Dark meaning behind traumatizing Black Mirror episode that's left Netflix users feeling 'terrible'

There is a dark meaning being the traumatizing Black Mirror episode that has left viewers feeling 'terrible'.

The dystopian sci-fi anthology, created by British writer Charlie Brooker, has been throwing us into an existential crisis for more than a decade since it first hit our screens in 2011.

If you've ever seen Black Mirror, you'll know the show prides itself on shining an uncomfortable spotlight on the bleak reality of our technologically-dependent lives, and with the rise of artificial intelligence in our real world, fans say the new season is hitting a little too close to home.

The seventh season landed on Netflix on April 10, yet some viewers have claimed they couldn't stomach the whole series beyond the first episode, 'Common People'.

Dozens have said they're 'cancelling their subscriptions' because of it, while Redditors claimed it was 'one of the most horrible things' they've ever seen.

So what on Earth happened?

Warning: Spoilers ahead for 'Common People'

Well, Brooker and co have clearly achieved exactly what they set out to do with the episode - to make us uncomfortable, if not a little disturbed too.

What is Black Mirror's 'Common People' about?

'Common People' explores themes we're familiar with: unaffordable healthcare, the increasing use of AI and inescapable, constant advertisements, plus the way tech companies would monetize our right to breathe, if given the chance.

It follows the story of husband and wife, Mike (Chris O’Dowd) and Amanda (Rashida Jones), whose livelihood hangs in the balance of a futuristic healthcare company, Rivermind Technologies.

When Amanda slips into a coma and is given the devastating diagnosis of a terminal brain tumor, Rivermind offers her a life-saving procedure using revolutionary technology.

And like anything, it comes with a monthly subscription fee, initially at $300 per month.

Mike and Amanda struggle to pay for the fees (Netflix)

It's here where the episode turns dark as we follow the ordinary working-class couple, who work as a construction worker and a teacher, as they grapple with the ever-moving goalposts of the subscription model which the company hikes in price as time goes on.

Amanda not only has to stay within a certain radius of the vendor's server to keep ticking, but she has to sleep longer and longer, and then she starts spouting commercials mid-conversation without even realizing.

Rivermind continues to offer 'new' subscriptions, for an additional cost, to expand their roaming area and axe the ads.

However, the couple struggle to keep up with the costs and among some of the bleakest moments in the episode sees Mike driven to perform humiliating stunts on live-streams for cash to pay for it all.

Meaning behind 'Common People'

It all eventually gets too much for them to cope, but viewers think the episode stands as a satirical, bleak take on the way healthcare (particularly in the US) is meant to preserve life, yet ends up driving people into the ground with extortionate medical bills.

Some fans claimed they 'couldn't stomach' the show (Netflix)

'Common People' also hints that the future will be reserved only for the ultra-rich who can afford the tax to breathe, if we allow medical and tech companies to put a price on life.

Others have also pointed out how many of us who stream or subscribe to platforms have to navigate new service plans and prices that constantly change, or else face wall-to-wall commercials.

"It was the ads bit that had me," one viewer wrote on Reddit. "I couldn't stomach it all in one sitting."

Another said: "I think it feels more creepier considering how close to reality it is. We have ad-tiers in everything. How long will it take to have ad-tier model in medical care?"

What has Charlie Brooker said about 'Common People'?

Creator and showrunner Brooker told Tudum: "I’d been thinking about, what if someone needs a subscription service to stay alive? And then what if somebody was running adverts?

"The adverts came from a funny place because I’d been listening to a lot of podcasts where the hosts would suddenly break off and start pitching products and then go back to the rest of the podcast. So I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be a funny one.’"

He added: "They’re extending the amount she has to sleep, and she’s tired all the time. It’s exhausting. And now they’re living this existence where she’s constantly advertising things.

"I felt like her request, being smothered to death while giving a pitch, felt sort of perfectly bleak and perfectly Black Mirror."

All seven seasons of Black Mirror are available to stream on Netflix now.