Many shows have had a huge influence on pop culture over the years, but very few have been quite as unique as Black Mirror. The unusual anthology series challenges everything we thought we once knew about the world we live in, and it also opens the door to a number of questions, mainly regarding technology, that we’ve all been too afraid to face in the past.
Today, we want to run down five episodes that we consider to be particularly noteworthy and five that we probably wouldn’t watch again.
This list, in itself, tells the story of what it’s like to watch this crazy show.
WATCH AGAIN – Hated In The Nation
While it may be a bit of a slow burner, Hated In The Nation gives us all an insight into the huge risks that come with social media.
The robotic bees, alongside Garrett Scholes, turn out to be the biggest villains of them all after more than 387,000 people are massacred as a direct result of Scholes’ plan to prove a point to the world.
While you could argue justice was eventually served in the final moments of the episode, the idea that the bad guy sort of got away with it will forever make this an enticing piece of television.
FORGOTTEN – Fifteen Million Merits
As the second-ever episode of the show, Fifteen Million Merits was never going to be a home run of an episode – and in the end, it wound up being fairly forgettable.
The background of the system that Bing, Abi, and others appear to be involved in doesn’t really get fleshed out or expanded on in any great detail, and the storyline itself just seems to fall flat as the episode goes on.
It may be looked upon fondly in a few years’ time when even more episodes are introduced into Black Mirror’s lineage, but it largely felt like a swing and a miss.
WATCH AGAIN – White Bear
This show seems to thrive when viewers are caught off guard, and that’s exactly what happens during White Bear.
There’s a real sense of confusion behind why Victoria is in the situation that she’s in and why so many people are choosing to film her under extremely bizarre circumstances.
When the truth is revealed, it really does flip the script, turning Victoria into a villain.
Even with that being the case, most of us are still left to sit back and wonder whether or not the premise of the Justice Park is a good thing.
FORGOTTEN – Be Right Back
When Martha’s boyfriend Ash dies in a traffic accident, almost certainly because he was spending too much time looking at his phone, she was understandably heartbroken.
In the end, though, when she decides to bring an artificial version of Ash into her life, it seems and feels like all is right with the world.
However, the direction that they go in with the story just isn’t interesting enough to keep most viewers engaged for a sustained period of time. It tells an important story in the first few minutes but from that point on, Be Right Back kind of loses its edge.
WATCH AGAIN – White Christmas
White Christmas is the embodiment of what this show should be. From the technology aspect of things all the way through to Joe & Matt’s big reveal at the end of the episode, there’s a real sense of devastation that we just can’t escape whenever we watch it.
The whole series of events is pretty tragic, and the worst part is that it all stems from mistakes both characters have made that could’ve so easily been avoided.
As far as TV Christmas specials go, this is right up there with the very best of them.
FORGOTTEN – Nosedive
Nosedive focuses on the need and desire we all have to be liked and appreciated by people in our lives.
Alas, this episode takes the whole concept to the extreme, with the kind-hearted Lacie turning into a maniac as a result of this obsession she has with receiving the highest possible ratings from everyone she comes into contact with.
Even though the scoring system is interesting and the cinematography is done really well, the stakes never feel high enough to warrant this being dubbed as an all-time classic episode of the show.
WATCH AGAIN – Shut Up And Dance
The cat and mouse game that Kenny and Hector are sent on is pretty terrifying when you consider it all came from a hacked camera in a webcam.
These two are given a series of different tasks that they must carry out, only for their secrets to be revealed at the end of the episode regardless of how they ‘performed’.
The biggest sucker punch of all on this rollercoaster ride of an episode came with the revelation that Kenny was watching child pornography which, in itself, alters the tone of the whole thing.
FORGOTTEN – Rachel, Jack, And Ashley Too
The addition of Miley Cyrus into the Black Mirror universe was brave, to say the least, with some critics worrying that they would alienate their audience as a direct result of the casting choice.
While things didn’t quite work out that way, the episode didn’t seem to land as they had intended. From odd performances to the somewhat predictable ending, there were points when it legitimately felt more like a Disney production than something Charlie Brooker would put together.
It was okay, but it wasn’t memorable enough to warrant a rewatch.
WATCH AGAIN – San Junipero
San Junipero tells the story of a world that allows us to be quite literally anything we want to be.
Yorkie and Kelly go on a journey together that is capable of warming the heart of even the biggest pessimist in this world. While the fact that they both pass away outside of the virtual reality is incredibly sad, the shining light is that they are given the chance to start over – and they do so together.
They are thrust into another life that shows no sign of slowing down, and it truly is lovely to see.
FORGOTTEN – Bandersnatch
While it isn’t strictly considered to be an episode of Black Mirror due to the extended run time, we felt the need to include Bandersnatch in here as a result of how unique it is.
Alas, the gimmick of it being interactive really does seem to wear off pretty quickly – especially once you’ve had the opportunity to run through it all for the first time.
The idea is exciting but instead of feeling like a story that they spent a whole lot of time working on, it instead came across as something that was being done to draw in viewers.
