Like any anthology film or series, Black Mirror has had its ups and downs throughout its extended run. Now going into its seventh season, the show has certainly made an impression over the years with a number of masterpieces, along with a few misses. No matter the result, they all possess one thing for certain - a fascinating premise. So with this latest season now here, I thought I’d rank 5 out of the 6 episodes (excluding USS Callister: Into Infinity):

 

5. Bête Noire

Out of all the futuristic aspects of Black Mirror this season, Bête Noire requires a suspension of disbelief to fully immerse into this one. A game of paranoia and possible supernatural acts, technology can’t fully explain everything this time round. Frustrating characters fuel this episode and the two episodes at the center are difficult to get behind at every moment of the story - their actions cause multiple groans throughout as paranoia grows. Bête Noire takes place within a sweet treats company, yet we rarely see any confectionery creations with this part of the story practically being left behind for a cheap ending that seemed the only way out of the corner Brooker wrote himself into. What originally seems to be a grounded thriller is taken over by eccentric fantasy that is difficult to fully get behind. 

 

4. Plaything

Plaything is a surprising continuation of the controversial "Choose Your Own Adventure" Bandersnatch. Removing the gimmick, Plaything is set in that same world, we witness another creation from Bandersnatch's Colin Ritman. Will Poulter is barely in the episode but he is the MacGuffin provider and it is refreshing to see this character be revisited even if it’s ever so briefly.Peter Capaldi and Lewis Gribben played the same character separated by decades and they emulated one another perfectly - although whoever decided to give Capaldi that wig was a choice. Admittedly this episode is a tad too confusing for my own personal taste - it’s a police interrogation, a videogame that isn’t actually a videogame and AI’s possible invasion of our minds? Told from the younger and older perspective of Gribben and Capaldi’s Cameron, we see the discovery and handling of artificially evolving beings. The episode's fascinating final moments intrigues me just as much as it confuses me. 

 

3. Hotel Reverie

Taking on a satirical take on modern Hollywood’s obsession with remakes, classic picture Hotel Reverie adds Reborn to its title in a move that implements digitally removing an actor entirely and with the use of technology merging a new actor into the role. As long as the role is followed to a T, nothing can go wrong. Hotel Reverie is the best looking episode of the bunch as it fully captures the vibes of classic filmmaking. It’s also the episode with one of the most interesting casting choices with Issa Rae, Awkwafina and Emma Corrin.

 

The concept and visuals truly assist this episode, sitting at the second longest of the pack at 76 minutes. The truth of the matter is the lead in Issa Rae feels miscast entirely. Something about Rae’s performance doesn’t come through the screen as a diverse performer, she never manages to really have two aspects of her personality - her acting sounds exactly like her “off script” talk. Awkwafina as the director in charge of the production doesn’t feel miscast, but she also feels unremarkable in the role - a down to Earth character for the comedic actress, but it simulates a role many others could have inhabited. Emma Corrin on the other hand is the exception of the three, she fully embodies the tone and iconic screen presence of a golden age Hollywood talent. It’s an intriguing story, heartbreaking even but the performance ultimately let this one down and drags the story ever so slightly to its end crawl. 

 

2. Common People

After a critical event, a couple must make a financial decision to prolong their relationship. This story focuses on a plot line that feels in the realm of real possibility for our future and it’s very bleak. A truly incredible medical advancement held behind a mandatory paywall is so tragic and anxiety ridden. Chris O’Dowd and Rashida Jones play an acceptable couple as Mike and Amanda, but their chemistry doesn’t shine through exponentially - not to say love has to always be externally exposed. Tracee Ellis Ross plays Gaynor, a despicable human being, forged by a wrongful corporation engulfed in greed. This episode is difficult enough to swallow without an extra dark web social media making its way into the story. T harsh reality will live within us until it unsurprisingly becomes a part of ours. 

 

1. Eulogy

A triumphant episode that capitalizes on Academy Award Winner Paul Giamatti’s dramatic skills to bring a tear to your eye as Phillip. A tragic story beautifully told through the forcibly forgotten memories for a lost love. Possibly one of the best in the entire series. The visual style of becoming immersed within the realm of a photograph taken decades before is exquisitely done and manages to add a grand layer of suspense to Phillip’s trip down memory lane. Being one of the shortest episodes in the series, it fully understands when to stop and let the emotions sink in. 

 

Black Mirror continues to be a haunting and devastating display of the possibilities of technology. Always delivering in a futuristic fashion, this season has some serious turbulence throughout. The premises remain top notch and the casting (apart from one in the above episodes) is second to none, it’s hard to ask for anything more in those departments.

 

Seven seasons in and Charlie Brooker still has a lot of surprises up his sleeve; we’ve for a while now come to expect immediate anxiety just from pressing play on the latest episode. With Black Mirror's first sequel to a previous episode and a reprisal of another more controversial one, Black Mirror may not hit all the expectations the series has laid out over the seasons but it sure knows how to one up itself.