Black Mirror’s “Metalhead” episode has an alternate ending that would’ve failed the series’ overall theme. Season 4, episode 5 was written by showrunner Charlie Brooker and directed by David Slade, whose credentials also include the Choose Your Own Adventure-style movie Bandersnatch. When Brooker initially wrote the screenplay for “Metalhead,” he intended on including an ending that would reveal that an individual was orchestrating the episode’s events. Luckily, this was changed in favor of a conclusion that does Black Mirror’s theme justice.
The episode follows Bella (Maxine Peake) in search of a shipment with unknown contents. In this post-apocalyptic world, humanity has been mostly wiped out by robotic dogs whose sole intent is to kill. Once she locates the box, it is revealed that it was full of teddy bears. Thus, the ending of “Metalhead” displays the humanity that remains even when all hope for survival is lost. Since its debut in 2011, Black Mirror has been compared to Rod Sterling’s The Twilight Zone due to its focus on technological advances and their overall impact on humanity, with many considering it this generation’s version of the iconic 1960s television show. While they share several similarities, the primary difference is the overarching theme that exists throughout each Black Mirror episode of technology being the downfall of humanity.
In “Metalhead,” Brooker epitomizes this theory as all life on Earth has succumbed to robotic dogs. Within the realm of the show’s timeline, this episode falls towards the very far end of the future, which means that it details the end of humanity at the hands of technological advances. In the original script, the ending featured a man using a control unit to operate the dogs. It would then conclude as he leaves his post to tend to his children. According to the showrunner, this ending would’ve been entirely unnecessary.
While Brooker’s original ending may have been unnecessary, it also ran the risk of removing the nuance of “Metalhead” as well as Black Mirror’s premise as a whole. If the series is meant to detail the fall of humanity at the hands of technological advances, then the inclusion of a man operating the dogs would’ve transformed it into a story about humankind being destroyed by another human. While the man would have used technology as his weapon, he would have been the one in control and, thus, the one who decided who lived or died. In the Black Mirror universe, however, it’s technology that steers the characters and situations in the directions they need to go in order to satisfy the overarching theme.
The alternate ending resembles a plot the series has utilized before. For instance, “Shut Up And Dance” features internet hackers manipulating people and “White Bear” showcases a new prison system operated by citizens to torment criminals. Had Brooker gone with this ending, it would’ve been another instance where the curtain was drawn to reveal an evil mastermind behind it. With this trope being overused in general, had “Metalhead” featured a control panel operator, Black Mirror would have run the risk of becoming predictable.
What sets the series apart from others is its ability to create new and inventive stories about what the future could be like if technology advances beyond human control. It is a key point of reference in the series. If it becomes too formulaic, it loses nearly all of its meaning. When Brooker chose to remove the ending where a man controls the robotic dogs in “Metalhead,” he made the right decision. The episode as is maintains Black Mirror’s primary theme as well as the unpredictable nature behind each new piece of technology featured in the series.
