Let's talk about one of my favourite Black Mirror episodes - Hang the DJ. This episode is a depiction of how dating apps think. If you have not watched it, chuck it on Netflix. I'll chop it up into a few main points and hope it all makes sense.
The first lesson I learnt from the episode is that sometimes or most the time we will only really notice once it's gone. Queue the song 'Let her go' by Passenger. Coach is designed to put participants through a series of partners which are all monitored by the system and by 'pairing day' they are assigned their lifelong partner. I would say Frank and Amy kind of hit it off but as their first time together went on, I could not help but notice the chemistry they had developed with each other. As the episode goes on, we see the two go through numerous partners who all fail to make any significant connection with either of the main characters. Once the two are paired again, they appear to pick up where they left off. But Frank, ruins it by looking at the expiry date without Amy and after their second time together I noticed the heartbreak they felt. Without the connection that they developed and the time they spent together, they wouldn't have anything to reminisce. When I reminisce spending time with someone, I firmly believe that it is not entirely about one's intention or the time spent - rather the impact made.
I firmly believe that time plays a big part in our relationships. I love how the show complements time spent with or without someone with appropriate emotions. From the regret Frank and Amy feel for not making the most of their first time together. To growing an annoyance towards someone you're stuck with for an extended period of time, whilst missing the good times you spent with someone else. To sudden heartbreak when time with your significant other unexpectedly comes to and end. Or feeling the utmost determination and courage (sometimes bravado) to run away from it all and beat all odds with only a sliver of time. Do not take all this time we have for granted.
Shoutout to my place of employment and call my last point 'bilateral reconciliation'. I call it this because Frank shows us that love goes both ways and we have to communicate. I am talking about that scene where Frank looks at the expiry without Amy and the expiry eventually decreased to a few hours. This scene served as a reminder that we never have to do anything alone. There are people around us who want to be involved and care.
In almost everything we do, someone will disagree with you along the way and when finding your significant other is no exception. From their first date, other people distastefully watch Frank and Amy let the other taste their food. To the indifferent reaction from the people when Frank tells Amy that he looked at the expiry. To the moment they decide to escape. I can't help but notice that most of the time it's us against the world. Caring and loving isn't supposed to be easy. Because if it was easy, we're probably doing it wrong or not at all.
Let's all love one another!
Jonas,
