Liam Hoofe ranks the Black Mirror episodes from worst to best…
On the rare occasion I bump into someone who claims that television shows are all the same I point them in the direction of Black Mirror. The Charlie Brooker penned anthology series is one of the most innovative and daring shows to have aired this decade, with comparisons to The Twilight Zone and the writing of George Orwell being just. To celebrate the third season arriving on Netflix, here is a look back at the seven episodes that have aired since the show’s debut back in 2011…
The Waldo Moment (Season 2, Episode 3)
It’s testament to the brilliance of Black Mirror that its weakest outing is still a thoroughly entertaining episode of TV. Brooker seems to take easier targets in the final episode of season two and the episode never really has the impact that some of the previous outings do.
Based around a cartoon character whose abuse of a local politician earns him a surprise place in a local election. The episode actually feels more relevant now, with the rise of Donald Trump and the ongoing joke that is the US presidential campaign than it did when it first aired back in 2013.
It’s an entertaining episode, it’s just not essential viewing.
White Bear (Season 2, Episode 2)
White Bear feels like two different episodes wrapped into one, with the latter half being considerably stronger than the first. The episode begins with a dazed woman, played by Lenora Crichlow) waking up after what appears to be some sort of pill induced blackout. Her TV set is occupied by a strange white symbol and her ears are filled with the sound of static.
She ventures outside, only to discover that she is being chased by some masked maniacs whilst everyone stands idly by and records the incident. We are told this is because the symbol was transmitted from TV towers and has sent everyone, but a few slightly mad.
The first half of the episode is a fairly by the numbers horror movie, with a girl trying to escape her crazy pursuers, but then a twist happens, and what a twist it is. The White Bear flips everything on its head and the second half of the episode is one of season two’s highlights.
The National Anthem (Season 1, Episode 1)
There are a section of Black Mirror supporters who really do not like The National Anthem, I am not one of them. The show’s debut episode may appear funnier now, thanks to the shenanigans of former Prime Minister David Cameron but back in 2011 when this aired it was a shocking and brave piece of television.
It’s also easy to forget what a tense episode of television this is. It’s difficult not to sympathise with the Prime Minister here and we wince as we watch him take that fatal step into the room. The first glance of the pig making us all recoil.
It is, of course, also a brilliant comment on the nature of today’s society and a reflection of us a viewer. The sequence where we see people all over London watching the incident take place is one of the show’s finest moments – a perfect reflection of our twisted public intrigue.
White Christmas (Christmas Special)
Like The National Anthem there are some fans who reject White Christmas, claiming that it lacks any real impact and is more of a novelty episode thanks to the star power of John Hamm.
Black Christmas though, is so much more than that. The episode, like all great Black Mirror episodes is a comment on the way we communicate and the way we don’t worry about those we hurt when we block/attack people on Social Media.
Hamm and Rafe Spall are also both really compelling leads and their chemistry really pushes the episode along. Hamm is perfectly cast as a futuristic Neil Strauss and Spall is excellent as the family man who has lost it all.
The final twist perhaps feels more contrived than some of the others but it neatly ties everything together from the episode and the final scene, with Hamm walking out into a world that can no longer see him was a great way to sign off.
Be Right Back (Season 2, Episode 1)
In all honesty the top 3 episodes of Black Mirror could be interchangeable on this list, they are all that good. The season two opener tells the story of a grieving wife who, on the recommendation of a friend, brings a clone of her husband back into the world. There’s a catch though – he has been created by a company that specialise in bringing back people using their social media and e-mail output.
All is going well for the woman until she begins to realise that he doesn’t react quite how he normally would. The episode is a brilliant comment on the way we represent ourselves online. We build a false image of ourselves, one which only highlights the good points, as is shown expertly in a scene late in the episode involving a childhood picture.
The episode also has two of the show’s best performances, given by Hayley Atwell and Domnhall Gleeson. Be Right Back is also perhaps the show’s most melancholic episode, adding a real gravitas to the story where others have just maintained a cold detachment.
Fifteen Million Merits (Season 1, Episode 2)
Fifteen Million Merits is easily the most dazzling, and ambitious of all the Black Mirror episodes and the one that really set a precedent for those that followed.
Set in a dystopian future where people have to spend their days endlessly cycling on a stationary bike to earn merits with which they can skip adverts and buy virtual goodies, Fifteen Million Merits is a story of hope dying and the lost dignity.
Daniel Kaluuya is Bing, a tired worker who has been left fifteen million merits by his deceased brother. Realising that buying virtual goods is pointless he decides to invest in the potential signing career of another worker, Abi.
Except Abi’s dreams are squashed when the judges on a reality show realise she would be better off making porn movies instead.
The episode provides us with two of the show’s best characters in Abi and Bing and also gives us one of the series’ bleakest ending. A damning verdict on our society and the value we place on ourselves. Fifteen Million Merits is truly phenomenal television.
The Entire History of You (Season 1, Episode 3)
Black Mirror is always at its best when it presents a vision of the future that is really not all that far away. The Entire History of You presents the most tangible reality in the show’s two seasons and is the most memorable episode because of it.
The episode is set in a not too distant future where everything we do is recorded through a small lense behind our eyes. People can then revisit specific moments in their life and either rejoice or grimace.
Toby Kebbell is Liam Foxwell, a lawyer who is trying to get a job at a company who sue parents for neglect, attends a party with his wife Ffion (Jodie Whitaker) where they bump into one of her old friends. The encounter sends Liam into a downward spiral of paranoia, where he forces his wife into replaying her past actions, only to further cause himself more damage. A twisted tale of paranoia and jealous ,The Entire History of You lives long in the memory.
The episode is also the most heart breaking to watch and provides the show with several of its best scenes. Surprisingly, it is the only episode of the series not written by Charlie Brooker, instead it was written by Jesse Armstrong, of Peep Show fame.
What do you think is the best episode of Black Mirror? Let us know in the comments below and let Liam know on Twitter – @liamhoofe
