Since its debut in 2011, Black Mirror has captivated sci-fi fans. It provides a shocking, visceral take on the all-consuming nature of technology and its relationship to human behavior. Some refer to the anthology as the modern-day, tech-focused version of The Twilight Zone (1959-1964), which typically delves into the darkest situations.
However, creator Charlie Brooker has recently shifted away from purely tech-based stories and into the supernatural. While the third and fourth seasons bear the show’s strongest episodes, viewers can find gems in each season.
But unfortunately, Black Mirror‘s best episodes exist among some underdeveloped, flat, or out-of-place ones. Even when ranked from worst to best, every Black Mirror episode earns a spot in dedicated fans’ hearts.
1. Mazey Day (Season 6, Episode 4)
“Mazey Day,” Black Mirror‘s first-ever paranormal horror episode, quickly became the first (and perhaps only) episode of the iconic series that felt like a waste of time. It takes place in 2006 in Los Angeles as paparazzo Bo (Zazie Beetz), desperate for a big payout, tracks down a famous young actress named Mazey Day (Clara Rugaard). The public hasn’t seen Mazey for weeks, and Bo wants to be the first one to know why.
While this Black Mirror episode begins as an intriguing commentary on the terrors of publicity culture and the paparazzi, it soon derails into a confusing tale about a deranged werewolf. Not only could Booker have easily added a sci-fi element to this story to make it fit in with previous Black Mirror episodes, but he also could have at least made the ending impactful or coherent.
2. The Waldo Moment (Season 2, Episode 3)
Disillusioned comic Jamie Salter (Daniel Rigby) plays a childish, crude animated bear called Waldo on a comedy series. The Black Mirror episode begins when his bosses encourage Waldo to run for public office.
While the premise of “The Waldo Moment” seems impactful, especially after Donald Trump’s election in 2016, the episode never delves deeper into the harm caused by Waldo’s power and focuses merely on his vulgarity. The episode spends too much time on Jamie’s performances rather than their impact on the world. The episode had great potential that ended up squandered by its focus on the surface rather than delving deep into the core of human behavior in the way that the best Black Mirror episodes do.
3. Striking Vipers (Season 5, Episode 1)
As another Black Mirror episode with a fantastic premise that’s woefully underdeveloped, “Striking Vipers” missed the mark and set the tone for the rest of a disappointing season five. When Karl (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) gifts his happily married best friend Danny (Anthony Mackie) a high-tech virtual reality (VR) game console, the two begin to play the newest version of their favorite fighter game together. One day, inside the VR simulation, the two get carried away and share a moment of intimacy. As the two begin a casual relationship inside the game, they grapple with their gender and sexual identities.
Kind of. “Striking Vipers” had the incredible opportunity to explore how this game impacts the two men’s identities and friendships, but it barely breaks the surface and focuses more on biological sources of pleasure for males versus females. Despite the compelling premise, this Black Mirror episode doesn’t end up saying much.
4. Demon 79 (Season 6, Episode 5)
“Demon 79” tells a story about Nida (Anjana Vasan), who faces growing racism and xenophobia for her Indian heritage in 1979 Britain. When Nida stumbles upon an old talisman, she accidentally unleashes a demon named Gaap (Paapa Essiedu), who informs Nida that she must murder three people within three days to prevent the apocalypse.
The characters and their chemistry make this Black Mirror episode, but the plot doesn’t feel suitable for the series. Black Mirror purists dislike “Demon 79” because it strays from the show’s compelling analysis of technology’s impact on humanity. This episode would work as a movie in its own right and not lumped into Black Mirror. It simply feels out of place.
5. Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too (Season 5, Episode 3)
Black Mirror‘s teen sci-fi dramedy “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too” contains a super catchy song, sisterly bonding, and a classic fight against controlling, greedy adults. When a shy teen named Rachel (Angourie Rice) moves to a new town, she struggles to fit in and make friends. She spends her time listening to the music of her favorite artist, a bubbly pop star named Ashley O (Miley Cyrus). When Ashley releases a robot toy with her voice, Rachel begs for one for her birthday. At the same time, Ashley’s aunt uses sinister technology to keep Ashley under her control to continue making millions.
“Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too” breaks the mold of a Black Mirror episode by telling a traditional story of good versus evil–viewers know who to root for and can easily name the episode’s villain. In this way, it tells a much less complex story than other episodes.
