Which Ash Are You Again?

The Netflix film "Be Right Back" showed how much power technology can have on people. Both, Ash 1 and Martha were completely involved, at some point in there life, with the technological innovations of their futuristic era. The small amount of time that Ash 1 played on the show made it obvious that he was slaved to his phone. In a lot of cases he tuned out of the real world. It was as if he lived in the virtual world because that was where most of his focus appeared to be. Martha on the other hand, was not very convinced about how vulnerable she could be to technology. She did not appear to be much of a used before losing her husband. However, it was his death that drove her closer to technology. The invitation she got from the grieving system was what started her thirst for technology, since it meant "connecting" with her loved one. Thus after going through the process of messaging, speaking, and finally physically having a replica of Ash 1 as Ash 2, she completely turned her view on things. She became open to the new possibilities of technology. Ash 2 made it easier for her to cope with things; he/it made her feel capable, especially having a baby on the way. Ash 2 appeared to her in her time of need, his resemblance to the Ash 1 made her grow fund of him. Her actions towards the Ash 2 displayed the uncanny valley, where she was frightened by it at the beginning when it was strange-looking and blank. I think Martha somewhat regretted getting it at first, until it completed its transformation. Accepting him took her some time and space, but after that she went all in in with a fast pace. In my opinion, her state was not healthy enough to make such drastic decisions. She should have went through the grieving process by traditional means and emotional responses. After composing herself, she should have sought closure by using Ash 2. By making her choices in her ill state, her judgement was a bit clouded and desperate. Taking her time and place into consideration, I can understand why people would seek robots to imitate their loved-ones. Although she was in all her rights to make her own choices, she needed to understand the differences between Ash 1 and Ash 2. I liked how the movie showed us how she behaved with Ash 2 at the beginning; her expectations were low and her conversations with him showed sign of the distinction she drew from both Ashes. As time progressed, she grew confused by expecting Ash 2 to act like Ash 1. At that point Ash 2 stopped being a tool for coping and became a pseudo human generating false hope. Her downfall occurred as a result of trying to replace Ash 1. Martha fooled herself into thinking a robot could equal a human.