With Demon 79, we have reached the final act of Black Mirror season 6. After a somewhat disappointing season thus far, I am less saddened by its departure than in previous seasons. Can Demon 79 conjure that true Black Mirror magic one last time, before leaving us again for years, or maybe even forever?
This article is not only a review, but also a recap. Therefore, it contains big spoilers.
A Red Mirror Film
Clocking in at 1 hour and 15 minutes, this episode is the second longest of the season after ‘Beyond the Sea’, so hopefully, the answer to the above question is ‘yes’.”
We are greeted with a typical, classic horror atmosphere. The music is ominous and the visual quality is old-fashioned. Black Mirror presents ‘a Red Mirror film’. Writer Charlie Brooker previously explained this label as follows:
“Demon 79 opens with a ‘Red Mirror presents’ title sequence, marking it out as ‘different-from-yet-adjacent-to’ Black Mirror. This is because, typically, Black Mirror has focused on tech dystopias or media satire, whereas this story has a stronger supernatural element, harking back to 1970s horror. The episode is almost unclassifiable.”
Okay, we’ve been warned. Apparently, this episode won’t be the typical Black Mirror experience we’re familiar with. Again.
The old-fashioned filter lingers for a while, and for a moment, I thought this would be the entire style of the episode (similar to the black-and-white filter used in the episode “Metalhead,” which, by the way, makes a small cameo appearance at the end of this episode).
However, the filter quickly fades away, and we see the protagonist, Nida Huq (Anjana Vasan), an Indian young woman, getting ready for a new workday in 1979.
Nida Huq Does Need a Hug
It’s easy to tell from her eyes that Nida Huq does indeed need a hug. She works in the shoe department of a clothing store, helping customers on their way with a convincing smile. But in her eyes, we see that it’s nothing more than a facade, and she appears lost in thought. Art Garfunkel’s Bright Eyes plays in the background, asking the question: “How can the light that burned so brightly, suddenly burn so pale?” A song lyric that almost seems tailor-made for Nida.
Her gaze lingers on a bright red outfit, and she seems to have a strong desire to be extroverted enough to wear that.
While Nida enjoys her well-deserved (albeit fragrant) lunch, we are introduced to her bitchy colleague Vicky (Katherine Rose Morley). It was clear from the scene before that Vicky remained idle in the background while Nida handled all of the work. She seems repelled by Nida (and her lunch), and it’s clear that it has to do with Nida’s background.
Vicky interrupts Nida’s break, forcing her to assist customer Keith Holligan. We learn that Keith has murdered his wife, although Vicky argues that it’s “merely” manslaughter. According to her, Nida shouldn’t make a fuss and just help him, since everyone needs shoes. Well, It’s hard to argue against that specific point.
Is Nida Possessed?
Besides being a murderer, Keith is also a pervert. As he suggests to the much younger Nida to write down her number for him, the classic horror music and old film quality suddenly resurface. Nida grabs Keith by the throat, and her vacant eyes turn into a possessed, evil gaze.
After a few seconds, we snap back to reality, and it turns out this was just a sort of suppressed longing.
On her way back from work, Nida witnesses a speech by the fascist and popular MP frontrunner, Michael Smart. People on the street give Nida sideways glances. The majority of her fellow townspeople seem to share the opinion that “her kind,” as Vicky racially described it, doesn’t belong here.
You can feel Nida’s loneliness. She seems to have no one. But the dreary apartment quickly brightens up when Nida changes the TV channel and stumbles upon a performance by Boney M. She looks intrigued by singer Bobby Farrell (Paapa Essiedu), and a nearly enamored smile appears on her face.
The next day, Nida’s manager points out the issue of her smelly lunch. It’s clear that Vicky’s complaints are responsible for this. Nida has to switch to the scentless ham and cheese sandwiches, but still has a biryani with her for that day. The manager directs her to the basement, where she won’t be bothering anyone.
It’s a sad sight. Nida comes across as a withdrawn, timid person. But the circumstances push and keep her down and give her little opportunity to be who she wants to be. The manager who places her in the most remote corner of the store is yet another sign that she is unwanted. However, when a new “possessed flash” shows us how she violently attacks Vicky, it seems like revenge won’t be far behind.
