Black Mirror did not start telling shocking stories recently. It set the course for the show right from the beginning. When the first episode, The National Anthem, came out in 2011, no one had expected to see something so raw and inhuman. The episode showcased the kidnapping of a British princess, Princess Susannah, by an unknown individual whose only demand was that the British Prime Minister Callow have sexual intercourse with a pig at 4 pm that day.
From the beginning of the episode, it was evident that the kidnapper was not after money or getting a criminal released from jail. All they wanted was to humiliate the Prime Minister. Throughout the Black Mirror episode, it is evident to the viewers that the government was more concerned about its image than anything else, and the citizens sympathized but were eager to see if the prime minister met the demand and how the government handled the situation.
What is the deeper meaning behind Black Mirror's The National Anthem?
The National Anthem episode of Black Mirror starts with British Prime Minister Callow watching a video that was uploaded to YouTube. In the video, Princess Susannah says she has been kidnapped, that she does not know where she is, and then what the kidnapper's demand is.
The Prime Minister initially thinks he is being pranked, but on realizing the truth, he does his best to find her before the given deadline. When the kidnapper sends a severed finger that allegedly belonged to the princess, Prime Minister Callow has no other choice but to copulate with a pig.
The first Black Mirror episode explores the government's hyperfocus on preserving its image. They first do everything to make sure the video is not seen by too many people, then they try to keep it off news channels, and finally do everything to avoid meeting the kidnapper's demand. Understandably, no prime minister wants to have intercourse on live television, and that too, with a pig. However, their focus on trying to keep every detail of the kidnapping private says a lot.
The government's urgency to preserve its image becomes the reason behind that very image getting ruined. Princess Susannah was released half an hour before the broadcast was supposed to start. For thirty minutes, the princess was free on the streets of London. If the government had been vigilant, they would have seen/found her before the deadline and could have easily avoided the brutal act.
No matter how much both the government and citizens criticized the kidnapper's demand, they all were eager to see Prime Minister Calloway commit the inhuman act. When the act was broadcast, everyone was shocked and looked disgusted, but they still watched the whole thing. For almost an hour. From here, Black Mirror establishes one of its key messages: People love spectacles irrespective of how morally good or bad they are.
The Black Mirror episode ends with the revelation that a prize-winning artist, Carlton Bloom, was the kidnapper who had not harmed Princess Susannah and sent his severed finger instead. After watching the broadcast, Bloom hanged himself. The entire incident was his art piece, through which he proved a lot.
Bloom sheds light on how urgently the government dealt with the situation because a royal was kidnapped and went to the most extreme lengths to save her. Besides, he proved people's love for a spectacle and how even the most capable governments could do nothing against a worthy opponent.
A year after the incident, no one had forgotten what had happened, but it had increased Callow's approval rating by three points. However, it came at the cost of him having a strained relationship with his wife, Jane, who was understandably ashamed and embarrassed.
Black Mirror's The National Anthem set the course for the show to explore any and every topic. It prepared audiences to watch the many unpredictable episodes that came after. The episode was applauded for its unapologetic rawness and the courage to tell such a sensitive story.
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