User Reviews

Where do I begin? The main characters were lovable and were developed well for an episode that lasted less than 1 hour. Even with no backstory as a simulation, Amy and Frank were easy to connect to. I was honestly surprised that I felt so connected with the main characters when the episode was so short. There was a connection with their unease about a forced human partnership matching system as there would be if it were in real life.

The criticisms and alternate views on the modern dating environment along with an increased reliance on technology was well-balanced. This was not a dark dystopian future, but rather how we can break through whatever dystopian constraints the world sets on us, even what technology sets upon us, and persevere as a team. It also gave technology a chance. It says it can help us along our journey. Even in the simulation, if the main characters were not paired in the beginning, their outcomes would/could have been vastly different. There was also the caricature of modern dating with the ultimate/perfect match ceremony (sendoff?) of Edna and Mike. It seemed like satire of any of the major dating websites' commercials. It still gave credence to the idea that it could work for some, but that it was either ridiculous-looking or a pipedream to many.

The resolution did not show who would be the perfect match for Amy. While there might have been a "perfect" option in a coached system of matchmaking, the show ends with a determination that love finds a way and overcomes all odds. This is an encouragement for all to persevere in your relationship instead of giving up for a "perfect one" they say might be out there. Find someone you love and can live happily with. I found it an interesting metaphor for single life that Amy and Frank could not remember life before the coach matchmaking. Just as it is hard in a committed relationship to remember single life, the main characters did not know what it was like before their simulation started. For them, it was when their "life" began. Quite a romantic analogy.

I found it interesting that I do not remember the words "love" in the entire episode. This was a dystopian view of modern romance and one of the only sad things that I was left with in this episode.

I did find it odd that this would come after USS Callister, or even in the same season. Beyond being a similar uplifting story like episode 4 of season 3, San Junipero, Hang the DJ seemed cruel to subject the sentient code to pain.

The length of the episode felt short but I would not change it. The story was fully developed and they never spent more time than needed in any particular point. This was so precisely directed that not once in the episode did I feel the story drag or did I feel like I missed out on something. The ending had perfect closure. I would have even been satisfied with a Lost-esque episode where it faded to white as they scaled the wall, just leaving the end in mystery. It would have been a perfect romance, but we would have missed the Black Mirror-style storytelling, and the actual ending was much better than what I was expecting as the episode came to a close. Even if mildly predictable, the writing kept the mystery about the dystopian simulation as a very intriguing plot point that kept me interested every bit of the way. The plot was not ruined by the "love interest" that many sci-fi die-hards claim ruin their precious films/television series, but rather it was strengthened by a great, non-cliche (for Hollywood) look at romance. The predictability of the romance did not make this any less enjoyable, since Amy and Frank were so well cast and likeable along the way. Dare I say the direction was flawless?

The only thing I had a disappointment about was the title. Besides the song what was that about?

Overall I never have been more satisfied in a television episode. Overall I have more favorite episodes, including some from Breaking Bad and Lost, but this easily makes the top 5 for favorites. This now tops White Christmas for my favorite Black Mirror episode. Well done Netflix, Black Mirror, Timothy Van Patten and Charlie Brooker, and the cast and crew, for an incredible episode.

Hang the DJ is the Tinder-style episode of Black Mirror - which I was hoping for. An episode I feel is similar in style to season 3's San Junipero - and of course, because I love SJ and it's take on love, I loved this episode, too. Here, Charlie Brooker takes a lighter approach - well light in terms of Black Mirror, which in general is still shrouded in darkness - with a message that is positive: go for what you believe in. And, in all honesty it might just be the seasons best - and one of my favourite of the entire series run.

In this Black Mirror society, a technology exists called Coach; in the style of Tinder it picks out matches for you. However, here you are paired with certain people - without question or the ability to decline - and are coupled with them for a certain amount of time - all until Coach finds your 'perfect match'. Our characters are Frank and Amy, who - to their recollection - are trying out Coach for the first time, and find themselves paired together. After only being given 12 hours together, and subsequently forced into a number of lackluster relationships, Frank and Amy attempt to find themselves back to each other.

I can't talk about this episode without mentioning it's ending twist; it was truly beautiful and executed brilliantly. After both being told their 'perfect match' is waiting, Frank and Amy meet up at their usual booth for one last moment to say goodbye. Together, they decide to rebel and climb the wall to leave - having discussed their theories together that what they're in is not real. The revelation comes as they climb the wall, and the simulation is stripped away to reveal they have attempted this break-out 998 times - and as a result are ready to leave. That moment when everything clicked into place has to be one of my favourite TV moments of 2017 - and the final scene in the bar with 'Panic' by The Smiths ended the episode beautifully.

Joe Cole and Georgina Campbell are the heart of this episode, and their performances are truly mesmerising. They have a natural chemistry together, which makes their awkward first date scenes both heartwarming and hilariously funny. The set of the episodes society is very visually stunning also - again, reminiscent of San Junipero. And admittedly, as a fan of Charlie Brooker's darkest stories possible, I cannot deny my love for this episode - a refreshing break from season 4's darkness up until this point.

