text:
Fifteen Million Merits
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
"Fifteen Million Merits"
Black Mirror episode
Bing (Daniel Kaluuya) awakens in his screen-covered "box" every morning.
Episode no.
Series 1
Episode 2
Directed by
Euros Lyn
Written by
Charlie Brooker
Kanak Huq
Featured music
Original Score by
Stephen McKeon
Original air date
11 December 2011 (2011-12-11)
Running time
62 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Daniel Kaluuya as Bingham "Bing" Madsen
Jessica Brown Findlay as Abi Khan
Rupert Everett as Judge Hope
Julia Davis as Judge Charity
Ashley Thomas as Judge Wraith
Paul Popplewell as Dustin
Isabella Laughland as Swift
David Fynn as Oliver
Colin Carmichael as Kai
Hannah John-Kamen as Selma Telse
Kerrie Hayes as Glee
Eugene O'Hare as Hammond
Jaimi Barbakoff as Anna
Merce Ribot as Hot Shot Registration Lady
Matthew Burgess as Botherguts Host
Laura Power as Interviewer
Matt Stokoe as Guard
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The National Anthem" Next →
"The Entire History of You"
List of Black Mirror episodes
"Fifteen Million Merits" is the second episode of the first series of British science fiction anthology series Black Mirror. It was written by series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and his wife Konnie Huq (credited as Kanak Huq) and directed by Euros Lyn, and first aired on Channel 4 on 11 December 2011.
In a world where most of society must cycle on exercise bikes in order to power their surroundings and earn currency called "Merits", the episode tells the story of Bing (Daniel Kaluuya), who meets Abi (Jessica Brown Findlay) and convinces her to participate in a talent game show to escape the slave-like world around them. The episode is a science-fiction dystopia which features a parallel to reality shows and figures such as The X Factor and Simon Cowell.
The episode received positive reviews. Some reviewers praised the episode's visual style and thought-provoking nature, along with the actor's performances, and believe it to be superior to previous episode "The National Anthem"; other commentators criticised the episode for being unoriginal.[1][2]
Contents
[hide]
1 Plot
2 Production
3 Analysis
4 Reception
5 References
6 External links
Plot[edit]
A society of people live in an enclosed, automated space, with nearly every surface a video screen with personalised entertainment and frequent advertising. They earn their living by riding on stationary bikes to generate power in exchange for "merits", a form of currency used to buy food, goods, virtual items for their doppel, and for entertainment. The society shuns overweight people, who are tasked with menial, janitorial jobs and subjected to humiliation via a game show, Botherguts.
Bingham "Bing" Madsen (Daniel Kaluuya) has recently inherited millions of merits from his dead brother. He meets Abi Khan (Jessica Brown Findlay) while exercising one day, and develops a crush on her. Later, after overhearing Abi singing in a restroom, he encourages her to enter Hot Shot, a reality contest where winners are able to move into more lavish spaces and can forgo the bike riding. However, an entry ticket costs 15 million merits. Bing, feeling there is nothing worth buying, gifts Abi the entry ticket, and joins her for her audition. Abi is required to drink a psychotropic beverage labeled "Cuppliance" from a stage hand, before she goes out to sing "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is" for the judges, Hope, Charity and Wraith (Rupert Everett, Julia Davis, Ashley Thomas, respectively). While they are impressed with her singing, they admit they have no more room for singers, but Wraith suggests she is better suited for his pornography show, WraithBabes. Despite Bing protesting from the wings, Abi is excessively pressured by both the crowd and judges, and in her altered state tearfully accepts.
Bing returns to his routine listlessly. One day, while watching entertainment in his personal cell, an advert for an episode of WraithBabes featuring Abi appears. Bing does not have the merits to skip the ad, and cannot look away without the automated systems waiting for him to return to watching, and he angrily bashes one of the screens, shattering its glass. He eyes one of the larger pieces. Cutting his Hot Shot tattoo, he gets an idea. He hides the shard under his bed, along with the waste container from the Cuppliance drink Abi had. He spends the next few months aggressively earning merits on the bike and being frugal with all other purchases to re-earn the 15 million merits and buy another Hot Shot entry ticket.
Prior to his tryout, Bing hides the glass shard in his trousers, and feigns to the stage hands that he has already drunk his Cuppliance by showing them the empty container. For the judges, he starts with a dance number that impresses them and the audience, when he suddenly pulls out the shard and threatens to slice his neck. Wraith suggests he go through with it, but the other judges hear him out. Bing angrily rants about the system, talking about the cold, heartlessness of it and how everything is artificial and unemotional. After some discussion, Hope offers Bing his own regular show on one of their channels.
