Last week, Black Mirror unveiled three new episodes. While we have some lacklustre opinions towards the first two episodes, the third was clearly the stand-out, in our opinion.

Rachel Jack and Ashley Too is the tale of a successful popstar Ashely O (Miley Cyrus), who appears to be happy and bubbly on the surface, but we later learn is being controlled by her aunt; who force-feeds her illegal meds in order to keep the starlet controlled and in check, (and to prevent her from veering from mainstream ideals) so she can continue to monopolise off of her success.

Ashley, not only feels the pressure to conform to what everybody around her is telling her to be, but is shackled in a prison of a life that isn’t her own, and that she can’t escape.

It’s a narrative that bears striking resemblances to the conservatorship of Britney Spears; who, after her meltdown in 2007, was put under the care and control of her father. Many fans noted that when Spears returned to the spotlight after her Blackout album, (and indeed after her very personal For the Record documentary in 2008), she seemed a lot more subdued than normal, and it was hardly a secret that the singer had been medicated/taking medication.

There were also reports that Spears was on medication for biploar, despite not being diagnosed with the disorder.

Earlier this year, Spears checked herself into a wellness facility for 30 days, sparking concerns that she was being held against her will by her father, and in-turn the #FreeBritney movement on social media. Spears has later said that this wasn’t the case.

While we will never truly know what is going on in Britney’s life – or any other pop star for that matter – back in 2008, we can’t forget a tearful Britney telling an interviewer: “There’s no excitement. There’s no passion. It’s like Groundhog Day every day.” A notion that sits at the forefront of Ashely O’s life too.

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