A Pastel Prison: The Tragic Downfall of Lacie Pound

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]All right, welcome back. Today we're breaking down another episode of Black Mirror: Nose Dive. Nosed Dive is a pastel laced, playful satire following an insecure woman named Lacy Pound, who spends her entire existence trying to please people in an attempt to raise her social score because that's what she equates with her self-worth. This episode also explores the societal pressure women face to be skinny and look good, which often leads to developing unrealistic expectations in seeking validation through social media, which is the exact route we watch Lacy go down. Let's dive into it. Nose Dive begins in a beautiful suburban neighborhood, something that looks like it could be in a magazine. And while it's meant to be set in America, this episode was actually shot in Nissa, South Africa, which is near Cape Town.

[00:00:47]Cape Town being where they shot Sanjunapro. And this is where we meet a young woman named Lacy Pound played by Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of legendary director Ron Howard. She's best known recently for starring opposite Chris Pratt in the new Jurassic World trilogy. But she's also directed several episodes of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Star Wars Skeleton Crew for Disney Plus. Now, Lazy lives in a world where you're constantly being scored by everyone you interact with on a scale of one to five stars.

[00:01:18]Similar to Uber, but for everything, even running past someone on the street.

[00:01:23]It's very similar to the grain technology from The Entire History of You. You can watch stuff back in your eyes, kind of like a second phone screen, and it will identify people you talk to, as well as show you their score. It just doesn't record anything.

[00:01:36]Lacy's currently rated a 4.2 too is she practices her smile and laugh in the mirror. Now Lacy's laugh is a wild one.

[00:01:45]And Bryce Dallas Howard did that intentionally. It was one of the first choices she made for Lacy. She said she took her own laugh, added some disingenuousness, a little bit of desperation, and just a dash of fear, saying that when you fake laughter, it feels awful. And after that, everything just kind of fell in place for her with the character. Lacy lives with her stay-at-home brother, Ryan, who is much more laid-back than Lacy. However, she still needs to find a new place to live because their lease is up in 4 weeks and their landlord selling the place. Ryan's going to be moving in with a friend of his.

[00:02:18]>> Now's the slowpoke.

[00:02:20]>> Lacy's not worried, though. She has some places scheduled to look at today. 4 weeks is plenty of time. Cool note here.

[00:02:26]Lacy was originally going to be living with her boyfriend, not her brother, and they were going to have him break up with her because she was so obsessed with her score. Lacy goes to a coffee shop before work and everyone is on their phone, which really isn't too different from today. She quickly catches up on everyone she knows nearby, passing out five stars like Oprah. She orders a brushed suede and the barista offers her a free cookie.

[00:02:50]>> Sounds awesome.

[00:02:52]>> She quickly gives him five stars and he returns the favor. People don't even hide it. They know they're being raided, so all their interactions are super fake because everybody's fishing for five stars. Another funny note here, this episode was parodyied in a 2017 SNL sketch titled Five Stars. It features Bobby Moahan as an Uber driver with Aiz and Sari as his passenger and they're both desperately trying to impress each other to boost their ratings. And if you're doubting whether Black Mir inspired this sketch, they mention the show by name with both of them agreeing their favorite episode is >> highly recommend you watch it, but do it after this video. If you go now, it's way too risky. You'll probably get sucked down some SNL rabbit hole or click on a sovereign citizen arrest video. You got to be strong. Lacy sees Keith and compliments him on his firefighting son we just saw before trading five stars with each other. She sits down and scans the crowd, looking at everybody's score. She takes the tiniest calculated bite of her cookie, spits it out, and places it strategically next to her drink for a photo. Our first little hint that she might have an eating disorder or some kind of issues with her weight. She posts her picture and takes a sip of the brushed suede she just labeled as heaven and gags. It's disgusting. But she didn't buy it for the taste. She bought it for the looks. It was a business move. The gross look on her face quickly turns into a smile when the five-star ratings start pouring in. That's what it's all about for her. She comes here every day for a drink she doesn't like, just a post about it. That's dedication.

[00:04:24]She gets into an elevator at work with an ex-coorker of hers named Bethany, a 4.6. six. They greet each other after they get into the elevator and then simultaneously go quiet for a moment as they both scroll each other's profiles so they have something to talk about.

[00:04:39]All Bethany posts about is her cat named Pancakes. So that's what Lacy asks about. Then Bethany returns the favor by asking her about her job. We find out Bethany just got a new job on the top floor.

[00:04:50]>> Good job first day. She condescendingly says she's glad Lacy is still happy where she is. And they both agree it's not a forever thing, but it's great for right now.

[00:05:00]>> Great for now. Yes.