To wrap up, Hang the DJ is a brilliantly beautiful episode of Black Mirror with, in my opinion, one of the most relevant and positive messages of the series run. For me, this is season 4's standout; an all-round fantastic television experience.

Never would I have guessed that my favourite Black Mirror episode would be a romcom. Whereas most Black Mirror shows how technology can bring out the worst in human behaviour, Hang the DJ puts a sweet, optimistic spin on the future of dating. And importantly, it feels like the most 'Black Mirror' Black Mirror episode so far in the season, with its wildly creative way of exploring the effects of future tech in a humorous way whilst providing social commentary.

The concept is genius, although the whole way through the episode I was puzzled, trying to work out what I was supposed to think. That technology is no substitute for real relationships? That no attempt to control human behaviours such as love will work? Or that this technology actually DOES work (because it does)? The final twist made everything clear in the most wonderful, heartwarming way. The whole point of the system is that it wasn't supposed to work as it told you. The forced trials with different types of people was never intended to get to know people's preferences. It was supposed to annoy, to encourage people to rebel. For two people to rebel against a system that stops them from being together is the truest sign that they are a match. That terrific final scene, when Frank and Amy look at each other, conveys so much in a single moment. They haven't even met, yet they know they will have a wonderful life together. For a series that is usually so gloomy about humanity's future, that's a beacon of hope.

Hang the DJ has a more depressing commentary on the current dating scene, showing how the instant availability of men and women using dating apps strips love of anything but sex. Having sex with all these people you don't know and have no emotional connection to takes everything out of it, making it exactly the opposite of what it should be.

Georgina Campbell and Joe Cole blossom in their roles, with a real spark between their two characters that make their relationship onscreen totally work. Their scenes have this awkward energy, which in contrast to the other, unsatisfying relationships they're made to have.

For me, Hang the DJ is the best Black Mirror of all, with all sorts of twists and turns that ensure you never know what's coming, topped off with an ending that causes you to consider everything you just watched in a whole new light.

This was truly a masterpiece in Black Mirror.

As far as how sweet the ending was, the episode actually want to bring us a message.

The lyrics of the music in the ending: Burn down the disco Hang the blessed DJ Because the music that they constantly play It says nothing to me about my life Hang the blessed DJ Because the music they constantly play

If you link the music to the show, the disco was the arena the digital clones dating in the simulations, the DJ was the app itself while the music means the 1,000 simulations that the app has made to match the pair.

Similarly to "USS Callister" and "White Christmas", this episode was exploring the concept of digital clones and the moral sense behind. Yes, in the real world Frank and Amy were using the dating app that showed 99.8 percent match, but this comes with a cost of torturing the 1,000 digital clones of themselves in the simulations to obtain the outcome.

Matt told Potter when they were discussing about how Greta torturing her own digital clone to be her housekeeper "She's only made of code, she's no real, screw her" when Potter expressed empathy to the digital clone who was tortured and broke down to finally agree to be Greta's housekeeper.

This share a similar situation in Hang the DJ, where 1,000 of the digital clones were used as tools just to search for a perfect match for the hosts. The digital clones, like in the White Christmas and USS Callister, clearly have their own emotions and independent mind and were the subject of abusing by the hosts.

That is why the title was called "Hang the DJ" because the lyrics can be match perfectly to the show:

Burn down the disco (Burn down the simulations) Hang the blessed DJ (Close the dating app) Because the music that they constantly play (The simulations in the apps) It says nothing to me about my life (Has nothing to do in my real world) Hang the blessed DJ (Close the dating app) Because the music they constantly play (The simulations in the apps) On the Leeds side-streets that you slip down (The things that the digital clones go through) The provincial towns you jog 'round (The emotions that the digital close have) Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ Hang the DJ, hang the DJ Hang the DJ, hang the DJ Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ Hang the DJ, hang the DJ Hang the DJ, hang the DJ Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ Hang the DJ, hang the DJ Hang the DJ, hang the DJ Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ Hang the DJ (the 1,000 simulations)

Is it really moral to torture or toying our digital clones who have the same mind and feeling as us just for our own pleasures or making our choices? Is it really good that technology make choices for our whole life even in love situation? These are the two topics that Black Mirror trying to explore throughout the whole series and really a food of thought for everyone.

Updated Review - 10/18/2023

The characters interact using the Coach device as a moral guide, asking it what to do before each scenario. Parts of the story are reminiscent of Yorgos Lanthimos' film The Lobster. Both are very unique, but similar in the way dating and relationships are anticipated by the participants. Everyone wants to find their match, but trusting the system is the first step. A full spectrum of emotion is displayed in the characters, writing and story, making this one of the best entries in the sci-fi romance genre.

More people meet through online dating than ever before and this depiction of modern dating will ring truer as time goes on. The story is thoughtful and engaging from beginning to end. Hang the DJ is one of, if not my favorite episode of Black Mirror to date.

10/10

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Review from 5/3/2019

Frank meets Amy through a futuristic dating system called Coach that provides instruction and the duration of the relationship. They are given 12 hours and they are taken to a house where they sleep next to each other. They part ways and are given new matches.

