The Netflix original Black Mirror features a futuristic world, in which technology rules with an iron fist. It is involved in every single persons livelihood. In the episode "Hang the Dj", single people are paired together with other single people in a simulation. This simulation tests hundreds of scenarios to see if the two would be a good couple or not. The big twist in this episode is the people that we are following are not actually themselves, rather they are two computer simulations of the actual people. This is perfect for a Black Mirror episode because every episode has some big twist at the end. The big technology in this episode is a device that coaches the people through the dating simulation. This device also tells them how long the relationship lasts.
The episode starts off with the two main characters on a date. They are in a mildly lit restaurant, which gives off a romantic vibe. Throughout most of the episode the lighting is dim, which is a characteristic of a romantic film. This episode is meant to be romantic and the background settings throughout the episode show that. In the restaurant classical music is played low and slow, it is a piano being played. Music is used in other points in the episode to give a romantic vibe. When the woman is in the bedroom with her next date, jazz is being played in the background.
Just like any other romance film, the two people who want to be together are kept apart. They both want to be together but they are following the rules of the dating game. The two are reunited at a big dating event, in which they both have different dates. They joke and laugh with each other, and you can tell that they truly want to be together. At one point, when they are leaving, the girl can see the guy at a distance and she is just staring at him. The music in this scene is low, loud, and has a lot of bass to it. You can really feel it in your chest. There are other qualities of romantic films found in this episode. The homes that people are staying in are log cabins that have lakes in front of them.
The two main characters are brought back together at the end of the episode to go on another date. They choose to not look at the expiration date on the relationship, to stay together as long as possible. You can see that they are happy together and that they are enjoying their time together. Eventually the guy goes behind the girls back and looks at the expiration date on their relationship. But, because he looks at it behind her back, the date of their relationship drops from five years down to 20 hours. Their relationship ends and the guy is heartbroken and the woman is mad.
Skipping rocks at the lake becomes a common scene in the show. While skipping rocks, the woman asks the guy if he has ever seen more or less than four skips. This is how she learns that it is a simulation. She meets back up with the guy on purpose and explains her theory to him. They get up to leave and are confronted by a guard. The guard is unable to harm them and everyone pauses. The two then jump the wall. This is where we see that it was a simulation, they two characters then meet in real life.
