Another winter, another batch of Black Mirror episodes. There were some slight adjustments to my ranking of the previous 13 eps due to re-thinking them and, in the case of White Christmas, a rewatch. Some brief comments on the new ones...
* I know that it wouldn't be a Black Mirror episode without a technology angle, but "Crocodile" would've been a lot better without the memory-recreation device aspect. Also, I feel like I say "wow, this actress is really good, I'll have to IMDB her...wait, it's Andrea Riseborough again?!" every time I see her on screen. Forget a crocodile, she's a chameleon.
* On the opposite end of the acting spectrum, the guy who played Rolo Haynes in "Black Museum," yikes. Apparently Douglas Hodge is some super-credentialed theatre actor, but I have no idea what he was going for here. Between his outfit and his (how can I put this without a spoiler?) different way of speaking by the end of the episode, I half-thought Hodge was trying some take on Heath Ledger's Joker.
* This is a pretty duh observation that could be applied to anything, but great acting really does help elevate so many of these S4 episodes beyond some rather shaky premises. You can basically guess everything that happens in "Arkangel," for instance, within the first 10 minutes, but the performers really do a great job in making that episode worthwhile.
* My top two and bottom two are pretty much everyone's consensus picks for those slots, though what's interesting about this show is that there is such a wide variance of opinion on the others.
THE WORST
19. Nosedive
18. The Waldo Moment
MEDIOCRE
17. Fifteen Million Merits
16. Black Museum
FLAWED BUT WATCHABLE
15. Men Against Fire
14. Crocodile
13. White Bear
12. Arkangel
MIDDLE OF THE PACK
11. Playtest
10. Metalhead
9. USS Callister
GOOD TO VERY GOOD
8. Shut Up And Dance
7. Be Right Back
6. The National Anthem
5. Hated In The Nation
4. White Christmas
3. Hang The DJ
THE CLASSICS
2. The Entire History Of You
1. San Junipero
* I know that it wouldn't be a Black Mirror episode without a technology angle, but "Crocodile" would've been a lot better without the memory-recreation device aspect. Also, I feel like I say "wow, this actress is really good, I'll have to IMDB her...wait, it's Andrea Riseborough again?!" every time I see her on screen. Forget a crocodile, she's a chameleon.
* On the opposite end of the acting spectrum, the guy who played Rolo Haynes in "Black Museum," yikes. Apparently Douglas Hodge is some super-credentialed theatre actor, but I have no idea what he was going for here. Between his outfit and his (how can I put this without a spoiler?) different way of speaking by the end of the episode, I half-thought Hodge was trying some take on Heath Ledger's Joker.
* This is a pretty duh observation that could be applied to anything, but great acting really does help elevate so many of these S4 episodes beyond some rather shaky premises. You can basically guess everything that happens in "Arkangel," for instance, within the first 10 minutes, but the performers really do a great job in making that episode worthwhile.
* My top two and bottom two are pretty much everyone's consensus picks for those slots, though what's interesting about this show is that there is such a wide variance of opinion on the others.
THE WORST
19. Nosedive
18. The Waldo Moment
MEDIOCRE
17. Fifteen Million Merits
16. Black Museum
FLAWED BUT WATCHABLE
15. Men Against Fire
14. Crocodile
13. White Bear
12. Arkangel
MIDDLE OF THE PACK
11. Playtest
10. Metalhead
9. USS Callister
GOOD TO VERY GOOD
8. Shut Up And Dance
7. Be Right Back
6. The National Anthem
5. Hated In The Nation
4. White Christmas
3. Hang The DJ
THE CLASSICS
2. The Entire History Of You
1. San Junipero
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