Set in a future only minutes away from now, Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror is the perfect show to unnerve and make you wonder if this is the future of humanity. After the show’s third season amazed fans and added a few cult classic episodes to its impressive roster, the release of six new episodes was greatly anticipated. Season four was released on Dec. 29 and is the series debut after becoming a Netflix exclusive after previously airing on British Channel 4 network for its first three seasons. For those who haven’t seen the show, (I recommend you do) it’s a modern version of “The Twilight Zone” with each episode featuring a new technology, which humans take advantage of, manage to screw up and ruin others lives.
With this season’s roll out, it’s easy to tell the series has strayed away from its normal path of dark material and even managed to include a few hopeful endings. This may be because season three fan favorites “San Junipero” and “Nosedive” ended on a happy-ish note, which people absolutely loved. The season is spectacular, and I loved most of the season, but episodes “Metalhead” and “Crocodile” are just sub par. Metalhead is a black and white post-apocalyptic thriller that follows Scottish actress Maxine Peake through a desolate wasteland chased by robotic terrier sized “dogs” who shoot and stab their way through any human in their path. It’s just another “man vs. technology” message, and the forty minute episode has only a few lines of dialogue and lacks emotion in its writing. Episode five depends solely on its action scenes and doesn’t have a world-shattering moment. This soporiferous episode is amazing if you’re looking for something to fall asleep to.
And then we have episodes like “USS Calistor”. This features a vibrant depiction of an introverted boss who runs a gaming company. While meek on the outside, when out of the spotlight he imports the consciousness of his employees into his game, “Infinity”, where he becomes a sadistic abuser. He demands they role play as his favorite Star Trek-esqu show on a spaceship replacing the USS Enterprise. This was the first episode of the season and ranks number one as well. The dialogue is witty and laugh-out-loud funny but also manages to maintain a suspenseful and interesting storyline.
Black Mirror season four is one you can binge in a day and think about for weeks. The episodes are fresh and chock full of amazing storylines. Even with the two weak episodes, the amazing ones make up for it. The beauty of their storyline and ideas is something TV hasn’t seen in awhile.
