This is the exact kind of wake up call that we need today. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's such an artistic view of what happens to the world when social media is the center of our lives. It's amazing, and I totally recommend this episode.
206 Reviews
Satiric SciFi Message We Need
optionsf19 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I have shown this episode to so many friends I can practically recite it from memory. Why? Because it's a message everyone who ever uses Yelp, TripAdvisor, Facebook, Twitter, Grindr, Tindr...IMDb ratings!....practically everyone these days...needs to hear.
The message is proceed with caution when you think everyone and everything should be rated and that you too are qualified to do so. Because you know how to run a restaurant? You know how to cure pancreatic cancer? You know how to produce a television series?
Who should have the right to rate you? The porn-watching attendant at the car rental agency? The taxi driver? The "sincere" customer service agent at the airport counter? Perhaps all those "4.5's" are secretly suicidal. No one can be that happy not even a two year old with a balloon.
If we live, or should live, for the ratings of others...for a swipe to the right and not the left, for five not three stars, what price must we pay to obtain it? Insincere hellos on the elevator? Practice our laughs in the mirror? Dare we speak our mind? Must we give up that which makes us unique?
Nosedive explores a day in the life of Lacie Pound when it all falls apart. Falling from a 4.2 to a 4.19 means she doesn't get an "influencers program" seat on the plane, or a discount on her apartment. Losing her temper leads to landing in jail. Where at least, there are no ratings and you can say what you feel.
Kudos to Bryce Dallas Howard for playing this brilliantly and credibly. The beautiful art direction is just over the top enough to show we are still seeing a pastel-laden world that isn't quite real....yet...but oh so close. Cherry Jones is perfect as the antidote to this world, providing the escape hatch needed to get through it. I mean, you don't look like a 2.8!
I am not a religious man but the phrase about let he who is without sin cast the first stone is simply laughed off today in a world where alternative facts rule and everyone thinks their opinions are sacrosanct. Where people take KellyAnne Conway seriously and our own President seems to only care about his ratings and lies about his Electoral College vote.
You may not like redheads or science fiction or genuine Mexican cuisine, but that doesn't mean everyone else has to agree with you, or that one rating is right for everyone. The high end restaurant you love is pretentious to someone else, and a vegetarian isn't going to rate a steakhouse highly. Nor does your bitchy comment about a film mean I won't or shouldn't like it just because you have more followers than I do.
Heed the warning. Show love not judgment. Invite the people you love not the pretty ones to your wedding. Judge not lest you be judged. We are one big, diverse human species. Let's stop trying to devolve that into a single rating of 4.276/5.0 from the masses, and respect one another's differences.
The message is proceed with caution when you think everyone and everything should be rated and that you too are qualified to do so. Because you know how to run a restaurant? You know how to cure pancreatic cancer? You know how to produce a television series?
Who should have the right to rate you? The porn-watching attendant at the car rental agency? The taxi driver? The "sincere" customer service agent at the airport counter? Perhaps all those "4.5's" are secretly suicidal. No one can be that happy not even a two year old with a balloon.
If we live, or should live, for the ratings of others...for a swipe to the right and not the left, for five not three stars, what price must we pay to obtain it? Insincere hellos on the elevator? Practice our laughs in the mirror? Dare we speak our mind? Must we give up that which makes us unique?
Nosedive explores a day in the life of Lacie Pound when it all falls apart. Falling from a 4.2 to a 4.19 means she doesn't get an "influencers program" seat on the plane, or a discount on her apartment. Losing her temper leads to landing in jail. Where at least, there are no ratings and you can say what you feel.
Kudos to Bryce Dallas Howard for playing this brilliantly and credibly. The beautiful art direction is just over the top enough to show we are still seeing a pastel-laden world that isn't quite real....yet...but oh so close. Cherry Jones is perfect as the antidote to this world, providing the escape hatch needed to get through it. I mean, you don't look like a 2.8!
I am not a religious man but the phrase about let he who is without sin cast the first stone is simply laughed off today in a world where alternative facts rule and everyone thinks their opinions are sacrosanct. Where people take KellyAnne Conway seriously and our own President seems to only care about his ratings and lies about his Electoral College vote.
