Black Mirror’s most violent (but beautiful) episode originally had a different framework
The nationality of “Black Mirror” is a bit complicated. Most of the first two seasons of the show were definitely British, which is logical since it was published on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The first prefiguration piece for its American tour came to the special “White Christmas” of 2014, in which Jon Hamm (the man behind one of the most emblematic American television characters of the 2000s), co-directed the episode. The episode has always taken place in a fictitious version of the United Kingdom, however, and its dark end feels much more online what fans consider the British spirit of “Black Mirror”.
Advertisement
After “White Christmas”, the show was bought by the American streaming service Netflix, and its first episode was a very American “nosetive”. From that moment, “Black Mirror” seems to move between the American or British parameters and the protagonists. Fans immediately resumed how British episodes were significantly darker and more grumpy. The American Kelly and Yorkie in “San Junipero” were able to live happy forever in a digital utopia, while British Kenny in “Shut Up and Dance” was tortured during an entire episode before being arrested for pedophilia. There are of course exceptions, but there is a general feeling of optimism in American episodes which is not shared by the British.
Advertisement
The “crocodile” of season 4 slightly changes things: the characters come from the United Kingdom, but the episode itself is defined (and filmed) in Iceland. And unlike other episodes, which are filmed in a place but disguised as another, the framework of “Crocodile” seems clearly supposed to be Iceland. The camera often persists on the landscape, which looks so peaceful unlike the horrors that take place in the life of the main character. The Icelandic “crocodile” backdrop gives the whole episode a unique feeling, almost from another world.
Showrunner Charlie Brookeer was satisfied with the way in which Iceland’s landscape turned out to be, although he revealed in a 2018 interview that she was originally supposed to take place in Scotland. He explained: “Originally, the first draft of the script said” Scotland “, then I think that Netflix actually suggested Iceland as an astonishing background and we said:” Yeah agree! It looks good. “”
Would the “crocodile” have been better if he had taken place in Scotland?
It is easy to see the initial attraction of Scotland shooting. This would have been more in line with the roots of the show to be a British show (or at least half British), and of course the landscapes of Scotland are quite amazing full. There are also large areas in Scotland with a relatively low population density, which would help a lot to capture the isolated and sterile sensation of Iceland in the finished episode. But Iceland has simply more extreme with its geography, and with this new Netflix money available to Brooker, why not do everything?
Advertisement
The only real complication that came with filming in Iceland was the additional snow involved, but Brooker explained how they used the idea of the “Black Mirror” episode of the unreliable memory to get around:
“The night we shot the accident with the pizza truck, they had their biggest snowfall in 40 years. So we have circumvented a continuity problem by making a character say that they think that he begins to snow at some point.
Another minor complication is the accents of the characters. The fans noted that many of the main characters seem to be Scotland, which made some confusion as to whether the episode was actually supposed to be in Iceland or if it was simply filmed there. The episode itself does not explicitly clarify the country in the country, but the fact that the cars of the episode lead to the right side of the road help to settle the debate of fans in favor of Iceland.
Advertisement
Even this apparent gap is not a problem, however, because “crocodile” seems to take place in an optimistic version of the future. The technology of removing memory in which the episode is based is based with clear positive points, and it is implicit that nationalist attitudes are declined in this world, immigration being relaxed and accepted with happiness. “Crocodile” presents a version of the company which is very peaceful, with the exception of this unexpected side effect of memory repopulation technology.
The decision to set one of the darkest and most violent episodes of season 4 in a place like Reykjavik, Iceland – one of the most serene places in the world – is a fun and twisted joke of writers. Although “crocodile” may not be a fun watch, at least we can distract ourselves with magnificent landscapes.
