Joan Is Awful: Difference between revisions
fix |
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit Android app edit |
||
| Line 60: | Line 60: | ||
Hayek then visits Joan at her house and explains that she is equally powerless against Streamberry. The two then resolve to take down the company together by breaking into their headquarters and destroying the quantum computer, which is located down the hall from the office of [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] Mona Javadi. During the mission, Joan and Hayek spy on Javadi explaining to a reporter that Streamberry's algorithm can create a show based on any of its customers' lives and that a series that exploits audiences' personal fears breeds stronger viewership. |
Hayek then visits Joan at her house and explains that she is equally powerless against Streamberry. The two then resolve to take down the company together by breaking into their headquarters and destroying the quantum computer, which is located down the hall from the office of [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] Mona Javadi. During the mission, Joan and Hayek spy on Javadi explaining to a reporter that Streamberry's algorithm can create a show based on any of its customers' lives and that a series that exploits audiences' personal fears breeds stronger viewership. |
||
Upon reaching the server room, Joan and Hayek run into a [[technician]] who reveals that they themselves are in a fictional layer of reality, with "Joan" in fact being a character played by actress [[Annie Murphy]], based on a real-life counterpart; Hayek, meanwhile, is playing a fictionalized version of herself. Javadi pleads with Joan not to destroy the quantum computer and thereby erase their reality, but Joan cedes control to her real-life self who opts to destroy the machine. |
Upon reaching the server room, Joan and Hayek run into a [[technician]] who reveals that they themselves are in a fictional layer of reality (the first one, based directly on the real world), with "Joan" in fact being a character played by actress [[Annie Murphy]], based on a real-life counterpart; Hayek, meanwhile, is playing a fictionalized version of herself. Javadi pleads with Joan not to destroy the quantum computer and thereby erase their reality, but Joan cedes control to her real-life self who opts to destroy the machine. |
||
Reality reverts to its source level where both the real Joan and Murphy are placed on house arrest for breaking into Streamberry's offices. "Source Joan" later tells her therapist that she feels more in control of her life and goes to run her coffee shop where Murphy, whom she has befriended, visits her. |
Reality reverts to its source level where both the real Joan and Murphy are placed on house arrest for breaking into Streamberry's offices. "Source Joan" later tells her therapist that she feels more in control of her life and goes to run her coffee shop where Murphy, whom she has befriended, visits her. |
||
In a [[post-credits scene]], the real Joan is seen committing the original church act. |
|||
== Production == |
== Production == |
||
Revision as of 06:11, 2 July 2023
 |
| "Joan Is Awful" | |
|---|---|
| Black Mirror episode | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Episode no. | Series 6 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Ally Pankiw |
| Written by | Charlie Brooker |
| Featured music | "Tap In" by Saweetie |
| Original air date | 15 June 2023 |
| Running time | 56 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Joan Is Awful" is the first episode of the sixth series of the anthology series Black Mirror. It was written by series creator Charlie Brooker and directed by Ally Pankiw. The episode was released on Netflix, along with the rest of series six, on 15 June 2023.
It follows a tech executive (Annie Murphy) who discovers that her life is being adapted into a series by the streaming corporation Streamberry and starring Salma Hayek as Joan.
Plot
Tech executive Joan Tait lays off one of her most loyal employees, then attends a therapy session. Afterwards, she meets her ex, Mac, for dinner where the two share a kiss before Joan regretfully leaves. At home, she and her fiancé, Krish, watch TV and discover a series on streaming app Streamberry titled Joan Is Awful, starring Salma Hayek. Joan is horrified to find that the series is a near-exact (albeit dramatized) retelling of her day. Krish leaves her upon learning from the show about her feelings for Mac.
The next day, Joan finds that all of her coworkers have watched the series and that the board of directors has elected to fire her from the company. Enraged, she visits her lawyer who tells her that Joan technically consented to have her identity repurposed by Streamberry upon signing the app's terms and conditions. Joan learns the show is produced entirely in CGI using a quantum computer that gathers real-time data on users' lives from their personal devices with Hayek merely having signed off on her likeness to be digitally reproduced by Streamberry.
Believing Hayek has the power to stop the show's production, Joan tries to get her more attention by dressing up in a cheerleader costume and interrupting a wedding at a church by defecating on the floor. Her act is indeed captured on the next episode of Joan Is Awful. Outraged at having her image defiled, Hayek meets with her own lawyer who tells her that the lengthy contract she signed with Streamberry permits them to use her likeness in any way they please.
Hayek then visits Joan at her house and explains that she is equally powerless against Streamberry. The two then resolve to take down the company together by breaking into their headquarters and destroying the quantum computer, which is located down the hall from the office of CEO Mona Javadi. During the mission, Joan and Hayek spy on Javadi explaining to a reporter that Streamberry's algorithm can create a show based on any of its customers' lives and that a series that exploits audiences' personal fears breeds stronger viewership.
Upon reaching the server room, Joan and Hayek run into a technician who reveals that they themselves are in a fictional layer of reality (the first one, based directly on the real world), with "Joan" in fact being a character played by actress Annie Murphy, based on a real-life counterpart; Hayek, meanwhile, is playing a fictionalized version of herself. Javadi pleads with Joan not to destroy the quantum computer and thereby erase their reality, but Joan cedes control to her real-life self who opts to destroy the machine.
