“In “Nosedive,” escaping the online universe was the goal; in “USS Callister,” it’s the opposite. “
“What I liked most about “USS Callister,” which makes for an exceptionally strong start to this new season, was the nasty, winking twist of its set-up. Our sad-sack protagonist, Robert Daly has the profile of a misunderstood nice guy. He’s an unheralded genius at his job, where he created an online gaming world that his publicity-minded boss Walton (Jimmi Simpson) takes all the credit for. He’s shy and retiring, he’s played by the adorable Jesse Plemons (Landry from Friday Night Lights!), and he spends his nights fantasizing that he’s the great Captain Daly of his favorite show, Space Fleet, using the high-end tech he invented, a forehead-mounted brain-projection chip.”
“But even though the ’60s-era Star Trek knockoff he’s playacting seems chintzy and harmless, there are signs of creepiness from the get-go, with Daly treating not one but both of his female crew members to a passionate kiss at the end of another “episode.” After a friendly interaction with Nanette (Cristin Milioti), a new employee at work, things go from creepy to truly disturbing, as Daly steals her DNA from a used coffee cup and creates a digital version of her within his Space Fleet program.”
“Nanette is now the ship’s science officer, clad in the familiar miniskirt and go-go boots of that kitschy decade; but more importantly, she’s trapped. Unlike the online multiplayer game Daly invented, this program is walled off from the rest of the internet to serve as his private playground. Nanette and other co-workers are Daly’s ensemble cast, and anytime he enters the program, they have to shower him with obsequious praise as he acts out his childish fantasies. Apart from that, they’re stuck in the program, with nothing to do except wait for their tyrannical master to return.”
“So many of Brooker’s Black Mirror fables warn against the terror of being connected, so I was delighted that he opened this new season with a story about just the opposite. After all, so much of 2017’s news has been defined by a lack of communication, by polarization, and by political leaders who, like Daly, seem to crave unprecedented levels of control along with hollow compliments.”
“In “USS Callister,” the only way to defeat Daly is to open his secret network up to the rest of the game, visualized as the crew piloting the ship into a wormhole while their boss is momentarily distracted by real life.”
““USS Callister” was perhaps a mite too long at 75 minutes (its epic conclusion, while tense at times, was very drawn-out). But its concept was perfect for Black Mirror: a mix of fizzy pop culture and genuinely bleak drama. “
“More importantly, it had a happy ending—the crew escapes, Daly is stranded in his now-empty program, and Nanette’s online clone finds herself in a comparative paradise, a multiplayer video game. “
“Who’s the first person she encounters there? An egotistical fool (voiced by Aaron Paul) who lamely proclaims himself the king of space battles. Yes, there’s more than one Captain Daly out there—but at least this time Nanette can warp to another galaxy. “
“Sophie, do you share my take on the topicality of “USS Callister?” Don’t you want to drive into a wormhole as 2017 winds to a close?”