At the same time, it doesn’t delve into the horrors of its technological subject. Instead, the technology of the Ashley Too robot is more of a plot device than the center of the story. The more compelling tech in the episode, like the dream-based song generator and the realistic holographic projections, gets shoved to the sidelines to display Ashley’s aunt’s evil nature rather than as a device to understand the human psyche.
6. Joan Is Awful (Season 6, Episode 1)
Leaning heavily into satire and humor, “Joan Is Awful” feels like a hammed-up version of the stellar Black Mirror episode “Nosedive.” The premise is simple: a woman named Joan (Annie Murphy) learns that the streaming service Streamberry (aka Netflix) uses her exact day-to-day life in a new TV series starring Salma Hayek.
The first half of the Black Mirror episode feels much too on-the-nose–it’s clear that the writers want their viewers to hate Joan as she coldly fires an employee and shares a kiss with her ex behind her fiance’s back. The episode’s best, most Black Mirror-esque moment occurs when Joan and her boyfriend discover the new series on Streamberry and watch it together as Joan recoils in horror and Krish (Avi Nash) slowly realizes this show follows his fiance.
But soon, the episode derails into a confusing mess as Joan scrambles to shut the show down. “Joan Is Awful” presents an intriguing take on our current media culture, but its follow-through leaves fans wanting more.
7. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
This unique installation in a Black Mirror episode remains the series’ only standalone movie, which provides viewers with an interactive journey. With over five different endings, fans can watch Bandersnatch over and over again and gain new insight into the interactive story. It’s about a programmer named Stefan (Fionn Whitehead) who decides to single-handedly convert his late mother’s favorite choose-your-own-adventure book into a video game.
While the interactive component of the film has an undeniably cool mystique to it, it seems that Bandersnatch‘s creators spent most of their time on that element rather than the story itself. Each ending becomes more meta than the last. Rather than feeling profound, it feels inherent to the interactive storytelling device and becomes more convoluted.
8. Loch Henry (Season 6, Episode 2)
“Loch Henry” attempts to explore the dangers of our culture’s obsession with true crime but instead leads viewers towards a sensationalized twist that many predicted within the episode’s first fifteen minutes. When Davis (Samuel Blenkin) brings his girlfriend Pia (Myha’la Herrold) for a visit to his hometown in Scotland, she pressures him into making an investigative documentary about the local serial killer who took the life of Davis’ father.
“Loch Henry” easily could have explored compelling themes like how true crime desensitizes its fans against brutal violence, romanticizes serial killers, and puts victims’ private lives on display for millions of viewers. Instead, the Black Mirror episode neglects these Black Mirror-esque themes. It presents the idea that investigating crimes without self-defense knowledge can lead someone into terribly dangerous and deadly situations. While true, it’s not thought-provoking, complex, or nuanced.
“Loch Henry” had tons of potential to explore the dark side of true crime fans, but instead told a story everyone knows well: that serial killers are deceitful and evil.
9. Smithereens (Season 5, Episode 2)
“Smithereens” brings fans back to the early days of Black Mirror with its simple, character-driven plot that warns about the deadly nature of social media addiction. A rideshare driver named Chris (Andrew Scott) kidnaps Jaden (Damson Idris), a young intern at the social media company Smithereens. With the police tailing them, Chris demands to speak to Smithereens’ CEO as he holds the young man hostage.
The Black Mirror episode has a slow-burn quality, steadily revealing details about Chris’ past and how his social media addiction resulted in the death of a loved one. While “Smithereens” contains compelling emotional moments and a heartbreaking reveal, it will more likely induce snores.
10. 15 Million Merits (Season 1, Episode 2)
Presenting a sobering take on the horrors of late-stage capitalism and its relationship with competition reality television, “15 Million Merits” resonates with people who work endless hours and still struggle to make ends meet. The Black Mirror episode follows a man named Bing (Daniel Kaluuya) in a bleak dystopian society. He wakes up alone in a room of wall-to-wall screens that force him to watch misogynistic adult content or pay a fee to skip it. Instead of going to work, Bing goes to a room with more screens where he pedals on a bike all day to earn a measly amount of credits.
There, he meets a sweet woman named Abi (Jessica Brown Findlay) with a beautiful singing voice and convinces her to try out for a singing competition on TV. “15 Million Merits” wins fans over with its blunt display of a future that feels ominous of where we could be headed as a world. That said, it’s too on-the-nose for many, who find this episode’s vulgarity and bleak ending off-putting. But to others, that marks a terrific Black Mirror episode.
