The Good, the Great, and the Excellent ‘Black Mirror’ Episodes
There are a few anthology shows like Black Mirror where audiences are consistently bewildered, disgusted, and horrified in every episode. Like, you’d think the writers and directors would run out of source material, especially since every episode is centered around the consequences of rapid technological advancement, but nope! The stories are never formulaic or unoriginal. Black Mirror’s variety is what sets it apart from other anthologies and makes it a top-tier television show.
But the show’s greatest strength is also its biggest flaw. With so many different episodes to choose from, you can easily fall for choice paralysis. Just imagine scrolling through Black Mirror’s episode catalog on Netflix, reading the synopsis of every episode, and thinking: Damn, all of these episodes sound good—how can I choose? Then come feelings of anxiety, your chest starts racing, your palms are sweating, you feel overwhelmed, and you just decided to eff it and rewatch Vampire Diaries for like the hundredth time. Yeah:/
I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: the best way to beat choice paralysis is to read this best Black Mirror episode guide. Don’t listen to the randos on Twitter or those weird, oddly obsessed YouTubers who publish 50-minute videos analyzing every single detail in Black Mirror. Instead, trust ya girl who’s a self-proclaimed TV connoisseur and has watched dozens of shows including Black Mirror multiple times. (Also, my years as an entertainment reporter certainly give me some street cred, I’d imagine). Without further adieu, here are the best of the best Black Mirror episodes, unranked.
There are very few anthology shows like Black Mirror, where audiences are consistently bewildered, disgusted, and horrified in every episode. Like, you’d think the writers and directors would run out of source material, especially since every episode is centered around the consequences of rapid technological advancement, but nope! The stories are never formulaic or unoriginal. Black Mirror’s variety is what sets it apart from other anthologies and makes it a top-tier television show.
But the show’s greatest strength is also its biggest flaw. With so many different episodes to choose from, you can easily fall for choice paralysis. Just imagine scrolling through Black Mirror’s episode catalog on Netflix, reading the synopsis of every episode, and thinking: Damn, all of these episodes sound good—how can I choose? Then come feelings of anxiety: your chest starts racing, your palms are sweating, you feel overwhelmed, and you just decide to rewatch Vampire Diaries for like the hundredth time instead.
I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: the best way to beat choice paralysis is to read this best Black Mirror episode guide. Don’t listen to the randos on Twitter or those weird, oddly obsessed YouTubers who publish 50-minute videos analyzing every single detail in Black Mirror. Instead, trust ya girl who’s a self-proclaimed TV connoisseur and has watched Black Mirror multiple times. (Also, my years as an entertainment reporter certainly give me some street cred, I’d imagine). Without further ado, here are the best of the best Black Mirror episodes, unranked.
“Nosedive”
For new Black Mirror watchers, I’d suggest starting off with the first episode of the third season, “Nosedive.” The episode follows a young woman named Lacie, played by the talented Bryce Dallas Howard, who lives in an eclectic world where social media is currency. Literal currency, as in you must have a high ranking number—say 4.5 out of 5—to access goods and services. Plot aside, the cinematography is absolutely stunning with lots of soft colors like millennial pink and very, sweet wholesome vibes.
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“Hang the DJ”
What I love most about this episode is its realism. Sometimes, Black Mirror can feel a bit unbelievable, especially the episodes where the technology is exceedingly advanced from now. But “Hang the DJ” doesn’t feel too outlandish, possibly because the episode focuses on online dating. Similarly to Bumble and Tinder, users are connected through a dating app that predicts how long a couple will be together, down to the very last second. In this episode, we follow Frank and Amy, two people who have an instant connection and desire to be together, despite the dating system proclaiming otherwise.
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“Fifteen Million Merits”
Black Mirror takes on capitalism, reality TV, and the undervalued blue-collar worker in this nearly hour-long ep. In this dystopian world, everyday folks like Bing Madsen (played by Daniel Kaluuya) are awakened and then put to work on a stationary bike to generate electricity. All the profits from work go to his living expenses, and the cycle continues until Madsen decides to exit the loop by partnering with fellow worker Abi to sign up for the reality TV show Hot Shot. It’s the only exit pathway towards financial freedom, but what’s the price tag for 24-hr round-the-clock entertainment? Is sacrificing your freedom and intimacy for profit worth it? Idk, but “Fifteen Million Merits” might have the answers.
