How did Netflix allow DAS? Black Mirror creators explain how the “disgusting, grotesque” episode came about

The dystopian sci-fi series Black Mirror returns for Season 6 on Netflix. Already the 1st episode, Joan is Awful, turns out to be a wild Netflix meta-commentary and Matrix Matryoshka, skillfully playing on current streaming fears and annoyances. Where, among other things Netflix isn’t exactly doing well.

So how was it possible for the episode to see the light of day in this form? And that Salma Hayek agreed despite concerns?

Black Mirror parodies Netflix in season 6: Was there a backlash for this?

In the Black Mirror episode Joan is Awful, Joan (Annie Murphy) discovers that her life, with all its ugly facets, is suddenly being duplicated 1:1 by a series starring Salma Hayek. Responsible for that is evil streaming service Streamberrywhich is unabashed from its menus to the red S logo Netflix equivalent.

The reactions to the 1st episode of Black Mirror season 6 were enthusiastic, especially because the intricate narrative takes current issues such as sold image rights and digital AI deepfakes to the extreme and the Netflix placeholder Streamberry, at the same time unscrupulous profit machine stylized. The further the episode progresses, the more it is about greed for profit, reckless decisions and hidden terms and conditions clauses. Even a star like Salma Hayek is rebuffed by the streaming group boss.

Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker revealed to Empire how Netflix reacted to his clone in Joan is Awful when pitching the idea ahead of Season 6:

We said, ‘We’ve got this streaming platform called ‘Streamberry’ in an episode… can we make it look like Netflix?’ They walked away and came back surprisingly quickly and said, ‘Yeah, okay.’ There was no resistance, as far as I know. That was a bit disappointing because I wanted to say, ‘I did it anyway because I’m an anarchist!’

The point Brooker makes in Black Mirror, however, is bigger than a single streaming service, he explained. At the same time he is sure: “If it hadn’t happened at Netflix, we would have been sued.”

Crossing Boundaries Joan is Awful: Black Mirror star Salma Hayek on her ‘disgusting’ alter ego

In order to defend herself against the exploitation of her life, the main character in Black Mirror’s Joan is Awful does unsavory things in the hope that her series actress Salma Hayek will object and sound the alarm. The Mexican star revealed that the Crossing borders at Netflix a challenge for her was:

[Es war] a once in a lifetime opportunity to play an interpretation of myself. I was allowed to ironically explore the ideas and clichés people have about me. It was as if I had created an alter ego that I do the most disgusting and grotesque things that I would never have done in real life. But here I was given permission to do so.

It even went so far that Salma Hayek wondered how far she was willing to go for Black Mirror:

There were so many moments in the script that shocked me. There’s one big thing I had to come to terms with. I asked myself: ‘Do I really want to do this? Am I going to get in trouble?’

Anyone who has seen Joan is Awful as the 1st Black Mirror episode of season 6 can think for themselves which scene that is for the Catholic Salma Hayek. In the end, the only question is what would Cate Blanchett have said about it?

Podcast: Is Netflix Still Worth It Or Is It A Waste Of Money?

Popular series are being discontinued, password sharing is being prevented and prices are increasing: In this podcast episode, we therefore ask ourselves a question: Is the Netflix subscription still worth it?

We present the arguments for and against Netflix, explain the current price structure and the measures against account sharing. We also take a look at the attractive content that the streaming service still offers and thus arrive at the answer: to unsubscribe or not?

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