“Be Right Back”

In the “Black Mirror” episode, “Be Right Back,” the couple is simply enjoying life so far after moving in together. Then, all of sudden, the script changes. One morning Ash leaves, but he never comes back home. Martha was worried sick, but then police show up at her home to inform her that Ash has died. Martha is devastated. At the funeral, a “friend” of hers informs her of a site where she can still be able to talk to Ash, even though he’s dead.

This is when Martha’s life gets even more chaotic. At first, Martha didn’t agree with using the site. However, one day she decides to try it out. After she realized that the program did make it seem like Ash was still alive, somewhat, she begins using the program everyday, for most of the day. After a while, the program tells her that she can purchase a robot that will act and talk as Ash would, and of course, Martha gives in. After activating the robot, she is completely freaked out, but after getting used to the robot she starts to get more comfortable. In some situations, Martha sees that the robot is not reacting the way Ash would, so she becomes upset and frustrated with the robot. She expects the robot to be just like Ash, and when the robot does things that are not “Ashlike” she is extremely vexed with it. Because of this, she feels that the  robot is not enough of Ash as she would like, and she is not pleased.

After watching this episode, I was convinced that this was a horrible idea. Martha’s life only became more difficult after the death of Ash. She became emotionally and mentally unstable. She is tremendously unhealthy because of one decision. I believe that robots should be limited.  Robots are very helpful and useful for many things. Replacing a dead human is just not one of them. Yes, it could be all cool, but it could also harm you. This episode has also made me realize how capable technology is, and what all it is able to create.