Since 2011, Charlie Brooker’s sci-fi/horror/comedy/whatever-you-want-it-to-be anthology sequence “Black Mirror” has had a agency maintain on popular culture, a proven fact that was solely heightened when the sequence made the leap to Netflix in season 3. However a curious factor occurred: as the true world grew more and more extra surreal and unusual, the far-out ideas of “Black Mirror” struggled to maintain up. Once we’re dwelling in a contemporary world the place we’re cursed to listen to concerning the banal evil of Elon Musk and one thing known as “Fartcoin” each single rattling day, the operating “Black Mirror” query asking “Eh bruv, wot in case your cell phone killed you?” begins to really feel form of foolish.
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In fact, nobody is saying that “Black Mirror” has to precisely replicate our present bizarre occasions (though that does appear to be Brooker’s entire take care of the present) so long as it tells compelling tales. Sadly, the sequence has struggled to maintain itself over time, and as we arrive at season 7, it is actually beginning to look like there’s nothing left for “Black Mirror” to say. True, once in a while the present nonetheless produces a enjoyable installment — season 6’s “Joan is Terrible” was memorable, as an illustration. However each time a brand new season rolls round, I can not assist however assume “Black Mirror” has already gone as excessive is it could possibly go and can by no means, ever prime it is best second, season 3’s completely great “San Junipero.” Actually, “San Junipero” is beginning to really feel like an outlier. Whereas the vast majority of “Black Mirror” tales are bitter, merciless, and finish on fairly bleak notes, that installment gave its characters a contented conclusion. I am not saying that each one “Black Mirror” tales ought to comply with swimsuit and finish on upbeat notes, nevertheless it’s not such a nasty thought, particularly once you sit down and watch the primary episode of season 7, the relentlessly hopeless “Frequent Folks.”
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Because of the nature of the present — it is an anthology, and whereas there’s some connective tissue, the tales principally stand on their very own — I will be approaching this “Black Mirror” season 7 evaluate episode by episode. Finally, this is likely to be the weakest season the present has produced to date, regardless that there are occasional flashes of one thing better lurking within the mess.
Frequent Folks is the bleakest the present has ever been
As any Luigi Mangione fan can let you know, the American well being care trade is a labyrinthine nightmare of distress meticulously designed to screw over probably the most susceptible, so it is smart that “Black Mirror” would ultimately commit an episode to the horrors of mounting medical payments. However “Frequent Folks,” penned by Brooker and directed by Ally Pankiw, is so relentlessly nasty that it begins to really feel like parody. By the point the episode reached its merciless conclusion, I used to be able to bail on the complete season earlier than it even obtained began.
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Amanda (Rashida Jones) and her husband Mike (Chris O’Dowd) are a working class couple hoping to start out a household quickly. Issues take a flip, nevertheless, when a medical emergency threatens Amanda’s life. Enter Gaynor (Tracee Ellis Ross), a lady who works for a tech-health firm. Through some poorly described software program, Amanda primarily has a wifi sign implanted in her head that may preserve her going, however there are a number of catches: she will be able to’t journey very removed from house, she must sleep longer, and out of the blue, she begins spouting off about merchandise (after which has no reminiscence of doing so). As Gaynor explains, all this product speak is as a result of Amanda and Mike have the essential plan, which comes with adverts. If Amanda needs to be ad-free (and he or she very a lot does), the couple should improve — and upgrades are costly. Quickly, Mike is resorting to determined measures to earn more money whereas the couple stays precariously near monetary damage.
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The concepts listed below are sound — I discovered the ad-based downside the couple faces notably amusing in a “That may completely occur if this had been actual” type of manner. However as “Frequent Folks” ticks on, issues develop so dire and imply that you just begin to marvel why you are watching it in any respect. In the long run, the episode has nothing extra to say aside from “Is not this example f***ed up?” It’s, however we’d like one thing greater than that.
Bête Noire is the perfect episode of season 7 … till the ending ruins it
The very best episode of the season comes through “Bête Noire,” directed by Toby Haynes. Pity, then, that the ultimate moments (don’t fret, I will not spoil them) fully muck up every part that got here earlier than. Up till these few concluding minutes, I used to be having a blast with what author Brooker had cooked up right here. Then every part fizzled.
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Maria (Siena Kelly) is a culinary genius working for an organization that makes fancy sweet bars, and her star is on the rise due to her progressive confections. Enter Verity (Rosy McEwen), a lady Maria used to go to high school with. As Maria explains, Verity was an outcast at college — relentlessly bullied and mocked. Now, nevertheless, Verity appears to have her life collectively, and when she lands a job at Maria’s firm she shortly turns into much-liked by her coworkers. However one thing is off about Verity, though Maria has a tough time explaining what, precisely, that’s.
With out dipping into spoiler territory, I will simply say that “Bête Noire” performs round with the concept of the Mandela Impact, whereby individuals appear to collectively misremember sure historic occasions. Maria begins to return unhinged because the world round her is drastically altered, and he or she’s satisfied Verity is the trigger. The build-up right here is great, and Kelly does a terrific job conveying Maria’s growing horror. However “Bête Noire” falters when it feels the necessity to clarify how any of that is occurring, and ends on a fairly foolish word that fully torpedoes any level the story was making an attempt to make. Bummer.
