TV review: Black Mirror

Maybe, you'd like it if they were giant animated bears who yell obscenities for want of any genuine political perspective?

Well if you vote for Waldo, that's what you get.

An absolutely insufferable blue cartoon character who is part of a youth 'satire' programme, Waldo invites politicians into his pink cave under the premise of teaching children about politics, before unleashing a barrage of abuse against them.

Bereft of knowledge, insight, or wit, Waldo is a maddening, noisy aberration, but as people become increasingly disaffected with their political leaders, the idea of an alternative who speaks to their frustrations becomes more attractive.

Yes, last night's Newsnight was certainly surprising.

Only joking. No, this was the final episode in the second series of Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker's unsettling vision of a future dominated by overbearing technology and widespread disaffection.

So far in the series, the second run of Black Mirror has been something of a disappointment.

Perhaps it's a victim of its own success.

The first series was so unpredictable that its flaws were masked by the thrill of the unexpected.

But if the first two episodes of the second series fell short at all, Brooker was right back on form with Waldo.

The episode makes a mockery not just of politicians, but of the dwindling standard of political satire in the UK, not to mention the London media types that Brooker has attacked with such relish in the past.

Jamie, the man behind Waldo, has a CV containing such gems as performing as part of a middling quality sketch troupe, and playing a corn on the cob in a television advertisement, but with his latest creation, he is verging on something massive.

But the man behind the big bear, is not happy with how things are going. He wants recognition for his own success, not to let a cartoon take all the credit.

That is, until one night he spends the evening entertaining one of his opponents, the Labour candidate, a career politician challenging the safe Conservative seat as a means to climb the party ladder (I say he entertains her, I'm a bit more prudish than the foul mouthed Waldo).

But when she stops returning his calls as she focuses on the campaign, Jamie gets mad, then detonates during a live television debate.

Ultimately, the idea of the bear spirals way beyond Jamie's control, and he's left by the wayside as it grows.

Having spent an hour in the company of Waldo, who carries the kind of voice employed by children to irritate their siblings, I'm not sure I'll ever complain about politicians again. He has nothing to offer and nothing to say, and Jamie's repeated protests at being involved in the by-election ("I'm not dumb or clever enough to be political") fall on deaf ears as the power of the image takes hold.

It's not the most unsettling of all the programmes, but it's frightening to think how close to the mark some of Brooker's ideas are.

So next time you notice on your ballot paper that a giant animated bear is among the candidates, remember kids, just say no.

Thom Kennedy