[00:05:01]>> But Lacy is clearly unhappy being stuck in the same role. She works in an office, but they purposely never expand on her job. I think it's meant to represent the standard boring office 9 to 5 that most people work. She checks the analytics on her coffee picture and everyone gave her five stars except for some [ __ ] named Naomi. Lacy stalks her page before being interrupted by Chester, a 3.1 who's trying to pass out smoothies to his co-workers in an attempt to boost his score. He recently broke up with his boyfriend Gordon, and everyone picked Gordon's side. So, the entire office is downvoting and ignoring Chester, but Lacy doesn't know this yet, so she takes one of the smoothies. The entire office stares at her like she just farted, and she nervously takes a sit before giving Chester five stars. He thanks her and walks away. That's when another one of her co-workers calls her over and gives her the rundown on the Gordon drama, saying that if they can get Chester below a 2.5, then it's bye-bye. As he gives Chester a zero, and they both hide from him. And that's when Lacy's phone starts going off. She's getting anonymous one and two star ratings from random co-workers just for taking a smoothie that she didn't know the politics behind. And this kills her.

[00:06:15]That number means everything. She goes to check out a potential new apartment, a place called Pelican Cove, which is marketed as a lifestyle community, and it is gorgeous. But it's the sales tactics of the realtor that blew my [ __ ] mind. They get to the kitchen and she presses a button on a remote that projects a hologram of Lacy in the kitchen in the bathrobe preparing a meal.

[00:06:36]>> Great hair.

[00:06:38]>> She's not even looking at the place.

[00:06:40]She's too busy complimenting her own hologram's hair. But then it gets even better. A shirtless model looking hologram guy comes down the stairs and starts kissing on hologram Lacy's neck.

[00:06:51]This has her mesmerized. And while he doesn't come with the apartment, they do have private bars for tenants to meet and mingle.

[00:06:59]>> Oh, I'm more than interested.

[00:07:00]>> The realtor tells Lacy straight up that this place is a little bit out of her price range, but luckily they have a prime influencers program. All she needs is a rating of 4.5 or higher, and she gets a 20% discount. Lacy walks outside to a personalized billboard staring her in the face. Like, this is what you're missing out on by not living here. You should move in and fall in love. They don't even advertise what the apartment looks like because the type of people who want to live here don't give a [ __ ] It's all about the look and people just knowing that they live here. I mean, Lacy didn't even go upstairs to look at the rest of the place. The hologram man is what sold her. As she walks away, her picture disappears from the billboard, waiting to be filled in with whoever has the next appointment. At home, Lacy is still dwelling on Naomi and the fact she only gave her four stars. She gives Naomi and her boyfriend Paul a bunch of five-star ratings, hoping to maybe get one in return, but then pauses on a picture of them kissing on the beach while the sun sets. Naomi has everything Lacy wants. She's in love and more importantly has a 4.8 rating. Ryan comes in and we learn he's a 3.7. He makes fun of her Pelican Cove folder, saying she probably doesn't even qualify. Well, Ryan, Lacy has a plan for that. She goes to Reputelligent, the company behind the social media app she uses, and meets with a consultant on how to raise her score. And if you pay attention, you see a crying woman and her husband storm out of an office. The husband says he's going to sue their ass. And the consultant says there's nothing he can do. Now, we got to fill in the blanks ourselves, but I think it's a safe bet that the wife wanted a higher score. The guy told her they have unrealistic expectations, and she stormed out.

[00:08:43]That's how serious this [ __ ] is. Lacy's consultant, Hansen, tells her she's clearly a tryer and examines her social media analytics. She has a solid popularity arc, and then they take a close look at her last 24 hours, where he compliments her work ethic for posting at 8:30 a.m.

[00:09:00]>> Great little uptake there. Then he points out the couple of dips she has, asking if she had cut someone off in traffic or something, which honestly might be the only time I think this scoring system is a good idea. If we could rate drivers so somehow the bad ones got penalized, I would be so happy.

[00:09:17]But no, Lacy didn't cut anybody off.

[00:09:20]That was from Smoothie Gate. Then we see her sphere of influence. He says it looks healthy and it's a big plus that strangers like her.

[00:09:27]>> Thank you. Hansen says a 4.5 is totally achievable for her. Barring a major setback, of course, like a public meltdown or something. She should be there in as little as 18 months. But Lacy needs it sooner, like much sooner.

[00:09:41]Well, then he says she would need a boost and dives deeper into her analytics, saying most of her interactions are confined to her inner circle of, pardon the term, mid to low range folks. And then her outer circle is mostly just service industry workers.

[00:09:56]That's where she needs improvement. more up votes from quality people. That's the quickest way to get a big boost. The cheap fives from people that are basically paid to be nice to her aren't going to get it done. And this says a lot of things. Most importantly, your votes are worth more the more popular you are. Both up votes and down votes.

[00:10:16]So the highest rated people can just stick to themselves, upvote each other, and treat it like some kind of cult.

