Despite the perpetually backed-up state of my Netflix queue, I finally got around to watching Black Mirror. I had heard a lot about the show from fans and haters alike, and after running the whole series--from it's first six BBC episodes to its new season on Netflix--I found that Black Mirror is definitely a mixed bag. At its best, it's a show that asks intriguing questions of society and technology while telling exciting, visually compelling stories. At its worst, the show is bland and hollow, with only a thin veneer of social commentary to show for its efforts.
But despite any demerits, there's really a lot more to love about Black Mirror than there is to hate. So let's take a look at my 5 favorite episodes and hopefully we'll get a clearer picture of the show's best attributes.
5. Hated in the Nation
Black Mirror's longest and final episode to date, "Hated in the Nation" is a fascinating cyber-detective story about public shaming and the consequences of online violence in the name of social justice. Though the extra-long run-time is a bit unnecessary, the story remains compelling throughout, thanks to the two female leads (the always brilliant Kelly MacDonald and Game of Thrones' Faye Marsay) as detectives investigating a series of social media-related murders. "Hated in the Nation" is a good bit of sci-fi and an even better psychological thriller.
4. The Entire History of You
Most of Black Mirror's finest moments show ordinary people sabotaging themselves with technology that's accelerated too fast for them to handle. "The Entire History of You" shows what can happen when you put the ability to replay memories on-demand in the hands of jealous, petty people with big secrets. The criminally underrated Toby Kebbell leads a top-notch cast as a petty, heavy drinking husband whose unchecked jealousy leads to brutal revelations about himself and the hollow, status-hungry people in his professional and social circles. Black Mirror thrives when the plot is steeped in character and the twists are small, but still shocking. In this sense, "The Entire History of You" is a true winner.
3. Playtest
Whereas some Black Mirror episodes break under the weight of their own thematic ambitions, "Playtest" avoids this fate in its exploration of personal fears instead of social ones. It also might be the most visually ambitious episode in the series (thanks to Dan Trachtenberg of 10 Cloverfield Lane fame). I'll secede that "Playtest" isn't nearly as "serious" about its subject matter as most of Black Mirror's catalog, but it's a fun, poignant horror story about one man's fear of parental intimacy.
2. The National Anthem
In the first ten minutes of "The National Anthem", we're introduced to a British Prime Minister charged with, of all things, fucking a pig in front of the entire country in order to meet the demands of the Princess' kidnapper. What follows is every bit as insane as you'd imagine. Daring, shocking, and insatiably provocative, "The National Anthem" is Black Mirror firing on all cylinders. And at only one episode into the series, that's quite a triumph.
...On a sidenote: nobody let Lars Von Trier see this episode. He might get ideas.
...On a sidenote: nobody let Lars Von Trier see this episode. He might get ideas.
1. San Junipero
Love stories are a plenty in Black Mirror, but happy endings are inevitably hard to come by. Amidst a series of biting social parable and jarring conclusions, "San Junipero" is not only an outlier, but a welcome breathe of fresh air. Don't get me wrong, I like to be shaken into a state of total hopelessness by my entertainment as much as the next guy--and for the most part, that's exactly what the technology-driven subject matter of Black Mirror calls for--but I couldn't help but be in awe of "San Junipero". Not only does the episode pull off a truly authentic love story, but it seamlessly explores the ways in which technological advancement challenges our perceptions of mortality, reality, intimacy, religion, and afterlife. And to top it all off, the 80's have never been rendered more beautifully. If you've watched all of Black Mirror and "San Junipero" wasn't a stand-out episode for you, keep in mind that the show's best episodes manage to subvert its loaded reputation as well as live up to it.
Keep that in mind, and you'll see that "San Junipero" is Black Mirror's finest hour.
Love stories are a plenty in Black Mirror, but happy endings are inevitably hard to come by. Amidst a series of biting social parable and jarring conclusions, "San Junipero" is not only an outlier, but a welcome breathe of fresh air. Don't get me wrong, I like to be shaken into a state of total hopelessness by my entertainment as much as the next guy--and for the most part, that's exactly what the technology-driven subject matter of Black Mirror calls for--but I couldn't help but be in awe of "San Junipero". Not only does the episode pull off a truly authentic love story, but it seamlessly explores the ways in which technological advancement challenges our perceptions of mortality, reality, intimacy, religion, and afterlife. And to top it all off, the 80's have never been rendered more beautifully. If you've watched all of Black Mirror and "San Junipero" wasn't a stand-out episode for you, keep in mind that the show's best episodes manage to subvert its loaded reputation as well as live up to it.
Keep that in mind, and you'll see that "San Junipero" is Black Mirror's finest hour.
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