Arkangel (Black Mirror)

"Arkangel"
Black Mirror episode
Promotional poster released as part of the "13 Days of Black Mirror"
Episode no.	Series 4 Episode 2
Directed by	Jodie Foster
Written by	Charlie Brooker
Featured music	Original Score by Mark Isham
Original air date	29 December 2017 (2017-12-29)
Running time	52 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Rosemarie DeWitt as Marie Sambrell Brenna Harding as Sara Sambrell Nicholas Campbell as Russ Sambrell Owen Teague as Ryan "Trick" Angela Vint as Anaesthetist Jason Weinberg as Surgeon Aniya Hodge as Sara age 3 Sabryn Rock as Pippa Jenny Raven as Jasmine Paul Braunstein as Anthony Sarah Abbott as Sara age 9 Nicky Torchia as Trick age 12 Mckayla Twiggs as Meryl age 9 Abby Quinn as Meryl Michelle Giroux as English Teacher
Episode chronology
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List of Black Mirror episodes

"Arkangel" is the second episode of the fourth series of anthology series Black Mirror. It was written by Charlie Brooker and directed by Jodie Foster. The episode first aired on Netflix, along with the rest of series four, on 29 December 2017.

In the episode, "Arkangel" is the name of an implanted chip technology that allows a parent to track and monitor their children, as well as pixelate images that would cause them distress. Single mother Marie (played by Rosemarie DeWitt) has her young daughter Sara implanted with Arkangel, which while initially effective, becomes a dangerous hindrance, and Marie allows Sara to grow up without the use of Arkangel. As Sara matures into a rebellious teenager (played by Brenna Harding), Marie becomes tempted to use Arkangel again.

The episode was the first episode of Black Mirror to be directed by a woman, and the first to have a strong emphasis on family. Arkangel was met with mixed reception and was compared to an indie-movie. Some critics praised the episode's concept, but thought the theme of helicopter parenting was emphasised at the expense of other, more potentially interesting aspects.

Protective single mother Marie Sambrell (Rosemarie DeWitt) gives birth to her daughter Sara. Three years later, Sara goes missing one day at a playground, chasing after a cat. She is recovered without incident; however, fearing future crises, Marie signs up to participate in a limited-release free trial of Arkangel, a revolutionary tech-integrated child monitoring system. An Arkangel representative administers Sara a neural implant, which enables Marie to monitor her geolocation and medical state in real time via an included tablet computer. The representative also demonstrates an option to view Sara's immediate eyesight, and censor obscenity and other stressful stimuli with pixelization and audio distortion. The Arkangel system proves initially successful, censoring an intimidating neighborhood dog; however, flaws in the system present themselves, such as the obscenity filter preventing Sara from reacting appropriately to her live-in grandfather's stroke.