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Lodge Reverie needs to be the brand new San Junipero, and fails
As I stated above, “San Junipero” stays the perfect factor “Black Mirror” has ever finished. Brooker and firm appear to know that, too, because the sequence has been making an attempt to recreate the magic of that installment ever since. “Lodge Reverie” is season 7’s try at a “San Junipero”-style story, and it completely fails. It is a disgrace, too, as a result of the story has potential, particularly in the best way it presents deep pretend know-how associated to leisure. Motion pictures and TV exhibits utilizing AI to resurrect the lifeless is a hot-button difficulty, and whereas that state of affairs is on the middle of “Lodge Reverie,” Brooker’s script in the end appears bored with investigating it. It solely needs to make use of the concept to springboard a fairly bland story.
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Awkwafina performs an tech exec teaming up with a UK movie studio to supply a remake of considered one of their classics, “Lodge Reverie.” However that is no regular remake. Utilizing cutting-edge know-how, the manufacturing will nearly recreate the world of the movie and insert a modern-day actor into the motion. That modern-day actor is Brandy Friday (Issa Rae), who finds herself dropped into the black-and-white setting of the film and performing in opposition to Dorothy (Emma Corrin), a long-dead movie star of yesteryear.
Whereas recreating the love story of the movie, Brandy finds herself falling for Dorothy, a difficult scenario since Dorothy solely exists within the digital film world the remake has conjured up on a pc. There’s some enjoyable available right here as Brandy tries to navigate the motion of the movie, and Corrin is kind of good at recreating the poise of a traditional starlett. However sadly, Rae and Corrin lack the chemistry that Gugu Mbatha-Uncooked and Mackenzie Davis so effortlessly had in “San Junipero.” Certainly, Rae feels fully at sea with this materials, and the episode’s stabs at humor fall flat, as does an try at a poignant ending.
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Plaything is foolish and undercooked
The silliest installment of the season is “Plaything,” which briefly brings again Will Poulter’s weirdo recreation developer from the interactive “Black Mirror” particular “Bandersnatch,” however principally consists of Peter Capaldi carrying a nasty wig and telling a narrative a few online game that is probably not a online game. As a substitute, it is a complete digital world, stuffed with cute sentient creatures. And the one manner Capaldi’s character can talk with these creatures is by taking insane quantities of LSD.
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Positive, why not!
Look, I haven’t got an issue with the present getting foolish. However “Plaything” additionally feels extremely undercooked, as if Brooker did not put a lot thought into it past writing “hallucinogenic medication+video video games=?” on a white board and calling it a day. The online game creatures are fairly cute, although.
Eulogy options an excellent Paul Giamatti efficiency
On the very least, “Eulogy” might be price waiting for Paul Giamatti. Among the best to ever do it, Giamatti is great right here as Phillip, a lonely man who learns that an previous girlfriend has died. Phillip has been requested to contribute to the lifeless lady’s eulogy, and utilizing some tech, he is capable of actually revisit the previous by entering into previous pictures. However the relationship ended on a bitter word, and Phillip finds himself coping with painful recollections he has stored buried for years.
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On the floor, this can be a sturdy thought, however “Eulogy,” which Brooker wrote with Ella Highway, suffers from a form of predictability — we all know precisely the place that is going, even when Phillip takes an extended time to get there. Nonetheless, Giamatti is dependably sturdy right here as Phillip goes via a whirlwind of feelings coping with the previous. I additionally loved the distinctive visible type administrators Chris Barrett & Luke Taylor create as Phillip retains coming into numerous pictures. I simply want all of it amounted to one thing higher.
USS Callister: Into Infinity is the sequel no one wanted
The primary full-blown “Black Mirror” sequel, “USS Callister: Into Infinity” can additionally be thought-about a “Black Mirror” film, because it clocks in at feature-length. Sadly, the top consequence feels fairly pointless and absolutely might’ve been a lot shorter. The season 4 episode “USS Callister” was a darkish “Star Trek” parody during which a sociopathic recreation guru (performed by the always-welcome Jesse Plemons) digitally cloned a few of his coworkers and compelled the poor clones to dwell out his fantasy of recreating his favourite sci-fi TV present, the “Trek” knock-off “House Fleet.”
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The episode ended with the crew rebelling in opposition to their merciless captain, led by Nanette (Cristin Milioti), who took over captain duties after Plemons’ character, Robert Daly, was defeated (and killed). The crew then discovered themselves escaping right into a digital galaxy, and actually, that was a reasonably good ending by itself. The sequel, “Into Infinity,” focuses on what comes subsequent, as Nanette and her fellow imprisoned clones attempt to survive a universe stuffed with violent avid gamers who wish to kill them. In the meantime, out in the true world, the actual Nanette begins to be taught the complete extent of what Daly did.
Regardless of some new twists and turns and severe star energy through the very proficient Milioti, “USS Callister: Into Infinity” by no means justifies returning to those characters, and the jokey conclusion feels notably bland. And “bland” in the end sums up “Black Mirror” season 7 as an entire. Possibly it is time to energy this gadget down.
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/Movie Score: 5 out of 10
“Black Mirror” season 7 premieres on Netflix April 10, 2025.
