Spoiler warning for every episode of Black Mirror Season 7 and a handful of previous episodes.
Black Mirror has been one of my favourite TV shows ever since I first sat frozen in horror and disgust at ‘The National Anthem’, the stories are so awfully intriguing that I became hooked on each rapid descent into dystopia. I have always been infatuated with the anthology structure, so a series that explores both an intriguing ‘what if?’ into sci-fi technological horror, and a too-close-for-comfort reflection on what our political landscape will soon descend into, has been the perfect creation for me. However, this show has been criticised by disappointed fans for its acquisition by Netflix in late 2015, with episodes believed to slowly decline in quality and lose their uniquely British bleakness of seasons 1 and 2. This does not dismiss all episodes past the cut-off point; alternatively, episodes like ‘Shut Up and Dance’ and ‘Nosedive’ have been hailed as classically dark stories that maintain this specific air of terror, both including technology that is not too far off how we operate as a society currently, while expanding this context into a futuristic warning about human wickedness and superficiality. Yet fans of the show have torn apart seasons 5 and 6, especially, deeming the show to have lost itself along the way. This makes the new season 7, released on 10th April, under intense pressure to redeem the show’s reputation amidst a sea of upset watchers. So far, I have seen a combination of opinions on how this set of episodes holds up, being safe to say that there is a glimmer of redemption in people’s eyes as they view the new stories. I personally believe that these new episodes hold a variety of admirable moments, from interesting technology to soul-crushing studies of human vulnerability. This article will explore each episode to investigate whether the show really is ‘back’ with enough vigour to live up to beloved classics, or if prevalent flaws have permanently altered the fate of Charlie Brooker’s beloved show.
common people
I’ll be honest: the first episode of season 7 had me in a chokehold for the entire run-time. Amanda and Mike win you over in the first scene, establishing their love for eachother while displaying a humanity that only makes the events of the story more devastating. Their love of the trashy, yet comforting, Juniper Hotel exhibits their humility and acts as a relationship milestone that gets harder and harder to fight for. The way this situation spiralled cleverly reflects the state of current streaming models and manipulative aspects of healthcare costs. Once the Rivermind service had introduced Rivermind Plus, I had a wave of realisation for how the couple would end up, yet the additions of elements like Sleep Mode made for an incredibly frustrating watch.
I appreciated the strain Rivermind was shown to enact onto Amanda and Mike’s relationship, with the technology being a key motivator for the plotline, yet the focus on the dramatic tragedy of human suffering. It made me question what I would do in Mike’s situation; I would obviously sacrifice significantly for my loved one, but how much could I bear before I began to resent how it affected me? The story of financial turmoil has become too familiar, especially in the context of an uncertain and declining economy, so zooming into the lives of those that are void of any satisfaction and comfort due to their fight to stay alive is just the sort of thing that television must shed light on. Selling a cot that symbolises the loss of opportunity and acceptance of defeat to a person that wants to set it on fire for a music video displays wealth inequality quite perfectly.
I do have mixed feelings on the whole Dum Dummies section. It definitely reflected the sort of desperate character subjecting themselves to technological torture, with this kind of malevolent mob mentality to take advantage of individuals due to their anonymity, seen previously in ‘Hated In The Nation’and ‘White Bear’. It coincided naturally with the episode’s events and signified how much humiliation Mike was willing to subject himself to keep Amanda alive. However, it seemed rather predictable as soon as it was first mentioned, with a draft of the ending instantly unfolding in my head.
I found its meta references to Netflix rather performative and hypocritical as many fans subscribed to the platform just to watch the show, leaving these storylines to fall flat in terms of an actual fight against common people being manipulated by big corporations.
Rating: 8.5/10
Bête noire
‘Bête Noire’ was a mystery I had to anxiously figure out. It was thrilling, frustrating, and downright psychologically stressful. I have been a fan of the Mandela Effect theory for years, so Black Mirror devoting an episode to this kind of premise but tweaking it to drive an individual mad with paranoia made for a very exciting watch.