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“Be Right Back”
This is my favorite Black Mirror episode of all time because it’s so heart-wrenching. It has all the feels like The Notebook, so prepare for tears with this one. Hayley Atwell stars as a young woman who suddenly loses her boyfriend in a car accident and in her grief, orders a boyfriend replacement powered by artificial intelligence. It’s sad to watch Atwell forcibly make a sentient being become her deceased boyfriend, but it’s touching to see how far love—and the loss of said love—will push someone.
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“San Junipero”
Most would say “San Junipero” is the best Black Mirror episode of all time, and yeah while this ep is great, it’s certainly not the best in my humble opinion. However, it is pretty damn good and deserves a spot on this list. Like other Black Mirror eps, “San Junipero” takes technology and uses it to teach viewers some overarching lesson. In this case, watchers are challenged to rethink the complexities of aging, notably how aging intersects with sexuality and sexual exploration.
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“USS Callister”
This was my first Black Mirror episode and ironically, it was in my college ethics class. Now, I had only heard of the Netflix series but had never watched it, but after this episode, I was hooked. “USS Callister” is basically a riff on Star Trek and follows a space crew helmed by a heroic and handsome space capital. (Spoiler: he’s the arrogant douche no one likes, but in his mind, he’s a “hero.” Barf.) The space capital gets away with being a shithead for the majority of the episode until sweet, sweet revenge comes.
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“National Anthem”
This is the episode that put Black Mirror on the map, but it's not my favorite. Like, I probably won't ever watch it again, but it's so wild that it has to be on this list. The premise of this ep is rough, as it opens up with a member of the British Royal family being kidnapped and will only be returned if the Prime Minister has sex with a pig on live television. I know you’re thinking WTF?? as you’re reading this. I wish I could say it’s a joke, but no. Anyway, moving on….
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“Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too”
Miley Cyrus takes a spin as a Hannah Montana-adjacent pop star named Ashley. But instead of Billy Rae Cyrus as her manager, she has a psycho aunt who refuses to let change her image and instead puts her in a coma when she tries to fire her. Then, said aunt replaces Ashley with a miniature doll also named Ashley, lol. I don’t want to say too much because *spoilers* but this episode is basically Miley Cyrus’ origin story but Black Mirror style.
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“The Entire History of You”
Imagine a world where you can record everything a person sees or hears. While useful, it certainly can have its drawbacks, and “The Entire History of You” explores exactly what happens when ubiquitous technology shows up for the worst. Husband Liam believes his wife Ffion is cheating and instead of. ummm. I don’t know. sitting down and having an adult conversation (*rolls eyes*), he pours through all of their memories for any signs of infidelity. And what he finds, well, it was his damn fault for looking.
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“White Christmas”
This feature-length episode is one of a kind. Not only does it star zaddy Jon Hamm (????) but it also focuses on everyone’s favorite holiday, Christmas. Again, this is Black Mirror, so there are no jolly vibes. Rather, we have a sleazy, social outcast, and all-around POS named Matt who shares his life story with roommate Joe. Sounds normal and everything until you realize that Matt's stories are increasingly disconcerting the longer he speaks. Yeah. A 10/10 episode, though.
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“Playtest”
Mannnn, if you’re wary of virtual reality technology, then I’d suggest you skip this one. Here we have Cooper, an American man who signs up to test an augmented reality game, not knowing it is a horror game that uses the players’ fears against them. Poor dude. He signed up for a simple video game and returned with a bucket of trauma no therapy can ever cure.
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“Arkangel”
No mother can ever top Rosemarie DeWitt’s Marie, because she takes “helicopter parenting” to another level. (As the daughter of a helicopter mom, I approve of this message). After her daughter gets temporarily lost one day in the park, Marie decides to implant a microchip that allows her to see and hear everything Sara does, including knowing her location. Sara doesn’t know about the invasion of privacy, obvi. She does discover the implant like ten years later and is horrified—as any normal person would be!!—and realizes her mom has seriously violated their trust. While this ep isn’t most peoples’ favorites, I, for one, loved it because it examines children’s autonomy (or lack thereof) and how parents, despite being our birth givers, are not the saviors we expect them to be.
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