3. The X-Files, “Rm9sbG93XJz”
This standalone episode in The X-Files’ uneven final season takes an uneven stab at Black Mirror turfwith a story that pits Agents Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Mulder (David Duchovny) against an AI out of control. While it wasn’t the first time the series explored themes like this—season two’s “Blood” set an early precedent, with its machines urging people to kill—“Rm9sbG93XJz” brings it home, literally. The trouble begins when the pair dines at an entirely automated sushi joint and Mulder, who received the wrong meal, refuses to tip, angering an online hive mind that immediately begins tormenting them. It soon finds its way into Scully’s decked-out smart home—tampering with her alarm system; empowering a pesky robot vacuum; blasting out her stereo speakers with Crosby, Stills, & Nash; transmitting passive-aggressive shopping reminders through her smart fridge (which also starts pelting her with ice cubes); and finally, alarmingly, locking her inside with gas leaking full blast from her sabotaged fireplace—she has to smash a window to escape. (Mulder, of course, still takes a beat to wonder, “Why is your house so much nicer than mine?”)
