Black Mirror is devastatingly disturbing yet so philosophically thought-provoking. The anthology series, which first premiered on Channel 4 in 2011, after which it moved to Netflix from season three onward, has solidified its creator, Charlie Brooker, as somewhat of a creative genius. It took four years for fans to get a sixth season and almost another two years for season seven, which is finally here. But it was worth the wait.
There are six episodes in total, many of which take us back to the original luster of the show. Black Mirror has always been about technology gone too far and the implications of inevitably disastrous, futuristic scenarios. While the show diverged in later seasons to feature more horror and less psychology, season seven is back in full form. The episodes range from cyberpunk to psychological thriller to heartbreakingly emotional tales. The cast is a mixed bag of both knowns and unknowns. Plus, this season features the first-ever sequel episode. Every episode is solid, Black Mirror at its finest. But some are especially enthralling.
6. Plaything (season 7, episode 4)
The anticipated return of Will Poulter reprising his role as Colin from the interactive film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, was anticlimactic. Though his character has a crucial role in the story, he only appears on camera for a few minutes. At the center of the story is Peter Capaldi (Lewis Gribben in flashbacks) as Cameron, a former video game journalist who, decades later, is arrested for the cold case murder of a man who hasn’t yet been identified. As he’s being interrogated, Cameron describes his growing obsession with groundbreaking software developed by Colin. It’s not a game in the traditional sense but rather consists of adorable Tamagotchi-like digital creatures called Thronglets that “players” are meant to nurture over time. Thronglets work as a collective, multiplying and slowly teaching us how to be better human beings. When Cameron begins to monitor these while also partaking in frequent acid trips, he starts to believe that he can understand their bird-like sounds and their mission to create a better world.
On the surface, the cyberpunk-themed plot touches on video game addiction — the Thronglets are a metaphor for in-app purchases, mods, and quests video game developers relentlessly feed players. But it’s more so about our human capacity to work together, or rather, lack thereof. “Plaything” is subtle commentary on society’s reliance on violence and anger and our desperate need for a reset. The episode is the weakest of the season, the ending somewhat abrupt. But Capaldi is so captivating, you won’t be able to look away.
5. USS Callister: Into Infinity (season 7, episode 6)
The return of Jesse Plemons’ Robert Daly was a wonderfully kept secret in the first sequel episode of the series. In the original, one of the best Black Mirror episodes, Daly is a brilliant programmer who is taken advantage of by his financial partner, James Walton (Jimmi Simpson). Walton takes credit for the immersive video game Daly built and pushes Daly to code day and night to create more and more virtual universes the company can monetize (which partly explains how his character was able to return). Quietly seething but unable to stand up for himself, Daly finds an unhealthy outlet: he uses a since-banned DNA cloning device to create sentient clones of some of the company’s employees, as well as Walton. When in this modded version of his game, Daly forces them to bow to his commands, keeping them captive as he continuously tortures them. New savvy coder employee Nanette (Cristin Milioti), however, orchestrates a revolt so the ship can escape from his clutches and kills the real Daly in the process.
In the sequel, Nanette and the team are now fighting millions of enemies via random players and make it their mission to steal credits so they can continue to exist. When paying subscribers start to call out these non-tagged illegal players for their unauthorized theft and inability to be tracked, Walton must try to identify and get rid of them before everything he has worked for crumbles. Overall, the episode is a fun return to an Emmy Award-winning episode. Running the length of a movie, it pays fan service more than anything else, bobbing and weaving through a story that almost seems ripe for a part three. From Black Mirror’s commentary perspective, it’s all about the power and obsession of rage-filled keyboard warriors.
4. Bête Noire (season 7, episode 2)
It was only a matter of time until Black Mirror did an episode about the long-term effects of bullying. In the spirit of the series and the psychological thriller themes that were at the center of the earliest episodes, this episode takes the high school computer nerd to new heights. Former awkward and bullied high schooler Verity (Rosy McEwen) is now an unassuming grown woman with the capacity to alter reality such that she’s able to drive her once tormenters, like Maria (Siena Kelly), mad. It’s a social commentary on gaslighting that starts with small instances where Maria is forced to question her own reality and proceeds through the story until it reaches an explosive crescendo.
