Ep 1. Smithereens

In "Smithereens," the first episode of Black Mirror season 5, we follow a troubled London cab driver named Chris as he becomes increasingly unhinged. Chris spends his days driving aimlessly around the city, desperately seeking a connection in the digital age. He spends most of his time on the Smithereens app, a popular social media platform that seems to have taken over the world.

One day, Chris snaps and decides to take an employee of Smithereens, the company behind the app, hostage at gunpoint. He demands to speak to the company's CEO, hoping to find answers to the questions that have been plaguing him for so long. As the standoff drags on, tensions rise and the police become involved, complicating Chris's already precarious situation.

As the hostage situation unfolds, we see flashbacks of Chris's life before the incident. The flashbacks reveal a man who, like so many of us, has become consumed by technology and the allure of social media. He's lost touch with the real world and the people in it, and his loneliness and isolation have pushed him to the brink.

The episode raises important questions about the role technology plays in our lives and the impact it has on our mental health. It's a thought-provoking and timely exploration of the dangers of our addiction to social media, and the consequences that can arise when we lose sight of what truly matters in life.

As always, Black Mirror does an excellent job of creating a tense and engrossing atmosphere, with strong performances from the entire cast. It's a gripping and emotionally charged episode that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the intersection of technology and humanity.