[Review] Black Mirror Season 4: Six Stories, Varied Excellence
The phenomenal series Black Mirror is back! I was fortunate enough to get an early viewing of all six episodes of Season 4, thanks to Netflix. This season continues the tradition of previous ones, with each episode exploring different themes and styles, and the quality varying quite noticeably!
Since its third season, Black Mirror transitioned from a UK production to Netflix, increasing its episode count from three to six per season. This change allowed creator Charlie Brooker to experiment with a wider range of themes and narrative styles. Historically, Black Mirror predominantly featured a dark tone, exploring how technology reshapes human lives and satirizing real-world phenomena and behaviors. Notably, Season 2's "The Waldo Moment" was even cited for accurately predicting Donald Trump's election as U.S. President! Thus, the Black Mirror we see today, while appearing as science fiction, might indeed become reality one day! Despite its dark roots, last season's "San Junipero" broke the mold, telling a romantic love story with a deeply moving, happy ending, vastly different from previous Black Mirror tales. This episode even won Emmys for Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Writing this year!
In this new season, Black Mirror continues its stylistic exploration, featuring the indie film-esque "Arkangel," the horror-driven "Metalhead," and the romantic comedy "Hang the DJ." The series' themes are also incredibly diverse, touching on growth, love, memory, and more, with some feeling remarkably close to real life! However, much like last season, perhaps due to the increase from three to six episodes per season, the quality varies significantly from episode to episode. Some maintain the previous high standards, while others disappoint. Even though each episode involves slightly different technologies, some concepts feel familiar, almost like reheated leftovers, lacking true innovation. Regardless, every Black Mirror episode is like a self-contained, complete film, and its production quality can still rival movies released in cinemas. Netflix has not yet renewed the series for another season, which I hope allows Charlie Brooker ample time to conceive innovative, high-quality stories to surprise audiences. I believe that viewers ultimately value quality and don't mind whether a season has three or six episodes.
Below, I'll briefly share my thoughts on each episode, without any spoilers to preserve your viewing experience:
USS Callister
This is the longest episode of the season, almost feature-film length, and it's my favorite story this season. From the trailer and stills, you can see that this episode takes place in space, with a strong Star Trek vibe. Besides numerous homages and excellent special effects, this episode tells its story from a highly innovative perspective, with a relatively lighter tone, offering many surprises. It's arguably the most creative episode of the season. Additionally, Jesse Plemons, known for Breaking Bad and Fargo, delivers a fantastic performance in this episode; I can't say much more without spoilers!
Arkangel
Directed by Academy Award winner Jodie Foster, who has also directed Netflix series like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black in recent years. This episode tells the story of a mother and daughter, involving high-tech surveillance and a coming-of-age narrative. It's quite close to real life, and I believe many parents will resonate with and reflect on it. This episode feels like an independent film, focusing intimately on the lives of the mother and daughter, appearing very grounded, and Jodie Foster delivers a competent directorial effort. However, compared to other Black Mirror stories, this episode is simply too subdued and doesn't particularly stand out.
Crocodile
This episode's story involves a technology that can extract a person's initial impressions of events, exploring the theme of memory and how past occurrences haunt the protagonist. Like "Arkangel," it's not poorly made, but the subject of memory has been explored in numerous films and series before, and this episode isn't exceptionally distinctive. However, filmed in Iceland, the coastal and snowy landscapes are absolutely stunning!
Hang the DJ
This is one of the lighter episodes of the six and the one that feels most connected to real life. The story revolves around a couple using a high-tech dating app that has already selected a series of relationships for them, requiring the two protagonists to interact with people from various backgrounds as arranged. While the app's functionality differs from real-life dating apps, I believe it will still prompt reflection on the behavior of using such apps and their potential drawbacks. This episode leans towards romantic comedy, the relationship between the two protagonists is quite touching, and the ending has an unexpected twist that will likely leave audiences pondering its meaning long after viewing.
Metalhead
This episode is the simplest of the six, and arguably the weakest, but fortunately, it's also the shortest, avoiding unnecessary dragging. Directed by David Slade, who has helmed multiple episodes of Hannibal and American Gods, his previous works are known for their strong visual style, and this episode is no exception—it's the first Black Mirror story told in black and white. The film primarily depicts a woman's survival story in a future world, with minimal dialogue. The black-and-white visuals emphasize the desolate and desperate feeling of this future world, making the entire episode resemble a horror film. I particularly admire Maxine Peake's performance in this episode; despite limited dialogue, she vividly conveys her fear, helplessness, and despair, making it incredibly impactful.
Black Museum
This episode is my least favorite. While its structure resembles the Christmas special "White Christmas," using three smaller stories to form a larger one, the quality is vastly inferior. This episode depicts a woman visiting a museum filled with high-tech crime artifacts. While the underlying themes are quite interesting, the pacing and tone detract from the overall quality, making it feel somewhat dull.