[00:10:22]They can pick and choose who they want to be a part of them. And then even if someone like Lacy works their ass off to get that high of a rating, they can work together to downvote them and kick them right the [ __ ] out. That's an insanely flawed system. But I think that's kind of the point. The rich get richer and the poor stay poor. 10 years later, this is still hitting like it was released yesterday. Black Mirror should really serve as a warning of what not to do, but it's starting to feel like a toxic blueprint that we're following. Henson highlights everyone she knows who's a 4.5 or higher, saying that's who she needs to impress. And she's got 12, which isn't much, but it's better than 11. And look who's rated highest in her life. That [ __ ] Naomi, who only gave her four stars for some reason. Like, what's the logic behind not giving your friends five stars on pictures? That's so petty. She probably knows her votes are worth more, and she's purposely stingy with them just so she can feel powerful. I mean, we totally haven't met her yet, though, so that's just a guess on my part. She might be the sweetest girl ever, who's just really particular about her brown suede photos. The next day, Lacy goes on a run and spends the entire time giving five stars to everybody she knows over 4.5. Then, when she gets to work, Chester is locked out.

[00:11:36]He's currently rated a 2.4, and security won't let him in without a 2.5 or higher. He begs Lacy for some stars, but she completely ignores him. She can't even risk interacting with sub three star scum like that.

[00:11:50]But then she feels bad. Lacy has a good heart and is a good person. She's just completely obsessed with trying to be popular. She almost gives Chester some stars, but then the elevator door opens and Bethy's inside. She no longer feels bad about Chester and remembers the mission at hand.

[00:12:07]>> Hi.

[00:12:08]>> Hi.

[00:12:09]>> Impress the cool kids and maybe they'll let you join them. Lacy asks Bethany about her new job, and she says it's going great, but doesn't really engage otherwise. After standing in silence for a second, Lacy knows she has to do something. She's desperate, but she doesn't want to appear desperate.

[00:12:25]>> Would you like a croissant?

[00:12:27]>> Which she turns down and then gets off the elevator to see Bethany give her three stars. And that's insane to me.

[00:12:33]You'd think people would just upvote the people they know out of wanting the best for them. Voting someone five stars actually really helps them and costs you nothing. Kind of like liking and subscribing, but they're actually judging each other off every little interaction they have.

[00:12:49]And they're harsh as [ __ ] If you're having a bad day, you better just stay home so you don't have to interact with anybody. To give somebody three stars and then smile in their face would just be so disrespectful. Hansen is notified immediately about Lacy getting a three-star rating from a 4.6 six and gives her a call, letting her know not to try too hard. Highfors can smell it from a mile away and it's impossible to respect. Then says her time is up and disconnects the call before Lacy can ask him any questions. She goes online and if we pause it right here, we get a twisted little Easter egg update on Michael Callo who posted that he just got kicked out of the zoo. Again, not going to explain that one any further.

[00:13:29]If you don't know about him porking the pork, just ask somebody in the comments.

[00:13:33]And is it just me or does Naomi look crazy as [ __ ] right here? But that's when Lacy gets an idea and grabs her Mr. Rags doll, which Naomi helped her make.

[00:13:42]She takes a picture and posts it, pretty much baiting her hook and casting into a pond full of Naomi's, hoping to get a bite. It's a Hail Mary, but getting a five out of her would be huge. Lacy just sits there staring at the screen, waiting for any interactions, but hoping for one in particular. And then she gets it. The look of relief and happiness on her face is pretty unnerving.

[00:14:08]Later that night, Lacy's at home attempting to make that same olive [ __ ] that Paul made Naomi just so she can try to fish another like out of her. She spills olive juice all over her shirt and rinses it off in the sink before Ryan comes in asking what the [ __ ] is that gross looking black sludge.

[00:14:24]>> Top a nod. Want some?

[00:14:25]>> Ryan's confused as to why she's even making this. But Lacy insists it's just something she wants to eat. And that's when her phone rings. It's Naomi. Code red. This is not a drill, people. Code red. Oh my god. She puts her camera on the shelf so her olive station is in the background, covers the stain on her shirt, and kicks Ryan out before answering. And this entire interaction is just so fake it's uncomfortable to watch. Naomi says she just had to call after seeing the Mr. Rags photo, although it is like half a day later, but whatever. and reveals to Lacy she just got engaged. They're getting married in a month on a private island, and she wants Lacy to be her maid of honor, even though they aren't as close as they used to be. Seeing Mr. Rags reminded her of them planning their weddings when they were kids, and she wants her oldest friend to be there by her side. All she really has to do is give a short speech about some old memories. Naomi lets her know there will be hundreds of people attending and sends her the guest list. They're all pretty much 4.7s and above, so no pressure. She asks what size dress Lacy wears, but doesn't allow her to answer.

[00:15:33]>> I'll just send you a four.

