![With the energy and effort the Bolts were bringing to the game, the Phoenix had to step up and match them to make it through their first game of the season. Many of the girls on the team, including freshman Nazly Rostom, have been playing soccer since their childhood and have grown a love for the sport as a result. “It was fun to see how we actually played in a [real] game,” Rostom said. “Even though the outcome was not what we were hoping for, I’m still happy we got to play together.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0154-1200x800.jpg)
![Held up by a group of cheerleaders, flyer sophomore Leyu Yonas poses as part of a stunt, also supported by flyer junior Shayne Mitchell behind her. (Left) Prior to the pink out football game on Oct. 13, the athletes practiced in the aux gym from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Right) On Oct. 19, the cheerleaders competed in their District Championships at Woodgrove High School. “We definitely put all our effort on the mat [at Districts], and it showed,” Mitchell said. Left: Photo by Nadia Shirr. Right: Photo by Steve Prakope via Victor O’Neill Studios.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/feature-image-1200x823.png)
![Sophomore Xavier Smith (6), the Phoenix quarterback, runs the ball as his teammates help hold up the defense. “My [offensive] line collapses, so I just [have to run], and its a good way to get first downs because [Tuscarora’s] defense was really good,” Smith said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_5383-1200x897.jpg)
![As the referee throws the ball up for the tip-off, freshman Simone Diby leaps towards the ball to get it in Phoenix possession. Diby is a new member of the Phoenix girls basketball team, and despite it being a change, she finds it enjoyable. “It’s definitely a different experience if you’ve never played on a team, [but] I think it’s still fun.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_0057-1200x662.jpg)
Bandersnatch Steals the Show
Netflix challenges reality with their first interactive movie, “Bandersnatch”
Wikimedia Commons Netflix [Public domain]
Bandersnatch is hitting the charts as the first interactive episode on Netflix
April 9, 2019
On Dec. 8, 2018, Netflix released its very first interactive TV special experience. “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” was a hard-to-define — but impossible to forget — experience. This episode is a science fiction/fantasy story about a 19-year-old programmer, Stefan (Fionn Whitehead), who gets sucked into his job and begins to question reality. Stefan aims to make a game based on a book, “Bandersnatch,” one of the few things his late mom had left behind before she had died. In the episode, there are parts where Stefan has flashbacks of his mom with the book, signaling the beginning of his descent into madness.
Many viewers are pondering the lack of an undo button, but the presence of a fast forward button. It appears that there is no clear good ending to the movie. There are still very entertaining and eye-catching endings and one which allows you to have a five-star game ending (if you go for that path).
By the end of the game/movie, the viewers are going to be frustrated, and the viewer might start to wonder if Netflix is controlling them or if Netflix is controlling Stefan. The episode was confusing; sometimes, it would take me back to the beginning or it would jump to a whole different scene. Since there are so many layers or choices in the movie, they did have to keep it a little simple, and they did not have time to dive into each individual character as much as people would have liked. The plot line is a bit shallow, but it did give enough story so that the viewer feels engaged.
Technically, Netflix is controlling us, the viewers, because we believe that we have the free will; realistically, Netflix predicts our decisions. Netflix ultimately gives the options and forces the audience to go with them. This leads me to the dilemma of whether or not we are really in control of the episode. The answer is no; of course we aren’t. “Black Mirror” creator, Charlie Brooker, is just leading us where he wants us to go, just like Stefan was doing with Bandersnatch. Brooker even has the help of some characters to lead us early on in the story. If you choose a particular option, Colin Ritman (Will Poulter) will let you know that you made a bad decision. In the end, “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” is interesting on many levels. It’s a good social experiment on how easy it is to fall in someone else’s control.
