Black Mirror review: All of season seven episodes ranked from worst to best
Black Mirror is back. Charlie Brooker's award-winning sci-fi anthology series has returned for its seventh season with six new episodes (including one sequel). The latest installment delivers a compelling mix of tech nightmares and emotionally driven stories that are well worth watching. While we previously shared IMDb's ranking of all previous 28 episodes, this time, The National has ranked the six new episodes from season seven, from worst to best. Though largely filled with strong episodes, there's not a significant gap between the bottom and top choices. So for those who have already binged the new season, here are the episodes listed from worst to best: Note: Spoilers below. Cameron (Capaldi) is a reclusive loner who is investigated by the police, tying him to a 1994 cold case involving a murdered acquaintance. Going between the present and past, younger Cameron (Gribben), who was a video game reviewer, falls into an obsession with a game called Thronglets that has a digital lifeform called the Throng, inspired by a mysterious programme created by Bandersnatch's 'genius programmer' Colin Ritman (Poulter). Cameron's fascination intensifies under the influence of drugs, leading him to believe he can communicate with the Throng. This obsession culminates in a violent act when he murders his roommate, Lump, who mistreats the digital beings. As present-day Cameron explains his belief that humanity must merge with the Throng to overcome violence, he activates a signal intended to trigger a digital singularity, potentially ushering in a new era of human evolution. The National's take: There isn't anything actually wrong with Plaything, it's just that season seven had many other stronger episodes. Including references to Bandersnatch is a nice touch. The ambiguous, eerie ending also leaves the door open for sequels or deeper implications within the Black Mirror universe. A successful food researcher Maria (Kelly) finds her life unravelling when Verity (McEwen), a former classmate she once bullied, joins her company under mysterious circumstances. As Maria's reality distorts – she misremembers the names of places and sends an email in which she swears she wrote one thing, but is proven to have written something else – she suspects Verity is somehow manipulating events. Her fears are confirmed when she discovers Verity can distort memories and events as she has developed a quantum device that alters reality, seeking revenge for past traumas. In a climactic confrontation, Maria kills Verity and seizes control of the device, ultimately declaring herself "empress of the universe" (which Verity also previously admitted to doing). The National's take: The gaslighting in this episode made my anxiety spike — which is probably exactly what Brooker intended. The first half of Bete Noire was brilliant, but the final minutes felt a bit underwhelming. Sure, you could call it a happy ending since Maria ends up with the quantum device, but I couldn't help wishing she had used her newfound power differently. Actor Brandy Friday (Rae) is inserted into a simulated remake of a classic Hollywood film, where she falls in love with Clara Ryce-Lechere (Corrin), a version of the movie's heroine created by artificial intelligence. As technical glitches expose the artificiality of her world, Clara becomes self-aware and discovers she was modeled after the repressed actor Dorothy Chambers. Clara chooses to pursue her own happiness with Brandy, but their romance is cut short when the simulation resets and everyone's memories revert to where the film had paused. In a tragic twist, Clara is fatally shot, diverging from the original movie's ending. After returning to the real world, Brandy receives a device that allows her to speak to a simulation of Dorothy during one of her old screen tests. The National's take: It's a beautiful love story that gives off San Junipero vibes. Corrin is mesmerising as an old Hollywood starlet. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in our daily lives, the story feels less like science fiction and more like a near-future possibility. A devoted husband named Mike (O'Dowd) turns to a futuristic subscription service called Rivermind to save his wife Amanda (Jones), a schoolteacher who collapses from a sudden medical emergency. The service promises to keep her brain alive for $300 a month, but what begins as a lifeline, soon spirals into a dystopian nightmare as the couple is forced to navigate escalating costs and manipulative tiered upgrades. As Amanda is moved through different Rivermind tiers, her behaviour shifts drastically, from confusion and emotional withdrawal to temporary clarity and peace in premium levels, but each upgrade comes at an unbearable financial and psychological cost. With mounting pressure and no clear path forward, Mike faces the impossible decision – keep paying to preserve a fragmented version of Amanda or let her go. The National's take: It's a chilling critique of healthcare, capitalism and the tech industry's commodification of survival. There's also some pointed digs at platforms and their constantly expanding tier systems, Netflix included (which does make you wonder how Brooker got away with it). The first sequel in Black Mirror history, the story picks up months after the digital