Photo: Black Mirror Season 5 production still / Netflix
Miley Cyrus stars in the season finale of Black Mirror as Ashley O, a young singer whose potential becomes endless because of technology.
High school student Rachel Goggins (Angourie Rice) is a loner who loves Ashley O (Miley Cyrus) in the final Black Mirror season five episode. Rachel and her family are new to town and have yet to make friends. While Rachel’s father works on a ground-breaking ‘mousetrap’, and her sister Jack (Madison Davenport) works on making her own music, Rachel watches Ashley’s performances non-stop. Rachel’s mother passed away a few years ago and Jack honors her by listening and playing to the rock bands her mother loved, but Rachel seems to be escaping into her obsession.
Rachel and Ashley Too
Ashley O is at the top of her career. Her peppy and empowering tunes are hits and while attending a talk show Ashley introduces a little AI robot – Ashley Too.
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As soon as Rachel sees the Ashley Too, she wants it. She asks her father to buy her one for her birthday and he agrees. Jack has to remind him that Rachel’s birthday is in two days. Ashley Too is an adorable little robot with powerful intuition. Rachel takes to her immediately, spending her entire birthday chatting with the robot. Jack, who shares a room with Rachel, hates it and Ashley’s music.
Ashley Too encourages Rachel to believe in herself, and when she has a moment, compliments Jack’s creativity. Jack is unnerved by the robot, but Rachel whole-heartedly follows Ashley Too’s lead. Robots and Black Mirror are not a good mix, Rachel.
Ashley Too helps Rachel practice her dance moves for the school’s talent contest. Rachel honestly doesn’t look like she’s getting any better, but the robot helps her do her make-up and hair like Ashley, so I guess it’s succeeding at something.
At the contest, Rachel is a stiff dancer, dancing by rote. But that’s not too bad. Unfortunately, she falls off her chair during her routine, a move that Rachel struggled with during practice as well. Distraught, she runs off stage. During the ride home, Rachel is upset because she ‘let Ashley Too down’. Jack is understandably horrified at this statement.
Photo: Black Mirror Season 5 production still / Netflix
Ashley’s Rebellion
Ashley is managed by her aunt, Catherine (Susan Pourfar), who is revelling in the fame and money. Ashley’s musical inspirations come to her in her sleep and her latest is a dark and somber one. She insists she’s fine, but Catherine and the viewer can see that she’s not.
Ashley has a brand persona that Catherine doesn’t want her to move away from. She doesn’t want deep, meaningful songs and it seems that’s all Ashley has been writing off late. They are behind on the album and Ashley Too sales haven’t been recouped yet. Catherine is worried. Apparently, she has Ashley on a bunch of meds to maintain her creativity, which is a super disturbing thought.
Ashley hasn’t been taking this medication for a while, unbeknownst to her aunt. She’s been spitting them out when her team isn’t looking. But that’s not enough, Ashley’s creativity is completely stifled. She has to dress and look the exact same way because that’s who the fans want (or so her aunt says).
Ashley doesn’t know that her aunt had cameras hidden in her dressing room. Catherine finds out about her stockpiling her medication; she also finds Ashley’s diary.
Confrontations
Jack is so perturbed by Ashley Too’s influence, she decides to lock the robot away in the attic. When Rachel goes looking for the robot, Jack claims she threw it out. Rachel is horrified, claiming Ashley Too was her only friend. But Jack won’t back down – the robot was bad for Rachel. The two sisters have grown apart since their mother’s death, and the robot isn’t helping.
In the meantime, Catherine invites Ashley for a meal, but it’s an ambush. She confronts Ashley about the medication and her diary. Catherine has also been snooping in Ashley’s laptop. Ashley feels trapped and like Catherine is controlling her every move; she wants out and the medication is evidence that will help break the contract between the two of them.
Catherine reminds Ashley of everything she has sacrificed for her niece. She was only 22 when Ashley’s parents died and she had to take the girl in. She has worked hard to keep the spotlight on Ashley, but Ashley feels like she’s the only one pulling the weight. Unable to prove her point, Ashley tries to leave the conversation, but Catherine drugged her dinner with the stockpiled medication. The medication doesn’t kill Ashley, it puts her in an ‘irreversible coma’. When Rachel and Jack see the news, Jack hands Rachel her Ashley Too back.
Since this is Black Mirror, inducing Ashley’s coma isn’t the most devastating thing that Catherine does. Nope, her plan is much worse.
Six Months Later
Photo: Black Mirror Season 5 production still / Netflix
Rachel still isn’t talking to Jack and Ashley is still in her coma. Using technology, Ashley’s doctor, Munk (Nicholas Pauling), is able to read her mind and pick out the songs Ashley is dreaming of. But having the tunes isn’t enough, so Catherine and her people are using the voice mimicking technology used in the Ashley Too dolls to record the songs.
Ever since Ashley’s coma, the robots have been recalled for battery issues. Seems like the only one remaining is Rachel’s robot, and it goes haywire when it witnesses the news of Ashley. Jack reboots the device and the robot leaps back to life. Now, she’s like a snapshot of the real Ashley, complete with her personality and mind, and this Ashley Too is livid about Catherine’s deception. Ashley left evidence of what Catherine was up to on her laptop, she just needs Rachel and Jack to get her into her house. After much protestation, Jack acquiesces to this plan.
Jack pretends to investigate a rat infestation in Ashley’s home as Ashley’s bodyguard looms over her. Meanwhile, Rachel sneaks Ashley Too into the room where the real deal is asleep on her hospital bed. The tiny robot pulls the plug, seemingly killing Ashley, but the action has the exact opposite result. Ashley wakes up.
Catherine has Ashley in restraints, and the sisters aren’t able to free her before Munk arrives. He calls Catherine, letting her know about the situation, before preparing a serum that will put Ashley under again. Jack and Rachel stop him and free Ashley. Now, the girls need to stop Catherine. But from doing what?
Like a vampire, Catherine is milking every last drop of her niece’s potential, even in her comatose stage. As the girls race to Catherine’s press conference, she is busy launching Ashley Eternal – a scalable, streamable and life-like hologram of Ashley who can perform anywhere and any time. The audience is enthralled before the Goggins mobile crashes the party, and the real Ashley gets out and gives her aunt a piece of her mind.
This gripping episode ends season five of Black Mirror with Ashley embracing her new sound; Jack is by her side, both young women owning the stage in an underground bar. Rachel is reluctantly bobbing to their music, while Ashley Too is enjoying herself thoroughly. Not everyone is a fan of Ashley’s new music, but Ashley loves it!
The season finale had such a delightfully bright and youthful perspective, but Black Mirror has really pushed the boundaries in this season by exploring the devastating effects of technology if it falls into the wrong hands. Despite it all, I would say this is perhaps one of the more optimistic seasons of the series since it celebrates how people can take back the power and live their best lives.