Review- Black Mirror Season 4

Black Mirror is back and I have never been so excited for TV. I mean, briefly, then I started watching and I remembered that this is not a joyous show, this is a show that delights in dragging viewers through the dirt, repeatedly. In fairness, the show has always been excellent at that and Season 4 is no different, for better or worse. Due to the anthology nature of the show, I'm going to repeat my format from last year (feel free to go back and read that) and break the show down by episode. I will try and avoid spoilers but for the best experience, just go watch the show blind. I highly recommend all of it so just go, get miserable and then come back. K, thnx.

Episode One: USS Callister
Director: Toby Haynes (Some of the good episodes of Doctor Who and Sherlock)
Genre: Space Epic
Technology Addressed: Virtual reality/video games

When the first images of USS Callister came out, a lot of people panicked. Sure, Black Mirror is sci-fi but not this kind. Plus, many felt that the trailer showed a very hammy looking episode that was just a Star Trek parody. Not to sound like a Charlie Brooker fan boy but I did have faith that this was all for a reason and I'm delighted to say I was right. Without spoiling the intricacies of the plot, Callister looks at the effects of power and abuse on toxic masculinity in ways I expected to be able to predict but just couldn't. The cast are probably what deserve most praise here as the ensemble all do fantastic work. Jesse Plemons as the Captain goes to places that those who are familiar with his work may have known he could reach but it still creates unease, Cristin Milioti is the human heart of this space tale and Jimmi Simpson is just a delight to watch. Whether you know him from Westworld or Always Sunny, you're going to be glad he showed up. The campy front is there for a reason and as the episode rattles along, that pit in your stomach will deepen further and further. Despite appearances, this episode is proof that Black Mirror can retain its identity in almost any setting.

Episode Two: Arkangel
Director: Jodie Foster (yeah, that Jodie Foster, director of The Beaver and Money Monster)
Genre: American Independent Drama
Technology Addressed: Child monitoring systems

Arkangel works because you hear the premise and instantly think Black Mirror. A service is created that allows for mothers to monitor their children wherever they are. It can check their health, show you where they are on a GPS and you can see through their eyes, blocking out anything "bad" using parental controls. Foster is a talented director (big fan of Money Monster over here) and she's able to lead the story down the avenues that my mind instantly went to when I heard the concept. The conclusion has the power needed but most effective about the episode is the credibility of the concept. It never feels distant and I know part of my unease comes from knowing that if this technology existed when I was growing up, my mum would have used it on me. Arkangel is proof of Brooker maturing as a writer and this episode is a chance for him to explore those insecurities that fatherhood have given him in a highly emotive episode.

Episode Three: Crocodile
Director: John Hillcoat (The Road, Lawless)
Genre: Neo-noir crime drama
Technology addressed: Objective access to memories

It's a close call because this was a really excellent season but, if I was forced to choose a favourite, Crocodile would come out on top. The story is of a woman, living with guilt over a terrible event in her past and being forced to confront her actions. Meanwhile, there's an insurance agent going around and checking people's memories to get to the bottom of an incident involving a self driving pizza van. It's clear that the two story lines are going to collide but whether it's a violent collision is yet to be seen. Parallels can easily be drawn to something like Fargo and I felt a lot of that but I also got Blade Runner vibes from the technology and the pace. Both vibes managed to avoid making the episode feel like a copy of either, especially with the tension of this dark secret infecting the viewers from start to nerve racking finish. Andrea Riseborough is the heart and soul of the episode and her performance makes the whole thing come alive in a sickening thriller that ends in a crunch.


Episode Four: Hang the DJ
Director: Timothy Van Patten (assorted episodes of The Sopranos, The Wire and Rome)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Technology addressed: Dating Apps

Of all the episodes in this season, Hang the DJ is the one that feels most tonally different, making it clear that Brooker wasn't mincing any words when he said this was his rom-com episode. The episode is set in some society that is never quite explained but essentially, all young people are paired up by a "coach" with someone else and are also told how long they're going to be together. We see one couple as they're paired together for 12 hours before being split apart and put into other relationships. The totalitarian society and strict enforcement of relationships reminded me of The Handmaids Tale but primarily, this is an episode that feels a lot like a warmer version of The Lobster. While looking back at the episode, I weighed up whether it worked as a whole and the proof is probably that I predicted the ending, thinking "If they do this, I'll be really disappointed" at which point, that did turn out to be the ending. Despite that, I found myself very satisfied with the conclusion. Definitely the easiest watch of the season, there's a lot to love in Hang the DJ and it isn't hard to see it becoming a new fan favourite.


Episode Five: Metalhead
Director: David Slade (assorted episodes of American Gods and Hannibal)
Genre: Survival Horror
Technology addressed: Security droids

Without wanting to sound cruel, Metalhead is great at what it does but it doesn't do very much. The story emphasises this simplicity as it is just about Maxine Peake running from "dogs", evil drones with incredibly effective methods. As a piece of tense TV, you can't really fault the episode as I found myself constantly screwed up into the corner of the sofa, making it no surprise that this is the same director who did the season 2 finale of Hannibal. Speaking of Hannibal, the episode is gorgeous as well. The black and white cinematography doesn't seem to have a purpose but it looks great and there are a few great looking moments of slow mo. It also can't be ignored that Maxine Peake makes this episode really work with a panicked look in her eyes that pulls you into this world. The big problem that weighs this episode down slightly below the rest though is that there doesn't seem to be much point to it. It's bleak but there doesn't seem to be some deeper meaning. With that criticism aired, it's worth repeating that this episode is still excellent and very uncomfortable TV, earning the right to be Black Mirror.


Episode Six: Black Museum
Director: Colm McCarthy (The Girl with all the Gifts and Peaky Blinders S2)
Genre: Macro-anthology/freak show
Technology addressed: Assorted but mainly pain sharing and consciousness transfer

As the finale to the season, Black Museum has to leave the viewer with that typical Black Mirror feeling and it really does do that, maybe better than any other episode this season. Stylistically, it's similar to White Christmas in that it is three tales in the framing device of two strangers talking. Museum swaps the chilly claustrophobia of its precursor though for the humid, titular Black Museum, operated by top notch sleaze ball Rolo Haynes. Much of the attention this episode will get online is about how it links to and references other episodes, essentially confirming a shared universe for the show but I'm here to tell you it's much more than an Easter egg hunt. As the humidity in the museum rises, so too does the tension as each of the tales weaves its twisted path (the first being sickening, the second being deeply upsetting and the third weaving it all together) before culminating in a finale that I can't stop thinking about. Many of the endings in Black Mirror make you question whether it's a "happy" or "sad" ending but none more so than this one. With top notch lead performances (especially Douglas Hodge as Rolo Haynes) and three crippling stories of horror wrapped into one, Black Museum is an excellent episode to end on as I will probably be thinking about it until the nest season, likely beyond then.



So yeah, I really liked Black Mirror which is a twist that everyone saw coming. Some of the fans on the subreddit have turned on the show but I don't care. Even the weakest episode of this season was a winner for me with each episode hitting its mark and all but one making me whimper "I can't take this anymore" at least once. It remains not for the faint of heart and while nothing gets as horribly bleak as Shut Up and Dance or as joyously redemptive as San Junipero, there's stacks to love (relatively speaking). Without a doubt, this season gets a