Black Mirror

:

Season 4
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Dec 4, 2011
Season #: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 273 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 200 out of 273
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 273
  3. Negative: 39 out of 273
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  1. shoulderoforion
    Dec 30, 2017
    6
    Barely passable, this season was nice to look at, but it seems (especially the last episode) as if they've run out of ideas. The shared universe is "interesting", but only if i'm kept interested in the individual stories/characters. It's got to be extremely difficult to repeat the excellence of the first three seasons. Even when some of the episodes were "off" in seasons past BrookerBarely passable, this season was nice to look at, but it seems (especially the last episode) as if they've run out of ideas. The shared universe is "interesting", but only if i'm kept interested in the individual stories/characters. It's got to be extremely difficult to repeat the excellence of the first three seasons. Even when some of the episodes were "off" in seasons past Brooker still found a way to kick us in the pants with at least some which were astounding, none of the eps this year qualify.… Expand
  2. moothemagiccow
    Jan 21, 2018
    4
    The show was always a little cheesy, but it really doubled down on silliness and stupid twists this season. Last season had a tendency to be impressive, dramatic, and speak on important social issues.

    This season asks such pressing questions as "can a rodent witness a crime?" or "what if your dating app had real people in it?" One episode was basically a Terminator remake, but without a    The show was always a little cheesy, but it really doubled down on silliness and stupid twists this season. Last season had a tendency to be impressive, dramatic, and speak on important social issues.

    This season asks such pressing questions as "can a rodent witness a crime?" or "what if your dating app had real people in it?" One episode was basically a Terminator remake, but without a storyline. I skipped to the next episode about twenty minutes in.

    Basically the show has become predictable, so its twists have to be incredibly stupid just to keep you off the trail.    … Expand
  3. Abysswalker89
    Jan 10, 2018
    4
    This season is by far the weakest the show's ever been. The thrill about previous seasons was in part because you never knew what the episode was about and you tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Now with the idea of a shared universe between episodes part of the fun of the show is gone, with technologies reappearing in multiple episodes, you kind of need to have seen previousThis season is by far the weakest the show's ever been. The thrill about previous seasons was in part because you never knew what the episode was about and you tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Now with the idea of a shared universe between episodes part of the fun of the show is gone, with technologies reappearing in multiple episodes, you kind of need to have seen previous episodes to fully appreciate new ones.
    This occurs a lot in this season, with 3 episodes being about a tech invented in an episode season 2.
    Is this lack of originality? Laziness?
    I think it's because the show is getting mainstream attention, so the creators feel it's too risky to change things a lot, so we get a lot of bland episodes that don't really want to say anything about society or technology. By doing this, the show looses its core strengths. Not every show has to be game of thrones or the walking dead, forget mass appeal and focus on what you do well, which is to be a very thought provoking, weird and disturbing show.
    'cause when a show goes mainstream, "you find any wonder whatsoever you dole it out in meager portions, and only then til it’s augmented and packaged and pumped through ten thousand pre-assigned filters, til it’s nothing more than a meaningless series of lights"    … Expand
  4. AkumaJack
    Jan 13, 2018
    6
    I'll update my review as i go on with each episode. I'll write a note for each one.

    Episode 1: "USS Callister" A slow start for the fourth season of black mirror. Isn't bad, but isnt on "Shut up and Dance" levels of greatness. The premise isn't that intresting, but the psychology of the characters is portrayed in a very great way for some of them during the episode. The ending is    I'll update my review as i go on with each episode. I'll write a note for each one.

    Episode 1: "USS Callister"
    A slow start for the fourth season of black mirror. Isn't bad, but isnt on "Shut up and Dance" levels of greatness. The premise isn't that intresting, but the psychology of the characters is portrayed in a very great way for some of them during the episode. The ending is lackluster for the serie standards. (6/10)

    Episode 2: "Arkangel"
    The second episode is far more intresting for me than the previous. A woman spy on her daughter thanks to a chip she has implanted in her brain. That's the technologic scare that i like in Black Mirror. Is plausible and makes room for portraying intresting scenarios like "How a mother-helicopter would use that power? what would be the consequences?" Is also well directed by Jodie Foster. Worth Watching (8+/10)

