As the Season 3 premiere of “Black Mirror” opens, Lacie (Bryce Dallas Howard) jogs into frame, strawberry blonde ponytail swinging. Her pace is brisk, and her resting face is focused, intense: This is how she looks when she thinks nobody’s looking. Her features shift the instant others come into view, a carefully-rehearsed sunny smile bursting onto her face. The smile is a little thirsty, a little awkward, and clearly expertly deployed as she’s rewarded by five-star ratings by each of the others. Ever polite, she returns identical rankings to each of them. Ratings and smiles exchanged, once they’re out of sight, she drops the smile instantly and picks up her pace, serious again.
Read more of my thoughts on Black Mirror’s “Nosedive” episode
