Netflix's favourite dystopian TV show has finally returned with 6 more episodes, so let me give you the run down of the good, the bad and the damn-right weird (which is the main reason we love Black Mirror right?) moments of the series. Spoilers...
It's here! Black Mirror season 4! Let's be honest, the creepy 'wtf this could actually happen' vibe from each episode is the reason we all love it, and if I had to do the 'stranded on a desert island' thing, Black Mirror would be one of the shows I'd pick (provided the Island has wifi). Just like everyone else, I binge-watched the season recovering from my extensive Christmas eating lying on the sofa, and the result? I was left with my brain on the floor wondering if I needed to prepare a survival plan for when killer canines roam the earth...
Compromising of 6 episodes, the show transported us onboard an cyber spaceship, inside the virtual world of wooing and to a reality where parents could spy on their off-spring, so all in all, not much has changed. Like anybody I had my faves and my 'there've been better episodes', so I've ranked my worst to best of what this season had to offer into bite-sized chunks... Oh, and definite spoilers ahead!
6. Arkangel
What do you get when you add a mother their daughter and an all-seeing, eye-spying device? A complete and utter shit-show, that's what! Focusing on a classic mother and daughter relationship, with themes of privacy and censorship present throughout, this Jodie Foster directed episode of Black Mirror shows how far will a parent go to protect their child.
Like every Black Mirror episode, Arkangel is smart, and the concept behind the story, technology and imagination used to develop the idea into a reality is incredible; however, I was left disappointed. Compared with previous jam-packed storylines, I felt Arkangel lacked the depth that some of the other episodes had offered. I found that the only exciting part was the ending; the irony of a mother trying to protect her child throughout her life and ending up pushing her into the arms of a likely murderous truck-driver was very Black Mirror-esque. Apart from that, however, I found the episode slightly dull which was a shame.
5. Crocodile
Much like Ricky Gervais' The Invention of Lying, Crocodile takes you to a world where it's impossible to tell a fib, or at least a lot harder to get away with it. The crime-fighting surveillance gadget, The Recaller, grants access to any observer allowing them to peer inside your minds, or in this case, any of those who were a potential witness to a rouge self-driving pizza van.
The haunting episode follows the story of Mia, a woman willing to do everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) to stop her past from resurfacing and subsequently ruining her life. Crocodile's Nordic noir style provides a suitable tense atmosphere for the storyline and is consistently good throughout, but in real Black Mirror fashion, the highlight of the episode is at the end. Mia incriminates herself by carrying out an unnecessary killing, the younger daughter of the family she had previously murdered, with a guinea pig quietly lurking in the corner. Later on, we see that animals can also have the Recaller used on them and you can guess the rest. If there's anything I've learnt from this episode, guinea pig's have got your back!
4. Hang the Dj
Tackling future-modern-day dating, Hang the DJ reimagines how apps, such as Tinder and match.com, retrieve their compatibility data for its users, and in this case, Amy and Frank are the two individuals hoping to find love. An app, which controls what they order, where they live, the time their relationship lasts and the individual who it's with, pair them together. After 12 hours the app separates them, and they both have a string of relationships, but they always end up thinking of the other.
When the two are eventually allowed a last goodbye‚ before getting paired up with their soulmate, they decide to escape the system. Much like The Matrix, the world around Amy and Frank collapses, revealing they are in a simulation and that they are the 998th version of them who have done so. Creating the brilliant 99.8% compatibility rate which flashed upon Amy's phone in the real world.
In a world dedicated to online match-making, Hang the DJ is an intriguing idea and is portrayed in a fun, insightful and slightly weird way. At parts, the acting turned somewhat cheesy, but the uplifting ending, which is uncommon for Black Mirror created hope within a universe which is usually depressing. My favourite element throughout the episode, however, was when Panic by The Smiths was playing in the 'real world' pub when Frank and Amy were meeting. The lyrics, "hang the DJ" played repeated through the speakers, lending itself to the title of the episode, which I found to be more shocking than the significant 99.8% reveal.
3. Metalhead
For decades, movies such as The Terminator, have been depicting robots as deadly creatures and it was only a matter of time before Black Mirror jumped on the bandwagon, but through the form of killer canines. Metalhead is one of Black Mirror's scariest and most visually nerve-racking episodes to date. Shot in black and white, Metalhead follows Bella, a woman trying to escape from a mechanical dog, who is anything more than terrifying, after both of her friends die while trying to retrieve something from what appears to be an abandoned warehouse.
In my opinion, Metalhead is an underrated episode. It's an emotional story and the ending, where Black Mirror typically punches you in the gut, unveiled that the three friends were trying to get a teddy bear, showing the desperation and severity of the post-apocalyptic world they were living in (making it even more emotional). Although it's one of my favourites, there is no explanation of how the robots came to be or a backstory for the characters, which annoys me but for an entire episode to focus on one person and still have me/the viewer hooked, is honourable. (I'm hoping a backstory comes to light in season 5!).
2. USS Callister
One of the stand out episodes from the trailer and the 1st episode of the season, USS Callister started the series off with a bang. Resembling TV show Star Trek, USS Callister focused on the human DNA copies who trapped inside a modified game run by their boss Robert Daly (who is quite clearly Matt Damon's doppelgänger). Unlike, season 3's Nosedive, where everyone wanted to escape reality, those involved in USS Callister, wanted to get back to the real world.
After successfully tricking Daly, Nanette and the others, escape from his sealed word and are free to roam the online version of the game, but who is the first person they meet? The "King of Space Battles" voiced by Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul, which I found complemented the episode and allowed it to end on a humorous note.
1. Black Museum
Set in America, we follow Nish as she stumbles across Black Museum while waiting for her car to recharge, a crime museum filled with the dystopian technology featured in previous episodes. Greeted by Rolo Haynes, he tells her three stories that link to his exhibits, from a sadistic pain addict to a cuddly monkey with a consciousness and an eery electronic ghost, this episode is an excellent end to a fantastic series.
With 3 stories in one, like previous episode White Christmas, Black Museum is a stuffed episode, focusing on human rights. Following a different structure to earlier episodes, having Haynes become a narrator was refreshing (especially when you have already binge-watched five episodes). We also see one man at blame for the lives he has ruined, which has never been done before, so maybe we'll see his involvement in other projects in future episodes?
Black Museum is an intricate episode, at first it seems reasonably simple (okay not really) but once you rewatch it you pick up all the Easter Eggs you missed on your first watch you'll love it even more. It even provides what I think is a back story to Metalhead at the mention of "Autonomous Military 'Dog' Robot Unveiled". It's a lot to take in within just 70 mins, and that is why it's my favourite (well nearly, White Christmas will always be crowned supreme).
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