You may not like redheads or science fiction or genuine Mexican cuisine, but that doesn't mean everyone else has to agree with you, or that one rating is right for everyone. The high end restaurant you love is pretentious to someone else, and a vegetarian isn't going to rate a steakhouse highly. Nor does your bitchy comment about a film mean I won't or shouldn't like it just because you have more followers than I do.
Heed the warning. Show love not judgment. Invite the people you love not the pretty ones to your wedding. Judge not lest you be judged. We are one big, diverse human species. Let's stop trying to devolve that into a single rating of 4.276/5.0 from the masses, and respect one another's differences.
An astonish look at the human nature
nisreenmr14 November 2016
Extremely good episode, one of the best so far. It lets you think about the true, harsh, judgmental human nature.
People tend to deal with other people when they think that person might enhance their reputation, connections, or material situation. It's like when we buy expensive gifts for rich people, and we never spend as much on people in need who can't afford to pay us back. We walk away from our friends if we felt they are affecting our situations negatively, sometimes without even trying to help.
On another level, it shows the effect, and falseness of social media network on our daily lives. We tend to look perfect and connect with the right people, while hiding the true us with all of our pain and struggles. I loved this episode but I dropped a star because I don't agree that the alternative "true self" they suggested will do any good for human nature.
People tend to deal with other people when they think that person might enhance their reputation, connections, or material situation. It's like when we buy expensive gifts for rich people, and we never spend as much on people in need who can't afford to pay us back. We walk away from our friends if we felt they are affecting our situations negatively, sometimes without even trying to help.
On another level, it shows the effect, and falseness of social media network on our daily lives. We tend to look perfect and connect with the right people, while hiding the true us with all of our pain and struggles. I loved this episode but I dropped a star because I don't agree that the alternative "true self" they suggested will do any good for human nature.
An extremely provocative message that hits very close to home
nicholash632121 October 2016
In a world where everyone does everything for the sake of social media status, this episode is one of the most concurrent and scarily 'close to home' to date. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Lacie exceptionally and although some may say it seemed dragged out, I thought it was very suitable for the episode. The pastel visuals were great, and the subtle technological advancements encapsulated the Black Mirror feel. The bigger budget is evident in a lot of scenes which can sometimes take away from things but mostly aids the story. If you're an avid social media user, this episode will definitely make you question why you make certain social connections, and whose acceptance are you trying to gain. Hope you found this helpful. Maybe leave me a five-star rating :)
Essential viewing for today's culture
stevenjlowe8218 February 2017
All I can say is wow!!!! This was as close to perfect TV as I can imagine and so relevant in today's social media/Instagram generation. Personally I think this should be shown in schools across the country to show the youth of today just how frivolous and shallow most of their lives are. More and more we are seeing what an image conscious society we live in. People are judged by the amount of social media contacts they have rather than actual people in their lives. People assume because your social media account is loaded with happy shiny pictures of people's supposed perfect lives that they tend not to look beneath the surface and see what is actually going on. The writing of this episode is phenomenal and it's social commentary is totally on par. Great performances all round also. I cannot recommend this highly enough.
Social Media satire
jpismyname30 September 2018
Nosedive is the closest to our future now. Nowadays most people rely on social media, and their confidence depends upon it. It is really uncomfortable to watch this, mostly because it is so true now. The characters are becoming us now in this modern world.
Bryce Dallas Howard deserved an Emmy for this episode.
Bryce Dallas Howard deserved an Emmy for this episode.
Arguably The Best Black Mirror Episode
normandywoods23 January 2018
Oh the irony of giving this a star-based rating. This episode was brilliantly acted by Bryce Dallas Howard, she gives an extremely well executed nuanced performance that makes you understand the subtle shifts in tones. This episode is by far a breath of fresh air with the comedic aspects that are included, and the satisfying ending giving some sort of "hope." Most "Black Mirror" episodes end in a very dull and mouth dropping way after revealing a big plot twist. The twist in this episode is that it ends refreshingly hopeful, and somewhat optimistic while still conveying a great message for society-no one is perfect, and we shouldn't spend our time trying to be something that isn't realistic, especially when it's for show. One can be fully realized through self actualization whilst being completely authentic. Authenticity is something that this episode explores, while showing you the downside to social media and its effect on society.
