'Black Mirror' 'Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too' Review: Masala Bollywood!
Black Mirror is a good show with some impressive episodes. What makes it a cult phenomenon is its ability to take risks and its unpredictability. Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too lacks in both departments. It's such a 'safe' story that after a point, it starts resembling a masala movie. Here's our review of Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too, the worst-rated episode of the series.
'Hannah Montana' meets 'Black Mirror'
There are two converging stories. The first features Miley Cyrus as Ashley-O, a wig-wearing teen idol who sings about "achieving one's goals". Her always-smiling demeanor, however, is merely a facade created by her aunt/manager. Ashley-O maintains a secret journal and her real personality is miles away from what she is on-screen. Someone on Reddit called her arc "a Hannah Montana episode on steroids."
Two sisters in a story riddled with clichés
The second story features two teenage sisters, Rachel and Jack, and their father. Rachel is a typical self-conscious teenager, Jack is a typical loner disinterested in most things and then there's their typical disconnected father who drives an embarrassing truck. Rachel adores Ashley-O. So when her AI doll "Ashley Too" is launched, she immediately buys it and starts treating it as a friend.
Another cliché: The evil manager controlling a teen sensation
Maybe they have made this episode to look like a typical story on purpose and it's an inside joke of some kind because there are just way too many familiar tropes here. Playing the villain is Ashley-O's aunt/manager who has to ensure Ashley-O maintains her happy, positive and ideal image because it generates money! She tries to control her with illegal hallucinogenic pills.
Evil knows no bounds
When Ashley-O rebels, her aunt feeds her all the pills at once rendering her comatose and her fans devastated. The bad guys start extracting music from inside her mind to keep the albums going! Elsewhere, Ashley Too helps Rachel gain confidence and she awkwardly performs in front of a crowd (this plot point serves no purpose to the story) much to Jack's chagrin.
Is it technology? Is it magic?
Six months later, Ashley-O is being turned into a holographic image of herself (Ashley Eternal) by her aunt and other baddies so she can entertain fans forever! Rachel's Ashley Too overhears Ashley-O's tragic story on the news and malfunctions. Jack, who doesn't know jack about technology, somehow removes the doll's mental limiter, letting it access Ashley-O's entire brain and become sentient, a mini Ashley-O!
Nothing bad ever happens in Bollywood Masala flicks
Ashley Too helps them reach the comatose Ashley-O who miraculously wakes up after her plug is pulled and together, the girls stop the villains' evil plans. In the epilogue, Ashley-O and Jack are now in a local band as alternative musicians and Rachel (holding Ashley Too) is still Ashley-O's fan. In a typical Bollywood-like ending, everyone is happy (except the bad guys maybe).
Opinion: A Bollywood movie masquerading as a 'Black Mirror' episode
There's a lot going on in this episode and most of it has been done to death before. The happy ending, the teenage angst, evil caretakers, and all make it look like a mellow Masala movie. Being a loyal fan, I hope that all this has been done deliberately to critique the cliche teenage dramas, but that seems highly unlikely. Not worth a watch!
