If you haven’t started Black Mirror, you are seriously missing out. Black Mirror is Netflix’s newest craze, following the success of other original hits like Stranger Things and Bojack Horseman, but with a twist. While the fourth season of the British anthology series was added onto Netflix in early December, the show’s cult following was a delayed response.
Inspired by the classic, hit television series, The Twilight Zone, each episode of Black Mirror contains its own standalone plot with unexpected twists and turns. The segments typically show modern society in the near future with new technology playing a major role and its potential unforeseen consequences. While majority of the episodes have a darker tone to them, these five will leave you stunned.
1. “The Entire History of You” (Season 1, Episode 3)
Imagine if every memory you’ve ever had was recorded and you had the ability to not only replay them, but rewind, zoom in, and project them onto a screen for your friends and family to watch along? In “The Entire History of You,” this is the reality. With devices called ‘grains,’ which get installed into your neck behind your ear, this technology records everything you see, hear, and do, then gives you the ability to re-watch any memory or event in your life.
This comes into play when a man named Liam (portrayed by Toby Kebbell), suspects his wife (Jodie Whittaker) had an affair. Replaying and piecing together memories from his and her ‘grain,’ Liam desperately tries to discover if his suspected fears are true. Even worse, he must also discover if the daughter he has raised is actually related to him, which affects him psychologically. “The Entire History of You” received tremendous reviews to the point where famous actor, Robert Downey, Jr. contracted an agreement to potentially make the episode into a movie.
2. “White Christmas” (Season 2, Episode 4)
Two men stationed in a remote cabin share their complicated pasts with each other which just shows how much influence love can have on a person. This episode consists of three mini-stories coming together for one overarching plot. Not too much can be said about this without any major spoilers, but the ending will leave you with your jaw dropped.
3. “Nosedive” (Season 3, Episode 1)
If you religiously check your latest Instagram post to see how many likes it has (let’s be real, who hasn’t done this at least once,) this one may be a bit too real for you. In Nosedive, your social media is more powerful than your credit score. Liking is turned into a five-star rating system that is essentially Yelp, but for people instead of businesses.
Bryce Dallas Howard stars as a desperate woman struggling to ascend into a higher social status. No world is perfect though as she hits some obstacles along the way. This was the first episode of the series produced by Netflix and the producers didn’t disappoint.
4. “Shut Up and Dance” (Season 3, Episode 3)
After having seen this episode, you might start to block your laptop’s webcam with a piece of tape. A teenager gets blackmailed after a hacker records him through his webcam, and soon discovers he’s not the only one being blackmailed. To prevent himself from being exposed, the young man must complete a series of unordinary tasks. The ending to this episode received mixed reviews and may leave you feeling a little uneasy, but this only proves that you must be careful when downloading stuff from the Internet.
5. “Arkangel” (Season 4, Episode 2)
Next time your mom texts you asking where you are, or what you’re doing, you’re going to be grateful technology hasn’t caught up to this episode yet. After a scare in the park, Marie, a single mother gets a tracking device installed in her daughter’s head so she can always track her location through her tablet. But it doesn’t stop there. The chip also enables her to be able to see through her daughter’s eyes, and block certain content from being seen. It’s not hard to see where this could possibly go wrong. Find My Friends doesn’t seem so bad now, does it?
The scariest part of Black Mirror is the unclear timeline. None of the episodes seem too far into the future. Whether they take place next week, or 50 years from now, I still want to move off the grid. The fourth season of Black Mirror is available for streaming on Netflix now.