Black Mirror: Black Museum is a twisted and fitting finale to season four

At six episodes in length you’d be forgiven for wanting to see a lot more of Black Mirror and its inventive and outlandish concepts, but Black Museum ends the season perfectly.

This mini series of stories is a satisfactory end to a somewhat bumpy fourth season and concludes in strong fashion as we delve into a dimly lit museum in the middle of nowhere.

Warning: The following contain spoilers for the episode.

With notable highs such as the glorious Hang the DJ and stagnant lows of Metalhead, it’s a relief that the newest collection of stories finishes in defining fashion.

Nish (Letitia Wright) pulls over at Black Museum, an isolated, abandoned-looking building in the middle of nowhere. Its proprietor, Rolo Haynes (Douglas Hodge) welcomes his only visitor in for an 11am tour of the unique artefacts he houses on display; retelling the origins of how they came to be in his possession.

Its three stories – all varying in weirdness but related by an odd Black Mirror sensibility – play out well and offer something that feels more an ode to the Goosebumps style of narration storytelling, only with a gratuitous twist.

But it’s the final 20-minute act that proves most fascinating. Before revealing the museum’s top attraction, Nish is told of two eerie stories: the first about a doctor that becomes sexually aroused by experiencing other people’s pain, after an experiment implant allows him to feel his patient’s pain thus being able to diagnose more efficiently. It’s part kink story, part deranged exploration and horror of the human mind.

The second takes things to an even more unbelievable level, when comatose patient Carrie’s consciousness is implanted into her conscious boyfriend, Jack. Suffice to say the experience for both parties doesn’t go smoothly and both find it near impossible to coexist. The result is Carrie’s soul-in-limbo being frequently ‘paused’ so Jack can lead his life, and subsequently transferred into a stuffed monkey.

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Along the way – both as Rolo guides Nish around his makeshift museum and within each story thread – there are a pleasant amount of subtle and not so subtle nods to other episodes. The lolly pop from this season’s opener, USS Callister, and a place called St Juniper’s Hospital (referencing season three standout San Junipero) are particularly nice winks fans will pick up on. It’s this interconnectivity that forges the Black Mirror universe so well and immerses viewers.

Tackling the justice system and racism is the final chapter, whereby a prisoner’s soul is holographically extracted before he’s executed for a crime he vehemently denies. Commenting on the injustices of the death penalty – especially if the accused is innocent, as is suggested here – it poignantly mirrored some of the social issues minorities are facing in America: whether it’s unarmed black men being shot by trigger-happy police or their imprisonment for a crime they didn’t commit.

The twist, as Nish reveals herself as the ‘attraction’s’ daughter, offers us a double twist and satisfying reveal as she manages to place Rolo’s fresh consciousness into her dad’s virtual one. Not only that, but seeing her deceased mother’s soul existing in her own mind – just as we saw in the second story with Jack and Carrie – is a nice added bonus to the payback. Discovering her entire trip was meticulously planned as a means of murderous revenge is cathartic, considering we rarely see a resolute and happy ending – it’s certainly a moment to savour.

In short, Black Museum’s brilliant mini-series of stories culminate in a smart trickle of twists. So often does an episode conclude on a morbid or inconclusive note audiences are left feeling empty and broken. Here, it’s finale is achieved with a positive spin and seldom gift we receive anywhere in Black Mirror.

Oh, and the episode also confirms that Black Mirror is set in the same universe; a fan theory that’s been speculated for a while. Hurrah!

Black Mirror seasons 1-4 is available to stream on Netflix now.

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