Black Mirror is returning later this year and fans are ready. The sci-fi anthology series has gained a huge following, especially after its Emmy win for the episode “San Junipero.” With six new episodes to come, we got a glimpse at one of the episodes during our coverage at New York Comic Con. And the episode’s director even moderated the panel.
That director? Jodie Foster.
“Arkangel”
Foster was in attendance not only as a director but also as a true fan of the series. She talked about her love of the show before introducing a clip from the episode she directed, “Arkangel.”
The premise centers on a mother (Rosemarie DeWitt, who Foster said she always wanted to work with) who gets an implant put into her daughter’s brain. This allows her to do things like monitor her daughter’s vitals, her location, and even filter out real-world content that her daughter experiences.
If this goes the path of a typical Black Mirror episode, things aren’t likely to turn out well. But, implants have been a staple of the series and “Arkangel” is approaching them from an interesting angle: childcare. And that difference in approach is what attracted Foster to the project.
Influences and Technology
The discussion then switched to showrunners Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones who talked about how they see the show. Brooker said, “Technology isn’t the villain. It’s how a human comes in and uses that technology.”
Jones backed that up by mentioning one of Black Mirror‘s influences: an anthology series by Roald Dahl called Tales of the Unexpected. “Tales of the Unexpected was very domestic,” Jones said. She went on to say that that intimate approach has always been vital to the kind of stories the creators want to tell on the show.
Get Ready for Easter Eggs
The series has never been part of a truly connected universe. However, Brooker has said that all the episodes exist in the same “psychological universe.” Well, Brooker decided to amp up that connectivity with this new season.
He presented it by saying, “We turned on the Easter egg hose.” There is even a quick nod to the episode “Men Against Fire” in the clip from “Arkangel.”
Black Mirror doesn’t have a premiere date yet but expect the episodes very soon. Why not go back and binge the last few seasons? You know you want to.
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