Mothers are protective– we all know that. But how protective is too protective? Arkangel shows just how far a mother’s love can go.

Black Mirror is a series of stand-alone dramas on Netflix where each episode focuses on the negative impacts of a futuristic world on individuals and overall society. As this is one of my favorite TV Shows, my passion blog will be my review of the most notable episodes and my view of the deeper meanings behind them. In my second blog, I will be looking at Season 4, Episode 2: Arkangel.

After her daughter, Sara, got lost when at the park, single-mother Marie decides to sign up Sara for a free trial at the company Arkangel. Sara’s brain is chipped, allowing Marie to see her visions and even blur out negative imagery. However, Marie comes to realize how controlling she is, so she stores away the tablet, up until Sara enters high school. Sara goes through the rebellion of any average teenager– drugs, having hook-ups, and staying out late– which leads to Marie using the tablet to spy on her daughter once again. When Sara finds out, she snaps, taking the tablet and smashing it over her mother’s head before running away. The episode ends with Marie stumbling out of her house with the broken tablet, sobbing as she tries to chase after Sara.

The entire episode is a commentary on “Helicopter Parents”, who are so overprotective that they cannot allow their child to grow as an individual. The Arkangel device prevented Sara from being able to understand emotion, which ultimately led to her rage at the end of the episode. 

I would like to highlight the parallels that exist throughout the episode. At the beginning of the episode, there is a vicious dog that lives next door and barks whenever Marie or Sara pass by it. After Marie stores away the tablet, we see Sara becoming more confident as she passes by the dog, demonstrating the impact that experience (whether positive or negative) has on a person. There also is a parallel to when Marie is calling out for Sara when she is missing in the park versus when she runs away, showing the desperation that Marie (and all mothers) have when it comes to protecting their child.

My favorite part of the episode was when Sara smashed the tablet on her mother. The biggest kick was that Marie programmed Sara to not see violence, so as Sara hits her mother, she cannot see her own rage. The irony brings the episode full circle, making this a very enjoyable episode (and one I would recommend if you think your parents are strict).