A Demon With the Appearance of Boney M’s Bobby Farrell
It’s precisely that basement that will drastically change Nida’s life. There, she discovers a mysterious stone, which she takes home. That evening, the stone starts speaking to her. It introduces itself as Gaap, a demon. He explains that they are now connected, and that Nida must kill three people in the next three days to save the world from destruction.
Before I can even think, ‘Oh no… first a werewolf and now a demon in Black Mirror…’, I am won over by the charm of the demon. A charming demon, really? It does sound bizarre, but Paapa Essiedu immediately ensures that I cannot dislike his presence.
In a state of panic, Nida allows the demon to manifest in physical form. That physical form is as we know demons: terrifying. Nida is shocked, and in response, Gaap decides to take a form that she actually likes: Boney M’s singer.
And so, suddenly we’re dealing with a demon who looks like an 80´s singer, adorned in a white feather costume and platform shoes. The concept is too bizarre for words, but thanks to Gaap’s smooth talk, dark humor, and the excellent chemistry between actors Anjana Vasan and Paapa Essiedu, it works.
Nida is in shock and naturally needs some convincing. Gaap snaps his fingers and shows Nida what will happen to the world if she doesn’t carry out the three murders. She still can’t believe it all. Gaap tries to encourage her in a hilarious way with statements like, “It’s only three killings” and “Three people is fewer people than die falling off ladders in the same time period. You’d be less lethal than a ladder.” This humor will be recurring throughout this episode: Gaap encouraging Nida to kill people. It’s dark, but consistently done in an entertaining manner.
The First Kill
Despite Nida’s initial resistance, the first murder presents itself quickly. In a deserted place, she encounters a stranger, and Gaap tells her that the man abuses his daughter. Gaap has the ability to see into people’s souls and the future, and he knows that his daughter will take her own life at the age of 28. He even shows Nida the abusing with her own eyes, after which she bludgeons the bastard to death with a brick.
Gaap shows Nida that the mysterious stone is now showing 2 stripes instead of 3. The stripes represent the number of murders that still need to be recorded to prevent the end of the world from happening. Cheerfully, he tells her that she now has a whole day to choose her next victim. Gaap’s carefree attitude towards the entire situation contrasts humorously with Nida’s state of mind.
Completely distraught, Nida says that she’s crazy, just like her mother. I thought her mother would play a bigger role in the story. Perhaps she had also encountered the stone at some point? Or maybe it’s all playing out in Nida’s mind, and she has some kind of inherited madness? But her mother’s so-called madness doesn’t lead anywhere.
Gaap tries to reassure Nida and says, “You’re not crazy.” Nida objects and says, “I’m a murderer.” Gaap cannot deny this and says, “Yeah, but you’re not a crazy one.”
When we look at the overall plot, a demon forcing a woman to commit three murders, it would be obvious to choose a horror theme with a dark atmosphere. Instead, Demon 79 resembles more of a new entry in the Scary Movie franchise. This makes the episode more original and surprising.
Back at work, Nida is once again bothered by Vicky. Gaap remarks that she is a front-runner for the second kill. A bias point of view tells me the same, but there are undoubtedly better choices.
In one of the best scenes of the episode, Nida helps an old lady in the store. Gaap tells her that he loves old ladies and even inhales her. Despite his love for old ladies, he tries to talk her into the grave. “She can’t wait for the end to come. You’d be doing her a favor. Just do it. No one will miss her. She’s nearly dead already.”
I could write a whole article dedicated to Gaap’s best quotes, but this one is already getting long enough. So let me move on to the next victim.
The Second Kill
While Nida gathers courage by drinking in the local pub, she spots Keith Holligan. She gets cozy with him in order to get him alone in his apartment. Gaap remarks that his house looks as if he wipes his ass with it (last quote, promised).
Poor Keith thought he was in for a night of passion, but little did he know he was about to get hammered by reality.
When Nida takes out her hammer, Keith accepts his fate and lets her beat him to death without resistance.
As Nida tries to leave, it turns out Keith’s brother has entered the house. To leave no witnesses, he must also meet his end. According to Gaap, he was an ordinary man who had never harmed anyone in his life, leaving Nida’s guilt with nowhere to hide.
The good news seems to be that Nida has accomplished her mission. But when they look at the stone, there is still 1 stripe remaining. After a call with his ‘boss,’ Gaap discovers that killing murderers doesn’t count. Nida loses it and curses out the demon. Her pent-up frustration is finally unleashed. Undoubtedly, she must have also wanted to say her “Go fuck yourself right up a tree” to Vicky and many others countless times. But it is precisely with a demon that she finally allows her true feelings to flow freely.