    Episode 3: Crocodile
    Crocodile is quite a plain episode. For me Black Mirror was mostly about technology and dystopian futures. In this episode there is none of that. It could be rewritten as a 2017 thriller episode without the need for technology and would be the same. There is also a very BAD ending that is the nail in the coffin for this episode (5/10)

    Episode 4: Hang the DJ.
    Probably the best episode of this season. There is an intresting setting where couples are matched to find their truly loved one and they have to spend a finite amount of time with them and then pass to another one to gather data to find "The One". The whole episode has so many intresting ideas and all well executed. How you'd react if you'd find a special one just to go on searching because an infallible algorithm said so? How is living with someone you don't like just because an IA told you is the best for you? That's intresting and shows us a future in which people are relying more and more on technology even to find the loved one instead of trusting ourselves. (9+/10)

    Episode 5: Metalhead
    This episode is absolute trash. A black and white episode with no real context, forgettable characters and boring directing decisions. It seems a discount "Psycho" by hitchcock with no real idea behind it. The plot is centered about those technologic dog that kill everything. You don't know where they came from, when they did or why they do this. You don't know anything. And at the end is a waste of time. (1/10)

    Episode 6: Black Museum
    Quite good. one story overarching two other told by one of the two protagonists. The whole concept is good but it reuses the same ideas from USS callister of "What it means to be a living being"? It also creates a retcon of Shared multiverse between some (all?) of the episodes and i think is a bad decision. Overall the three stories are worth watching and have some momentum but in the whole the episode is not a great finale imo. (7/10)

    Overall this season is a 6/10.
    Half of the time is good and the other half is insufficient or just awful (Metalhead).    … Expand
  5. Fenix_89
    Jan 4, 2018
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Quarta stagione di Balck Mirror: Dov'è Black Mirror?