11. Arkangel (Season 4, Episode 2)
After her daughter Sara (Brenna Harding) briefly goes missing, Marie (Rosemarie DeWitt) has a device implanted into Sara’s brain. The implant allows Marie to watch everything Sara sees and hears, censor specific images and sounds, and monitor her location at all times. But as Sara gets older, she grows resentful of her mother’s extreme overprotectiveness and sees the implant as an invasion of privacy.
The technology in “Arkangel” feels doable with current advances, making this episode particularly hard-hitting for parents. The simplistic plot edges on boring at times. But the premise remains compelling enough to give anyone with a shred of empathy a strong emotional reaction to the episode.
12. Playtest (Season 3, Episode 2)
Inspired by Charlie Booker’s love for horror video games, “Playtest” follows a young man named Cooper (Wyatt Russell) who took a year to travel the world after his father passed away. To make some extra cash, Cooper signs up to test a new virtual reality game that uses advanced technology to access his fears hidden within his brain.
While the episode’s ending becomes a bit convoluted, Russell’s incredible performance makes it worth watching, as does the suspense of the emerging fears in the game.
13. Men Against Fire (Season 3, Episode 5)
This harrowing Black Mirror episode tells the story of Stripe (Malachi Kirby) and his fellow soldiers, trained to hunt down mutant humans with sharp teeth and guttural growls called Roaches. After a successful kill, Stripe’s military brain implant starts failing, revealing the true identity of the Roaches he swore to kill because he believed they were sub-human.
As a bleak commentary on genocide, “Men Against Fire” reveals how advanced technology in the military often ends with disaster. Some critics believe Booker could have done better with this episode by giving Stripe a more robust backstory, but others agree that Stripe works well as a character because he has a generic, everyman quality. While the reveal at the end of “Men Against Fire” feels ham-handed, the overall message of the episode keeps fans coming back for rewatch after rewatch.
14. Beyond the Sea (Season 6, Episode 3)
By far the best Black Mirror episode of season six, “Beyond the Sea” retains the best elements of Black Mirror–it tells a dismal yet nuanced story about the relationship between humanity and the ever-evolving technology man creates.
Set in 1969, astronauts Cliff (Aaron Paul) and David (Josh Hartnett) currently live in space on a six-year mission. Luckily for them, they don’t have to spend all of their time waiting for the mission to end. Back on Earth, artificial versions of their bodies reside, where the men can transfer their consciousness to not miss out on anything going on back home. But when something terrible happens to David’s artificial body, tension rises between the men in space.
Never in “Beyond the Sea” the plot does follow a predictable direction, leaving viewers gasping at each turn of events. The acting in this episode proves immaculate, especially Paul’s incredible performance as Cliff. Each character’s choices feel incredibly realistic given their unique circumstances, making this episode’s message hit deep.
15. The National Anthem (Season 1, Episode 1)
Booker refused to hold anything back in the first Black Mirror episode, showing viewers to expect the worst right off the bat.
Within the first five minutes of “The National Anthem,” viewers learn that Britain’s Prime Minister Michael Callow (Rory Kinnear) must fornicate with a pig on live television to release a princess from the British royal family from a terrifying hostage situation. It’s one of the few Black Mirror episodes that could theoretically happen right in the present day. Coupled with the disgusting nature of the episode’s premise, “The National Anthem” causes visceral reactions in its fans and haters alike.
16. Hang the DJ (Season 4, Episode 4)
In a world where a device chooses romantic matches by coupling up strangers for a predetermined period until the algorithm gathers enough data to select a perfect match, Frank (Joe Cole) and Amy (Georgina Campbell) get matched together for twelve hours. But as they move forward with new matches, the two struggle to trust the process.
This mind-bending Black Mirror episode takes its viewers on a journey with Frank and Amy, giving viewers the same information at the same time as the two receive it. Cole and Campbell’s chemistry remains evident throughout, making their characters’ romance all the more appealing. Plus, the reveal at the end will leave viewers’ heads spinning.
17. Black Museum (Season 4, Episode 6)
When Nish (Letitia Wright) stops to charge her car on a long road trip, she visits the remote Black Museum to pass the time. The museum’s owner, Rolo Haynes (Douglas Hodge), leads Nish through the dark pieces of tech on display and tells her stories about a few, like the doctor who used a device to feel his patients’ pain to help diagnose their conditions, a mother who died in a tragic accident whose husband transferred her consciousness into his own mind, and a prisoner forced to endure eternal torture.
While some find its content harsh and too cruel, others find “Black Museum” compelling and lean into the body horror aspects of the episode. The ending, though unsurprising, feels satisfying and well-directed. Plus, if fans look closely, they can see technology from other previous Black Mirror episodes scattered throughout the museum, which adds a nice touch to cement the anthology series together as one cohesive world.
