Film Review: Black Mirror Series Four, Redux (Part 1/3)

It's time to continue with the review of Black Mirror Series Four!

We have the next few episodes lined up here, and trust me, these are great. And fear not, I'm gonna tell you why as we proceed on through this review. Suffice to say, Black Mirror Series Four really ups its game midway through this offering, and the latter three episodes reflect brave and refreshing choices.

The Premise

In an alternate reality where a dating system promises a 99.8% compatibility rate, two participants brave all odds to stay together despite the system deciding otherwise.

At the end of the entire episode, we see that this is about a dating app, but in a more meta context.

The Characters

Joe Cole as Frank. Didn't I see this guy in Peaky Blinders? Whatever, he's good here as an everyman with self-deprecating wit.

Georgina Campbell as Amy. Charming, beautiful, with a very healthy sex drive and great sense of humor.

George Blagden as Lenny. A hunk with a penchant for exhaling loudly. Just a little character quirk that annoys Amy no end.

Gwyneth Keyworth as Nicola. Supreme sourpuss, with all the charm of a blunt battle axe. The actress does a pretty decent job of making her unlikeable.

The Mood

Everything seems beautiful and glamorous in this episode, a sure sign that something is not quite right. It's all just so... neat.

I mean, even the houses the participants stay in, look like little doll houses!

What I liked

Whenever Amy and Frank are together in the same scene, even as a shy awkward couple or a pair of daring co-conspirators, the chemistry is amazing. I can totally buy them as star-crossed lovers. That is some great dialogue right there, and the two of them just carry it so well.

The design of the little devices that participants have to carry around. They're just flat circular palm-sized things, which matches the logo of the system - two interlocking circles! Pretty apt.

The recurring theme of the rocks skipping an exact number of times. SOmething I only picked up on at the second viewing, a hint that this is a computer simulation.

The twist at the end - that it's a simulation - was so cleverly done. And we see exactly how the 99.8% figure was achieved.

What I didn't

The episode title. These seem to get increasingly nonsensical in Series Four. Like, what the heck does "Hang the DJ" even mean?! It's just the refrain of the song they play at the end.

It's a little weird that the participants seem to have literally nothing else to do than wait for their next partner. Then again, perhaps this is a clue that the whole thing was a simulation.

Conclusion

This episode was not bleak, and even ended on an uplifting note. The twist, however, was very Black Mirror and I approve heartily.

My Rating

9 / 10

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