Some time later, Bing is shown recording his show, consisting of him holding the shard of glass to his neck to rant before finishing with advert placements. Bing now lives in much larger quarters, and the episode ends with him looking out through the side of his room onto a green forest stretching into the distance.
Production[edit]
This episode was the first Black Mirror episode to be written, though it aired second.[3] It was written by Charlie Brooker and Konnie Huq; Brooker described it as "sort of her idea", as she once remarked that he would "basically be happy in a room where every wall was [an iPad screen]".[4] Brooker compared it to the "1984" ad produced by Apple, Inc. for the Apple Macintosh computer.[5]
Additionally, the episode is based on the "narrative in talent shows", where "there are a lot of people who do a job they hate for little reward, and one of the main means of salvation that's held up is to become an overnight star."[3] According to Brooker, the sets feature working screens as it was decided that using visual effects would not really be possible.[4]
David Lewis of Cultbox compared Botherguts, one of the fictional entertainment shows that makes fun of overweight people in the society, to Brooker's previous work TVGoHome.[6]
Scenes from "Fifteen Million Merits" were featured at a Barbican Centre exhibit entitled "Into the Unknown: A Journey Through Science Fiction". The entrance contained a 6 feet (1.8 m) high installation containing extracts from the episode across multiple screens.[7]
Analysis[edit]
The episode falls under the genres of dystopia, science fiction and drama.[8][9] Lambie compares it to dystopian novels Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brave New World and We, due to the plot revolving around a "doomed relationship".[9] Bing is a tragic hero according to Wallaston.[10] In regards to the pacing, Sims writes that the episode is "economical [...] with the information it gives you".[8]
Richards notes that Hot Shot is "a caustic satire on TV talent shows";[2] it is widely considered to be based on The X Factor, with Judge Hope in the role of Simon Cowell.[8][10][2] Wollaston notes that "Fifteen Million Merits" premiered on the night of the 2011 X Factor final, calling it "no coincidence surely".[10] Reviewers have also drawn comparisons to American Idol.[11]
Sims uses the metaphor that Bing is "stuck inside a cellphone", and that his life is a game of Candy Crush.[8] Connolly calls Bing's cell a "little tomb made out of Kinect-equipped iPads".[1] Sims notes that the doppels each person has resemble Mii avatars.[8] Surette comments that the episode shows a "class system", with the unfit being assigned janitor jobs – a lower position than working on the exercise bikes. He also notes that one could compare the world to that of a dull office job.[11]
Bing can be seen as a satire of Brooker himself, as both can be described as a "bilious TV critic turned TV presenter".[2] His character speaks very little for most of the episode before his stream of consciousness-style rant at the judges.[8] Howard said Abi's storyline "rings chillingly true in our world of Instamodels and reality stars", giving the example of Kim Kardashian, and opines "Stardom, for women, equates to sexual objectification - it's unavoidable".[12] Surette writes that the episode provides a "look forward into our celebrity-obsessed culture".[11]
The forest seen from Bing's window at the end of the episode can be interpreted as real or a computer-generated landscape.[6][1] Sims writes "It can't be [real], can it?"[8]
Reception[edit]
"Fifteen Million Merits" premiered on Channel 4 on 11 December 2011 at 9:30 p.m., where according to 7-day figures from the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board, the episode was watched by 1.52 million viewers.[13]
The episode received positive reviews. Many critics agreed that this episode was better than the previous, "The National Anthem". Sims opined that it is a "grander work in every way",[8] while Wollaston calls it "much better", "more artful" and "moving".[10]
Writing for The A.V. Club, David Sims gave the episode an A, describing it as "visually seamless" and "a dazzling piece of science fiction that builds its world out slowly but perfectly over the course of an hour". He called Bing "perhaps too inscrutable" but says the ending is "devastating and smart".[8] Tim Surette of TV.com said that the episode is "one of the most beautiful and haunting hours of science-fiction television you'll [ever] see". Surette assessed that, "Brimming with gorgeous visuals, a moving score, and a fully realized future that might not be too far off, there's never a moment where '15 Million Merits' is anything less than gripping, scary, and thought-provoking. [...] '15 Million Merits' wants you to look in the mirror and do something about it."[11] Sam Wollaston of The Guardian described the episode as "original, thoughtful, thought-provoking television". Wollaston remarked that "all the performances are good" and that the world is "striking to look at and beautiful".[10]
