Rashida Jones takes on a sick system in 'Black Mirror'

The actor is Emmy-nominated for 'Common People,' a parable about 'the intractable nature of capitalism and healthcare'

-  Lorena O’Neil

RASHIDA JONES HAS always been a fan of Netflix's dystopian anthology series “Black Mirror,” but she never expected it to secure her an Emmy nomination.

“I’m still pretty shocked,” Jones says of her lead actress in a limited series or TV movie nod for the Season 7 episode “Common People.” “I’ve never really been in the award conversation as an actress.”

Jones and I are speaking on the phone on a Friday in late July during her trip to Japan. We discuss how in its seventh season, “Black Mirror” secured the most Emmy nominations in the series’ history.

“I just love this universe so much,’ says Jones, who co-wrote the show's Season 3 episode “Nosedive” after going on a mission to meet creator Charlie Brooker. “There's something dark and ominous and cautionary about the whole thing, but there’s so much humor in it. The greatest art does that, it reflects back to us where we are and isn’t afraid to make us laugh.”

“Common People” is a particularly bleak episode about a teacher named Amanda (Jones) whose husband, Mike (Chris O'Dowd), saves her from a coma by signing her up for a brain subscription service. Brooker co-wrote the episode with Bisha K. All, and it was directed by Ally Pankiw. What starts out as a love story soon morphs into a parable about capitalism, corporate greed and healthcare: Once O'Dowd’s character chooses to save his wife for a few hundred dollars a month, the couple is stuck trying to make ends meet as the subscription service keeps building additional premium levels.