Part One: The Summary
In the episode of Black Mirror that we watched in class, we see that the main character (Martha) and her boyfriend Ash were a couple that were living together but having communication issues because of Ash's obsession with social media and the internet. One day Ash leaves to go somewhere (Even though I was watching that part I still end up missing where exactly he was going and what he was doing and for that I apologize) and never returns. He then is found to be dead and the next scene we see is Martha talking to a woman outside of the funeral hall (I want to say that was her sister but I'm not 100% sure about that). The woman says that there was this new technology that was still in its early stages and that she would sign Martha up for it. The program was designed to embody the personality of a person and pretty much act just like them. Martha of course says no to the offer but the woman signs her up for it anyway. She then gets a text message, which she initially ignores. A couple of scenes later, we see her send a text back and a conversation starts to unfold. After a couple of text messages, Ash II suggests that they begin talking over the phone instead of texting. She gives in and they begin talking. We then suddenly see that she begins talking to Ash II all through out the day. She talks to him while she's at the doctors office, while she's at home, while she's taking a walk in the plains, etc. There is even a clip where she drops her phone and freaks out because she thought that she had lost Ash II forever. The next thing that we see is Ash II mentioning that a new technology had been discovered, but was very pricey, and could take their communication to the next level. She buys the thing and Ash II suddenly becomes a real person that she can touch and feel and have sex with. Overtime though, she begins to dislike him. She says things such as, "You're not enough of him" and "You're not him". She has two or three fights with him and eventually leads him to a cliff and asks him to jump. He doesn't want to but he submits to her wishes which causes another fight because the real Ash wouldn't just jump. He then begins to plead for his life and suddenly the scene changes. Martha is no longer pregnant and her child looks to be between 8-12. It was her birthday and Martha leads the child up to the attic to say hello to Ash which is when the show ends.
Part Two: My Argument
I believe Ash II had a hidden agenda. I don't know what that agenda was and that's not what my argument is about, but I do believe I have evidence to show that Ash II had some kind of agenda. First of all, he makes the first step in every advancement in their relationship. He goes from somebody who texts Martha to someone who talks to Martha to someone who physically touches Martha. I believe one of the agendas of his was maybe to reach that final state. To reach the state of being a body and not just a automatic text message thing. Second of all, he begins to show emotion at the cliff scene. The entire episode, Ash II doesn't seem to have a personality. He seems to be an exact copy of Ash and be horrendously awkward. But, at the cliff scene we actually see a sign of emotion: that emotion being fear. Maybe that was one of his objectives too? To reach a state of conscious emotion or a state of having a personality on his own and not just be a replica of someone else? Or, maybe his purpose was to collect data and report it back to "headquarters" or something because the text message stage was still a prototype and the physical body stage was a prototype as well so maybe it was a trial run? Maybe his purpose was supposed to reach the body stage and give feedback to the creators to find out what still needs to be worked out or what needs to be added? What do you guys think? (PS I never said Ash II's purpose was evil or bad. I never said it was good either. I just think he had a purpose regardless of what that purpose might have been).
Thanks for reading!
Kel Nesbitt
5 comments:
I like the idea of your post in the sense that you acknowledge that he is still a prototype. Maybe he did have some incentive of reaching the final stage of the program. I would say that my only hang up is that Ash II does show emotion at the cliff but this is only after Martha explains to him "No Ash would have figured this out by now" "He would be pleading for his life" and then the crocodile tears show up. Before this is only reasoning for not doing it was because Ash I never exhibited any signs of depression or self harm.
As far as the questions you were having in the summary part, Ash was taking the rental truck back. They were moving to that house and it's like a u-haul but a different brand guess. That woman was like a family friend of something Sara cause I'm pretty sure the lady she kept calling was her only sister.
Other than that really good post.
I think that Ash II may have had an agenda, but I am not entirely sure that we could label it as "Ash II's Agenda" because the technology is restricted in that it goes off what Martha gives it. It collects data with permission from Martha on all of Ash's public online presence as well as Martha allowing it access to private moments of Ash like video and audio recordings, she also shares stories of Ash with the technology so that it can better mimic the real Ash. I believe that Ash II used Martha's input to provide "upgrades" in its technology. For example, Martha said that she "wished he was here" so Ash II took that to mean that she needed a physical body to suit her needs.
I will say however, that this could be the case, that the AI might have an agenda in another situation. It is certainly interesting to think about. What will the future of AI hold for us? Not many know at this moment. Will AI androids eventually become autonomous and be ale to manipulate humans? Who knows!
The woman who Martha was talking to at the funeral was one of her close friends. Her sister was the lady with the kids who kept calling her and came to visit her. The sister is the one who told Martha that she was happy that she was moving on when she saw the men's clothes in the restroom.
I never thought about it like that. However, I don't think he had agenda because Ash II did whatever Martha told him to do. I think he might have suggested the expensive final stage just so the owners of the program could make money. Ash II started to show emotions when Martha would tell him about them. For example, when they were at the cliff, Martha told Ash II how the real Ash would act which then made Ash II start reacting like that.
I understand where you are coming from with Ash having a second agenda. I agree and disagree with you. I believe he does have a second agenda simply because he was always suggesting new ways to speak and get closer to Martha. Things quickly change from simple texting to order a robotic life size body of Ash. But I also disagree because Ash can not actually force Martha into doing all the things she did to stay in touch with "Ash". And "Ash" has a made up mind of what used to be Ash. "Ash" is fragments of videos, pictures, messages, and social posts all put together. And Martha realizes that "Ash" is not really Ash. Ash only has a limited of responses and actions all manufactured by whatever the company got access to. I think that in order for Ash II to have had a second agenda he would have needed the ability to have unlimited responses and actions. And also not have the restriction of not being able to be more than a maximum of 25 meters away from his activation site unless Martha is with him.
I think that your theory on Ash II's secret agenda is an interesting one, and I would like to see it be true, but at the same time I don't think it's the case.
If he had any objective, it was to get the hecka money out of Martha by getting her to buy the full android. Notice how after he gets her money that he stops asking if she wants to upgrade? He just kind of exists to serve her after that point, even when she tells him to kill himself. He only showed emotion because Martha mentioned that Ash I would be crying and screaming in that situation. If he actually developed emotion on his own then he would've shown them before she brought that up.
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