Television

Jodie Foster's Black Mirror Episode Teased In Chilling New Trailer

By AJ Caulfield

Just when we thought Black Mirror couldn't get more unsettling...

Netflix just unveiled the first look at Black Mirror season four, previewing the Jodie Foster-directed episode "Arkangel," which stars La La Land actress Rosemarie DeWitt as a mother who believes "the key to good parenting is control."

The teaser trailer, released on Netflix's YouTube page on Saturday, shows DeWitt's character experiencing one of the worst horrors a mother can endure: her child, Sarah, goes missing. Plucked from the neighborhood park, Sarah is suddenly nowhere to be found after a day of play, but she reappears shortly thereafter. Still, her mother is shaken enough to make a bold decision to keep Sarah safe–seemingly for life. 

Sarah and her mother walk into the lobby of a mysterious medical practice, where a figure off screen injects something into Sarah's temple. "Response so far is just incredible," the unseen woman says. "A sense of security, peace of mind. The stories we're hearing are just truly inspirational." 

As Black Mirror episodes past will prove, any time a needle and a pristinely-kept laboratory is involved, the story doesn't end well. It looks like "Arkangel" will be no exception. 

Take a look at the chilling clip above. Netflix also shared a poster for "Arkangel," featuring another eerie tagline: "Mother will protect you." Check that out below.

Black Mirror showrunner Charlie Brooker previously spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the upcoming episode, stating that it's "about a mother and a daughter and a technological opportunity that comes along," of which the mother takes full advantage. "Tone wise, that's almost within the world of an indie drama–and you could say that's classic Black Mirror," he added. 

Brooker also explained how Foster joined the series to take the reins for "Arkangel," noting that Netflix had suggested her to him, though he was initially unsure she would agree to direct an episode. "We had a Skype conversation [with Foster] during which I managed to keep my cool and not freak out. She responded to the script and she had a lot of thoughts and suggestions on the characters so there were a lot of adjustments. She's not just a gun for hire, she's incredibly intelligent and comes in with some thoughts on the material," said Brooker. "Which is what you want in a director because each story is a standalone [episode], so you want each to be idiosyncratic to that director. And she brought a lot of that."

Written by Brooker, "Arkangel" also stars A Place to Call Home star Brenna Harding and Bloodline actor Owen Teague. A premiere date for Black Mirror season four, which is slated to run for six episodes, hasn't yet been announced. 

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