Black-Future
robin-george70717 March 2017
The irony of me rating it 10 stars after watching itself speaks for it.
okay i came here to end with that sentence but no must feed more lines so here it goes, The best I've seen of Bryce Dallas. Despite the loopholes i can very much see this as our reality, we are in a way half way there. Great concept, awesome performance, makes you think what more you want.
okay i came here to end with that sentence but no must feed more lines so here it goes, The best I've seen of Bryce Dallas. Despite the loopholes i can very much see this as our reality, we are in a way half way there. Great concept, awesome performance, makes you think what more you want.
MeowMeowBeenz
safenoe11 January 2021
Having first watched seasons 1 and 2 (along with the White Christmas special) that were all filme in England, it was refreshing to see sunshine in this season 3 opener on Netflix. Even though Nosedive was set in the USA, it was filmed in South Africa, as I read somewhere that Charlie Booker says it's a nightmare to try to film in the USA.
Anyway, this was a biting commentary on ratings (Uber, Instagram and of course iMDB!) and I was kind of hoping for some sort of redemptive scene at the end. But not to be really.
Also, much has been written about the similarity of this plot with Community's season 5 episode App Development and Condiments, which was originally two years before Nosedive.
Anyway, this was a biting commentary on ratings (Uber, Instagram and of course iMDB!) and I was kind of hoping for some sort of redemptive scene at the end. But not to be really.
Also, much has been written about the similarity of this plot with Community's season 5 episode App Development and Condiments, which was originally two years before Nosedive.
Powerful view of a parallel world sadly similar to ours.
jtaveras6421 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This episode was so powerful it'll linger in your mind long after the credits roll.
First off, the performance was amazing by the lead, she needs to get an EMMY for that breakdown in the end.
In todays world where technology and social media are dominating all aspects of our lives its easy to see how this episode is inspired by current social events.
Our desperate need for approval and recognition as well as our necessity to blend with others makes us puppets with ZERO sense of individuality, this episode dutifully portrays our present culture.
This episode, beautifully shot with excellent aesthetics has a powerful social message more relevant to todays culture than anything I've ever seen on TV.
Remember always aim to be a 5 !
Final Grade, A+
First off, the performance was amazing by the lead, she needs to get an EMMY for that breakdown in the end.
In todays world where technology and social media are dominating all aspects of our lives its easy to see how this episode is inspired by current social events.
Our desperate need for approval and recognition as well as our necessity to blend with others makes us puppets with ZERO sense of individuality, this episode dutifully portrays our present culture.
This episode, beautifully shot with excellent aesthetics has a powerful social message more relevant to todays culture than anything I've ever seen on TV.
Remember always aim to be a 5 !
Final Grade, A+
Community did this
krasilnikof5 June 2017
I thought most of this episode felt fake on more that just the apparent level. Like the problem wasn't really being dealt with in an appropriate manner. I actually think that Community did it better with their meowmeowbeenz; explored more layers in what could and would happen than this 'serious' attempt. And Harmon did it in half the time. I love Brooker to death, he is a hefty inspiration to me, but this one felt a little hollow.
Where did subtlety go?
bjbooth6 January 2017
The writing of every single of the characters in this episode is incredibly one dimensional and lacks substance of any kind. If you asked me to describe Lacie (Bryce Dallas Howard), the only words that would come to mind would be "has self esteem issues". I get it, the whole 'social media is making you rely on how others view you instead of just being able to do things that make you happy and not be worried about what anyone else thinks'. But damn, how on the nose do you have to be?. This could have been a much better episode with better writing and characters, it was a nice concept as are most of the 'Black Mirror' anthology. Luckily the rest of the third season of Black Mirror picks back up after this Nosedive in quality of writing.
the implications and warnings this episode provides go far beyond social media
jeanshop26 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
My rating of this black mirror episode-Nosedive- is not based on the acting or other aspects of filming, but rather on the important message and warning it delivers. I'm thankful for the insightful, forward-thinking talent of the writer, and I hope a lot of people see this.