[00:15:35]>> Now, for me and the rest of the men out here who might not know how that translates to normal sizing, it's basically an extra small, which is rude as [ __ ] Now, in preparing for this role, Bryce Dallas Howard actually gained 30 lbs to better fit the character. She said that body shaming has a huge subtext in this story and this moment where she gets an extra small dress forced upon her is a perfect example of that. Then in a sick example of life imitating art when she was preparing for her role in Jurassic World Dominion, she was asked by an unnamed higher up to quote not use her natural body in Hollywood, implying she needed to lose weight for the role. However, the director stood up for her and in the end they left her alone. She did a bunch of her own stunts in the movie as well, which wouldn't have been possible for her to do if she was dieting. Because when you diet, especially when you do it with intensity, your body gets a lot weaker and you become more susceptible to injuries. Which is why I really like women like Danny Spiegel, who's a CrossFitter and reality TV star, most recently on the New American Gladiators show, because she promotes a healthier lifestyle with her brand Girls Who Eat.

[00:16:42]She encourages women to eat, be strong, and healthy rather than starving themselves and trying to be a size four because that's what you think the world wants. Plus, she's a bad [ __ ] who's strong as [ __ ] So, you'd shout out to her. But I digress.

[00:16:58]They say bye, and Lacy quickly gives Naomi five stars before they hang up, hoping for the same in return. Ryan asks Lacy why she's still friends with her when she was always so mean. She made up that rhyme about her. She cut her hair.

[00:17:12]She [ __ ] Greg. Greg.

[00:17:15]>> But Lacy laughs it off, saying he just misunderstands their relationship, and she definitely didn't [ __ ] Greg. But when Ryan walks away, her face screams that Naomi did in fact [ __ ] Greg. She's just in denial cuz she wants those points. She takes the guest list to show Hansen, who's impressed, saying if she gets up votes from all these people, hell, even some of them, it would definitely be enough to push her over 4.5.

[00:17:43]>> Mhm.

[00:17:43]>> And the guest list format is wild. The only info it gives you is your name and rating. The number is actually in a bigger font than the name and in bold, so it stands out and people are going to see your score before your name. The next day, she calls Pelican Cove saying she wants to take the apartment.

[00:18:01]Definitely getting ahead of herself, but you got to appreciate the confidence, I guess. Lacy practices her speech with Ryan in front of a montage of pictures of her and Naomi as kids, and she goes all out. It's way over the top, and she's trying way too hard again, even bringing Mr. Rags as a physical prop and ending the speech in tears.

[00:18:24]>> Is the tear too much? The car that's picking her up is outside now and she's got to go. She asks Ryan if her speech is too much and he immediately says yes.

[00:18:33]But Lacy is feeling so much pressure she just wants to make it the best speech she can. And if by doing that she just happens to get five starred by a bunch of primes. Then >> so what? It's a win-win.

[00:18:44]>> She starts to argue with Ryan about Pelican Cove only for her to miss her ride that was waiting for her outside which results in her score getting dinged. And that marks the beginning of the end. It all starts to go downhill from here. Ryan says he misses the normal Lacy, who she was before she became obsessed with just trying to get her score as high as possible because now she spends all her time comparing herself to people that are pretending to be happy. You can't win like that, but she's ignoring him and looking for her phone charger. He asks her if the deposit is refundable and what's going to happen if this doesn't work out.

[00:19:17]Clearly worried about his sister, but Lacy doesn't want to answer. She can't answer because she has all her eggs in one basket. It has to work out cuz if it doesn't, she's completely screwed. It's all or nothing, baby. She gets downright mean and says he's the reason she never brought any guys back here. She was embarrassed to be living with someone, let alone her brother, with such a low score. They are like complete opposites.

[00:19:44]Ryan might be rated low, but he's got his emotional priorities straight and cares about his sister's well-being.

[00:19:50]Lacy, on the other hand, simply looks down on her brother for his rating. She storms out of the house, giving Ryan one star in anger, and he happily returns the favor. She rushes to the car who is now honking at her after waiting. And not paying attention, she runs straight into a woman walking down the street, causing her to spill her drink all over herself. Turns out she's a 4.8 and also downvotes Lacy, who is apologizing to no avail. Then in the car ride to the airport, Naomi calls her and the driver looks like he's already sick of her [ __ ] They have an annoyingly high-pitched conversation about Lacy making it in time for the rehearsal dinner tonight and Naomi's thoughts on her speech. Booking a flight this close to the event is ludicrous.

[00:20:36]>> Oh no, >> you have to leave some room for error, especially if it's this important to you. Like if the dinner's at nighttime, you got to be there in the morning.

[00:20:45]Naomi says she likes Lacy's speech so far, but that part about her helping her with her eating disorder might be a little bit much. She does love the fact that she's going handwritten, though.

[00:20:57]The driver drops her off at the airport and gives her a one-star rating for being so annoying. And here inside the airport is a great look at this episode's color scheme. They wanted to use bright pastel colors to contrast or hide the darkness of the world. The color scheme they use is a mixture of duck egg blue, peppermint green, and a strange peach color. They wanted the world to give you a sickly pastel feel to make it overwhelming. Lacy gets to the counter, and if you recognize the airline stewardis, that's because it's Michaela Cole, who was officer Shaniah Lowry in the episode USS Callister.