Maria’s character is impressively complex, making me both root for her due to a shared experience of the truth and doubting her morality as she shows an originally unjustified prejudice towards Verity. She represents how far the brain is willing to go to paint oneself as the victim to protect one’s integrity. Despite foreseeing the reveal that she originated the school rumour, I could understand the nuance of her character, striving to be successful in her work-life while experiencing unexplainable affronts to her legitimacy.
Verity has been interpreted as a representation of white women’s tears, a weaponization of assumed trustworthiness and vulnerability from white women when accused of racism. This is especially notable in the scene where Maria is called out for raising her voice despite remaining calm in the face of accusations against her, a stereotype of black women being aggressive. The fact that Maria is not taken seriously despite clearly being an important and longstanding asset to the team contrasts the ease Verity has to be believed.
The only issue I have with the episode is that the ending felt abrupt, cartoonish and undeserved for Maria. Her being able to take control over the locket does mean she can restore the truth, which we as watchers have been rooting for, however Maria does not seem to learn her lesson for bullying Verity in the first place. This may have been the writer’s intention, as Maria becoming empress of the universe mimics how Verity started out before spiralling into a dangerous mission of revenge, however something seemed off for me and left me slightly dissatisfied without being able to fully explain why.
Rating: 7.2/10
hotel reverie
This episode had an enjoyable premise, impressive storyline and gained points for its unique setting in a 1940s film noir. I initially had qualms about the beginning Hollywood scenes, getting painful flashbacks to not-so-successful episodes that have preceded the new season… additionally, the foreshadowing of the spilt drink on the computer was so incredibly cliché and obvious that I nearly couldn’t believe that was actually the catalyst for the story’s conflict. Nevertheless, once the slightly corny corporate exposition scenes had occurred, Brandy’s entrance into Hotel Reverie was a captivating story of AI sentience and unlikely connection.
Similarly to Common People, Brandy and Clara’s relationship was developed so beautifully that ripping it away caused me intense distress and led me to mourn Brandy’s loss as if it were my own. I found the months where they connected during the simulation freeze to be fun and heart-warming, reminding me of a sort of Groundhog Day-like situation. I was genuinely unsure how the denouement would transpire, waiting to hear whether Brandy would utter the final line to save herself, or discard her physical body, too heartbroken to bear a life without Clara.
I appreciated the suspension of reality concerning Brandy as a black woman in a 1940s landscape, giving her agency as a main character while complimenting Clara’s newfound agency as a computer program gaining sentience. In this coded world, Brandy’s social position is accepted without prejudice, giving you hope as to how this technology could go on to be harnessed for potential political good. I don’t believe it came across as an ‘I don’t see race’ kind of storyline, instead I think it commented on racial expectations in film and displayed the transcendent comfort the pair experienced when the simulation froze. Also, ‘Burn Your Gays’ is so last decade, but I’ll give the show a pass as it is typical for a character to end up dead or severely impaired by technology.
(I have absolutely no idea why Issa Rae’s acting has been criticised, by the way.)
Rating: 8.3/10
plaything
Yes, yes, yes! ‘Plaything’ is all I could want out of a Black Mirror episode, and with its callbacks to my personal favourite project made by the show, ‘Bandersnatch’, this story definitely shoots to the top of my ranking. The darkness and despair of this episode drag you into the events, making you feel culpable for what occurs and anxious to protect ‘the throng’. The performances are incredible, especially Lewis Gribben, who plays young Cameron with such an intensely vulnerable and obsessive demeanour that you’re dangerously allured. The episode highlights the selfishness and disrespect humans display to life forms we deem to be inferior. I haven’t been able to forget the feeling of pity and humanity I felt for ‘the throng’, which made me feel terrible about how badly we treat so many life forms already.
One thing I did (possibly unproductively) wonder while reviewing the episode was how Cameron could have maintained his need to consume LSD for many decades while communicating with the throng. Surely this would intensely derail his physical and mental health, which is not seen to be significantly affected, save the incredible devotion to helping ‘the throng’ overtake humanity. At the very least, it would be financially straining.