Our world is careening madly toward political correctness, the stifling of free speech, and social control of the public. People are living in fear of some innocent thing they say that gets construed or twisted or misunderstood by someone deciding that they are offended by it, and the zeitgeist has moved toward extreme sanctioning of such "offenders" even when the person was innocent. Due justice is being trampled upon.
this movie demonstrates the power of social control as well as its inherent evil. In the future, people can enjoy privileges we all freely enjoy only if they have accumulated enough points as they have been rated by their fellow citizens. If you are a little bit rude or negative to someone, they get to dock points on you. So it amounts to everyone requiring to be phony nice to everyone else, and not speak their true thoughts. In so many of these futuristic fictional accounts, where there is some kind of "utopia" due to an enforced kind of system of control, they always have citizens watch and report on each other; this is the most effective form of social control; there are no individuals, and no one can be trusted. How lonely! This movie does a good job of showing how easy it would be to do this thru "smart" devices everyone carries, and also shows how one woman-Lacie (bryce dallas howard), unwittingly gets set free from her own slavery to this system, through a series of unfortunate events.
Meowmeowbeenz
shonka8119 February 2019
A Great Criticism to the Excessive Use of Social Media
claudio_carvalho20 April 2017
In a near future, people are rated by the others through the cellphone facilitating life or not depending on the personal rating. Lacie Pound (Bryce Dallas Howard) is obsessed by her high score and is very polite with everybody expecting to increase her rating. Her brother Ryan (James Norton) does not care and has lower rating irritating Lacie. When her best friend Naomi Jayne Blestow (Alice Eve) invites her to be her maid of honor in her wedding, Lacie foresee the chance to increase her rating and prepares a speech. When she arrives at the airport, she learns that her flight was canceled and she does not have enough rating to get a seat in another plane. She has a problem with the attendant and she is ranked down in the beginning of her downfall to a journey where she will learn the importance of being free to speak and act.
"Nosedive" is a witty episode of "Black Mirror" with a great criticism to the excessive use of social media mostly by the younger generations. Bryce Dallas Howard has an awesome performance in the role of a young woman obsessed by her personal rating that learns the importance to be free of the excessive use of social media. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Nosedive"
"Nosedive" is a witty episode of "Black Mirror" with a great criticism to the excessive use of social media mostly by the younger generations. Bryce Dallas Howard has an awesome performance in the role of a young woman obsessed by her personal rating that learns the importance to be free of the excessive use of social media. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Nosedive"
More of a parable than a prophecy
HabaneroBuck16 January 2017
This episode of Black Mirror is notable for its sharply satirical tone as opposed to bleak subject matter. In that regard, it has a different feel, but not a different tenor (unapologetic cynicism), from all of the other episodes. This one is played more for dark humor than for gut-wrenching tension and surprising revelations, and it is effective in that regard. By no means the best of the series, it was vastly entertaining, eliciting more than one gut-laugh.
Bryce Dallas Howard delivers a character we find shallow, inventive, ambitious, sympathetic, inspirational, and pitiful, often simultaneously. Two of the best performances I've seen in all of modern video have been delivered in Season Three of Black Mirror, and her work here stands side-by-side with that delivered in any other feature of note (Jerome Flynn's turn in "Shut Up and Dance" being the other outstanding role).
Bryce Dallas Howard delivers a character we find shallow, inventive, ambitious, sympathetic, inspirational, and pitiful, often simultaneously. Two of the best performances I've seen in all of modern video have been delivered in Season Three of Black Mirror, and her work here stands side-by-side with that delivered in any other feature of note (Jerome Flynn's turn in "Shut Up and Dance" being the other outstanding role).
One bad day in the social media future
jd_clark_and_associates31 October 2016
This is one of my favorite premises of any Black Mirror episode to date, especially given the current growing and ever evolving state of social media. This episode also creates one of the most realistic and immersive future settings (I wouldn't even mind a spin-off mini-series set in this universe exploring characters of different social rankings) and Bryce Dallas Howard is a fantastic protagonist that grows more likable and relatable as the episode progresses. This episode plays on the age-old "one bad day" theme to enjoyment of the viewer at the expense of Lacie. However, eventually we see how far one can fall in only a few hours and how much social rating costs in the future. My only real complaint about this episode has been a continuing theme throughout this season (with the exception of White Christmas), the ending. We are giving a glimpse into what some might see as a dark future, but really most people seem happy. So the flow of the episode is happy, slightly less happy, dark glimpse, happy ending. Maybe they should have just made it a few minutes longer or cut something else, but their needed to be a little bit longer at rock bottom, a little more darkness, before the hope and happiness at the end.
