The first two films in this second series of Black Mirror were so strong that I really thought it could sustain it but unfortunately the third film is the weakest of the three. Of course, with the standard of the previous two being so high this does not mean it is awful, but for sure The Waldo Moment is a disappointing attempt at something good. The plot sees a comedian voicing an animated bear called Waldo; his "thing" is that politicians think he is a real children's cartoon character and go on his show only to be embarrassed by his very adult antics – so essentially Ali G. With Waldo's success in small sections of a late night comedy show, work begins on a pilot until someone has a better idea – get right in the faces of the politicians by standing as an independent in the local midterm by-election.
The ideas here are good and this episode is apparently based on an idea Chris Morris had for his show Nathan Barley, which should give you an idea of what sort of territory we are in. The themes here are to do with political apathy and the ease with which this can be manipulated with good branding and a seemingly fresh approach – even if it is an empty one. This has value and there are moments in here where good points are made but generally it doesn't do a particularly good job with it. The plot gets muddled with the focus on Jamie and the message gets lost in his story rather than making the bigger points. The sharp edge of the previous films is lost and this seems so much softer and less challenging to the viewer.
The theme in the background does offer interest though, since one could suggest a connection between Jamie's self-loathing of his empty mocking and Brooker's main job of being an hilariously acerbic bastard. However if this is a thing, it is not one that is done particularly well and there isn't much in there in that regard. It is a shame because there is a lot of potential here but the delivery really doesn't make the most of it and it really is too general and too soft in its points. The cast are decent but with the material they are only that. Rigby is OK in the lead but doesn't have a consistent character and although his performance fits any given moment, it doesn't have a flow. Support from Pirrie, Flemyng, Menzies and others is fine, but nobody really impacts in the way that Atwell and Crichlow did in the previous films.
Overall this is the weakest of the films in what is otherwise as very strong season. It has good ideas but it never comes together as well as it should and the script is muddled and lacking the really sharp edge that I had hoped it would have.
