Black Museum

The fourth season of Black Mirror has not been what I hoped it would be - the quality of production is higher than ever, but the ideas and delivery thereof has been less interesting than before. The final episode though is a strong finish, helped by its 'anthology' approach. A British girl is charging her car and decides to visit the 'Black Museum' nearby. Inside the owner tells her about a series of tragedies with their roots in technological advances that he was involved in pushing - all which his main attraction awaits behind a curtain.

The 'sideshow' feel to this episode allows it to be more entertaining than many of the episodes this season; the tales have a darkness but they are told well by Rolo to have humor between them and in their delivery. Each of them deals with technology to keep someone around or to have an extra connection to them - whether it is the consciousness of someone in a coma, a doctor experiencing the pain of his patients to help diagnose it, or a killer captured at the time of his execution. The individual stories are engaging and well told with enough to shock but not to break us out of the "camp-fire" setting of the museum.

The final story allows for a strong finish/twist in the telling. The ethics of it are a bit all over the place to be sure, but it is also satisfying in how it tidies up a strong episode. Performances are strong from both Hodges and Wright, while the mini-episodes also have plenty of good turns from familiar faces. Each story and the overall story tells of letting go, and of not doing something just because you can - treating human and emotional things as pure science or data; and I guess in the context of that, the overall ending is easier to take because, as wrong as it is, it is also a natural extension of the same.

What a way to round of a superb series of Black Mirror. I'll admit my anticipation levels were high for this one, and I was not left disappointed. Instantly this was absorbing, it unfolded in real style, loaded with twists and turns, captivating viewing from start to finish. Technology used in true Black Mirror style, used to make a wonderfully twisted, but human story. Fabulous acting from all, Letitia Wright was fabulous throughout, particularly at the end. I've always been a big fan of Douglas Hodge, he seems to have been off the radar somewhat, so it was great to see him back, he was excellent, impressed by his accent too . At times it felt like a seventies portmantaeu film, lots of stories within a story, all combining at the end, similar in layout to 'From beyond the Grave.' This one seemed bigger and bolder, had the feeling of a quality film about it. Very impressed.

Season 4 ends perfectly. The acting is brilliant. The writing is flawless. You do not know what to expect. The twist in the end is fantastic. The episode has a few stories in one story and all the stories have a WTF moment. The shock factor of this show is awesome. Looking forward to more.

My initial reaction to the season 4 finale of Black Mirror was that it was good - I can barely think of one episode that wasn't at least trying something intriguing or questioning our perceptions of the world thru our technology in some form... And yet I found this mean spirited piece of business with a hammy lead performance....

(One hour later) after pondering some more, so appreciate that this structure is similar to White Christmas but the nastiness lends itself more to something like CREEPSHOW: here are people who get twisted by the technology that they are given by this doctor-cum-carnival barker, but that doesn't excuse how far two out of three of these subjects abuse what they are given and end up going for the worst in humanity.

The last subject in this museum is a guy who rides the lightning and his consciousness in computer form has to relive it over and over. I might question how a computer entity can feel pain and become mentally fractured by it, but this is also a season that began with a video game programmer using the DNA of his coworkers to warp them in simulated space madness, so it is consistent.

I think the hamminess of this guy, how sweaty he gets, his general demeanor, is too much in the moment and yet of all the episodes this is one I want to watch again the most. It's sick in its humor (that one doctor and what he does with his pain receptor is the best part for me, I could have done with a whole episode about him, or seen him crop up in a Philip K Dick short novella or something) and it leaves on a note of that is not depressing. It's just... Trying so hard.

"Black Mirror" is an anthology show a bit like "The Twilight Zone" but also much darker and with an emphasis how near-future technology can make our lives horrid. This episode clearly is about the horrid.

When the story begins, a young lady arrives at a crappy little museum in the middle of the desert. The place is called 'The Black Museum'...a term inspired by the British Black Museum of crime and criminals that actually does exist. She is soon shown in by the owner, Rolo Haynes...a guy who seems to really enjoy frightening his patrons and regaling them with stories of misery and death. Unlike other episobdes I've seen of "Black Mirror", this one consists of several short stories--all horrid and all which in some way involved Rolo in his old job of selling strange technology to folks at a hospital. I could summarize the three tales but frankly you're better off just seeing them and being surprised.

Throughout his little tour of his chamber of murder and horror, Rolo seems to enjoy this very much. In many ways, he's at least partially responsible for much of the misery and you hope that there is an accounting for his actions. And, don't worry...there certainly is!

As with many episodes of the series, the only problem with it is that at times it's too vivid and too grotesque. This is NOT a show for children and the easily offended!! Still, like so many episodes it's incredibly imaginative and well written...and well worth seeing.