“Everyone is a bit heightened and false, because everyone is terrified of being marked down because the consequences of that are…unpleasant. So it’s basically the world we live in,” says Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker in a newly released featurette on the first episode of Black Mirror — Netflix edition, titled “Nosedive,” which follows a woman weighed down by constantly having to seem cheerily up to maintain her approval ratings on social media. Between this and another featurette, we now — following the trailer for the whole season — have first glimpses at two specific episodes.
“Nosedive” is a somewhat star-powered episode — not only by its lead, Bryce Dallas Howard, but also by its two main writers (Rashida Jones and Parks and Recreation creator Michael Schur) and its director, Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice). The social satire episode looks to find its sense of alienation by being delightfully polished to the point where every frame looks like stock photography.
Watch the clip for that one, featuring commentary from Howard and Brooker:
The second episode teased is “Playtest,” described as a “techno-horror romp” by Brooker and “a fun popcorn movie that is very much rooted in the horror genre” by executive producer Annabel Jones. Fittingly, it’s directed by 10 Cloverfield Lane‘s Dan Trachtenberg. It follows a man (played by Wyatt Russell — Kurt Russell/Goldie Hawn’s son) who, on vacation, decides to test a new technologically advanced video game.
Watch the featurette on “Playtest”: