mirror episodes and is probably the most depressing and soul-destroying entry of the entire season. What fun! Here’s a deep dive into the ending, some of the easter eggs present, and our thoughts and theories!
Common People follows Mike (Chris O’Dowd) and Amanda (Rashida Jones), a working-class couple who are both deeply in love and trying for a baby. However, when Amanda suffers a medical emergency and finds herself hospitalised with little hope of recovery, Mike meets Gaynor (Tracee Ellis Ross). Turns out, Gaynor presents an interesting proposition, in the form of a newly developed operation.
The “free” operation comes from a company called Rivermind, which essentially creates a backup consciousness and replaces the tissue in the brain with its own, ‘smart’ tissue to kickstart cognitive function. This allows Amanda to return to consciousness… but not in the way it was beforehand. Instead, Rivermind forces Mike and Amanda to subscribe to their expensive ($300/month) plan in order to live normally. However, like literally every subscription plan nowadays, it forces the customer into tiers: ad tier, ad-free tier, Lux tier, and so on. Humans themselves turn into walking advertising boards and have their freedom restricted, unless they purchase a better plan.
The extortionate plans force Mike to find alternate avenues of making a more substantial income. One source of revenue comes from online streaming on DumDummies, where he takes donations from viewers who request more and more shocking and disturbing things from him; we’re talking self-harm. What’s more, when his workplace discovers what he’s been up to, he gets fired. Fast forward a year later, and Mike continues to mutilate himself to earn extra money so he can purchase Amanda additional Lux-tier vouchers, allowing her to live in relaxation and serenity. But ultimately, when their luck wears thin, and they’re both tired and fatigued… a dehumanised Amanda admits that it’s time to end things. The episode ends with Mike suffocating Amanda with a pillow. It’s a particularly grim ending, indicative of Black Mirror’s signature style.
You could argue the episode is an allegory for the American health care system, which is notoriously hard on those without much income. It’s also a critique on subscriptions at large, perhaps even Netflix to an extent. We’ve seen it everywhere where prices creep up, features that were considered standard get taken away, and advertisements introduced on lower tiers…
Picture: Netflix
Common People has left some fans with a few burning questions. Here’s an overview:
- Couldn’t Mike and Amanda have moved to a more affordable home? I’ve been seeing this question a lot online. It brings up a valid point. But there’s a few reasons why the couple would be hesitant to move. This is a tumultuous time in their lives; moving would undoubtedly fall to the background. Moreover, the fact that they’re trying for a baby puts another hurdle in the way. And perhaps most conclusive of all, we know that the Rivermind procedure only allows for moving within a certain radius, unless a higher tier is purchased.
- What happens to Mike in the final scene? After he ends Amanda’s suffering, Mike is seen ambling back into his office carrying a sharp object. The implication here is that he will continue to mutilate himself for money, or he will take his own life.
- Was Amanda self-aware when she was speaking advertisements? No, Amanda was not aware that she was speaking advertisements. It was only when the subject was brought up that she became aware. Moreover, this suggests that the user-base of Rivermind was incredibly small in the beginning. It’s highly unlikely that Mike would’ve accepted the procedure had he been aware of other users’ experiences.
Are there any easter eggs in Common People?
Overall, Common People is a very standalone instalment. Unlike other episodes like USS Callister: Into Infinity and Plaything, this episode has very little connection to the wider Black Mirror universe. Arguably, the closest is Arch Angel and perhaps Black Museum, which in the case of the form had a similar app, and the latter being soul destroying but more pretentious, having a quack doctor who isn’t worth their salt. When it comes to easter eggs, if we’re going to dig, you might notice:
- Mike and Amanda visit Juniper Lodge — a direct reference to beloved episode San Junipero.
- A user in DumDummies is named I_AM_Waldo, which references season 1 episode That Waldo Moment.
- At one point, Amanda vocalises an advertisement for Ditta, a confectionery company introduced in Bete Noire.
Black Mirror season 7 is now streaming on Netflix. You can check out our review here.
Rating: TV-MA