Ryan Lambie of Den of Geek raved that "Fifteen Million Merits" contains "some of the finest production design, music and acting [he has] seen in a genre television show all year". Criticising that "some aspects [...] are a little too shrill", referring to Dustin's abrasiveness and Hope's obvious satire of Cowell, Lambie gave an otherwise overwhelmingly positive review, critiquing that "the warmth of Bing and Abi's brief romance, contrasted against the coldness of TV screens, jeering avatars and manipulative reality show judges, is among the most moving I've seen in for a while, and the main reason why Fifteen Million Merits is such a captivating piece of genre television."[9] Alexandra Howard of The 405 wrote that the episode is the one that "stuck with [her]", due to its commentary on the objectification of women; Howard commented that Black Mirror "makes you reflect upon the world and realise that you are also part of the problem".[12]
Sam Richards of The Telegraph gave the episode four out of five stars in a review which argued that the episode explored "familiar tropes" with "style, savvy and lashings of acerbic humour".[2] David Lewis of Cultbox rated the episode three out of five, commenting that "the moral is more sledgehammer than subtle" but Bing and Abi holdings hands is "sweet" and the golden ticket appearing with Bing's doppel on Abi's screen is "genuinely touching"; Lewis called the episode "profoundly depressing – highly watchable, but utterly wretched".[6]
Brendan Connolly of Bleeding Cool was "disappointed" by the episode, as it was a "fairly prosaic story situated in an all too familiar future world, semi-fraught with overplayed dangers". The review criticised the "bit of a leap" required to accept that Abi would "choose a life of televised sex abuse over a life of menial labour". However, Connolly stated that "the show really punched out through the screen and hit [him]" in its final scene, due to the ambiguity of whether the forest is real, and uncertainty of how Bing sees his situation.[1]
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b c d Connolly, Brendan (11 December 2011). "Black Mirror: Fifteen Million Merits – With Final Ambiguities Worth Discussing". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Richards, Sam (11 December 2011). "Black Mirror: 15 Million Merits, Channel 4, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b "Charlie Brooker interview: Black Mirror, videogames, Gameswipe and A Touch of Cloth". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b "Black Mirror: Charlie Brooker interview". Channel 4. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
Jump up ^ "Charlie Brooker: the dark side of our gadget addiction". The Guardian. London. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b c Lewis, David (11 December 2011). "'Black Mirror': 'Fifteen Million Merits' review". Cultbox. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
Jump up ^ Renshaw, David (12 April 2017). "A New Sci-Fi Exhibition Will Offer An Immersive Black Mirror Experience". The Fader. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Sims, David (19 November 2013). "Review: Black Mirror: 'Fifteen Million Merits". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b c Lambie, Ryan (11 December 2011). "Black Mirror episode two spoiler-filled review: Fifteen Million Merits". Den of Geek. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Wollaston, Sam (11 December 2011). "TV review: Black Mirror; Piers Morgan's Life Stories: Peter Andre; This is Justin Bieber". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Surette, Tim (21 November 2013). "Black Mirror's "15 Million Merits" Is One of TV's Best Sci-fi Episodes That You'll Probably Never See". TV.com. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b Howard, Alexandra (17 October 2016). "Black Mirror Week: Fifteen Million Merits - A retrospective". The 405. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
Jump up ^ "Weekly top 30 programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
External links[edit]
"Fifteen Million Merits" on IMDb
hide
v
t
e
Black Mirror
Episodes
Series 1
"The National Anthem"
"Fifteen Million Merits"
"The Entire History of You"
Series 2
"Be Right Back"
"White Bear"
"The Waldo Moment"
Series 3
"Nosedive"
"Playtest"
"Shut Up and Dance"
"San Junipero"
"Men Against Fire"
"Hated in the Nation"
Series 4
"USS Callister"
"Arkangel"
"Crocodile"
"Hang the DJ"
"Metalhead"
"Black Museum"
Special
"White Christmas"
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fifteen_Million_Merits&oldid=844870487"
Categories:
2011 British television episodes
Black Mirror episodes
Reality television series parodies
Television in fiction
Television episodes about advertising
Television episodes written by Charlie Brooker
Hidden categories:
Pages using infobox television episode with incorrectly formatted episode list
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
Languages
Español
Français
Bahasa Indonesia
Português
Русский
Українська
Edit links
This page was last edited on 7 June 2018, at 18:48 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

