S3E1: Nosedive - Hayley Atwell really carries this episode and her reactions feel natural and unforced. With only seeing her in the Captain America movies, I didn't realize how talented and attractive she actually is. Domhnall Gleeson plays a good robot. I wonder if he gave Alicia Vikander tips when they were in "Ex Machina" together. The end was super heartbreaking. Everything ends up in the attic.
S3E2: Playtest - I really enjoyed this episode. I appreciated the main character's motivation to remember and experience as much as he could in the memory of his father who died of Alzheimer's. Unfortunately, he didn't value his mind enough and it ended up poorly for him. I liked that the episode kept you guessing and it was almost inside my head as a viewer as if it was aware what I was thinking would happen next save for the twists at the end.
S2E3: Shut Up and Dance - This episode was pretty good and also heartbreaking -- testing the limits of what a person would do to keep their secrets private only to have them released anyway by the hackers and internet trolls that exist in the world. It was great seeing Jerome Flynn aka Bronn from Game of Thrones outside of his normal role. I really like him as an actor.
S2E4: San Junipero - This episode was crafted pretty well as there was no sign of any technology until the end. The episode teased us with a "one week later" card throughout which was revealed towards the end when everything was revealed. It was actually the first episode that had somewhat of a happy ending for the characters involved as it essentially was a digital heaven that was created. I liked this episode, but I didn't love it. It dragged a little too long until the reveal and I wanted more information about the main characters.
S2E5: Men Against Fire - This episode was pretty predictable for me. I guessed early on that they were augmenting their soldiers to make them better. I thought it was just their sight, but it makes sense that the program inside of them would also have to affect what they smell and hear as well. This episode was just okay.
S2E6: Hated in the Nation - It felt like this season finale was trying to top the season 2 finale, but I feel it missed the mark a bit. I liked that the episode acknowledged a very real current problem - the bee population and how doomed we are as a society if bees become extinct. In this story-line, the government is funding the bee project, so big brother installed some backdoor software to help them spy on their citizens. They claimed it reduced crime and maybe it did, but it allowed a hacker/fellow creator of the project to access the bees for his own purpose -- to play a game that ultimately turned out poorly for those targeted and those playing it.
I'll mention two negatives - 1) the swarm of bees special effect looked a little cheesy at times, and 2) I wasn't a huge fan of how the episode ended. There was a glimmer of hope in catching the hacker, but I didn't think that was needed concerning a little twist/lie about one of the British agents. I think it would have been sweet irony if instead they used a bee to track him down and then leave it open ended if it was assigned to kill him or not.
