The Scariest Part Of 'Black Mirror's New Season Is That It Might Be The Show's Last
Black Mirror fans should savor the six new episodes that the sci-fi anthology series just dropped on Netflix, because it may be the last that we get. The final episode of the newly released fourth season of Black Mirror feels like the perfect wrap-up for the series as a whole, and now viewers are worried that "Black Museum" could actually be the series finale for the entire show. So, will there be a Black Mirror Season 5, or is this the end? Let's get into everything we know.
Basically, "Black Museum" is just a huge treat to the diehard fans of Black Mirror. Back in October at New York Comic-Con, showrunner Charlie Brooker teased that Season 4 would be packed with Easter eggs connecting past episodes, and that for "Black Museum" in particular, they really "turned on the Easter egg hose." Brooker was not kidding — the Season 4 finale is basically one big walk down memory lane, filled with winky little references and nods to a bunch of other Black Mirror episodes. But is the retrospective feel of the finale actually a sign of the end?
Spoiler alert: If you haven't watched the "Black Museum" episode of Black Mirror yet, don't read on. The actual plot of the episode involves a woman who decides to kill some time by checking out a roadside attraction called the Black Museum. Inside, the museum owner explains how he got his hands on all of the scary, powerful gadgets on display, from a headpiece that allows you to feel the pain of others to a teddy bear that contains the consciousness of a comatose woman. While the gizmos we see in the museum are new to the series, eagle-eyed fans will notice a ton of displays in the background that house technology from past episodes, including a robotic bee from "Hated in the Nation" and the mugshot from "White Bear," among others. The museum owner also makes a reference to last year's breakout episode "San Junipero," saying that the teddy bear technology is what led to the virtual reality afterlife of that episode.
The wider implication of the finale episode is something that Black Mirror superfans have debated about since the show first premiered in 2011: it turns out the anthology series really does all take place in one big, messed-up universe. Viewers have hunted for clues that connected the episodes in the past, but "Black Museum" doesn't even try to hide the widely debated, now confirmed fact that everything we have seen in Black Mirror has happened in the same world. While it's nice to clarify that theory, the choice to reveal that in this finale episode just adds to the worry that the series may have come to an end.
"Black Museum" is certainly a ton of fun for Black Mirror fans, but it might also get them worrying about exactly why the series decided to put this sprawling walk down memory lane at the end of the season. I mean, it really does have the feel of a series finale — letting fans look back at all the stories the show has told, and confirming that they were all in the same universe. If Charlie Brooker does decide to end the show after four seasons, "Black Museum" would work wonderfully as a final bow for the series. But there has been no official announcement about Season 5 of Black Mirror yet, so fans will just have to wait and see what happens. It might be the end, or maybe the series just wanted to throw in a fun treat for fans before next season.
Black Mirror Season 4 is currently streaming on Netflix.
