Season seven of Black Mirror has been released on Netflix with six new parables warning of the dangers of encroaching technology.
Once again, there are episodes from various genres to create a rich mix of stories in the last season of the dystopian anthology series.
1. USS Callister: Into Infinity
The sequel to the popular 2017 episode USS Callister is worth the wait.
With a feature-length runtime of 90 minutes, be prepared to go on an epic adventure with plenty of twists and turns worthy of a blockbuster.
USS Callister: Into Infinity has all the drama and comedy to match its predecessor and a suitable Black Mirror twist for fans.
More great performances again from the cast, and there are plenty of popular culture references from Castaway and Severance to Westworld and Inside Out to boot.
It’s safe to say this is the best episode of season seven.
Common People is one of the more depressing episodes of Black Mirror (Image: NETFLIX)
2. Hotel Reverie
Hotel Reverie is the spiritual successor to Black Mirror’s Emmy-winning episode San Junipero with a sweet sapphic love story.
This is a love letter to the Golden Age of Hollywood and black-and-white movies including Casablanca and Brief Encounter.
For a dystopian series with some pretty twisted endings, Black Mirror’s romantic episodes are the strongest. Hotel Reverie joins the ranks of the aforementioned San Junipero and Hang the DJ.
3. Common People
This is classic Black Mirror with a depressing ending to match 40 minutes of grim viewing.
Common People feels like one of those prescient Black Mirror, Nostradamus-esque episodes that’s going to come true in the not-too-distance future, and falls into a similar vein to The National Anthem and The Waldo Moment.
From satirising broken healthcare systems, greedy pharmaceuticals and the rising subscription costs of streaming platforms to monetising online content and an exploration of euthanasia, Common People has so many thought-provoking elements to it.
You might only have the stomach to watch it once, but it does demand repeat viewing and is simply an excellent piece of dystopian fiction.
Plaything saw the return of Will Poulter (Image:NETFLIX)
4. Plaything
Netflix now seems to be contractually obliged to Black Mirror creator and avid gamer Charlie Brooker to feature one computer game-related story per season. After the likes of Playtest, Striking Vipers, Bandersnatch and Metalhead, now we have Plaything.
A spin-off from the interactive film Bandersnatch, Plaything immerses audiences in the world of 1990s gaming with some cameos from Tuckersoft’s head Mohan Thakur (played Asim Chaudhry) and the game developer Colin Ritman (Will Poulter).
Plaything has a brilliant cast with Peter Capaldi and James Nelson Joyce at the fore, but it feels too short and lacking much-needed substance.
Perhaps it’s simply a homage to the era’s video games and the rapid development in the gaming industry during this time, but Plaything had so much unrealised potential.
Paul Giamatti stars in Black Mirror Eulogy (Image: NETFLIX)
5. Eulogy
If Nicholas Sparks wrote an episode of Black Mirror, Eulogy would be it.
Another romance-infused story, Eulogy brings The Notebook vibes as a man revisits a past romance and realises too late how he lost his true love.
A simple but nonetheless sweet tale with an impressive turn from Paul Giamatti.
Bete Noire is a lighter episode of Black Mirror (Image: NETFLIX)
6. Bête Noire
A little bit too silly but a fun watch that won’t leave audiences traumatised, Bête Noire is watchable and a palate cleanser to take the edge of Common People.
Unsurprisingly, on Netflix’s episode running order, it comes directly after Common People to provide light relief.
Although Bête Noire doesn’t feel too deep, it’s very much in keeping with season seven’s theme of infinite technological power corrupts. Verity Greene (Siena Kelly) has echoes of Robert Daly (Jesse Plemons) here.
