Yes, I remember that particular episode when it came out several years ago. Really horrible for the protagonist when it was all for nothing. I wonder what societal message the writers were trying to convey there. Charlie Brooker is one hell of a guy. He reminds me of people like Ricky Gervais or Quentin Tarantino, folks who really have the most “out-there” opinions and are no stranger to being very critical of the modern entertainment industry, though in a certain “avant-garde” type of way. Brooker had a distaste for The X Factor and he still refuses to watch any episode of Severance.
I’m not sure if you know this but his sarcastic critique on paedohysteria goes back further to when he criticized the dominant and ratings-vacuum reality show that was "To Catch a Predator", when it neared the end of its run in 2008. He wrote an article about the show in The Guardian and it's an absolute goldmine!
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2008/may/31/features16.theguide6
These are two of my favorite quotes from the article. I will admit, it gave me a bit of chuckle with his clever writing descriptions.
"When a TV show makes you feel sorry for potential child rapists, you know it's doing something wrong. To Catch A Predator (Mon, 10pm, FX) is that show. It hails from America, where it's not some wacky bit of far-out cable madness, but a mainstream network broadcast; a staple feature of Dateline NBC."
"And then it's over. Justice prevails - provided you overlook the several billion troubling aspects to the show. The overpowering whiff of entrapment, for one thing. The collusion between reporters, vigilante groups and police for another. And that "attractive young actress" who greets them by the door: make no mistake, she's hot. And at 18, she's US legal. Presumably someone at To Catch A Predator HQ sat down with a bunch of audition tapes and spooled through it, trying to find a sexy 18-year-old who could pass for 13. They'll have stared at girl after girl, umming and ahhing over their chest sizes, until they found just the right one. And like I say, she's hot. But if you fancy her, you're a paedophile."
I'm shocked at how this guy hasn't got cancelled yet. He's like the next-to equivalent of Quentin Tarantino or Ricky Gervais, in terms of outlandishness, but in a good way of course. I really wish there were more people like him.
