Black Mirror is an anthology series that is themed around futuristic technology and tends to be darker in tone. It is filled with many shocking moments with brilliantly written episodes that contain some very creative plots mixed with a few shocking moments.
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What sticks out the most in every episode of Black Mirror is the ending. The characters from this series almost never walk away happy and are given some sort of tragic conclusion. Even after more than a decade since its first season’s release, Black Mirror still continues to produce high-quality episodes and is considered one of the best anthology series.
8
The Entire History Of You
“Show It To Me!”
The final episode of Season One takes place in a world where humans have developed memory implants, i.e. Grain technology that can record and replay everything that’s done by the user. The story shows the main protagonist, Liam, growing suspicious about his wife, Ffion, and her ex-lover, Jonas’ relationship. He then starts to use the implants’ recording capabilities to question his wife’s reactions.
The Grain technology starts creating a major rift between their relationships. Frustrated, Liam then personally confronts Jonas, which leads to a heartbreaking reveal. It’s a classic tale of ‘technology giveth but also taketh’ as the concept of private thoughts becomes difficult and the good memories that were meant to be cherished feel like poison.
7
Nosedive
“Wasn’t A Meaningful Encounter”
Nosedive is a story that still feels relevant in today’s world, one where validation on social media reigns supreme. It follows Lacie, who lives in a world where every person has a rating attached to them. Much like restaurants or other services today, it sees people using their mobile phones to rate other people based on their experiences with them. This five-star scale system also decides their socio-economic status.
On her quest to reach a 4.5 rating and live in a luxurious place, Lacie goes through many events and meets a lot of people. However, the only helpful person ends up being a truck driver named Susan with a 1.4 rating. Eventually, her rating drops below zero, and she is imprisoned for causing a ruckus at her friend’s wedding. But this is where Lacie finally finds happiness, as she can say things truthfully without worrying about her rating.
6
Hang The DJ
“Should We Check Our Expiry Date?”
Hang The DJ has a very simple yet well-executed story. The episode takes place in a world where romantic partners are only decided through a device that uses an algorithm to find the perfect match. This is how the protagonists, Frank and Amy, end up meeting each other on a date. Unfortunately, this system also determines the expiry date of a relationship, for which the protagonists only get a total of 12 hrs.
Despite having a great time, the two end up parting ways. After a series of unsuccessful partners, they end up being matched again and decide never to check the expiry date. Eventually, Frank breaks this rule, which leads to them going their separate ways again. However, their love brings them back together, and they decide to cross over the town’s wall to escape the system.
5
White Bear
“I Think This Is My Daughter”
White Bear comes from Season Two, which focuses on Victoria, who is suffering from amnesia. She wakes up in a room to find a TV with a symbol and a picture of a little girl in her pocket. Then, Victoria gets chased by a man with a gun, who is followed by other people recording her with their phones.
Throughout White Bear, we see Victoria trying to survive and come across multiple different individuals who help her. The episode expertly crafts a narrative that makes viewers think that it’s just a generic story that’s been done before until the horrifying reveal that completely changes things.
4
Shut Up And Dance
“We Saw What You Did”
After the teenager, Kenny, comes back home from his day job, he goes on to gratify himself by watching a video. Later, he receives an email from an unknown user that contains the recording of his session from a few minutes ago. This user then threatens to leak the video unless Kenny abides by their wishes.
In this episode, Kenny is made to do several tasks, like picking up a package, robbing a bank, and even fighting a person to death. He does all of these tasks with other people who have also been blackmailed by the same people online. As Kenny manages to get through these tasks, it is then revealed that the blackmailers have already leaked the sensitive information. This is when viewers get to know why Kenny went to extreme lengths.
3
USS Callister
“For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow”
The first episode of Season four follows Robert Daly, who is a designer of the hit new immersive multiplayer game, Infinity, and founder of the company, Callister. In this episode, he has an alter ego in the modded version of Infinity, wherein he takes on the role of a spaceship captain and recreates his favorite series, USS Callister.
However, it is later revealed that his troops on the USS Callister are just digital copies of people he dislikes from his workplace who are forced to obey his orders. The latest digital clone, Nanette, feels very uneasy about this and comes up with a creative plan to escape. USS Callister is very different compared to the previous episodes. It is way more high-quality in terms of production and visual effects while also being colorful despite the series’ tone. It’s still an absolute delight to watch, even today.
2
San Junipero
“Wanna Marry Me Instead?”
San Junipero follows the story between Yorkie and Kelly in 1987, who come across each other in the town of the same name. The place is essentially a digital reality that is made for older people for therapeutic and nostalgic purposes. San Junipero also allows them to permanently reside in the town once they have died in the real world.
In this episode, we get to see Yorkie and Kelly get to know each other and fall in love. They have their own struggles and some reveals that test their bond, but they ultimately marry each other to spend the rest of their afterlives together. San Junipero completely broke the Black Mirror formula as it became the series’ first episode to feature a happy ending.
1
White Christmas
“Leave Him On For Christmas”
White Christmas is a special episode in Season two and is probably the best one of the entire series. It has multiple stories in it that feature various high-tech devices. There’s an implant that allows people to block each other out completely, while another allows one to create a digital clone of themselves to become their personal AI assistant.
In it, the two characters, Joe and Matt, who have lived together for five years in a cabin, share their personal stories with each other. Every story told here is interesting and expertly intersects into one another. In the end, neither character gets to walk away with a happy ending.