18. Crocodile (Season 4, Episode 3)
Years after Rob (Andrew Gower) and Mia (Andrea Riseborough) cover up a heinous act, they meet again to discuss their guilt. That night, Mia witnesses a car crash, and an insurance investigator named Shazia (Kiran Sonia Sawar) soon approaches her to gather information about the accident. She uses a Recaller device that looks into a person’s memory to identify details about events as evidence for the insurance claim. But when Shazia sees more than she bargained for, Mia uses the device against her.
Filmed in the gorgeous scenery of remote Iceland, “Crocodile” earns its place as the most visually appealing episode of Black Mirror. The idyllic setting, coupled with the horrific events, makes this episode compelling. Plus, the deep dive into Mia’s twisted psyche makes “Crocodile” a fan favorite.
19. White Christmas (Season 2, Episode 4)
“White Christmas,” the first and only Black Mirror Christmas special, tells three twisted stories that viewers don’t realize will become quite so tangled together until the shocking reveal at the end of the episode. Set in a remote cabin, Joe (Rafe Spall) and Matt (Jon Hamm) spend Christmas day sharing stories about their lives before coming to work at this mysterious outpost. Matt tells Joe about his ethically ambiguous hobby as well as his extremely disturbing career path, cloning his clients’ consciousnesses and putting them in a device to act as a house manager.
Eventually, Joe opens up about how he ended up staying in the cabin and tells a disturbing story about losing his girlfriend and her child. Dark, twisted, and filled with perilous technology, “White Christmas” makes viewers think and takes them on a wild ride with a classic Black Mirror shock ending.
20. Be Right Back (Season 2, Episode 1)
After Martha’s (Hayley Atwell) beloved boyfriend Ash (Domhall Gleeson) dies in a tragic car accident, she barely starts the grieving process when she learns that she’s pregnant with his child. At the same time, Martha’s friend introduces her to a new technology that tracks Ash’s social media accounts to create an AI that speaks like him and even looks like him.
“Devastating” feels like the perfect word to describe “Be Right Back.” Gleeson and Atwell’s performances in this heart-wrenching Black Mirror episode make it stand out as one of the most emotional of the series. It feels almost invasive to watch as a grieving young woman struggles to let go with the help of a strangely familiar robot.
21. Shut Up and Dance (Season 3, Episode 3)
As one of the darkest episodes of the entire series, “Shut Up and Dance” angers some viewers, while others see it as one of the series’ best for its visceral, poignant story about the underbelly of human behavior.
When a teenager named Kenny (Alex Lawther) receives a mysterious, terrifying anonymous message with a video of Kenny pleasuring himself, the hacker also announces their plan to use it as blackmail and force Kenny to commit horrendous and often strange crimes. Only at the end of the episode does the audience realize why the video’s release so terrifies Kenny.
“Shut Up and Dance” is another Black Mirror episode that feels like it could happen now. This episode plays with viewers’ heads like no other, making some angry at the writers and others applauding their genius storytelling skills. It feels realistic, it’s exceptionally well acted, and at no point in the episode can viewers anticipate what’s coming next.
22. White Bear (Season 2, Episode 2)
Mysterious and filled with dread, “White Bear” takes viewers through a terrible day in the life of a woman who can’t remember her name or her past (Lenora Crichlow). She wakes up to find a strange symbol on her TV and people standing around on the streets watching her, refusing to answer her pleas for help. Soon, masked men with guns chase the woman down. As she fights for her life, she struggles to remember details about her past and what’s going on.
This seemingly post-apocalyptic episode reveals a maddening, horrific twist at the end when we learn about the woman’s identity and the nature of her world. It poses the question, what are the limits of justice, and what good can punishment do when we don’t remember our own identities?
23. Metalhead (Season 4, Episode 5)
This bleak Black Mirror episode transports viewers to a desolate world where the last remaining humans fight for survival against dog-shaped machines designed to kill. The vast majority of “Metalhead” follows one woman named Bella (Maxine Peake), who accidentally sets off a dog and does everything she can to evade it in the vast, barren land. Despite a lack of dialogue, this episode captivates its audience with a carefully constructed conflict between the woman and the robot.
Tense and action-packed, it keeps people’s eyes glued to the screen. Plus, Peake’s performance makes the whole ordeal feel extremely real. “Metalhead” becomes even more impactful at the very end, when viewers learn what Bella was searching for when she accidentally activated the dog.
