Becoming The Muse

Black Mirror Season 7 Review

Black Mirror is a British anthology science fiction television series created by Charlie Brooker that explores a satirical take on the  dark and dystopian side of technology.  2 years after season 6, Netflix dropped season 7 of Black Mirror.

As with the format of other Black Mirror Seasons, Season 7 of Black Mirror has 6 independent stories that showcase technology’s impact on our humanity.

•  Common People
•  Bête Noire
•  Hotel Reverie
•  Plaything
•  Eulogy
•  USS Callister: Into Infinity

The Good

As each episode is stand-alone, there is no particular need to watch in any order or have watched any previous episode of Black Mirror to enjoy the series. Having watched the previous seasons and episodes does bring about a certain nostalgia, given that every episode has Easter Eggs or call back to previous episodes not only previous seasons of Black Mirror but the current season.

Previous seasons of Black Mirror felt to as if it had lost its way and Season 7 is a more deliberate attempt at bringing back the spine-prickling mix of speculative tech, moral ambiguity, and gut-punch twist and why we need to sincerely evaluate the changes in our humanity that the advancement of technology is bringing.

It’s back to basics in many ways. They’re all sci-fi stories — there’s definitely some horrifying things that occur, but maybe not in an overt horror-movie way. There’s definitely some disturbing content in it.”

Charlie Brooker

The casting is stellar sticking to both underrated stars but with appearances from some more recognisable actors such as Awkwafina, Issa Rae, Cristin Milioti, and Jimmi Simpson who all deliver emotionally raw, nuanced performances that drive the Black Mirror narrative.

While conventionally Black Mirror episodes have never had sequels usually  ending on kicker moment, a fan favourite episode USS Callister gets a a sequel episode in the sixth and final episode of season 7 of Black Mirror  the USS Callister: Into Infinity.

Each episode of Black Mirror plays with a slightly different genre, tone and themes ranging from individual tech struggles to collective, systemic horrors. So, watching the series means you will find at least one episode that is more attuned to your preferences.

The Bad

While you can watch the episodes in any order, the first episode Common People  which could easily be one of the most true to the Black Mirror philosophy, it’s a very emotional and some viewers recommend starting the series with any other episode. The episode is also sprinkled with Easter Eggs from other episodes but you wont recognise them until after watching the other episodes, so maybe watch this one as the second from last.  

Some episodes have strong ideas that feel like they get fumbled in the delivery or maybe needed feature film length to fully capture them than average runtime of each episode.

 The Ugly

Personally I feel th AI trope is getting saturated, its no longer something that could happen, but something that is happening, making the show more reflective than prophetic with a more of a focus on the dark-side of technology and how it erodes our humanity…

The reality of AI is scary enough and it would be nice to see more of the positive outcomes of tech.

Final Thoughts

Season 7 of Black Mirror is a solid return to form, proving the anthology still has bite, bark, and brilliance to spare. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it definitely gives it a darker spin. Not every episode lands the same but you will find one that hits close to home and gives you goosebumps.

Have you watched Black Mirror? If you have watched Season 7 which episode stood out for you?