The only proper reservation I had was with the good cop-bad cop characters; I understand how they drive the plot and provide foiling perspectives on Cameron’s trustworthiness and humanity as a character, yet it fell flat with me as it was rather corny and distracting.
Rating: 9.2/10
eulogy
‘Eulogy’ was the only episode I had heard about before viewing, so my expectations were set rather high going into it. It was just as intense as ‘Plaything’ in a completely distinctive way and did a wonderful job at discussing the moral ambiguity of human behaviour with Phillip’s pure depression he felt for years after seemingly being abandoned by his love, combined with the ugly transgressions he committed throughout the relationship. I was on edge throughout the story, worrying that it would go much darker than it did, yet I was pleasantly surprised by the complexities of the tale and the opportunity to gently reveal a well-rounded perspective of the events as it went on. I was expecting the story to be about death-related grief, yet it was just as crushing seeing how Phillip had lost Carol far before she died. Phillip was incredibly unlikeable at times and nearly cemented himself as the villain, yet was eventually able to recognise his own narcissism while unpicking his memories’ biases— something that Maria from ‘Bete Noire’ struggled greatly with.
Once again, AI becoming humanised and demanding respect is recognised with The Guide’s character, with human treatment of other life forms an overarching theme of the whole series.
The reveal of the letter was devastating and completely undid Phillip’s motivation to harbour resentment for so many years, leading you to wonder what would have happened if he simply picked it up off the floor that fateful night.
Rating: 8.5/10
uss callister: into infinity
With USS Callister being amongst my all-time favourite Black Mirror premises, this sequel was incredibly satisfying to watch. It instantly subverted the happy ending we thought we got back then, diving back into a dynamic in which the clones are wanted species’. The contrast between Nanette’s human and digital self will never not be funny to me, proving that you are who you are from your experiences, not your biology.
Making Walton the villain of the story due to his selfishness and corporate greed was a great move for those that adore Jimmi Simpson’s unhinged and hilarious acting. It was also interesting to see him attempt to disguise himself as his clone and be instantly clocked due to his blatant foolishness. It also meant for real consequences for companies that abuse dangerous technology in these fictional worlds, contrasting the injustices and denials of responsibility faced in episodes such as ‘Playtest’ and ‘White Bear’.
Daley’s character being slightly more fleshed out made me believe that he had potential to be a good man before he was taken advantage of by Walton and eventually worn down by his surrounding colleagues. Despite his unjustifiably vicious actions in the cloning of them, we were given an opportunity to see how meek and seemingly innocent his genius self was before the company was created. However, in true Black Mirror fashion, this was instantly wiped away when he once again aimed to abuse Nanette’s digital clone, disgustingly attempting to trap a version of her in the game with him and implying extremely twisted sexual violation. I cannot express how crushed I was when he said ‘copy and paste’, a commentary on abusers convincing themselves they are good and there being no redemption for Daley after all. ‘Nice guys’ and self proclaimed ‘incels’ are becoming more and more dangerous in our political climate and watching this scene made me physically shudder. This may have been predictable to some, but the disappointment hit me like a ton of bricks.
I wasn’t quite set on the ending as it sort of came out of nowhere and seemed like a cheap reference to Black Museum, yet I was relieved that the group was safe and had at least some freedom to live outside of Daley’s software.
Rating: 9/10.
so, what’s the verdict?
Season 7 was a whirlwind of interesting ideas, gripping storylines and a plea for humans to recognise how they mistreat other forms of life. I believe it to be an incredible improvement to season 5, especially, with every episode possessing clever and interesting elements. It has definitely redeemed itself in some elements, yet the atmosphere associated with early seasons has been permanently altered, leaving the show to grow in a different direction. This does not make its contents bad in any sense, yet I do believe strong fans have to accept that time and circumstance will always affect a TV show no matter what. Season 7 should be celebrated for its capacity to evoke emotional turmoil, sympathy, and despair. These episodes allow us to reflect on our flaws as a society and make us examine how our technology is currently causing harm. There will never be another ‘Shut Up and Dance’, but there will be a space made for the new genius Brooker creates.