attrs: class href

values: mw-jump-link #mw-head

values: mw-jump-link #p-search

value: th

attrs: colspan class style

values: text-align:center;font-size:125%;font-weight:bold;font-weight: normal; background: #CCCCFF; padding: 0.25em 1em; line-height: 1.5em;

attrs: colspan style

values: text-align:center;font-weight: bold; font-size: 110%

values: Black Mirror - Fifteen Million Merits.jpg

attrs: href class

value: abbr

attrs: scope style

values: text-align:center;background: #CCCCFF; padding: 0.25em 1em; line-height: 1.5em;

values: text-align: left; padding: 5px; margin: 0; padding-left: 1em

values: width: 50%; padding: 0.2em 0.1em 0.2em 0; text-align: center;

values: width: 50%; padding: 0.2em 0 0.2em 0.1em; text-align: center;

values:
/wiki/Stationary_bike
mw-redirect
Stationary bike

values:
/wiki/Apple,_Inc.
mw-redirect
Apple, Inc.

values:
/wiki/Apple_Macintosh
mw-redirect
Apple Macintosh

values:
/wiki/Candy_Crush
mw-redirect
Candy Crush

values: Stream of consciousness (narrative mode)

values:
/wiki/Den_of_Geek
mw-redirect
Den of Geek

values:
nofollow
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2089049/
external text

values: nowraplinks collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible

values: Category:2011 British television episodes

values: Category:Reality television series parodies

values: Category:Television episodes about advertising

values: Category:Television episodes written by Charlie Brooker

values: Category:Pages using infobox television episode with incorrectly formatted episode list

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values:
/wiki/Fifteen_Million_Merits
View the content page [ctrl-alt-c]
c

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

values:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

values: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

values: Find background information on current events

values:
/wiki/Special:Random
Load a random article [ctrl-alt-x]
x

values: portal navigation p-navigation p-navigation-label

values: Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia

values: portal navigation p-interaction p-interaction-label

values: Permanent link to this revision of the page

values: 15 миллионов заслуг – Russian

values: П'ятнадцять мільйонів нагород – Ukrainian

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Fifteen_Million_Merits rootpage-Fifteen_Million_Merits skin-vector action-view