[00:21:33]However, she was unable to return for the Into Infinity episode due to a scheduling conflict. This is where Lacy, who is now a 4.1, is informed that her flight's been cancelled and all the other flights going to where she needs to go are full. However, there is one standby seat, but it's only for members of their Prime Flight Program, and you got to have a 4.2 or higher. Lacy pleads with her. She's so close. There has to be something she can do, but the stewardist tells her without a 4.2, she can't book it. The computer won't let her. Frustrated, Lacy raises her voice only to be warned by the stewardist who mocks her when she says she's the maid of honor and can't miss this wedding.

[00:22:12]And this is where the meltdown really begins. She gets warned for profanity and told she needs to step aside for the next customer, but she refuses again.

[00:22:21]>> God just [ __ ] help me.

[00:22:22]>> The steward is called security on her, citing profanity and intimidation. And Lacy's phone blows up with down votes from everyone in line behind her. The nicest security guard on the planet arrives and orders her to shut up when Lacy tries to explain herself. He tells her he's docking her one full point as a punitive measure to make sure she leaves without causing any more of a scene. And as long as she does, the point will return in 24 hours. But that's not it.

[00:22:48]During that 24-hour period, every down vote she gets is going to be multiplied by two.

[00:22:53]>> I'm on double damage.

[00:22:55]>> He then orders her to leave the airport >> immediately. Like I said, nicest security guard ever. Stern, but nice.

[00:23:03]Lacy takes her things and walks away, only to be downvoted by the stewardist who smiles at her. Due to her low ranking, she's forced to rent a super shitty car. It's old. It's programmed to speak Czech, and nothing works right in it, but it drives kind of. She practices her speech as she drives, and Naomi calls her asking her where she is. Lacy makes a bad choice of words here, saying that she missed her flight. She tries to correct herself, but Naomi interrupts before she can get it out. Absolutely furious that she's going to miss the rehearsal dinner. Now, the difference between a missed flight and a canceled flight is huge. While it doesn't change anything, at least it alleviates some of the blame because it's not in your control. When you miss a flight, it's because you [ __ ] up. Anyway, it's a 9-hour drive to the wedding location, and Lacy tells her she's just driving straight through.

[00:23:57]>> I'll be there. I swear in Mr. Rex.

[00:23:59]>> That's when some of Naomi's friends arrive, so she quickly gives Lacy a fake drive safe before hanging up on her.

[00:24:05]Lacy gives her five stars and then stares at her phone, praying that she returns the favor, which luckily she does. Now, I honestly didn't expect that, but at the end of the day, it makes her look bad if Lacy's rated low.

[00:24:18]After a few hours of driving, she stops to charge her car, but it's so old the chargers don't fit. She needs an adapter, which should have came with the car, but didn't. And the porn watching attendant doesn't have one either.

[00:24:30]Lacy's pissed, but she controls herself.

[00:24:33]She thanks the attendant, gives him five stars, and as she walks away, he gives her two.

[00:24:39]>> Two stars.

[00:24:40]>> He says it wasn't a meaningful encounter. Lacy asks around for an adapter, but no one has one. She leaves the car and starts to walk, hitchhiking on the side of the highway, which results in more anonymous drivers downloading her. A semi-truck pulls up next to her, driven by a woman named Susan, who's rated 1.4, and offers Lacy a ride. And Susan is played by Cherry Jones, who's been in a ton of stuff, like 24, 11,22,63, and The Handmaid's Tale. Another cool fact, she was married to Sarah Pawson for 5 years. And that's a cool fact simply because she killed it in every season of American Horror Story she was ever in. I love Sarah Pollson. But even at her most desperate, Lacy is still too stubborn to look past somebody's score.

[00:25:25]She has no business turning down a ride at this point. But Lacy thinks she's better than this woman and says, "No thanks. She's okay.

[00:25:32]>> Don't look it. Come on."

[00:25:34]>> Lacy finally comes to her senses and accepts the offer. It's Susan's second offer, however, that's the most interesting. She offers Lacy something to drink, saying the blue thermos' coffee.

[00:25:45]>> Red's whiskey.

[00:25:46]>> Now, this is a reference to the Matrix and the red blue pill offer Morpheus gives Neo. Red being the truth and blue being blissful ignorance. They also did the same thing recently in the Into Infinity episode with Robert Dailyaly.

[00:25:59]But Lacy says she's not thirsty and begins scrolling through Susan's feed only to be called out by her. Susan says people assume she's insane because she has a 1.4, 4, but she seems totally >> normal.

[00:26:11]>> Yeah. Then she flips it on Lacy, asking why she's a 2.8 when she definitely does not look like a 2.8. Lacy says it's a temporary thing. She's going to turn it around. She's going to a wedding where she's going to be the maid of honor and then asks Susan if she wants to hear her speech.

[00:26:28]>> No.

