Black Mirror Season 5, Episode 3: "Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too"

In this startling episode, Miley Cyrus plays a pop star named Ashley O who is beginning to struggle with demands set by her aunt and manager Catherine. Ashley O has also begun to fall into a depression, and avoids taking pills her aunt gives her. Catherine, however, has formulated other plans for her niece, and reestablishes control over her by slipping drugs into her food and putting Ashley into a deep coma.

Meanwhile, an electronic doll named Ashley Too is adored and obsessed over by a young fan named Rachel. The doll, a miniature figurine of Ashley O, seems to be the one friend Rachel has. Ashley Too speaks to her in Ashley’s voice, gives her inspirational advice, and even trains her in a series of dances set to Ashley’s songs for a talent competition. With the sudden news of her idol’s coma, Rachel is sent into devastation.

With Ashley incapacitated, Catherine capitalizes on plans with a record company to extract music and lyrics from Ashley’s comatose brain. Her brainwaves are monitored for musical notes, with which the recording studio mixes and passes off as brand new Ashley O material.

By some ghost in some machine, the actual Ashley’s consciousness prevails in Rachel’s doll, giving the pop star the proper leverage to inform Rachel what her aunt has been up to. Somehow—and with the help of a petulant punk sister named Jack—a much happier Ashley O is reinstated.

I don’t want to say that this is the best episode of Black Mirror, because I haven’t seen nearly enough of the show to make such a statement. What I will say, however, is that this is the most tight and provocative story I’ve seen. For those who aren’t familiar with the show, or if you’re like me, who has seen about ten episodes, this is the one to just throw on if you want to be guaranteed a great time. Thoroughly enjoyable—Miley is great too!