I feel at the core of Black Mirror is subverting the viewers’ expectations and while initially it was very rooted in technology I’m cool with it straying beyond. And while Twilight Zone is probably its closest living relative (yes, there are others - outer limits, tales from the crypt, amazing stories, darkroom, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Night Gallery, etc) I don’t feel like the twisty ending is as much a part of the series as the ability to provoke the viewer to relate to the subject matter differently - subverting our own thoughts on something. Evocative and subversive. And if that is the tenet for Black Mirror I think this season is a success. Like those other series, staying on theme can run the well dry after some time. Also things become formulaic and stagnant. I’m cool with letting them flex. They’ve earned my goodwill for several more seasons before I complain.
I feel at the core of Black Mirror is subverting the viewers’ expectations and while initially it was very rooted in technology I’m cool with it straying beyond. And while Twilight Zone is probably its closest living relative (yes, there are others - outer limits, tales from the crypt, amazing stories, darkroom, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Night Gallery, etc) I don’t feel like the twisty ending is as much a part of the series as the ability to provoke the viewer to relate to the subject matter differently - subverting our own thoughts on something. Evocative and subversive. And if that is the tenet for Black Mirror I think this season is a success. Like those other series, staying on theme can run the well dry after some time. Also things become formulaic and stagnant. I’m cool with letting them flex. They’ve earned my goodwill for several more seasons before I complain.