[00:26:29]>> Lacy is still convinced even though she's a 2.8, it's going to be okay because she's with the bride. Then once she gets the penalty lifted, double damage taken off. nails the speech and everyone upvotes her. It'll rocket her back into the forge and everything's going to be okay. Susan is just as shocked as us by her obliviousness and false hope, then saying it reminds her of her. She used to be a 4.6 years ago.

[00:26:51]It was her entire life, just like Lacy.

[00:26:54]But then 8 years ago, her husband Tom got cancer.

[00:26:57]>> I'm so sorry.

[00:26:59]>> Susan corrects her saying she isn't sorry. She doesn't know her. She just put her in an awkward situation with cancer talk and Lacy didn't know how else to respond. Susan continues saying that she five-starred every doctor, every nurse, every consultant trying to get the best possible treatment.

[00:27:16]Eventually, a very exclusive experimental treatment came around. Tom, who was a 4.3, got put on the list, but then at the last minute, his bed got given to a 4.4. At that point, she said, "Fuck it." She stopped giving a [ __ ] and stopped filtering herself. She said what she wanted when she wanted, and people don't always like that. She lost a bunch of friends, but said it felt good to get rid of the dead weight, telling Lacy she should give it a try. Lacy kind of chuckles to herself, like, "Oh, that would be fun, but I could never." She condescendingly tells Susan that she's sorry she lost everything, but she still has something to fight for. She hasn't even gotten anything to lose yet. And then Susan looks at her like, "Isn't that the same thing?" and asks her what it is that would make her happy. Lacy says she just wants to feel content and be okay so she can breathe without feeling the pressure that she's currently feeling every day, but she's so far from that goal, she still has to play the numbers game. They all do.

[00:28:14]Maybe Susan's too old to remember, but that's how the >> [ __ ] world works.

[00:28:19]>> She then immediately apologizes after she realizes what she said, but Susan puts her at ease, saying she's not going to downvote her. Lacy's all tuckered out and eventually falls asleep in the back of the truck. Susan wakes her up as the sun rises, saying this is the closest she can get her, but she's only 30 m from her destination, and there's plenty of buses that go there. Lacy thanks her for the ride. Susan wishes her luck with her speech and says she left her a little something in her luggage just in case.

[00:28:46]>> Emergency escape hatch.

[00:28:48]>> Lacy opens her bag to see the red thermos full of whiskey. When she's ready for the truth, this will help her find it and speak it. Just not yet, though. As she practices her speech in the bathroom, she's ambushed by a couple tran heads who were headed to Tranquility Con in Port Mary. Lacy overhears this and misses her chance.

[00:29:07]That's exactly where she needs to go.

[00:29:09]Now, tranads are fans of the HBO sci-fi fantasy show Sea of Tranquility, which has been referenced countless times in this series. The first time being in the very first episode, The National Anthem, and since then, it's been referenced in all of these episodes. Lacy looks up some quick talking points online, then tells them that's where she's headed, but her car broke down and her friend's already there with her costume. Now, tranads are like jugos. They're family.

[00:29:35]So, they immediately offer her a seat in their RV. In the RV, however, there's seven other pranksters.

[00:29:42]>> Tran head, >> I mean tranads. And they're a little suspicious on whether Lacy's telling the truth. So, they start quizzing her about the show. Lacy says her favorite character is Lieutenant Duster because that's the name she overheard in the bathroom. But then she calls Lieutenant Duster a she, which catches the girl dressed as Lieutenant Duster offguard.

[00:30:00]Lacy notices and corrects it to a he, but Lieutenant Duster informs her Lieutenant Duster has no fixed gender.

[00:30:06]Just then, Lacy's phone rings. It's Naomi. Lacy picks up saying she had a crazy night, but she's almost there.

[00:30:14]>> Don't come. I don't want you here. I cannot have a 26 at my wedding. Naomi says there's no way she can have a 2.6 at her wedding. Just like Lacy, she doesn't see the person, she sees the number. It's only if your number's high enough that she sees the person. Lacy tells her it's temporary, but Naomi reminds her the wedding is today. Lacy tells her she's still the same person.

[00:30:36]Nothing's changed. She even brought Mr. Rags. She can still do the same speech.

[00:30:41]>> No, no, no, no. Naomi says everyone at the wedding is over 4.5 and she hasn't been under 4.7 in 6 months. There's no way she's going to let a 2.6 come and [ __ ] up her wedding. And the way she says it is so black and white. Like if her mother was a 2.6, she wouldn't be invited. And while Lacy should completely understand this, she would 100% do the same thing if the roles were reversed because it's her and she desperately needs this. She can't grasp the reality of the situation and the fact that it's not happening. It's just like the end of Breaking Bad when Hank's about to get killed and Walt's blindly pleading for Jack not to kill him, thinking he still has a chance. And just like Walt, Lacy doesn't realize Naomi made up her mind 10 minutes ago before she ever called. Okay, come on. That was a pretty good reference. Naomi says the only reason she invited her is because she was an old friend who was also rated a low four. And based on all the simulations they ran, she was the best fit for her maid of honor. This should have resulted in a prestige boost of at least 0.2. But now she's a sub three and they can't be having that kind of scum at their wedding. And it's an interesting dynamic here because I think they both sincerely need each other, but they're also both sincerely using each other for their own ulterior motives.

