★★★★★
Fans of the British speculative fiction series Black Mirror flocked to Netflix last Thursday to immerse themselves in the latest season of the genre-defining dystopian anthology. Audiences were gifted six new hour-long episodes, each crackling with tension, manipulation, and chilling visions of technological futures. Featuring a stellar cast and striking storylines, this new season is not to be missed.
The opening episode, “Common People,” is an early standout. It follows a loving middle-class couple determined to fulfill their dream of having a child. When Amanda (Rashida Jones) tragically dies in an accident, her husband, Mike (Chris O’Dowd), turns to a life-extension service called Rivermind to bring her back. What unfolds is a haunting meditation on grief, memory, and the lengths we are willing to go to save a loved one.
Serving as both a critique of modern healthcare and a warning about subscription-based survival, the episode imagines a future that feels eerily within reach. Rivermind doesn’t feel like fiction—it feels like a tech start-up waiting to happen, which makes its implications all the more disturbing.
“Bête Noire” is another fascinating watch, starring Siena Kelly and Rosy McEwen as estranged high school peers reunited as employees at a food science company. As Maria (Kelly) begins to experience Mandela Effects that no one else seems to recall, her paranoia intensifies. Kelly’s performance, equal parts vulnerable and thrilling, perfectly captures a descent into madness.
Even the season’s less emotionally intense episodes manage to cover substantial ground in terms of technological speculation. “Plaything” follows a computer nerd’s psychedelically enhanced obsession with digital pets known as thronglets. From Y2K to the present day, his obsession mutates into a form of cyber terrorism. More terrifying than poignant, the episode acts as a continuation of Netflix’s interactive film Bandersnatch.
The season’s most touching and perhaps best episode is “Hotel Reverie,” which follows actress Brandy Friday (Issa Rae) as she participates in a pioneering method of restoring vintage films using a technology called Redream. The process involves inserting herself into an AI-generated version of the original movie, effectively living out the plot from within.
Guided by a production crew in the real world and connected via a temple implant, Brandy steps into the role of Dr. Palmer within the moody Casablanca-style cinemascape of “Hotel Reverie.” Although her script and blocking are memorized, she is soon consumed by uncertainty as the experimental filmmaking method begins to unravel.
One of the central characters is heiress Clara Ryce-Lechere (Emma Corrin), originally portrayed by the late Dorothy Chambers. Brandy’s first meeting with Clara quickly goes off-script, forcing her and the director, Kimmy (Awkwafina), to scramble to maintain narrative control. But a slip, calling Clara “Dorothy,” sparks something deep within her, beyond her AI reproduction.
When a technical failure halts production from the outside, Clara and Brandy drift into a delicate, unexpected love story. Its resolution is quietly devastating, leaving viewers unsettled—and for some, in tears.
Corrin’s performance is a standout. Their mastery of a mid-century transatlantic accent is incredible, and they portray Clara with remarkable emotional depth. Opposite them, Rae’s portrayal of Brandy feels somewhat flat, as her acting and delivery do not feel as solid as Corrin’s. Still, the strength of the episode’s concept and script makes up for it.
Black Mirror has evolved to be even more upsetting. When it was first released in 2011, the technological features dreamt up in the early seasons seemed like far-fetched tools meant to shock the viewer. Now, with the advent of AI cyborgs and Tesla Robots, fictional pieces of tech from season seven—like Rivermind from “Common People”—seem like a very real possibility.
Overall, this new season feels like the most versatile and well-crafted of all seven Black Mirror series. Each story feels fresh while giving audiences the quintessential despair and contemplation they crave from the dystopian anthology. Whether you’re curious about future tech possibilities or simply want to contemplate your existence for a few hours, Black Mirror is now available to stream on Netflix.
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