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No matter what you think about Derren Brown’s unique brand of psychological sorcery, you can’t deny the polarizing illusionist’s innate showmanship. Earlier this year, Brown’s special The Push followed a provocative social experiment that detailed how an ordinary person could be manipulated into pushing a fellow human being to their death. Brown’s newest Netflix special, Miracle, is comparatively subdued — and by that I mean nobody gets fake murdered, which is always a plus.
Filmed in London’s Palace Theatre and first broadcast in 2016, Brown’s latest offering centers on an array of illusions that celebrate the untapped power of the human mind as the renowned mentalist attempts to debunk the confines of fear, pain, and disbelief. To say Brown has mastered the art of manipulation would be a gross understatement. From performing a risky hidden nail in a bag act that’s purportedly been banned in sixteen countries to transforming into a charlatan to demonstrate the inherent deception behind religious faith healers, the special, when viewed through the prism of entertainment, is a ton of fun. It’s all the charm of a Las Vegas magic show without having to book a trip to Sin City.
Brown’s inherent allure and confidence man bravado will make you question what is real, but the stunt from Miracle that seems to have turned the most heads is the classic glass-eating bit.
Not only did Brown (supposedly) eat a piece of glass, he had a member of the audience, Sarah, do it too. This is why you should never, ever raise your hand when a magician asks for a volunteer.
“Don’t tell yourself, ‘This is dangerous, I’m gonna cut myself, this is awful,'” Brown told Sarah as he put a piece of glass on her tongue. “Tell yourself, ‘This is fine.'” The sound of Sarah biting down on the glass will absolutely send a shiver down your spine.
Derren then has his guest take a large bite of an apple, which serves to “mop up all the bits of glass like chewing gum.” After some more encouragement from Brown, Sarah swallows the glass. Proving you don’t need to say “abracadabra” to summon manners, the illusionist wraps up the remaining glass and gives it to Sarah, not as a doggy bag, but to remind his guest that she’s in charge of her own narrative.
“The next time you’re faced with a worrying decision or a risk that you’re fretting about, you can look at this and remember that you took a big risk. You ate a big chunk of glass in front of 2,000 people and nothing bad happened to you.”
The broken glass buffet (my name for it) is one of Brown’s most famous bits. Earlier this year, Derren had James Corden snack on some glass during an appearance on the Late Late Show.
Miracle is substantially more enjoyable than his previous Netflix special. It’s provocative flimflam that requires a willing suspension of disbelief to enjoy. No matter how skeptical you are of Brown’s antics, a small part of you can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, you’re actually witnessing something magical.
How does Derren Brown do it? We have no idea. A magician never reveals his secrets.