clones of the USS Callister crew escape their tyrannical creator, Robert Daly (Plemons), and enter the expansive virtual universe of the game Infinity. Now operating as space pirates to survive, the crew, led by digital Nanette (Milioti), seeks to carve out a haven within the game. Their plan involves accessing the "Heart of Infinity", a central server that could grant them autonomy. Meanwhile, in the real world, the original Nanette discovers the existence of these digital clones and collaborates with James Walton (Simpson), chief executive of Callister Inc, to track them down. As events unfold, Nanette becomes brain-dead after a car accident, prompting her digital counterpart to confront a clone of Robert Daly within the Heart of Infinity. Faced with a moral dilemma, digital Nanette chooses to merge the consciousness of the Callister crew with her own, allowing them to experience the real world through her senses and communicate via her cellphone. The episode ends with Walton's arrest for his involvement in illegal digital cloning, and Nanette and the crew adapting to their new shared existence. The National's take: Despite the long gap between episodes, USS Callister: Into Infinity delivers a satisfying conclusion. It's a strong reminder that if Brooker ever decided to make a full-length Black Mirror film (non-interactive, that is), it would probably be a hit. Given how well this sequel worked, perhaps Black Mirror should consider exploring more follow-ups? Phillip (Giamatti), a solitary middle-aged man, is approached by a tech company called Eulogy to contribute memories of his late ex-girlfriend Carol for an immersive memorial. Initially hesitant as they had a rocky relationship, he agrees and uses a device to enter old photographs that allow him to revisit moments from their strained relationship. But he finds he can't picture her face – and discovers he had defaced any remaining images of her out of lingering bitterness. As he delves deeper, guided by a digital assistant who later reveals herself to be Carol's daughter Kelly (Ferran), Phillip learns painful truths about their past, including Carol's pregnancy from a retaliatory affair. A rediscovered letter reveals that despite the pregnancy, Carol had wanted to stay together, but in an angry state, Phillip never saw it – and therefore never read or responded to it. The discovery brings a wave of regret but also clarity – she hadn't simply walked away. The episode ends with Phillip attending Carol's funeral, watching Kelly perform a cello piece, and finally being able to remember Carol's face. The National's take: Sweet and poignant, Eulogy avoids the crushing despair the series is known for, instead going for a tender and reflective resolution. While not exactly a happy ending, it's a realistic one about missed opportunities and lost love. Exploring regret, it shows how technology can also help someone process pain rather than deepen it.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
4 days ago
- Khaleej Times
Why Arnold Schwarzenegger argued with 'Terminator' director James Cameron
Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger recalled his argument with Terminator director James Cameron. "I studied the script for a month, and I have someone that reads the parts with me, and we rehearse and we do reps. It's from bodybuilding—reps, reps, reps," Schwarzenegger was quoted as saying by People magazine. "The more reps you do, the better you get." "It also comes from the old school. Billy Wilder, the Austrian director, always said, 'I didn't hire you to be interpreters. I hired you to be actors.' The old directors were fanatics about 'Study your dialogue and hit the mark,'" he recalled. During the discussion, Schwarzenegger revealed he had a fight with the director over lines, but Cameron wouldn't budge. Schwarzenegger provided an example of how "Jim Cameron is like that," recalling when he told him, "I don't like the line 'I'll be back.' " "He says, 'What do you mean you don't like the line?' I said, 'It's just weird for a German to say, "I'll be back." Why not just say, "I will be back"?' " Cameron responded to Schwarzenegger by saying, "Oh, you're trying to tell me how to be a better writer? Because I'm not telling you to be a better actor. Just say, 'I'll be back.' If you want me to do 10 takes because you feel insecure about it, we can do that. But don't change my writing." Of course the line stayed, and has been quoted endlessly ever since, reported People. In 2023, Schwarzenegger praised Cameron's writing on The Terminator for predicting the future of artificial intelligence, which has now "become a reality". "Today, everyone is frightened of it, of where this is gonna go," the actor said of current concerns around AI, during An Evening with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Los Angeles in June 2023. "And in this movie, in Terminator, we talk about the machines becoming self-aware and they take over," as per the outlet. Schwarzenegger celebrated the "brilliance of writing" in Cameron's sci-fi film, given that "at that time we had scratched the surface of AI, artificial intelligence. Think about that." "Now over the course of decades, it has become a reality. So it's not any more fantasy or kind of futuristic. It is here today. And so this is the extraordinary writing of Jim Cameron," Schwarzenegger said.
