Ah. Black Mirror has dropped a new season again and we got the pleasure of having the episodes during the holidays to binge. With just 6 episodes it’s a very bingeable show no matter how intense they can be. I am not quite sure how I felt about this season. Not to say the episodes were bad. They were pretty on par with the theme of the show but I don’t know that any of them wowed me per se. Nothing made me feel how I felt when I saw “The Entire History of You” or “Nosedive”. My long way of saying I liked the season but I can’t say I loved any.
It’s pretty cliche to say Black Mirror can be summarized by the pros and cons of technology but I do like how they also show how it’s not necessarily technology that is the good or bad guy but more how human beings cannot evade their basic instinct in certain situations and technology no matter how advanced, cannot change that one detail.
My rankings of the previous seasons can be seen here. And here are my rankings for season 4 in ascending order:
6. Metalhead: I wish I understood this episode. A little part of me believes that they knew this was weak and that is why it was shot in black and white. It was visually stunning and had you at the edge of your seat as you watched yourself root for a woman fight for her life against a deadly robotic bug. It was overall not it at all.
5. USS Callister: This is my very unpopular opinion as I have watched critics and friends alike lose their shit on this episode and I’m just like “oh okay” (this is how I felt about San Junipero). It really took A WHILE for things to take shape and get going and when it did, it wasn’t as satisfying. I appreciate the storyline and the acting done by Jesse Plemons and Cristin Milioti but it didn’t tickle my dark senses. Again, I feel like I need to clarify that when I say something is just okay I am not saying that it was terrible or I didn’t like it. I am just saying I just don’t have the frenzied love everyone else seems to.
4. Crocodile: I’ve seen a lot of lists rank this really low (although, what is low out of 6 episodes?) but I quite enjoyed this episode. I didn’t see it playing out as it did and it showcased the point I was making about humans tapping in and giving in to their dark side when backed against the wall. The twist at the end was like a “heh” and I did not like how it ended but overall I liked.
3. Arkangel: This was enjoyable especially since it came after USS Callister and captured the true essence of Black Mirror more to me. Directed by Jodie Foster and starring Rosemarie DeWitt we got to see yet again, sometimes you just got to give technology a break and just be.
2. Black Museum: This episode had me intrigued all the way in and I give credit to the guy who played Rolo. His narrating was so captivating against an already strong story line. The twist at the end was very welcome and satisfying. My one gripe was the accent of the daughter. I’ll eat my words if it turns out she is actually American but that American accent she was supposed to have when all was revealed really bothered me because it was not believable.
1 Hang the DJ: I feel like I am being so basic by having such a fluffy rom-com ep as a fav but I can’t help it. The chemistry between the two leads was so strong and the episode felt like a spring day during the winter. And maybe just maybe the endless exhaustion that comes with dating was relatable.
Have you seen this season? I’d love to hear your thoughts and rankings. Leave a comment or tweet me at @taynementdotcom