After several years of waiting, Black Mirror finally returned with its eagerly anticipated sixth season. Charlie Booker’s anthology series has reflected on contemporary society’s complicated relationship with technology since 2011. Interestingly, though, three of the five episodes in this installment occur somewhere in the past, be it distant or nearby. And even more intriguing, not every entry this time around is bent on delivering techno-dystopian dread. In fact, multiple tales are devoid of terror brought on by our overreliance on gadgets, science, and artifice.
Black Mirror was previously concerned with the immediate present or the conceivable future. However, based on this season’s episodes, the creator has perhaps grown weary of the “now.” The world that Booker envisioned — not to mention warned us about — has, in some ways, come to fruition. These past couple of years, reality has proven to be more unsettling than whatever Black Mirror can cook up.
This latest Black Mirror season turned out to be a real jumble. It starts off in expected territory before promptly detouring. It’s definitely not the most cohesive season so far, yet Season 6 offers a healthy amount of variety as well as a few genuine surprises.
Read on for Bloody Disgusting’s Black Mirror Season 6 ranking.
5. Mazey Day
Set in the early 2000s, “Mazey Day” remembers the days of celebrities being hounded by paparazzi. Booker naturally adds a sinister element to an already uncomfortable phenomenon, and the end result gives new meaning to the phrase “feeding frenzy.” The initial predators in this story are indeed Zazie Beetz’s character and her fellow photojournalists, but things change when they all bite off more than they can chew.
Black Mirror viewers will wait for but never find the science element in “Mazey Day.” Without spoiling the bizarre ending, this episode sidesteps the series’ standard motif and serves up something more tangibly horrific. Had this entry been a part of another genre anthology, particularly something like American Horror Stories, maybe it would have been less out of place and also better received.
4. Demon 79
The season finale is the first (and, hopefully, not last) episode to be released under the “Red Mirror” label. This experiment in genre removes the typical dangerous-science theme altogether. The shift in genre notwithstanding, the series’ trademark weirdness remains intact as a department store clerk is handed a bizarre task; Anjana Vasan’s character must sacrifice three people in order to prevent the apocalypse. And guiding the skeptical protagonist on her dark, world-saving mission is a novice demon (Paapa Essiedu) who only she can see.
In “Demon 79,” the series shakes off its sci-fi confines and jumps somewhere into the horror arena. Sad to say, this high-concept story is carried out too simply for a show like Black Mirror. From the distracting, Death Note-esque guide to the predictable outcome, “Demon 79” is as uninspired as its faux ‘70s aesthetic. Booker shouldn’t be discouraged from adding to the “Red Mirror” label, but future horror ventures would benefit from more demanding stories and executions.
3. Joan is Awful
While Season 6’s goofy opener might seem like Black Mirror biting the hand that feeds it, this increasingly hilarious episode doesn’t quite leave enough teeth marks. Sure, “Joan is Awful” takes a prominent swipe at Netflix by introducing Streamberry, a recurring analog for the streaming giant. However, with Netflix evidently in on the gag — the streamer going so far as to lend its own interface and signature “tudum” sound — “Joan is Awful” only delivers half-effective commentary about A.I., data collection, and deepfake technology.
Annie Murphy and the show-stealing Salma Hayek are well cast in this cautionary tale that feels even more punctual now that real-life screenwriters are fighting for better treatment and pay. “Joan is Awful” openly points out the prevalent trends that are endangering the entertainment industry without also getting too cross with its obvious target. And compared to what all followed the season premiere, this episode is rather optimistic. That in itself is strange in the world of Black Mirror.
2. Beyond the Sea
The third episode is set in a retrofuturistic version of 1969 where America is studying the impact of space on humans. Josh Hartnett and Aaron Paul’s characters are this important mission’s guinea pigs who manage to stay in contact with their loved ones on Earth via artificial replicas. Eventually, a personal tragedy back home triggers something disturbing inside one of the two astronauts.
“Beyond the Sea” is the only feature-length episode here, and its slow-burn pacing may turn off impatient viewers. Of all the stories in Season Six, though, this one uses its technological component to flesh out the characters and study their relationships. The startling ending won’t please everyone, but it is guaranteed to stay with you.
1. Loch Henry
The sinister science aspect is also absent from “Loch Henry,” but even so, this episode doesn’t steer off course as much as, say, “Mazey Day.” Streamberry returns in a much smaller capacity than before, although Booker deems the platform and others like it a symptom of a bigger problem. In a bid to make money and gain exposure, the two young filmmakers (Samuel Blenkin and Myha’la Herrold) here set out to make a true-crime documentary about an old case. Just when they think they’ve found everything they can about these crimes, they dig up something both new and shocking.
By now, the true-crime wave has experienced more than its fair share of criticism, so Black Mirror’s own takedown is belated. And to some, maybe even unnecessary. The episode’s commentary about exploitation and profiting off of personal trauma is nothing new, however, the story’s twists and turns are what make “Loch Henry” so memorable. It leaves on a sad and sobering note like a lot of other episodes, yet it also gives you a real case of the creeps.
Black Mirror Season 6 is now streaming on Netflix.
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