I've never before ever felt so divided about an episode of Black Mirror, I either love them or I don't. Metalhead is for my part the weakest offering of a strong fifth series, but it gains my imagination for its sheer originality, indeed it feels like a stand alone episode from the show, there is nothing really to compare it to. If I were to sum it up in one word it would be bleak, it's bleak from start to finish, it's clinical, sharp, dark, indeed to only soft and cosy thing we get to see are the teddy bears in the final shot. It has a vintage horror feel to it, I think it benefited from its black and white shooting, adds to the overall bleak theme. It's almost like they took a snapshot from a movie, keeping only the action packed ending, we get no explanation, no solution, just the core action. Charlie Brooker invites us into a post apocalyptic world, but allows us to invent for ourselves the cause, was it the AI, or something else? I felt uncomfortable from beginning to end, possibly one of the scariest Black Mirror episodes to date, it's not one I'd visit frequently, but it was certainly a powerful watch. Maxine Peake is outstanding, the emotions she packed into it were brilliant. I think it's an episode that for those that didn't like on first watch, they're sure to want to give it another try. It is certainly thought provoking.
