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The British sci-fi anthology drama Black Mirroron Netflix boasts 28 episodes across six seasons, including the feature-length 2014 special White Christmas. Additionally, the series introduced a 2018 interactive film, Bandersnatch, making it the first of its kind to be launched on Netflix. But that’s only scratching the surface when it comes to listing just how many special feats the drama has under its belt. Be it setting the stage for what would become prime minister David Cameron’s “Piggate” in its very first episode (The National Anthem), contriving a futuristic gaming technology (Striking Vipers), or preconceiving the onset of the social credit system set to be introduced in parts of the world like China (Nosedive). Every way technology could possibly go wrong, the series has it covered in one disturbing episode or the other.
Ahead of its release, the show creator Charlie Brooker promised the season would contain some of the bleakest stories in the show’s history. And he did not disappoint, as the new season of Black Mirror made for a thought-provoking sequence geared towards uncharted dimensions. With the nostalgic feeling set on overdrive as a result, here is a look back at 5 of the best Black Mirror episodes ever.
1. White Bear, Season 2, Episode 2
Opening in a post-apocalyptic world, the Black Mirror season 2 episode, White Bear gave viewers the thrill of a typical zombie movie. It followed a woman, Victoria, played by Lenora Crichlow, who awakes in a dystopic world, with no recollection of her identity or the circumstances leading to her predicament. The TV screens only displayed an unknown symbol. Victoria confronts her biggest fear when she stepped into the streets to find the world in a post-apocalyptic state.
However, rather than mindless zombies, she is surrounded by a community of people who completely ignore her. They focused only on recording her on their phones even as hunters try to shoot her dead. She soon discovered the weird humans were controlled by the unknown symbol, which apparently took over the world months back. Victoria, with a few unaffected people, tries making her way to the White Bear transmitter to destroy the signal’s control for good. But what awaited her in White Bear was a whole new reality, an unexpected plot twist that transforms the show from a spooky zombie thriller to something more cynical — Some sort of sick punishment loop depicting mankind at its worst.
Unlike most Black Mirror episodes that start out flat, White Bear begins on a high note and ends on an even higher one, captivating viewers throughout its 42-minute run.
2. Demon 79, Season 6, Episode 5
For a Black Mirror episode that is as engaging as it is mysterious, Black Mirror season 6, episode 5 offered it all. The episode titled Demon 79, set in 1979 follows Nida, a sales assistant at a shoe store facing racial discrimination from her colleagues and boss. Despite fantasizing about taking out her frustration on them violently, she never speaks out. Nida’s usually boring and lonely life took a new turn when she discovered an old talisman in the company’s basement, and mistakenly smeared her blood on it, unleashing a trainee demon, Gaap. The demon convinces her to slay three people of choice within three days to avoid an apocalypse.
This episode, which seems like an outlier touches on sensitive subjects like racism, life, death, and spirituality. What Nida lacked in action, Gaap’s jolly personality makes up for it, giving the episode a cheerful vibe. While it’s easy to get lost in the euphoria, it does not erase the fact that viewers literally get to see the world through the eyes of a serial killer. After all, Demon 79 could easily pass for a slasher film if viewers had no idea about Nida’s motives. It makes one wonder how many serial killers out there really believe they do so for the greater good.
The episode is advertised as a Red Mirror production, a label that categorizes it as non-science fiction or technology-oriented despite falling under the Black Mirror universe. And while it’s easy to miss, the episode did reference the downside of scientific advancement in the guise of nuclear missiles which became the tool of world destruction. It boasts a rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
3. San Junipero, Season 3, Episode 4
San Junipero remains Black Mirror’s most emotional episode yet and is certainly a worthy watch. It tells the tale of two women Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Yorkie (MacKenzie Davis) who meet in a nightclub in San Junipero. Despite their awkward start, the two soon develop feelings for each other, but it turns out they were two individuals in a simulated reality, where the deceased can live on. Both the deceased and the elderly visitors in San Junipero can get to live their best lives inhabiting their younger avatars.
In reality, Kelly and Yorkie’s living versions had demons to battle that could stand between their love. Spoiler — the episode gave viewers a happy ending, with the duo deciding to spend eternity in San Junipero, but not without huge sacrifices. Exploring love, death, and the afterlife, San Junipero hit home directly for most viewers. And being one of the few Black Mirror episodes with a happy ending, it’s difficult to not commit this particular episode to memory.
4. Nosedive, Season 3, Episode 1
The first episode of the third Black Mirror season explored the growing obsession with social media and status validation. Set in a dystopian world where people rate each other using an app, Nosedive is an embodiment of what the fast-paced world could become if social media likes and validation becomes the benchmark for acceptance or cancellation. Lacie Pound, a young woman with a 4.2 rating is looking to increase her points to secure a discount on a luxury apartment.
However, her path to scoring more points had the opposite effect as her score continues to plummet. After taking a full-on nosedive, Lacie realizes how much freedom she felt the moment worrying about ratings stopped being a priority. The final scene which sees her freer than she’s ever felt, even while behind bars with a rating of less than 1.0 demonstrates how obsessing over society’s validation is an even worse prison. Certainly, a must-watch.
5. The National Anthem, Season 1, Episode 1
What better way to begin a twisted series than presenting the goriest scenario imaginable to the world? Charlie Brooker first introduced the Black Mirror universe to the world in 2011, with the first-ever episode titled The National Anthem. The episode set the premise for what twisted details to expect in subsequent Black Mirror episodes, raising the bar a whiny too high. It explores a kidnapping situation involving a fictional member of the royal family, the beloved Princess Susannah. Prime Minister Michael Callow has to step in to save the day, but at a very publicly humiliating cost that could destroy his dignity and family for life.
This first episode had one clear message that has defined the Netflix series in the last decade— It isn’t for the faint of heart. Generally, the National Anthem received a mixed review, sparking debate about ethics and what’s morally acceptable even for a movie. Nonetheless, it has an overwhelming 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has remained the perfect way to indoctrinate potential fans and weed out those who would be better off sitting this one out.
