"Metalhead" is the fifth episode of the fourth series of the anthology series Black Mirror. It was written by series creator Charlie Brooker and directed by David Slade. The episode first aired on Netflix, along with the rest of series four, on 29 December 2017.
"Metalhead" is filmed in black and white, and it follows the plight of Bella (Maxine Peake) trying to flee from robotic "dogs" after the unexplained collapse of human society. The dogs were influenced by Boston Dynamics' robots such as BigDog. Filming took place in England, with Lidar scans used for scenes from the dog's perspective. Lasting 41 minutes, "Metalhead" is the second-shortest episode behind "Mazey Day".
Reviews were mostly positive. It has been compared to The Terminator, as both works feature machines chasing humans. The episode's message has been widely debated, with reviewers discussing questions about artificial intelligence and the final shot of a box of teddy bears. The plot and short running time have received mixed reviews, while Peake's acting and Slade's directing have been praised, along with the cinematography and the design of the dogs.
Plot
In a desolate landscape, Bella (Maxine Peake), Anthony (Clint Dyer), and Clarke (Jake Davies) drive to a warehouse searching for something to help ease the pain of Jack, who is dying. While Clarke hot-wires a van, Bella and Anthony break into the warehouse. They find the box they are looking for, but behind it is a four-legged robotic guard—a "dog". The dog sprays Bella and Anthony with shrapnel that contains trackers, then climbs down and shoots Anthony dead. Bella flees without the box to her car, with Clarke following in the van. The dog jumps into the van, kills Clarke and pursues Bella. It eventually enters her car, but she sends the car off a cliff and escapes.
Bella uses pliers to extract the tracker embedded in her leg. Over her walkie-talkie, she asks someone to pass a message to her loved ones in case she is killed. Bella is chased by the dog into a forest, climbing a nearby tree. The dog's forelimb was damaged in the car wreck, so it cannot climb the tree, and instead powers down and waits. Bella drains it of power by repeatedly throwing sweets at it, causing it to power up and down. When the dog no longer responds, Bella climbs down. She finds a compound and breaks in.
Bella takes car keys and a shotgun from two rotting corpses in the bedroom. When the sun rises, the dog recharges and gains access to the compound. As the dog approaches, Bella leaps out and throws paint over its visual sensor, then throws the paint can to the corner of the room to distract it and hurries to the car. However, the car will not start, so she turns on the radio and hides. As the dog investigates the noise, Bella shoots it. The dog stabs her in the leg; she shoots it again and it falls to the ground. The dog releases an air-burst shell, showering Bella with tracker-embedded shrapnel.
In the bathroom mirror, Bella sees many trackers in her face. She lifts a knife, but notices a tracker in her jugular vein. Bella speaks into her walkie-talkie, unsure if she can be heard, saying goodbye to her loved ones. As she puts the knife to her throat, the camera pans out over the landscape, showing dogs approaching and investigating. In the warehouse, the box's contents—dozens of teddy bears—have spilled onto the floor.
Production
While series one and two of Black Mirror were shown on Channel 4 in the UK, Netflix commissioned the series for 12 episodes (split into two series of six episodes) in September 2015 with a bid of $40 million, and in March 2016, Netflix outbid Channel 4 for the right to distribute the series in the UK. The six episodes in series four were released on Netflix simultaneously on 29 December 2017. "Metalhead" is listed as the fifth episode, though as each episode is standalone the episodes can be watched in any order.
"Metalhead" is the second-shortest episode of Black Mirror, with a length of 41 minutes (at 40 minutes, "Mazey Day" is the shortest). The episode was written by series creator Charlie Brooker and directed by David Slade. Maxine Peake stars in the episode as Bella. Joel Collins worked as the production designer. With Al Green as music editor, the soundtrack features compositions by Krzysztof Penderecki and includes some pieces which were used in 1980 horror film The Shining.