The latest season of Black Mirror is finally here after two years. By now, we’re familiar with the formula: technology going awry in a really shocking and sometimes brutal fashion. The last few seasons haven’t been able to scale the depth achieved by its earliest seasons, but season 7 offers rather decent offerings, including the sequel of a fan favorite episode. Here is our Ranking of All Episodes of Black Mirror Season 7
#6 Hotel Reverie
Hotel Reverie has an interesting premise. It refashions the current discourse about the use of artificial intelligence in art and tries to say something about sentient life gaining independence, if you will. It’s like Westworld - but AI instead of robots, Old Hollywood instead of the Wild West. Where it gets muddied is the execution, which inadvertently forgot its focus in lieu of a half-baked love story. The best thing about it is Emma Corrin as the luminous black-and-white AI recreation of a 1930s film star.
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#5 Bete Noire
Ranking All Episodes of Black Mirror Season 7
A woman suspects something amiss with her new coworker, who happens to be her old schoolmate. Things start mysteriously changing for absurd reasons, but nobody realizes it. The Single White Female-esque premise quickly takes a Black Mirror slant in a rather fascinating way. Unfortunately, the ending was too rushed and unsatisfactory.
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#4 Common People
Black Mirror is at its best when it pulls back from the weird techno machinations and deals with its emotional implications. Common People is one such example, centering itself on a blue-collar couple trapped in a medical tech scheme that sends them into exorbitant debt. The biotech that helps the wife (Rashida Jones) stay alive after falling into a coma is convoluted, but the subscription packages that come with it provide a cutting critique of our current subscription craze. Yet, the episode’s heart remains with the genuine connection between the affected couple at the center of it. It's in a mid-tier position only because the next 3 are even better.
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#3 USS Callister: Into Infinity
Ranking All Episodes of Black Mirror Season 7
Sequel to the beloved season 4 episode, USS Callister finds our intrepid space crew – actual human beings cloned into a game by their sick former boss – struggling for survival. Meanwhile, the captain’s human counterpart suspects something amiss with the game. The original episode ended on a perfect note, which gets fans wary when news of a continuation drops. After all, sequels to a concept so concise and well done are tricky to get right. Thankfully, USS Callister: Into Infinity delivers, expanding the universe boldly while giving its characters more room to grow emotionally.
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#2 Plaything
What makes a life form matter? This quirky, dark episode answers the existential question by having its loner protagonist stumble on a The Sims-like game where its 24-bit critters apparently operate like machine learning. As they grow in number and intelligence, the line between fun and frightening starts to blur. Intriguing premise, meticulous in its recreation of 90’s gaming culture, and thought-provoking, this one won’t leave your mind long after you finish watching - like the pesky noise the critters make.
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#1 Eulogy
Ranking All Episodes of Black Mirror Season 7
This one snuck in unexpectedly and grabbed your heart. It stars Paul Giamatti as a man rediscovering the memories of his recently deceased old lover via a technology that can enter photos. Like a good science fiction, it’s not about how great the science is, but what it says about the theme and the people experiencing it. Grief, resentment, and regrets collide in this story of a man realizing his mistakes with the one that got away many decades ago. Combined with Giamatti’s quietly powerful performance, this is without a doubt the standout of the season.
Do you agree with our ranking of Black Mirror season 7? Sound off in the comments below!