    Nonostante la qualità tecnica sia sempre eccelsa, questa quarta stagione ha perso ciò che è sempre stato l'anima stessa della serie, ovvero raccontare degli aspetti umani, resi possibili proprio attraverso l'escamotage della tecnologia, in chiave praticamente transumanista. Questa stagione non lo fa, e perciò non la si può nemmeno definire una stagione di Black Mirror. Il primo episodio è di fatto il peggiore da questo punto di vista, copie digitali senzienti di persone reali, che consapevoli della loro condizione, sbolognano la questione "Io sono la copia digitale di me stesso" in appena dieci minuti di malessere e dialogo. Se questa fosse stata una puntata di Black Mirror, l'intera storia sarebbe ruotata attorno a questa questione, invece nell'episodio i personaggi non si rapportano alla loro nuova esistenza ed a come collegare interiormente il loro passato col loro presente, bensì si accingono subito a cercare di farsi giustizia contro un cattivo senza motivazioni e con appena un brandello accennato di storia. Un finale puramente moralista e per nulla esistenziale. Scritto coi piedi come tutta la storia. Per fortuna è l'unico caso così grave, ma anche quasi tutti gli altri episodi hanno perso lo spirito che ha reso Black Mirror ciò che è, fatta eccezione per il secondo episodio (Arkangel) a mio parere, che è comunque "debole". Ma il segno più grave in assoluto lo vedo nel quinto episodio, un episodio che stupra ed uccide Black Mirror stesso, e che di fatto non ha né senso, né posto in questa serie. Potremmo dire che è come vedere un peperone in un cesto di mele. Il peperone è bello, ma comunque non centra nulla col resto. È un puro esercizio di stile, senza nessuna questione morale, etica o umana. Solo un continuo action thriller post-apocalittico. Presa a sé stante è un'ottima puntata, ma perché metterla qua in mezzo? Che idea aveva chi ha fatto questa puntata di Black Mirror? Se Black Mirror è sempre stato questione umana o sociale raccontata attraverso il transumanesimo e la tecnologia, cosa stava pensando chi ha scritto e messo questa roba dentro Black Mirror? Perché questo episodio mi sembra l'opera di qualcuno che vuole usare un palcoscenico glorificato da altri e sfruttarlo per far apparire se stesso. Mostrare la sua bravura tecnica, non rispettando minimamente la storia e l'eredità di quel palcoscenico a cui gli è stato concesso di salire, ed anzi appropriandosene senza minimamente curarsi di nulla che non di sé stesso. Tanto Black Mirror è quella serie dove si fa fantascienz di qualità! La risposta è NO. Black Mirror è uno sguardo tecnologico nell'animo umano, che sia interiore o sociale, o spesso entrambi. Non è l'etichetta sotto la quale inserire il proprio esercizio di stile fine a se stesso. Questo non è Black Mirror.    … Expand
  6. vanderwaldorf
    Dec 31, 2017
    4
    The fourth season didn’t have much consistency.
    Too many reused ideas.
    The only episode that surprised me was "USS Callister”
    By far the weakest season of all.
  7. TixyLix
    Dec 30, 2017
    5
    Too many reused ideas, weak character development and episodes with no pay off... plus did Karl Pilkington write Black Museum?
  8. arnav99
    Jan 5, 2018
    6
    Easily the weakest season of Black Mirror, it was horribly paced but not without its moments. I believe that the creative minds behind this show have run out of original ideas for this show since they have rehashed numerous elements from their OWN show's prior seasons to make a first lackluster season. Episodes 3 and 5 especially were so boring that they gave me a headache, 5 was entirelyEasily the weakest season of Black Mirror, it was horribly paced but not without its moments. I believe that the creative minds behind this show have run out of original ideas for this show since they have rehashed numerous elements from their OWN show's prior seasons to make a first lackluster season. Episodes 3 and 5 especially were so boring that they gave me a headache, 5 was entirely pointless and unoriginal, the point of Black Mirror is to show technology in unique, never seen before ways and how it affects the people in the show and episode 5 was trash.
    This season did have its highlights in the first and last episodes of the season but they never reach the high points that this show has delivered in prior seasons. This show has amazing production quality and this season continues to show beautiful locations and has amazing shots, however it doesn't even close to redeeming the show as a whole, it's become all show and no substance, has eccentric and beautiful flash but none of the content to match it.
    I am terribly disappointed in this season since it had so much hype surrounding it and the show with its newfound fame should have strived to become even more shock-inducing and so much more unique but this season fell flat as a narrative experience, instead relying on its flashy production quality and rather talented actors all giving solid performances.
    Overall the worst season of Black Mirror but still better than most shows out there. That doesn't excuse this show from being an unoriginal and incoherent mess (episode 5 was trash). The episodes were for the most part forgettable with the exception of the first and last episodes (not that great), still an adequate binge-watching experience, I still hold hope for a great season 5 since there were glimpses of brilliance in this show.    … Expand
  9. james-cordoban
    Feb 7, 2018
    6
    In my opinion is this season the weakest of the first 4 seasons. The plots of the episodes are not very intriguing.
  10. Cittadel
    Apr 12, 2018
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's an okay season, but it's not as exciting as the previous seasons. Some of this season's episodes really didn't impress me at all with their dull storylines (Metalhead is a great example of this), some were decent (i.e. USS Callister and Arkangel) and one episode absolutely outshined the others for me (Hang the DJ). I enjoyed watching Black Mirror: Season 4 while it lasted, but I would never replay any of the episodes. My hope is that the show will return to its roots.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

81
#81 Best TV Season of 2017
23
#23 Most Discussed TV Season of 2017
68
#68 Most Shared TV Season of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    Mar 30, 2018
    80
    When the moral arguments of Black Mirror grow strident, and overbearing klaxons ring about corporate surveillance states, an episode can weigh like a ponderous cyberpunk parable, and the effect is off-putting. Still, the series’s lively futurist premises and tight production design combine to supply shocks of recognition.
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  2. Vanity Fair
    Reviewed by: Emma Stefansky
    Jan 17, 2018
    80
    So when Black Mirror began, we soon figured out the show’s main twist: there would be no happy endings. But four seasons in, the new twist is that this is not always the case. And occasionally, it’s nice not to be reminded how easy it would be to destroy ourselves.
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  3. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Maria Sciullo
    Jan 4, 2018
    60
    Season 4 is uneven. Three stories--“USS Callister,” “Black Museum” and “Hang the DJ”--are far superior to the others. There is much more graphic sex (albeit hilariously depicted in “DJ”) and violence than in past seasons.
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