Men Against Fire

"Men Against Fire"
Black Mirror episode
Haunted by strange dreams, Stripe (Malachi Kirby) cannot sleep.
Episode no.	Series 3 Episode 5
Directed by	Jakob Verbruggen
Written by	Charlie Brooker
Original air date	21 October 2016 (2016-10-21)
Running time	60 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Malachi Kirby – Stripe Madeline Brewer – Raiman / "Hunter" Ariane Labed – Catarina Sarah Snook – Medina Michael Kelly – Arquette Kola Bokinni – Lennard Francis Magee – Parn Heidekker Aruhan Galieva – Village Mother Simon Connolly – Doctor Dean Ashton – Guard Bradley Kave Niku – Villager Thomas Thorøe – Villager #2 Loreece Harrison – Dream Girl Toby Oliver – Boy Roach
Episode chronology
← Previous "San Junipero" Next → "Hated in the Nation"
List of Black Mirror episodes

"Men Against Fire" is the fifth episode of the third series of British science fiction anthology series Black Mirror. Written by series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and directed by Jakob Verbruggen, it premiered on Netflix on 21 October 2016, together with the rest of series three.

The episode, set in a future with dystopian and post-apocalyptic elements, tells the story of Stripe (Malachi Kirby), a soldier in a military organization hunting and exterminating mutants referred to as "roaches". When his squad, which also includes his friend and partner "Hunter" (Madeline Brewer) and their squad leader Medina (Sarah Snook), encounters roaches, Stripe kills two of them; despite earning praise for his performance, he starts feeling different after the encounter. Ariane Labed and Michael Kelly co-star as a woman saved by Stripe and a military psychologist, respectively.

A military organization is exterminating mutated humans, referred to as "roaches", in Denmark. "Stripe" Koinange (Malachi Kirby) and "Hunter" Raiman (Madeline Brewer) are, respectively, a male and female soldier in the same squad. Every soldier has a neural implant called MASS that enhances the processing of their senses (including sight, sound, and smell), provides instant data via augmented reality, and also creates comforting sex dreams at night. Following a lead, the squad searches a farmhouse while the squad leader, Medina (Sarah Snook), interrogates the farm's devout Christian owner (Francis Magee), who she suspects is harbouring roaches. Medina's suspicions are confirmed, as Stripe discovers a whole secret "nest" of roaches, who appear as pale, snarling, humanoid monsters with sharp teeth; when one of them points a mysterious LED device at Stripe, he and Hunter open fire on them. Afterwards, Stripe picks up the LED device and accidentally flashes himself in the eyes. Medina arrests the owner and orders the farmhouse torched. The device Stripe flashed in his eyes appears to have disrupted his MASS interface, though, which sporadically glitches during his training regimens the following day. Stripe undergoes a physical examination and sees a psychologist, Arquette (Michael Kelly), neither of which reveals any medical problems.