Reality reverts to its source level where both the real Joan and Murphy are placed on house arrest for breaking into Streamberry's offices. "Source Joan" later tells her therapist that she feels more in control of her life and goes to run her coffee shop where Murphy, whom she has befriended, visits her.
In a post-credits scene, the real Joan is seen committing the original church act.
Production
Netflix announced that a sixth Black Mirror series was in development in May 2022, nearly three years since the previous series was released.[1] The screenwriter for "Joan Is Awful" was Charlie Brooker, and the director was Ally Pankiw.[2] Brooker said it was the only episode of the sixth series to feel like a traditional installment.[3]
The original idea saw Joan as the subject of newspaper headlines over petty colleague complaints, or deepfakes of politicians used by a news network. Brooker was later inspired by the miniseries The Dropout (2022), which depicted the creation and downfall of disgraced tech startup Theranos, as it seemed to be making drama from "things that happened ten minutes ago".[3][4] Brooker described the episode as one of the "most overtly comic" of the programme.[5] Filming finished before ChatGPT was released, making the episode "eerily timely" according to Esquire's Emma Stefansky. Brooker commented that the entertainment industry was considering a future of "automatically generated entertainment that is endlessly targeted directly at individuals" and what this would mean for writers.[3]
Casting and filming
An April 2023 casting announcement included Annie Murphy, Salma Hayek, Michael Cera, Himesh Patel, Rob Delaney, and Ben Barnes,[6] who were linked to the episode "Joan Is Awful" the following month.[2] Brooker picked Murphy after watching Schitt's Creek during the COVID-19 pandemic, feeling she had the comedic timing for the role of Joan while being "likeable yet relatable, goofy, and flawed". He also noted director Ally Pankiw was the best fit to work with Murphy given she had worked on said show as a story editor. While always considering a well-known movie star for the show-within-a-show Joan, when Hayek was eventually brought up Brooker was unsure she would accept, only for her to be knowledgeable about Black Mirror and intrigued by the episode's premise.[7]
On playing herself in the episode, Hayek said that it gave her opportunity to "explore the concepts and clichés people have about me and be self-deprecating" and have "permission" to do "the most disgusting, grotesque things", though one such thing in the script made her question, "Do I really want to do this?"[8] Brooker said that Hayek wanted her dialogue to be "more outrageous" than the "more tame" lines they had written so as not to "scare her off".[4] Hayek also said it would help to include personal facts about her in the script, leading to the scene where Hayek says she is dyslexic and Roman Catholic.[7] Murphy said of the scene where her character defecates in a church: "I couldn't be more excited about it and I could picture it".[9]
Reception
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the episode holds an approval rating of 93% based on 15 reviews.[10] The Independent rated it three stars out of five;[11] The Daily Telegraph rated it two stars.[12]
Further reading
- Bojalad, Alec (15 June 2023). "Black Mirror Season 6 Episode 1 Review: Joan Is Awful". Den of Geek.
- D'Addario, Daniel (15 June 2023). "'Black Mirror' Season 6 Is a Refreshingly Uncynical Return to Form: TV Review". Variety.
- Bianculli, David (16 June 2023). "5 new 'Black Mirror' episodes have dropped — and there's not a dud in the bunch". NPR.
- Sepinwall, Alan (15 June 2023). "'Black Mirror' Season Six Takes Aim at Netflix But Feels Stuck in the Past". Rolling Stone.
- Dray, Kayleigh (15 June 2023). "Black Mirror season 6 review: Through the past, darkly". The A.V. Club.
References
- ^ Ravindran, Manori (16 May 2022). "Black Mirror Returns: New Series in the Works at Netflix (Exclusive)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ a b May 11, Christian Holub (11 May 2023). "'Black Mirror' season 6 reveals episode details, new photos". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c Stefansky, Emma (15 June 2023). "Black Mirror Season 6: Charlie Brooker Breaks Down Every Episode". Esquire. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ a b Flood, Alex (16 June 2023). "'Black Mirror' season six post-watch guide: trivia, set secrets and more". NME. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Griffin, Louise; Cormack, Morgan (15 June 2023). "Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker explains 'Red Mirror' label". Radio Times. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ Strause, Jackie (26 April 2023). "Black Mirror Sets Season 6 Return, Reveals Cast and Teaser Trailer". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ a b Cleal, Sam (16 June 2023). "Here Are 17 Interesting "Black Mirror" Season Six Facts We Learned In Conversation With Charlie Brooker". Buzzfeed News.
- ^ Edwards, Chris (16 June 2023). "Salma Hayek was worried 'Black Mirror' role would get her 'in trouble'". NME. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Rowan, Iona (16 June 2023). "Black Mirror's Joan Is Awful star on filming 'gross' scene". Digital Spy. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Joan Is Awful". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Hilton, Nick (15 June 2023). "Black Mirror season six review: Charlie Brooker's sci-fi mishmash needs to stop messing with a winning formula". The Independent. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Power, Ed (15 June 2023). "Joan is Awful is Black Mirror at its most self-satisfied – and makes for a tiresome opener". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 June 2023.