Slow Start but worth it
srj-krok21 October 2016
This programme is everything I've learned to love about "Black Mirror". It is a wonderful satire about our obsession with social media and the approval of our peers.
Hand on heart, it started slowly for me, both in terms of pacing and content, but my engagement and investment in the characters and story seemed to grow exponentially throughout. The final exchange is magnificent.
I would enjoy delving more into the different stories within this world. To follow the lives of differently rated people.
This is science fiction at its very best. Nosedive uses a fictional social construct to examine our faults and give us further personal insight to the unhealthy obsession we have over the thoughts of others, the desire for recognition and the facades we present to those we 'love'.
Bravo.
Hand on heart, it started slowly for me, both in terms of pacing and content, but my engagement and investment in the characters and story seemed to grow exponentially throughout. The final exchange is magnificent.
I would enjoy delving more into the different stories within this world. To follow the lives of differently rated people.
This is science fiction at its very best. Nosedive uses a fictional social construct to examine our faults and give us further personal insight to the unhealthy obsession we have over the thoughts of others, the desire for recognition and the facades we present to those we 'love'.
Bravo.
Great concept and production values; bloated result
fmilder-533-3425123 October 2016
Imagine a future world where everyone is subject to continuous evaluation, a la Trip Adviser or Yelp. Like so many of the Black Mirror episodes, a brilliant concept, and great execution. Concepts like having to smile continuously to keep your score up, or the problems of driving a battery-powered car, show how much thought went into the script.
Rod Serling observed that he loved the old 30-minute episodes of Twilight Zone, and hated when he was forced to produce a 60-minute version. He felt that he could say everything that he wanted to say in 30 minutes and the longer time just made the show feel bloated.
And so it was with Nosedive. There's 30 minutes of brilliance in here, and another 30 minutes of enough already. That's too bad; it would be great if someone could pare this back to its essence, and lose all the excesses in the later scenes, each of which goes on for 2-3 times as long as appropriate to make the point.
Rod Serling observed that he loved the old 30-minute episodes of Twilight Zone, and hated when he was forced to produce a 60-minute version. He felt that he could say everything that he wanted to say in 30 minutes and the longer time just made the show feel bloated.
And so it was with Nosedive. There's 30 minutes of brilliance in here, and another 30 minutes of enough already. That's too bad; it would be great if someone could pare this back to its essence, and lose all the excesses in the later scenes, each of which goes on for 2-3 times as long as appropriate to make the point.
Dystopia in real time
sergicaballeroalsina12 July 2018
1984 was a miscalculation in Orwell's pen. The old dystopias spoke of uncertain futures. Black Mirror is the dystopia that faces us, an unwanted reality that closes the gap, dystopia in real time.
Nosedive is the episode that best honors the name of the series. It is the episode that speaks most directly to our culture. Reality is relegated to the level of mere assumption in a culture that questions the truth of our relationships. Because we have homogenized the way in which we establish them, placing our relations with our families, with movie stars, with our boss, with politicians and with our friends, but also with our enemies on the same action field. In a way, we have decoded our relationships. We have deranged them. The reality we issue through our new social media is constantly subject to judgment. We have self-imposed a discipline based on the control we exercise over others and that others exercise, simultaneously, over us: we have developed together a kind of voluntary censorship without mercy. How many years have passed since we exceeded Big Brother?
Prestige means the power to impress but its etymological root in Latin means trick.
The posing, the food that tastes like nothing but looks cool and pastel colours everywhere have become a way of life. Nosedive deals with all that. It's about you in front of a black mirror and it's about me, writing this review, hoping you give me a positive vote even if you do not know me at all.
A scary delve into what could be.
Sleepin_Dragon6 January 2018
I have to say I am stunned by the high score this one has, higher then many other episodes. I like the concept, I like the message, but the delivery I personally didn't care a great deal for. The harsh, bleak core of the show is lacking here, it's garish and syrupy in its execution, all the elements that make Black Mirror the addictive show that it is just aren't here. Nothing wrong with the performances, well acted, but almost all of the characters are loathsome, it's hard to believe that most people would be so shallow. The message is powerful, how many times does one walk into a coffee shop or step on a train and find everyone with their heads down transfixed by their phone, how many times do see companies desperate for feedback.
