The Not So Uncanny Valley: Be Right Back

It is true that there are people who are willing to do anything to bring back a loved one no matter the cost (even if it means “ resurrecting” your dead boyfriend). In the Netflix original series Black Mirror, technology has always played a significant role in the show and would always bear heavy consequences as each story unfolds. The episode in particular, “ Be Right Back” focuses on a young couple, Martha and Ash, who are moving a cottage out in the country. Unfortunately, Ash dies shortly as the episode begins, and we now are left with a grieving, pregnant woman left all alone. During the funeral, one of her friends recommends a program that would be able to make a “copy” of anyone so that it would be like that person never disappeared. Initially, Martha was uncomfortable about the whole thing entirely, but she gradually gave into the idea. At this point, she’s texting and talking to this new Ash as if it were really him. She eventually reaches the point where she even orders an android that would look, sound, and even feel like the old Ash. This eventually leaves the question of whether or not if this reaches The Uncanny Valley territory.

The differences between Ash and Neo-Ash were evident from the get-go. When he first began communicating with her, he seemed to be exactly like Ash, but come the android, that’s when I knew things were off. He seemed like nothing more than a superficial, ideal version of Ash rather than the distant, somber original. Although Martha found it a bit creepy, I personally think that it’s not, if it can be seen from a different angle. Based on what Neo-Ash has said, the features on his body are 2-D and texture mapping. He’s basically a projection of the old Ash who, in time, might even evolve into someone else as he learns new things. He doesn’t even have some of the same personality traits the first Ash displayed outside of his social media accounts. If she knew the full extent of what the android could do, then she probably would have gone about things differently. It’s already known that the android goes based on Ash put online, so the fact that the android would not be the exact thing isn’t shocking. It’s just a portrayal of someone she loved, and she looked past that. Say if one of my parents died, and I wanted to have a chance to see them once again. If I were to buy an android knowing that that parent is dead, then I’m buying it for the sake of sentiment, not to replace whoever died.

I am aware of the various concerns of whether or not if these androids would evolve to the point of them taking over, but that is dependent on how far humans are willing to go to make that happen. In a British sci-fi series called HUMANS, androids were capable of doing anything that a human could do. However, whatever it is that they do, they must be under the command of a human. There are some androids who became sentient thanks to the creator. Some were friendly while some...were not. All they wanted was to be treated like an actual human being. If something like this were to happen, then I’d be a little worried. However, with the case of Ash and Neo-Ash, it’s all a matter of perspective.