The episode is incredibly acted by Kelly and McEwen, lesser-known faces who play beautifully off one another. They remind you that Black Mirror used to feature a talented pool of up-and-coming British actors who were relatively unknown to American audiences. While the episode’s ending leaves something to be desired, the message is clear: be careful how you treat people, especially the smart, awkward ones. One day, they may rule the world.
3. Common People (season 7, episode 1)
The inaugural episode of the season revisits the central idea of technology gone too far, a devastating commentary on corporate greed and subscription culture. Tracee Ellis Ross is a sales rep for biotech company Rivermind who promises grieving husband Mike (Chris O’Dowd) that she can save his comatose wife Amanda (Rashida Jones). It requires an experimental surgery that replaces the damaged part of her brain with a synthetic implant and has her run from the cloud. The surgery is free, but there’s a monthly subscription. It sounds simple enough, and there’s no price you can put on a loved one’s life, after all. Soon, however, Mike and Amanda learn that the basic subscription causes Amanda to spit out random, targeted ads. It also limits how far she can travel within the “coverage zone.” As the subscription tiers evolve, Mike and Amanda find themselves deeper and deeper underwater. It doesn’t take long before Mike resorts to desperate means to earn the money necessary to literally keep his wife alive, including participating in sick and twisted online fetish culture.
It’s a bold episode, a veiled warning to brands and particularly the health care system, calling out how wrong it is to shamelessly take advantage of people. It’s also a cautionary tale to consumers about how easy it is to be conned by companies looking to squeeze every last penny out of you. The ending will leave you cupping your mouth in horror. It’s not an accident that the episode is named after a song from the Britpop alternative rock band Pulp, which just so happens to be a scathing commentary on class division.
2. Hotel Reverie (season 7, episode 3)
Kind of like an homage to the San Junipero episode from season three, one of the best Black Mirror episodes, Hotel Reverie addresses a hot-button topic today — the use of AI in the movie business. Kimmy (Awkwafina), a rep from high-tech AI tool ReDream, offers a lifeline to Judith (Harriet Walter), owner of flailing movie studio Keyworth Studios: they can use new technology to bring back one of her classic films with a new A-list actor and create it on a dime. While some of the bigger male names pass on the idea (namely, the two big “Ryans”), Brandy Friday (Issa Rae) wants to do it. But only if she can play a role reversal of the male lead. No problem! When Brandy arrives, however, she realizes the role involves non-traditional acting. She must enter a digital world occupied by AI copies of the original characters and re-shoot pivotal scenes while in AI form.
The episode has a Westworld-like feel to it once the AI version of long-deceased actress Dorothy (Emma Corrin) is triggered through off-script moments. She taps into actual emotions she felt when originally filming the classic movie. Since she drew heavily from her own life experiences when filming the role so many decades ago, she starts to remember things. The line between reality and fiction begins to blur, and when a series of mishaps cause the story to go completely off script, Brandy gets stuck in the matrix. That is, unless she can guide the narrative along to the desired end credits. In the process, however, Brandy develops real feelings and emotions for this very unreal “person.” Questions are raised about personal identity and what it truly means to exist. On a more surface level, the episode explores virtual worlds spilling into real ones and the risks of releasing creative control to machines. Both Rae and Corrin deliver captivating performances that are worthy of awards.
1. Eulogy (season 7, episode 5)
Your reality is arguably your perception, or so is the theme of this deeply emotional episode and arguably the most beautifully shot of the entire season. When Phillip (Paul Giamatti) receives a call about the death of an old flame, he is encouraged to use a series of old photos to conjure up memories of her to help with a high-tech, immersive memorial service. No worries if he can’t remember: The Guide (Patsy Ferran) can help him use cues and triggers, from photographs (all of which he has scratched or ripped her face out of) to music, to help awaken those memories. As he walks back in time, however, Phillip realizes that he only remembered things from his perspective and failed to recognize his own shortcomings and the role he played in the breakdown of their relationship.
The episode explores how people tend to build their own self-fulfilling, aggrandized narratives and examines the deep-seated pain of regret. While Eulogy is about the death of a woman, what Phillip is mourning and grieving is so much more. The episode tugs at the heartstrings. It’s the most subdued of the season, but Giamatti, not surprisingly, draws you in as he and The Guide re-enter memories, some faded, others vivid, to only now truly understand a situation from a perspective beyond his warped recollections of reality.
Stream Black Mirror on Netflix.