A Nosedive in quality
demilung23 February 2018
Nosedive is the first episode of the 3rd season of Black Mirror - and the first episode since it stopped being a Channel 4 show and became a Netflix show.
And the shift in production is really obvious. Compared to the previous you can say that this one has a higher budget just from looking at it. There are more costumes, sets, all that. But all those things also work to make the show seem less real. One of the big streghts of Black Mirror was just how real it felt, how it was something you could wake up in tomorrow. But Nosedive is most definitely a show. If making it look fake and unreal was the point, then they succeded, but that most devinitely didn't help the episode. But that's not the biggest problem.
The biggest problems is that it isn't written well. The idea of this society built on the social media ranking is nice - but the people don't behave like they would in such a scenario. They behave like you and me would placed in a situation like that. Everyone would be supper paranoied about doing anything to upse the others since it literally takes away your quality of life, but the characters don't behave like that - they screw up all over and act upset at the rules of the world that they live in for what seems like a long time.
But the biggest flaw of this episode is the lack of subtelty. Everythng is compeltely on the nose and obvious and spoken straight up leaving very little for consideration. There's not mistery, little to no ambiguity, it's really a nothing episode. Couple it with how unlikable the main character is, and you got yourself a Nosedive - in more ways than one.
And the shift in production is really obvious. Compared to the previous you can say that this one has a higher budget just from looking at it. There are more costumes, sets, all that. But all those things also work to make the show seem less real. One of the big streghts of Black Mirror was just how real it felt, how it was something you could wake up in tomorrow. But Nosedive is most definitely a show. If making it look fake and unreal was the point, then they succeded, but that most devinitely didn't help the episode. But that's not the biggest problem.
The biggest problems is that it isn't written well. The idea of this society built on the social media ranking is nice - but the people don't behave like they would in such a scenario. They behave like you and me would placed in a situation like that. Everyone would be supper paranoied about doing anything to upse the others since it literally takes away your quality of life, but the characters don't behave like that - they screw up all over and act upset at the rules of the world that they live in for what seems like a long time.
But the biggest flaw of this episode is the lack of subtelty. Everythng is compeltely on the nose and obvious and spoken straight up leaving very little for consideration. There's not mistery, little to no ambiguity, it's really a nothing episode. Couple it with how unlikable the main character is, and you got yourself a Nosedive - in more ways than one.
Bryce Dallas Howard deserves an EMMY!
akharvey6 January 2021
Plenty of reviewers have, quite rightly, focused on the brilliance and relevance of this episode to the "real" world we live in. It is an extremely frightening depiction of where we may end up if our obsession with social media continues on its current trajectory.
This is the best Black Mirror episode so far.
Bryce Dallas Howard is absolutely OUTSTANDING in this episode. I have seen her in other roles and she has made literally zero impression on me. Not anymore. The storyline is an important one and it is because of her brilliant acting that the message hits you between the eyes and lingers long after the credits. Humankind is at a tipping point. Watching this episode tips the scales the "right" way and I hope enough people watch it to make a difference out there.
This is the best Black Mirror episode so far.
Bryce Dallas Howard is absolutely OUTSTANDING in this episode. I have seen her in other roles and she has made literally zero impression on me. Not anymore. The storyline is an important one and it is because of her brilliant acting that the message hits you between the eyes and lingers long after the credits. Humankind is at a tipping point. Watching this episode tips the scales the "right" way and I hope enough people watch it to make a difference out there.
Another Look at Our Shallowness
Hitchcoc11 January 2018
A culture has developed where people are rated on some arbitrary scale. The main character is doing whatever she can to get above her 4.2 status. People will reject her because they are "superior" in number. She is totally shallow, attempting to make the kind of connections that will boost her up a couple decimal points. So when she meets people, she can look at a phone and see what their level is. The way we treat people isn't much different than this as we look at things that have nothing to do with substance. As with most of these episodes, things are taken to the nth degree. Interesting encounters as she goes to the wedding of a beautiful woman who mistreated her but would be useful in upping her rating.
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