24. The Entire History of You (Season 1, Episode 3)
The only episode not written or co-written by showrunner Charlie Booker, “The Entire History of You,” makes fans of the series wonder whether Booker should branch out again. It makes clear he struggled to come up with any good ideas for the series by himself since season four. This fantastic Black Mirror episode perfectly captures the essence of the series: no character in the episode is particularly likable, yet viewers feel awful for all of them because horrible technology has taken over their lives.
When Ffion (Jodie Whittaker) and her husband, Liam (Toby Kebbell), attend a dinner party hosted by some of Ffion’s old friends, Liam grows suspicious of Ffion’s intimate interactions with her friend, Jonas (Tom Cullen). Most people at the dinner party, as with most of the world, have an implant in their heads that records everything they see and hear. It keeps a log of every memory for people to go back to and even share with others on the TV.
When Ffion and Liam go home, Liam agonizes over the recordings of her interactions with Jonas and interrogates his wife about her relationship with the man. As the episode escalates, viewers can’t help but think about the dangers of technology and mankind’s increasing ability to keep records of everything.
25. Hated in the Nation (Season 3, Episode 6)
This poignant Black Mirror episode comes in the form of a sci-fi police drama with robotic killer bees and the cruel nature of cancel culture on social media. When people who attracted internet rage for offensive comments and actions begin to die one by one mysteriously, London’s Detective Chief Inspector Karin Parke (Kelly Macdonald) and her new tech-savvy partner, Blue (Faye Marsay), investigate the deaths. At the end of the trail lies a mysterious hacker who uses one of Britain’s most ambitious environmental public works projects as a weapon.
“Hated in the Nation” seamlessly critiques social media culture and the human-caused climate disaster in one fell swoop. Plus, the mystery holds fans captivated until the very last moment.
26. Nosedive (Season 3, Episode 1)
No other work of sci-fi so perfectly depicts a society that feels parallel to our reality and, simultaneously, completely fake. “Nosedive” takes place in a world where everyone must become an influencer, and social media determines our status and privileges in life. Each person receives a ranking from zero to five, representing how people in their social circle or day-to-day interactions rate them.
The episode follows Lacie (Bryce Dallas Howard), a rating-obsessed woman struggling to surpass the 4.2 mark. She needs a 4.5 to move into a gorgeous new neighborhood. So when her childhood friend with a 4.8 rating, Naomi (Alice Eve), invites Lacie to be the maid of honor at her wedding, Lacie uses the event as an opportunity to improve her rankings. But as soon as Lacie sets off on her trip, she realizes how challenging it can be to maintain the polite facade that earns her a spot in high society.
“Nosedive” expertly transports its audience into an uncannily familiar new world, and Howard’s fantastic performance hooks viewers from the moment she appears on screen.
27. USS Callister (Season 4, Episode 1)
Heavily inspired by Star Trek and the iconic Twilight Zone episode “It’s a Good Life,” “USS Callister” tells a thrilling story about a programmer named Nanette (Cristin Milioti) who takes a new job at a video game design company. After unknowingly making a bad impression on the company’s Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Robert Daly (Jesse Plemons), he steals her DNA. He uses it to create a copy of her consciousness and place her inside his private build of the sci-fi game designed to look like his favorite TV show.
There, Nanette finds Daly has trapped other coworkers who ticked him off, and he forces them to act as his crew on a spaceship. Nanette becomes determined to escape and inspires the others to follow her lead. But can they get out, or will Daly torture them for as long as he lives? “USS Callister” differs from other Black Mirror episodes in its use of comedy but retains its spot as one of the best Black Mirror episodes of all time for the incredible acting, special effects, and critique of abusive male authority figures.
28. San Junipero (Season 3, Episode 4)
This romantic, mysterious, and nostalgic Black Mirror episode follows Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis), a reserved young woman on a visit to the lovely seaside town of San Junipero for a night of fun. There, she meets Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), a vibrant woman who invites Yorkie to dance with her. As the two fall in love, viewers learn that San Junipero doesn’t exist in the real world but in a simulated reality with a particular purpose.
“San Junipero” won two Emmys in 2016 for its fantastic story and the performances of both Mbatha-Raw and Davis. The timeless sci-fi love story stands out from other Black Mirror episodes for its thoughtfulness and slow build towards the reveal of San Junipero’s purpose. Watching “San Junipero” feels like the memory of a warm embrace shared with a long-lost loved one. It takes viewers on a nuanced emotional journey like no other.
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