[00:32:01]Naomi doesn't even feel a little bad about this either. She knows it was all about the numbers for Lacy, too. She just wanted all those prime votes, but Lacy isn't giving up just yet.

[00:32:11]>> I'm getting those votes.

[00:32:12]>> Lacy says she's still showing up and doing that speech. And when she does, everyone's going to cry and upvote her for the amazing job she did.

[00:32:21]>> No, you're not. Go home.

[00:32:24]>> Naomi hangs up and Lacy looks up to see all the tranksters staring at her.

[00:32:28]>> I have never seen your stupid [ __ ] show.

[00:32:31]>> They kick her out on the side of the highway. Lacy opens up her emergency escape hatch and tries to stop oncoming cars all simultaneously swerving around her and downvoting her. And the music right here is really cool because when she gets all those down votes in a row, it causes her phone to blow up. Then they took those sounds and looped them into the soundtrack. It's such a dope touch. She finds a kid doing donuts on a quad, somehow convinces him to let her borrow it, and takes off down the highway. We see that Naomi's wedding started and as the ceremony is going on, all her bridesmaids are smiling and upvoting her at the same time. Like, there's not a better time to do this.

[00:33:10]It's so weird. On the plus side, she's marrying Fad Castle, who appears to have finally given up Oxanna, their pronounced husband and wife, and go with the timeless classic wideopen mouth make out. Lacy arrives to find the entire community gated with armed security guards and a sign saying no one under 3.8 is allowed. No exceptions. They've got dudes armed with assault rifles up in this tower ready to blast any sub 3.8 scum that tries to get in. And then the no exceptions on there is wild to me. It doesn't matter if you're a homeowner with a 4.7. If you have an outburst at the airport and get knocked down to a 3.7 for 24 hours, you can't go home.

[00:33:53]You're too much of a piece of [ __ ] to even enter your own community, which is probably good for their significant others because they definitely don't want to see the person they married with a 3.7 next to them. That's a combination boner repellent and clam dryer. I bet they'd come home the next day and not even mention it to each other. Don't acknowledge it and it never happened.

[00:34:12]That would be such an insane way to live. this entire world. Scary thing is there's actually people out there right now living like this. Influencers and wannabe influencers. It's batshit crazy.

[00:34:25]Lacy needs to find another way in. So, she goes around and cuts through the woods only to be thrown off the bike into a huge puddle of mud. Funny note here, the day they shot this scene, it was Bryce Dallas Howard's birthday. And right after she got flung into the mud, the director yelled cut and they sang happy birthday to her when she stood up.

[00:34:43]Fun little story. Lacy trekks through the mud carrying her suitcase and makes it to a 10-ft high wall equipped with barbed wire, which she somehow scales.

[00:34:53]And I'm not even mad that they don't show it. It's clear there's no logical way she'd be able to climb that. So, I love the fact they just cut to her lurking in the bushes with her dress already changed because that's not the first totally unrealistic thing they've shown us. If you think Lacy can just hop on a quad and ride off like that, you are tripping. She is no Emerald Haywood.

[00:35:14]Meanwhile, at the wedding, Bad's best man just finished his speech, and he's beginning his own as Lacy closes in on the reception. She's lurking around the perimeter of the bushes and still thinks it's a good idea to do this. That kind of just makes me sad at this point.

[00:35:29]There's no way in a million years this could ever end well for her, but she's too oblivious to see it. That ends his speech and bumps nuts with his best man.

[00:35:39]The best man's phone is blowing up. His rating has immediately shot up. And just like I mentioned earlier, Thad prides himself on having the power to give that kind of thing out.

[00:35:49]>> Oh, you [ __ ] >> And that's Lacy's cue to enter her. This is her time to shine. She brought Mr. Rags and it doesn't even look like she's been crying. She grabs the microphone and asks everyone to be quiet. In the crowd, Naomi is ordering Thad to get her out of here cuz she's a 1.1, but he tells her that would play awful. So, they let her do her speech. Lacy begins, but it's not the speech she's been practicing. She's freestyling. The crowd is completely quiet as she talks about their time growing up together. It's not until she mentions Naomi finding climate change boring and says, "Fuck the planet." that she gets a few gasps and cheers from the audience, which gives Lacy a little more life. So, obviously, she doubles down.

[00:36:31]>> [ __ ] the planet. The down votes start pouring in and Thaad finally gets up slowly making his way around the outside towards the front and Lacy continues to move away from him. Because he refuses to cause any kind of scene, he has to act totally nonchalant in trying to stop her. And after she jukes him, he just lets her finish to keep from looking like he's chasing her.

