By: Elena Donatone
Black Mirror (2011- 2019) is one of the most successful dystopian sci-fi series of the last decade. Every episode has its surprises and is unfortunately not too far from where society and technology are heading… Here are our favourite episodes!
1. "Nosedive" (Season 3, Episode 1)
“It turned out a lot of my friends didn’t care for honesty”
This episode is probably one of the most famous ones among Black Mirror’s fans. “Nosedive” follows the life of Lacie, played by the talented Bryce Dallas Howard. Lacie lives in an alternate world where people rate each other in order to maintain and upgrade their social status. Every aspect of Lacie’s life, from her living situation to her job, is dictated by the rating system. In this world, everybody puts an act on and form relationships only in order to get a good rate. Their lives become more about how they are perceived by others instead of how they feel and what they think. Not too far from our relationship with social media nowadays, right?
2. "Hang the DJ" (Season 4, Episode 4)
“So many choices, you end up not knowing which one you want”
This episode was both praised by fans and critics because of its original plot and interesting take on relationships. In this alternate world, every person needs to find their "perfect match” and in order to do so they are required to date various people until the system finds the most compatible one for them. If that doesn’t sound weird enough, all relationships have an “expiring date” and it is up to the couple to decide if they want to know it or not. The protagonists of this episode, Amy (Georgina Campbell) and Frank (Joe Cole), go on a date together and it turns out they really like each other. Unfortunately, soon enough, the system tells them their relationship won’t last…
Amy and Frank don’t want to accept that, they are falling in love with each other, so why do they have to follow the system? And what if there is more to it than what they’ve been told?
“Hang the DJ” tells a great story, reflecting on how much technology can control our life, our decisions and our relationships.
3. "San Junipero" (Season 3, Episode 4)
“Heaven is a place on earth”
“San Junipero”, among the many dark and twisted Black Mirror stories, offers us hope and feel-good moments. The episode focuses on Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis), an innocent and shy girl, who meets and subsequently falls in love with Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) — more extrovert and down-to earth.
The girls meet in the mysterious and paradisiac town of San Junipero. It almost seems like a typical Rom-Com but it’s Black Mirror we are talking about, so there’s always a twist…
San Junipero turns out to be a simulated reality that was developed for elderlies and dying individuals. While their bodies are fading away, they are given the choice to spend the time they have left and their afterlife in San Junipero in the form of their younger selves.
The episode is one of the most emotional and empowering of the whole series. I found myself rooting and crying for Yorkie and Kelly, wishing for their happy ending to last forever.
4. "Fifteen Million Merits" (Season 1, Episodes 2)
“Authenticity is in woefully short supply”
“Fifteen Million Merits” was one of the first Black Mirror’s episodes to go on air. This episode follows the life of Bing (Daniel Kaluuya), a young man who lives in a society where people need to cycle in order to acquire “merits” — a form of currency.
Life in this world is not easy and every person is constantly surrounded by screens, which play TV programmes, adverts and reality shows at all times. When Bing meets Abi (Jessica Brown Findlay), he convinces her to take part in a talent show to escape that life.
“Fifteen Million Merits” is a great example of the message Black Mirror always delivers to its viewers: our lives and ideas are constantly shaped and controlled by technology and society.
5. "White Christmas" (Season 2, Episode 4)
“People just want to be heard”
“White Christmas” is a holiday episode and surely a masterpiece! It has always been my favourite episode because of the great plot and the outstanding performances from Jon Hamm and Rafe Spall as the main characters. The episode focuses on Matt and Joe, two strangers who are stuck in a cabin on Christmas Day. They tell each other their life story to pass time and those stories are what makes this episode one of the most addictive and mysterious of them all.
From tales about people being able to “block” others from their lives (not only from their phones), to training clones, this episode is what Black Mirror is all about. A 10/10!
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