Ever since I discovered Black Mirror during the boredom-filled days of isolation in 2020, it has become a staple in my Netflix rewatch repertoire. Known for its fascinating futuristic concepts and (often heartbreaking) plot twists, this show has gripped my attention with each episode, each bringing on a new set of characters and technologies (and, of course, an ending that makes you wonder WTF did I just watch!?). When I heard that Season 7 was to be released on April 10th, I genuinely could not wait to binge the new season. This new installment felt like a quick turnaround, given the gap between Season 5’s 2019 release and the 2023 drop of Season 6, so I could not wait to see what was in store. Thankfully, the six new episodes (one being a continuation of a past storyline), did not disappoint. Here are my personal opinions of Season 7’s new episodes (spoilers ahead)!
6. “Eulogy”
“Eulogy” follows main character Phillip, an older man who has just been informed by an innovative technology company that his ex-girlfriend from many years earlier, Carol, has passed away. The company, also named Eulogy, requests that Phillip reach back into his memories to provide content for her memorial service, with the help of a device that helps him to physically go into old photos and relive the scene. While Phillip initially comes across as very bitter towards Carol, claiming that she had walked out on him and left him heartbroken, we start to see more of the truth about their relationship come out as more photos are explored. Learning of a cheating scandal and other negative patterns, the Eulogy software exposes our main character’s faults as a partner, leading him to recognize how he failed Carol. In the end, the experience softens Phillip, leading him to finally remember the details of her face (something that had been difficult, given he had already destroyed any existing evidence of it) and attend her funeral in London, seemingly giving him a form of closure that he had been lacking for decades.
Don’t get me wrong, I thought this episode was great — the technology aspect of it was classic Black Mirror, reminding me of the memory-related software used in Season 1’s “The Entire History of You” (S1, E3). It was also interesting to see how exploring Phillip’s memory led to new revelations not only for us as the audience, but also for the character himself. However, I found certain aspects of the plot to be predictable and underwhelming in comparison to other episodes. While I found this love story sweet, I did not have as much of an attachment to the relationship as I did in other episodes like “San Junipero” (S3, E4) or this season’s “Common People.” Still worth the watch, but not one I’m reaching to experience again.
5. “Hotel Reverie”
This episode follows another immersive technology, centered around the plot of a movie star who takes on a classic role in an innovative way. In the Black Mirror universe, Hotel Reverie is introduced as an iconic vintage 1940s film revolving around a budding romance between male lead Dr. Alex Palmer and damsel in distress Clara, who is played by movie star Dorothy Chambers. With new tech that allows for modern actors to immerse themselves in the film directly, with every other character behaving according to the original script, Brandy Friday takes on the lead role of the doctor who wins over the affections of the female protagonist. Unsurprisingly, an issue in the filmmakers’ control center leaves Brandy trapped within the movie itself, unable to communicate with anybody besides Clara. Clara soon learns that she is merely just a character being played by an actress, Dorothy; she also discovers how Dorothy had been harboring secrets about her sexuality from the public in a very conservative era, ultimately leading to her death by overdose. With these new revelations, the pair fall for each other in their isolated universe. When the movie production finally picks back up, major plot changes occur within the film, leaving both actresses doomed to fate.
I also really enjoyed the new technology, ReDream, that is used in this episode, especially as it mimics the constant advancements in AI that we are seeing firsthand in our society. My favorite part of the plot, however, was the added layer of sapphic romance in a traditionally heterosexual love story; it not only added depth to Clara/Dorothy’s character, but made the story itself more interesting, seeing a Black woman take on a role that has been long associated with a famous, White actor. While I loved the main characters and was content to see another relatively happy ending (rare within the Black Mirror anthology), I found that better pacing and acting could have made this episode stronger. Still, I enjoyed watching “Hotel Reverie” and think it was an integral addition to Season 7.
4. “Plaything”
Referencing “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch,” a unique standalone episode of the series that allows viewers to “choose their own adventure” for the protagonist, “Plaything” follows new character Cameron Walker, a self-proclaimed loner who is arrested for shoplifting. In questioning with the police, he opens up about his past and how it led him to his present issue of legal trouble. Guest starring Will Poulter in a reprise of his role as Colin Ritman, Ritman grants young Cameron access to gaming company Tuckersoft’s tentative new game, Thronglets. Colin indicates to Cameron that the “thronglets” in the “game” (which he also explains is more of a simulation for caretaking than it is an activity for fun) are actually small lifeforms of their own, and that the goal is to raise them. After an LSD trip that connects Colin with the thronglets, he commits his life to taking care of them and expanding their consciousness, with the end goal of sharing what he’s learned with the human race at large.
One of my favorite parts about Black Mirror is its connections to other points of the series, so I loved the callback to “Bandersnatch” and the iconic character of Colin Ritman. While at first I was confused about where the episode was taking us, I found the last few minutes really tied everything together in an interesting way, leaving us with an ambiguous ending that immediately had me browsing through Reddit to see other people’s thoughts. I don’t think that “Plaything” will be as memorable as its predecessor, “Bandersnatch,” but I do like how it expanded on a pre-existing sector of the show and showed us a futuristic timeline of the show at large by tying in past events.