Frank is matched with Nicola for one year, despite having no chemistry. Amy is matched with Lenny for nine months, having sexual connection but lacking an emotional connection. Amy's relationship ends and the next three months are full of casual hookups. Franks relationship ends and he matches with Amy again.

They decide not to check the timer on the Coach to avoid the system. They live happily until Frank is torn and checks the duration without Amy. They were given five years but it quickly diminishes to 12 hours. Frank wants to escape the system but Amy leaves for breaking their promise.

Amy has many more hookups until the Coach gives her an Ultimate Match. She is given the chance to say goodbye to one person and she chooses Frank. They meet with 90 seconds on the clock and want to escape the system together. They try leaving the restaurant but are stopped by guards. Amy puts her hand on the taser and they realize they're in a simulation. They escape to a giant wall and climb a ladder until the world around them dissolves. They find out this outcome occurred in 998 out of 1000 times and are brought to the restaurant in the real world.

Tim Van Patten does an amazing job directing this episode. The lighting directly reflects the characters feelings and emotions. Each scene carries so much context within it that multiple viewings are required to catch every detail.

Georgina Campbell and Joe Cole have great chemistry together, making us hope their relationship works out. Amy experiences physical pleasure without emotional attachment and Frank experiences the opposite. He wants to care for Nicola while they were together but she wants nothing to do with him.

Hang the DJ is a sci-fi romantic drama that pushes the boundaries of simulation theory and modern dating apps. As time goes on, finding your perfect match through a system could become a real option. This episode is in the same category as San Junipero and is easily the best episode in Season 4 so far.

10/10.

I have included a spoiler tag, so the following will ruin the entire episode (for some).

'Hang the DJ' (not in love with the title), is a look into a dating app's algorithm.

We can assume that real-world participants provide the app with a ton of personal information. So much info (perhaps even access to their social media accounts, emails, etc) that the app builds a near duplicate virtual - psychologically consistent - clone of the participants inside their system.

They use these AI-driven clones to run simulations. When the system's simulation indicate a 99.8% match (ie, 998 successes out of 1,000 simulations), they match the compatible pair in the real world. This was the bar scene at the very end of the episode.

The episode is a detailed look into just one of these many simulations.

Before the reveal, I thought this was the showrunner's attempt at a true love story. Some reviews seem to indicate that this was a true love story, love conquering all, etc. It was not.

A "True Love" story was kinda' shot down when the pair was involved in so many sexual encounters and long-term relationships - so soon after having met. I was happy that this was not an attempt at that. It would have been worse than what Hollywood normally does: two people meet, 10 minutes later they end up in bed. I would have given the episode 1 star.

It turned out to be a single simulation. Right before the bar scene, we see hundreds of the same couple (with different scores or percentages). This was a representation of the entire 1,000 simulation run.

The episode's final minutes has the couple actually meeting for the very first time at the bar - in real life. Their chance at hitting it off... 99.8%

I somewhat understand the popularity of this episode, but for me, it was the weakest of the lot.

The popularity probably says more about the hope for 'true love' of the audience than the actual quality of the script or concept.

Personally, I found this episode to be overloaded with sex scenes and corny lines with a particularly cheesy ending that would require me to buy into societies fabricated concept of lifelong harmony and a 'perfect match'.

For me this is the weak link.

Society (rather than biology) has created a concept of monogamy to fit neatly within our legal systems (particularly inheritance) and family structures - human beings are biologically 'serial' monogamists and technology cannot change this.

That this man finds an environment offering perpetual no-strings sex so undesirable is highly questionable. Come on Black Mirror, you're usually inspiringly original - so many opportunities here...

It would be fascinating to show technology highlighting our true desires when stripped of the chains of societies conditioning.

Not a bad hours viewing - but the weakest of the season.

For the most part this was one of the best episodes of Black Mirror. In fact if could have been my favourite if it weren't for the disappointing ending. The idea of them being in a simulation the whole time is basically a high tech version of the old "it was all a dream" trope, which tends to be quite a storytelling cop-out. During the episode, when the characters mentioned the possibility of them being in a computer simulation I thought, surely the episode wouldn't end up with such an obvious and unoriginal ending. Yet that's what we got. and it wasn't even done particularly well in contrast to the rest of the excellent episode. It just came across as corny and contrived.

Overall a brilliant episode which deserve a far better conclusion.

Hang the DJ makes me realize that the writers have totally run out of ideas. What we have seen from season 4 so far are recycled, rehashed ideas from all the previous episodes. This episode, is obviously a rehashed version of San Junipero. I think this episode could be a lot more interesting if it didn't end with it being a simulation in a dating app. We've seen something similar on USS Callister, Playtest, San Junipero, and White Christmas, it has lost its magic. There are tons of other things you could write about technology gone wrong, no need to rehash old ideas.

And why can't they make an episode like 'Fifteen Million Merits' anymore? Why does everything have to end with the whole thing being a simulation in an app or a video game or a software now? Either that, or they use the same old idea of projecting memory/sight into video/pictures. It's getting old.

The high rating most likely come from the younger viewers, it has 2 likable main characters and a sweet, predictable love story, young people easily relate to that just like how they relate to Twilight.