The National
5 days ago
- The National
Stanley Tucci doesn't want to be globetrotting food expert like Anthony Bourdain
Stanley Tucci has a lot of time to think, and he hates it. The American actor, 64, has spent the majority of his life making movies – Conclave, The Devil Wears Prada, The Hunger Games, to name a few – and as much as he loves acting, he laments the fact that he doesn't actually do all that much of it. 'Acting doesn't fulfil me as much as it used to,' Tucci tells The National. 'You're on these sets for 12 to 13 hours a day, and you may only act for 20 minutes of that time. I end up thinking, 'there's got to be a better way to do this!' I just want to keep going and going – I'm very impatient. 'I get paid to wait. It's the acting I do for free. That's the way I feel, at this point.' The problem is, when you're sitting around all day, you're rarely learning something – even about yourself. It's a problem we all have – but he has lost patience with that disconnect. Which is why, over the last decade, Tucci has gone out into the world to learn more about who he really is – through travel and especially through food. 'I think we've gotten out of touch with ourselves physically,' Tucci explains. 'One of the reasons is we're all sitting in front of computers, or on our phones all the time – or myself, waiting on a set – and desk work is far more prominent than doing any kind of labour.' In Tucci's mind, it's all connected. By focusing more on what he eats, he's thought more about where it comes from – the land, and the culture and traditions the land inspires. And by starting at the source, we see ourselves more clearly. 'Getting in touch with the land is so important. From the land comes our food, and then the food goes onto the table, and into us,' says Tucci. Growing up, Tucci was also quite disconnected from his roots. He didn't understand why all the other kids at his small-town school 75km outside of New York City were eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and he was having leftovers his mother had packed him of last night's eggplant parmigiana. But with each passing decade, he has increasingly immersed himself in his Italian heritage – and embracing even its flaws. And by focusing his journey on food, he has ended up learning more about the country's rich complexities than one might imagine. All of this is in service to understanding the country – and himself – better. 'I don't want to romanticise Italy. I think that's been done ad nauseam. I think it's not interesting and it's not truthful,' says Tucci. Tucci in Italy, his new National Geographic series broadcast weekly in the UAE and available to stream on Disney+, embraces what he feels is the true Italy. In the first episode, for example, he explores Tuscany, focusing specifically on dishes that were created by and for the working class. First he tries lampredotto, the Florentine street food sandwich made from the fourth stomach of a cow. It's named after the eels that once inhabited the Arno river, and only the rich could afford. The tripe dish, then, was invented to imitate its flavours. But the story doesn't stop here. Tucci then finds another old peasant dish made with imitation tripe by those that couldn't even afford cow stomach. That one might even be his favourite. Politically speaking, there's a reason that he focuses on the lower class – at a time when, once again, immigrants and the poor are being scapegoated, both in Italy and in the US. It's something his immigrant family likely went through once, too. 'I think particularly in today's climate, immigrants are vilified and wrongly so, because they have so much to bring to a culture. Millions of Italians once came over to America, and they were vilified to a certain extent. Also, I think that's something that Italian Americans have to remember, and Italians themselves should remember, too,' says Tucci. But as much as he's enjoyed diving into the unexplored corners of Italy for the series – with another season already shot and set to air next year – he's also adamant that his journey will stop there. While he wants to go deeper into his ancestral homeland, a project he started with the CNN series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy in 2021, he doesn't want to explore the rest of the world on camera. It's clear he doesn't want to be the next Anthony Bourdain – the late chef who grew internationally famous for his globetrotting food series Parts Unknown. 'I don't want to do different regions and different countries, because I don't think that would be appropriate. I don't have a connection to those countries,' Tucci explains. In fact, it sounds like Tucci doesn't think there should be another Anthony Bourdain at all. Instead, he wants the Tucci in Italy model to be repeated globally – starring figures who are looking to explore their roots, not modern-day adventurers looking to become the Indiana Jones of restaurants. 'I think it would be more interesting to have somebody like me explore those countries in the way that I've done it – and they need to have a connection to those countries. They need to speak the language, and they have to really, really appreciate the food – not just like to eat. 'They have to know food and be willing to explore and ask questions. It's not just about what's delicious – it's about understanding the passion of the people that make it.' The next season of Tucci in Italy may be the final food travel series for Tucci. 'I'm kind of tired,' he says. Tucci is grappling with the fact that, at 64, he's aging. And part of knowing himself now is about knowing how to navigate his limitations. He's doing that by focusing, once again, on food. 'As a person who's getting older, your body is changing all the time – meaning it's getting weaker all the time. You need to know what it is you need to strengthen yourself - to keep yourself strong. Otherwise I'll grow impatient with myself, too.'
