Summary
The long-awaited seventh season of the critically acclaimedBlack Mirroris finally here, and the wait was well worth it. The six-episode run containssome of the best in the whole show, exploring memories, video games, and the world of classic cinema and delivering some chilling and emotional endings that linger long after the TV screen fades to black. With expectations so high, especially with many returning pieces of technology, characters, and stories, this season more than lives up to the caliber of television fans have come to expect from the show and enters some even darker spaces that are both terrifying and unexpected.
While the whole season is full of memorable moments and exceptional episodes, some leave a bigger impact than others. Whether it be realistic commentary on the current state of the world, a compelling story that culminates in an emotionally unforgettable ending, or the introduction of brand new themes and concepts that are not explored nearly as much as they should be in the media of today. Each episode has its highs and lows, and it is quite easy to pick favorites from the crowd, as many viewers will be accustomed to doing throughout the lifespan of the show, with each season adding a few to the top of the list and a few that fell short at the finish line.
6Bête Noire
A Bit Too Far
The second episode in the series and one that started strong but ended with a tad too much lunacy. Much of the draw ofBlack Mirroris its ability to take a piece of technology, media, or a psychological concept and bridge the gap between reality and fiction, creating a short piece that explores the ideas related to the subject and provides some commentary and a few thrills along the way. The problem with this episode is that it begins with a pretty compelling hook, looking at memories, the Mandela effect, and how people may perceive things differently from the truth.
The tension builds over time as Verity becomes more and more menacing and unnerving, and for the majority of the episode, viewers are waiting on the edge of their seats for the missing piece of the puzzle. As it turned out, rather than it being some grounded narrative about paranoia and the loss of control, Verity was using a tiny pendant that allowed her to literally warp reality and bend it to her will by swapping between universes just by uttering a few words. The episode could have been so great and was shaping up to be a compelling one at that, but it feels like a slap in the face that was almost shoehorned in right at the end and makes the build-up fall completely flat by the end. It would have been great if there was no technology involved at all and the whole series of events was simply orchestrated in Maria’s mind, but instead, the show tries to Dexu Ex Machina its way into a solution,n which feels far too outlandish and not in line with the traditionalBlack Mirrorways.
5Hotel Reverie
Beautiful If Slightly Overdramatic
Hotel Reverie is one of those episodes that is just good. Nothing exceptional, not too far or too crazy, just a nice time from start to finish. It is nice to have a break from all the gore and grimness that the show often likes to play with and to have an episode that focuses on relationships, love and opens an interesting dialogue that is more relevant now than ever. The biggest praise for the episode is the setting and the narrative. Having a character be physically thrust into an old movie classic, fit with a black and white filter and have them engage with what is effectively an AI character on a deep and personal level, was as delightful as it was slightly too close to home, with the rapid evolution of technology nowadays making the episode closer and closer to a reality.
The biggest criticism of the episode comes from everything outside of the movie. The crew of tech geeks and movie executives, led by Awkwafina’s character, doesn’t add much substance to the show, and any time the group is on-screen, it really detracts from the otherwise warm and inviting feel of the episode. Their dialogue is fairly flat and repetitive, and it would have been much nicer to see more screen-time focused on the movie characters and even more interactions between them, rather than the outside world taking a bigger chunk of the spotlight. Overall, the episode is enjoyable, bringing back some familiar tech with a new spin and ending with an uplifting twist that is more of a tearjerker that is a welcome change from the bleakness found in the rest of the show.
4Plaything
Actors Leading The Charge
Plaything has very little to show that isn’t wonderful. A simplistic premise that enters a much more philosophical and moral realm. The emphasis placed on individuals and their character is great, really showing the inner workings of the mind and what people will do to stay true to themselves. Peter Capaldi is an absolute treat, taking on the role of Cameron Walker with a perfect performance that is truly one of the best in the whole show. It feels as though this individual is a real person and not a fictional character, from his mannerisms to the tone of voice, to the logical reasoning he delivers from the perspective of a truly damaged soul.
It is nice to see returning characters and universes as well, as the plot takes place either in or in a very similar universeto the one seen in Bandersnatch, which was a similar look at human psychology in connection to video games. The twists and turns keep the tension building throughout, and as always, it culminates in a big reveal. In this case, the sort of ending that was just around the corner was fairly telegraphed, but the specific outcome of the Throngs enacting their plan on the entire globe was still rather surprising and maybe even a bit too supervillain-y. Grand endings aside, it’s a funny, gripping episode that tells a unique side of reality, with the series once again becoming closer to reality with every subsequent season.
3Common People
Painful And World Shattering
If ever there was a title for the most difficult to watch episode and the most realistic depiction of real-life suffering, Common People would win it every day of the week. The entire episode is a metaphor for the current state of healthcare in the Western world, with the rich reaping all the benefits of the latest and best treatment while the poor have to cobble together whatever scraps of change they can just to make their next payment. The episode is just downright awful in every way, with very little happiness save for a few moments that are quickly whisked away by the looming payments and corporate agenda.
2USS Callister: Into Infinity
Welcome Back To The Ship
The first true sequel and a wonderful re-visiting of one of the best episodes, USS Callister: Into Infinity does everything right without overplaying its hand or trying to say too much at the same time. With the universe already set up, writing a conclusion to the fan-favourite must have been quite a challenge, but the showrunners have accomplished it and more, bringing all of the original characters back in all their glory and using the connection and humanity to keep the crew feeling alive in the video game world. The jokes land every time, and the revelations that continue to pop up are almost always surprises, keeping viewers on their toes and ending with a warm and conclusive finish.
Part of what makes the episode shine so well is the influence of the source material and the trueness to the genre. Taking the world ofStar Trekand twisting it into an equally camp and extravagant world is no easy feat, but it works so well here with each tiny detail from the worlds to the characters, to the dialogue, and more. While it’s true that the episode doesn’t quite live up to the esteem of the original, as sequels rarely do, it is still one of the best episodes in the show that keeps things as grounded as it can be, given the story is about spaceships and intergalactic travel, and brings a smile to the viewers face that remains from the title card all the way to the credits.
1Eulogy
A Tale As Old As Time
Sometimes, the best way to create a compelling and emotional story is to keep things as simple as possible. Eulogy does exactly that, removing all of the darkness and horror that is found throughout the show and presenting a far more realistic depiction of loss, memory, and the pain people feel after breaking apart from the ones they love. Using the same familiar-looking tech as many other episodes, the viewers are transported into the past through photographs and images from Phillips’s time spent with an old lover, and together, he and the viewer discover the importance of love and acceptance, and especially an awareness that there are two sides to every story.
Normally, the structure of the show follows an introduction, build-up, and then a twist reveal that almost always ends in death, destruction, and torment. But whenBlack Mirrordecides it’s time to take a break and focus on love and emotion, the show always delivers, with classics like San Junipero being a cinematic landmark, with Eulogy standing on a similar pedestal. What’s great is that thetechnology and the futuristic elementsthat are normally the focal point of the show take a backseat and act more as a medium for conveying the story and emotion in a simplistic and charming way. The episode is more than relatable for so many people, and while the ending may not be sunshine and rainbows, it is a heartwarming climax of acceptance of the one that got away.
