A brilliant, telling review of the first episode of Black Mirror season four.
The most savage takedown in “USS Callister” isn’t even its depiction of white guy nerds’ toxic sense of entitlement because they’ve become so lost in pop culture. It’s the portrayal of their lack of imagination.
Something like Space Fleet was so seemingly catered to Bob’s desires that he doesn’t aim to improve upon it, or bend it, or subvert it. He longs to slavishly recreate it, then disappear into it as its protagonist. He doesn’t want to be an author; he wants to become part of the canon.
I really enjoyed this episode. Sadly though, it’s hard not to see it as a sequel of sorts to season three’s phenomenal San Junipero – which kind of puts a downer on that episode’s happy ending.