Opening Up to a Demon
Gaap explains that he also benefits from preventing the apocalypse. If he fails this assignment, his first one, he will be cast out. He will then be doomed to spend an eternity alone in a vacuum of infinite nothingness. Poor demon. Nida says that this sounds like her life. A sad but accurate conclusion.
For the first time, the two of them allow themselves to be vulnerable towards each other. Gaap admits that he’s scared, and they look at each other as if they can imagine each other’s lives, as if Gaap is the Nida of the demon world.
In the store, we encounter the creepy politician Michael Smart again. He cunningly convinces Vicky to vote for him. It is clear that he is a racist but he does everything to try and keep it subtle.
Picking the Last Victim
Nida overhears the conversation and asks Gaap to show her Smart’s future. For the first time, Gaap is less eager to pick a victim. After some persuasion, he snaps his fingers, and Nida sees how the man rises to become the Prime Minister of England. We witness war and hear about blood, death, and destruction. We even see the Metalhead from Season 4, Episode 5, crawling around.
A determined Nida declares that he’s next. A nervous Gaap tries to change Nida’s mind, since his ‘superiors’ wouldn’t be pleased with Smart’s death, seeing how he will be responsible for a significant number of juicy deaths in the future. But since those deaths didn’t happen yet, he is a suitable target.
Nida pays no attention to what Gaap or his superiors think of her decision. She knows what she wants and refuses to let herself be dictated, as she has been for a long time. When Vicky enters and barks another order at her, she finally stands up for herself and shouts, “Do it yourself!” Vicky might not have made it to the hit list, but at least we get the satisfaction to see her being put in her place for once.
Nida leaves the building, but not without taking the familiar red jacket with her. The colorless ambiance surrounding the young woman is now enhanced with a vibrant red jacket. Even her car is bright red. It may symbolize the blood on her hands or her transition to the demon side. Or it could simply indicate that her metamorphosis into a more colorful character has taken place. “You’ve changed,” Gaap rightly observes.
Crossing off the Last Box of the Sadistic To-Do List
Nida pursues Michael Smart after he delivers a speech. She is now on her own since Gaap left her after a heated discussion about her choice of victim. However, she is unaware that she herself is being followed by police officer Len Fisher (Shaun Dooley), whose investigation into the previous victims has led him to Nida’s trail.
Nida rams Smart off the road, but it’s not enough to eliminate him completely. So she retrieves the hammer, ready to cross off the last box from her sadistic to-do list.
She strikes him a few times effectively, but before she can finish the job, she is stopped by Len. Earlier in the episode, they had a sympathetic conversation. Len comes across as one of the few good people Nida gets to deal with in this episode, and she can’t bring herself to sacrifice him as well. It could also have to do with the absence of Gaap, who couldn’t give her that extra push this time. Either way, Nida’s mission fails.
At the police station, Nida tells her unbelievable story about the demon’s assignment. Throughout the episode, I had wondered if all of this was only happening in her mind. As the clock neared midnight, the question was: would the world truly come to an end?
We see how the clock continues to tick past midnight. Everything seems normal, but then the sirens start to blare. Gaap returns, and Nida appears relieved and happy to see him. Gaap reveals that he is indeed doomed to eternal oblivion. He suggests that Nida should join him. I’ve been invited to things I didn’t necessarily want to attend, but eternal oblivion is truly an unappealing one.
However, Nida is open to the idea. Eternal oblivion with the man of her dreams. Art Garfunkel’s beautiful “Bright Eyes” starts playing as we witness the predicted flames and explosions arise. The main characters walk away hand in hand, with the doomed Earth in the background.
Conclusion
When I began to see Demon 79 for what it was, a dark comedy, I started to truly enjoy it. Viewers hoping for the old magic of Black Mirror may be disappointed. However, those seeking 80 minutes of straightforward entertainment will be satisfied with Demon 79.
The simple plot is carried by the chemistry between Anjana Vasan and Paapa Essiedu. The latter seems to be born for the role of Gaap. Whenever I will now hear Boney M’s Rasputin, I will forever think about his likable demon.
Enjoyed this review? All Black Mirror Season 6 episode reviews can be found here.
