With the announcement that a long-awaited new season is in the works, we’re counting down the eight best episodes of ‘Black Mirror.’
This morning, news broke that Black Mirror showrunner Charlie Brooker had inked a new deal to revive the sci-fi anthology on Netflix. The series, which hasn’t aired new episodes since its lacklustre fifth season in 2019, was thought to have been cancelled after its transition to the streaming giant produced a slew of hit-or-miss installments.
Setting its sights squarely on the horrors of modern technology, Black Mirror’s seasons consist of standalone characters and narratives, but each episode is bound by a common fear; our devices will fuck us. So sharp is Black Mirror’s commentary that it’s predicted umpteenth social and technological advancements since first debuting in 2011 (the election of a cartoonish TV star as president included).
While the nature of its format means that seasons vary in quality, no episode is truly skippable, which has collectively made Black Mirror one of the best anthologies on TV. In anticipation of its sixth season, we’re counting down the eight best Black Mirror episodes so far (in no particular order).
‘The National Anthem’ (Season 1, Episode 1).
It was the episode that put Black Mirror on the map, and while its light on the tech that dominates much of the forthcoming series, ‘The National Anthem’ is perhaps the most daring premiere in TV history. In it, a British Royal is held hostage, which seems followable enough until it’s revealed that the kidnapper will only release her if the Prime Minister has sex with a pig on camera (yes, you read that correctly).
The episode, which teeters between darkly hilarious and downright gag-worthy, received renewed attention in 2015 when it worryingly parallelled a report that British PM David Cameron had played hanky panky with a pig. There’s few screens or devices here, but ‘The National Anthem’ sets the satirical tone as one of Black Mirrors best episodes.
‘USS Callister’ (Season 4, Episode 1).
Perhaps the only episode worthy of a prequel or spinoff (with one reportedly already in the works), ‘USS Callister’ is Black Mirror at its thrilling, dystopic best. The episode follows a nerdy coder who exacts revenge on his rude coworkers by stealing their DNA and inserting them into a Star Trek– inspired video game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgTtyfgzGc0
From there, the episode follows like a classic escape movie as the trapped characters make contact with their real-life counterparts outside the game. ‘USS Callister’ boasts big budget sets and a chilling performance from Jesse Plemmons, which is perhaps why it’s considered a fan-favourite.
‘White Christmas’ (Season 2, Episode 4).
In the Christmas-themed fourth season finale, Black Mirror goes Avengers-mode with a three-in-one story of technological surveillance. ‘White Christmas’ is Black Mirror‘s best feature-length episode, with a story creepy and mysterious enough to warrant an extended runtime. In it, two unreliable narrators meet for a holiday meal, as flashbacks explain what led to their exile.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOHy4Ca9bkw
‘White Christmas’ is loaded with Easter eggs that connect it to past episodes, adding extra intrigue for particularly perceptive viewers. Later, in the series’ fifth season, the ‘Black Museum’ episode would employ a similar interrelated structure, but ‘What Christmas’ led the way.
‘Nosedive’ (Season 3, Episode 1).
Written by one of The Office’s showrunners, ‘Nosedive’ is one of Black Mirror’s lighter episodes, but the technology at its centre is scarily accurate. Taking the concept of Uber scores to its extremes, ‘Nosedive’ explores a future in which everyone rates personal interactions out of five, with character’s averages visible through a contact lens implant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrpK90bHO2U
Naturally, those with higher ratings are afforded a greater social standing, and the protagonist of ‘Nosedive’ struggles to keep up among those rated 4.5 or above. The pastel-coloured episode (the best of season three) is Black Mirror’s most obvious takedown of social media influencers, and it boasts one of the more uplifting endings of the series.
‘Be Right Back’ (Season 2, Episode 1).
‘Be Right Back’ is the biggest tearjerker of the entire series. After her husband dies in a car crash, a woman interacts with an AI version of her lost love based on his social media posts. Where other episodes rely on thrill and horror for their emotional hook, ‘Be Right Back’ pulls squarely on the heart strings as grief and technology intersect in not-so-helpful ways.
‘Fifteen Million Merits’ (Season 1, Episode 2).
This episode is what you’d get if you mixed Australian Idol with 1984. In a world where citizen must ride bicycles to earn currency, two bikers fall in love, and one convinces the other to audition for a talent reality tv show. ‘Fifteen Million Merits’ is a highlight of Black Mirror’s first season, and stars a pre-fame Daniel Daniel Kaluuya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqTyZoupc1w
‘Crocodile’ (Season 4, Episode 3).
A truly grim entry into the Black Mirror universe, technology is only a peripheral feature of this straight up murderous fourth episode. After concealing a hit and run manslaughter, a successful business woman goes to extreme (I’m talking, extreme) lengths to cover her tracks, but her plans are foiled by a new memory recollection device. ‘Crocodile’ offers Black Mirror’s biggest gut-punch ending.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-NCySETRIc
‘Striking Vipers’ (Season 5, Episode 1).
Ever wanted to actually drive on Rainbow Road in Mariokart? In ‘Striking Vipers,’ a new device allows video game players to enter their favourite virtual worlds, but when two friends battle each other in a Mortal Kombat game, their relationship gets decidedly complicated. Tackling virtual reality simulators, ‘Striking Vipers’ is the crown jewel of Black Mirror’s fifth season.