[00:36:54]Lacy begins to cry, but then stops just as quickly as she started. Totally normal thing to do. She looks directly at Naomi and thanks her, saying she used to hold her hair for her as she puked in the toilet when she had an eating disorder. Then Naomi got a new job, left her behind, found fancy new friends, and that [ __ ] jackole.

[00:37:16]>> Lacy's phone is going crazy. Her rating is now dropped to a 6. And his best man surround her, but Lacy grabs a knife and pulls it on him, telling them to stay back. She doesn't give a [ __ ] She holds Mr. rags hostage, saying she'll cut his head off.

[00:37:32]>> IT'S STICKING ON MY ASS.

[00:37:34]>> That's when she sees armed security coming. You can tell by the sunglasses and lack of smiling. She knows her time is running out, so she begins running around as she starts her real speech that she's been practicing. But she doesn't get very far before calling an audible.

[00:37:48]>> She [ __ ] Greg.

[00:37:50]>> And points the knife directly at Naomi, who is smiling at her like everything's okay, but is also crazy for approaching her like this. As Lacy's backing up, a girl hiding underneath a table trips her. She falls to the ground and security takes her into custody as she continues the speech while she's getting handcuffed. She's dragged out screaming that she loves Na Nay. As everybody looks on, Lacy goes to jail. They take her mug shots, log her property, and remove the reputelligent system from her eyes before they put her in her holding cell. She takes off her tightass dress, sits down, and finally gets to breathe just like she told Susan she wanted to, meaning she's finally happy. Realizing that's where she is and how easy it was to get there by taking Susan's route, she can't help but begin to cry happy tears that turn into laughter. That's when she notices a man sitting in the cell across from her. She holds her hand up, pretending to rate him, and then asks what the [ __ ] he's looking at.

[00:38:48]>> Just what I was wondering. Oh, sick burn dog. I can feel the heat. He says he doesn't like her bra, and she says she doesn't like his mustache. They begin roasting each other, and they got some hilarious lines. But Lacy absolutely tortures him. First, asking what cartoon character his mom had to [ __ ] to brew him up, only to follow it up with, "He looks like a biological car crash that would make Picasso screw his eyes up," and say, >> "Well, that just don't make sense."

[00:39:16]>> Then the episode ends with them screaming, "Fuck you." at each other as she finally experiences true freedom, ironically in a jail cell.

[00:39:26]>> But they both end smiling. The next morning, they both get released, get married, and went on to live happily ever after. The end. [ __ ] yeah. We love a Black Mirror happy ending. After all the dark ass episodes I've covered lately, this was an awesome change of pace. Now, question for those that are still here. What path would you take if you were living in this world? Would you be a numbers [ __ ] like Lacy was in the beginning? Or someone who doesn't give a [ __ ] more like Lacy at the end? I'd probably be more like Ryan, a nice chill three. I'm not trying to be some top tier influencer or some [ __ ] but I also don't want to be a complete maniac who feels like he needs to speak his mind all the time, regardless of where you're at or who you're talking to. Kind of like Susan. And that's only because there's real world implications that your score affects, like rent prices or the quality of goods you receive, such as rental cars. Speaking of real life, Instagram CEO Adam Mossery says Nose Dive inspired him to experiment with hiding like numbers on their app, recognizing the negative effects it had on some users. That's kind of scary, but also pretty self-aware on his part. So, props to him for trying to look out for the little guys. Cool note about this episode. It actually started off as a movie idea. The main character was going to be a celebrity who was being blackmailed into getting his score down to zero within 24 hours. But there were rules to it. Like he couldn't break any laws. So he pretty much just had to go around being a dick to people. But then he ended up turning into a folk hero cuz he was the only one in the world willing to speak his mind. Then in the original ending, Lacy was going to have her end of episode meltdown giving a work presentation instead of at a wedding.

[00:41:05]except her blowup was going to go viral and make her rich and famous, giving her everything she ever wanted. But then the director pointed out that's basically the same ending as 15 Million Merits, so they had to switch it up. Also, this episode was written by the wonderful Rashidita Jones and Mike Sher, who had worked together on Parks and Wreck, and the way they wrote it together is pretty wild. Mike wrote the first half, Rashidita wrote the second half, switching at the point where Lacy gets her rental car. And there you have it.

[00:41:34]That's my nose dive breakdown. And now that I've done this video, it means I've covered every episode in season 3 except for one. Men Against Fire is all that's left. I think it's safe to say this is probably my favorite season. I'd also like to take a second and thank all my channel members for their support. And in turn, they got to see this video a day early. So, huge shout out to them.

[00:41:54]If you'd like to join, it's only a dollar. And for that, you get early access to videos, input on future videos, and some extra behind-the-scenes content. That being said, if you made it this far in the video and like the video, please like the video and subscribe if you want to see more content like this. I got a lot more coming. I'll see you guys next week.

[00:42:12]Thanks for watching.