After a long hiatus, Black Mirror is officially back, with the latest season airing on Netflix just last week.
Since it first started in December 2011, writer Charlie Brooker has taken viewers on a journey to various dystopian tech futures, exploring the scenarios that might happen if we continue merging the digital world with our own.
The new series alone tackles some important topics, including the future of private healthcare, bullying and how technology can be used to understand the past.
Here, I spoke to some of the TechRound team to uncover which Black Mirror episodes were some of our all time favourites.
Let’s take a look…
12. Common People (Season 7)
IMDb Rating: 8.1
In this episode, couple Amanda and Mike have their world turned upside down when Amanda suffers a brain injury. As a new technology is introduced to the couple – allowing Amanda’s brain to be copied and run by a computer – Mike accepts, allowing her to live life as normal…or so they think.
From then on, the episode takes a turn, as the company behind the computer, Rivermind, continue to increase subscription costs to keep her alive. This forces Mike to take desperate measures to make money, eventually causing him to lose his job.
As the couple descend into poverty, the episode explores themes like how a dependence on technology-based healthcare might look, greed in the private medical sector and what medicine of the future might look like.
11. Bandersnatch (Standalone Film)
IMDb Rating: 7.1
Released as a stand-alone film, Bandersnatch follows a young programmer who is developing a new game based on a fantasy ‘choose your own adventure’ book.
Within the episode, just like the game being created, viewers are able to make decisions for the main character, deciding how he interacts with certain situations. This unique way of telling the story led to the episode being nominated for multiple awards.
10. Black Museum (Season 4)
IMDb Rating: 8.6
Black Museum follows a young woman exploring a remote museum full of dark technological artefacts – many of which appeared in previous Black Mirror episodes.
Three stories are told throughout the episode by the museum’s curator – one relating to a doctor who experiences his patient’s pain, the second, where a woman’s consciousness is transferred to a teddy bear, and the third, a death row inmate whose consciousness is transferred to a digital entity which can be tortured by museum guests.
The big twist of the episode is that the young women is the daughter of the inmate and is looking to get revenge. The episode ends with her burning down the museum – exploring themes around how technology can be used to trap us, as well as the ethical grey areas that can arise through its use.
9. Men Against Fire (Season 3)
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Men against fire follows a soldier who is tasked with protecting villagers from feral mutant-like people.
However, after his neural implant glitches, the soldier sees that these mutants are actually real people which he has been programmed to see as roaches in order to dehumanise them.
This episode explores the power of technology in dehumanisation, and the dangers that can come from using it – especially against the backdrop of war.
8. Joan is Awful (Season 6)
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Have you ever felt like your phone or computer is listening to you? In Joan is Awful, the main character discovers that her life is being followed and streamed to millions of people.
After trying to stop it, the main character realises that she had subconsciously opted in to the service – meaning the company was legally able to abuse her data.
The episode explores themes of data privacy and the dangers of agreeing to terms and conditions without fully reading and understanding them.
7. An Entire History of You (Season 1)
IMDb Rating: 8.5
Imagine being able to replay every moment of your life. In this episode, the characters’ brains are embedded with a chip that records every second of their life.
This story explores how the main character, after suspecting his wife of having an affair, turns obsessive over his memories – this raises questions about how technology can be used to control memory and its role in weakening human connection.
6. White Bear (Season 2)
IMDb Rating: 8
In White Bear, a woman wakes up with no memory and spends her day being hunted by masked strangers while others film it happening. Throughout the episode, the protagonist is trying to piece together who she is and where she is.
The final twist reveals that she has committed a violent crime, and her punishment is to live being hunted every day on repeat. This episode explores how tech can be used for punishment and how quickly society is able to dehumanise criminals.
5. Hang the DJ (Season 4)
IMDb Rating: 8.7
A nicer, more romantic tale, Hang The DJ follows a woman who enters a space where she is ‘matched’ with romantic partners by an algorithm for a set period of time.
With the algorithm controlling the amount of time she spends with each match, she is left questioning her own free will after falling in love with a man she was only matched with for 12 hours.
After eventually escaping the simulation with him, the episode has been praised for being one of the more positive episodes, exploring the importance of our own free will and the flaws of compatibility algorithms.
4. USS Callister (Season 4)
IMDb Rating: 8.3
USS Callister follows a programmer who creates a game using his colleague’s DNA that allows him to control and lead them on missions through space.
Based on Star Trek, the episode follows the revolt of the characters, trying to defy the leader that has created them to serve him.
This episode explores themes around control, escapism and toxic masculinity through a new lens – with many commenting that it was one of Brooker’s best episodes of all time.
3. White Christmas (Special Episode)
IMDb Rating: 9.1
White Christmas was released as a Christmas special, and followed 3 stories told by 2 men (Joe and Matt) set in a remote outpost together. The stories look at themes like punishment, digital consciousness and surveillance.
The twist comes as it is revealed that through telling the story to Matt, Joe has actually given testimony that will head to his demise and punishment – making him invisible to society.
2. Nosedive (Season 3)
IMDb Rating: 8.3
Nosedive explores a world in which every interaction is judged for ‘likes’. The story follows Lacie, who is determined to boost her social score to access an exclusive community.
However, the episode soon descends into chaos, as a series of unfortunate events causes her ratings to drop. This episode explores how ‘likes’ on social media are becoming a form of social currency, encouraging people to live ‘perfect’ lives and hide their authenticity.
1. San Junipero (Season 3)
IMDb Rating: 8.5
A more uplifting story and definitely one of the most beloved episodes, San Junipero is set in a 1980s beach town where two women fall in love.
It’s later revealed that this place, San Junipero, is actually a digital afterlife where elderly and terminally ill people can live forever.
The episode explores how technology can be used to help people live on eternally, offering a more positive spin on love in the digital age.