3. “Bête Noire”
Episode two of this season brings us characters Maria and Verity, past high school classmates and current coworkers in the food development department of a company named Ditta. We quickly see that Maria is upset at her boss’s recent decision to hire Verity, given that she was “strange” in school, spending all of her time in the tech lab, to the point of having a scandalous rumor spread about her and the computer teacher. Maria begins noticing odd things occurring at work upon Verity’s hire: brand names, work emails, and even camera footage are all distorted, making Maria seem crazy and manipulative to her peers, ultimately leading to her being laid off from the company. In an intense final scene where Maria breaks into Verity’s house, we learn that Verity was the wrong person to pick on in high school — she has used her many years’ worth of tech knowledge to make Maria’s life a living hell.
I liked this episode much more than I thought I would going into it! At first, the Mandela Effect-like occurrences seemed more supernatural than anything (almost mirroring the essence of “Demon 79” (S6, E5)), so I did not foresee the explanation at the end coming. While most Black Mirror episodes focus on the use of technology for evil on larger, corporation-wide scales, I liked that this episode emphasized how an individual can harness this power for their own good (or bad). Bonus points that the reveal at the end makes rewatching the episode almost better than the first watch, too, hinting at details that went unnoticed for me initially. Moral of the story: don’t pick on the “weird” girl in school!
2. “USS Callister: Into Infinity”
“USS Callister” (S4, E1) is one of the more iconic episodes of Black Mirror, following a group of coworkers at Callister Inc., a gaming company, who get trapped in a virtual simulation of their boss, Robert Daly’s, favorite game. Here, he physically forces them to cooperate according to his script day after day, with seemingly no hope of escape, until the end of the episode concludes with them killing Daly, left to their own devices for survival within the game. Season 7’s sequel shows us as the crew, led by protagonist Nanette Cole, struggles to scrape by in a game where their chance at living is limited without proper currency. On the outside, CEO James Walton faces criticism from players who complain of in-game robberies from the simulated version of the workers, as well as dealing with allegations regarding Robert Daly’s death in the real world. As this 90-minute episode unfolds, events both in real life and game mode present challenges for both sets of characters as they try to make things right.
While I may be biased due to my love for the prequel of this episode, I still found this one to be strong; the loose ends and likeable characters of the original made it very deserving of a reboot. I feel as though the universe that the writers built between these two episodes was super interesting and deserving of the further detail that was explored here. Since we already had an idea of how the technology worked, too, the structure of this sequel allowed writers to expand on character development, something that is typically limited due to the standalone nature of the series. All in all, this episode cements the storyline of the USS Callister even further into Black Mirror history than before.
1. “Common People”
In my number one spot, we have the season opener, “Common People.” This was a tough pick, and I hesitated at first to give it my top ranking — mostly because of how deeply this episode toyed with my emotions. Ultimately, it was for this reason that “Common People” stands out the most out of the new content. Incredibly depressing and scarily analogous to our modern society, this episode feels the most “classic Black Mirror” out of any episode since Season 4, I would argue.
Here, we see couple, Mike and Amanda, living an authentic, happy married life, saving up money in hopes of a pregnancy. When Amanda receives a fatal diagnosis, Mike jumps at the opportunity to implement Rivermind, a subscription service that will keep Amanda alive for $300 a month, with few drawbacks other than the need for more sleep than usual. Much to the couple’s dismay, they quickly learn that Rivermind is not all that it had been marketed to be. From running ads through Amanda’s voice during her day-to-day activities to constantly raising prescription prices, Mike is faced with difficult choice after choice as his love for Amanda is constantly tested by the service.
Again, this episode was not for the weak — I shed some tears, not only out of sympathy for the couple, but because of its ever-too-real connections to our society today. While some viewers online have likened the Rivermind subscription service to entertainment platforms such as Netflix itself, known for its ever-increasing pricing, I find that the broader message focused on the realities of healthcare disparities in the U.S. This was exemplified by the introduction of “Rivermind Lux,” a (very pricy) premium subscription that allows for a quality of life so high that it far exceeds that of even a healthy individual. I interpreted this as commentary about how the upper-class is much more likely to obtain the best treatment out there, while lower-income individuals struggle to scrape by as is, and often cannot afford the medical care that they need. Overall, this episode blew my mind in all regards, though my favorite aspect was its connection with healthcare policy in the U.S. today.
Watch at your own risk!
While this season of Black Mirror was not as psychologically taxing as other seasons have been, it was still a very thought-provoking and at times emotional collection of episodes. In my opinion, Season 7 is the strongest Black Mirror has been in years, probably since the iconic Season 4 episodes that have garnered much media attention over the years. If you’re in for bingeing some mind-bending content, this show is for you! Happy (unhappy?) watching!