The National
6 days ago
- The National
Why Stanley Tucci doesn't want to be the next Anthony Bourdain
Stanley Tucci has a lot of time to think, and he hates it. The American actor, 64, has spent the majority of his life making movies – Conclave, The Devil Wears Prada, The Hunger Games, to name a few – and as much as he loves acting, he laments the fact that he doesn't actually do all that much of it. 'Acting doesn't fulfil me as much as it used to,' Tucci tells The National. 'You're on these sets for 12 to 13 hours a day, and you may only act for 20 minutes of that time. I end up thinking, 'there's got to be a better way to do this! I just want to keep going and going – I'm very impatient. 'I get paid to wait. It's the acting I do for free. That's the way I feel, at this point.' The problem is, when you're sitting around all day, you're rarely learning something – even about yourself. It's a problem we all have – but he has lost patience with that disconnect. Which is why, over the last decade, Tucci has gone out into the world to learn more about who he really is – through travel and especially through food. 'I think we've gotten out of touch with ourselves physically,' Tucci explains. 'One of the reasons is we're all sitting in front of computers, or on our phones all the time – or myself, waiting on a set – and desk work is far more prominent than doing any kind of labour.' In Tucci's mind, it's all connected. By focusing more on what he eats, he's thought more about where it comes from – both the land, and the culture and traditions the land inspires. And by starting at the source, we see ourselves more clearly. 'Getting in touch with the land is so important. From the land comes our food, and then the food goes onto the table, and into us,' says Tucci. Growing up, Tucci was also quite disconnected from his roots. He didn't understand why all the other kids at his small-town school 75 km outside of New York City were eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and he was having leftovers his mother had packed him of last night's eggplant parmigiana. But with each passing decade, he has increasingly immersed himself in his Italian heritage – and embracing even its flaws. And by focusing his journey on food, he has ended up learning more about the country's rich complexities than one might imagine. All of this is in service to understanding the country – and himself – better. 'I don't want to romanticise Italy. I think that's been done ad nauseum. I think it's not interesting and it's not truthful,' says Tucci. Tucci in Italy, his new National Geographic series airing weekly in the UAE and available to stream on Disney+, embraces what he feels is the true Italy. In the first episode, for example, he explores Tuscany, focusing specifically on dishes that were created by and for the working class. First he tries lampredotto, the Florentine street food sandwich made from the fourth stomach of a cow. It's named after the eels that once inhabited the Arno river, and only the rich could afford. The tripe dish, then, was invented to imitate its flavours. But the story doesn't stop here. Tucci then finds another old peasant dish made with imitation tripe by those that couldn't even afford cow stomach. That one might even be his favourite. Politically speaking, there's a reason that he focuses on the lower class – at a time when, once again, immigrants and the poor are being scapegoated, both in Italy and in the United States. It's something his immigrant family likely went through once, too. 'I think particularly in today's climate, immigrants are vilified and wrongly so, because they have so much to bring to a culture. Millions of Italians once came over to America, and they were vilified to a certain extent. Also, I think that's something that Italian Americans have to remember, and Italians themselves should remember, too,' says Tucci. But as much as he's enjoyed diving into the unexplored corners of Italy for the series – with another season already shot and set to air next year – he's also adamant that his journey will stop there. While he wants to go deeper into his ancestral homeland, a project he started with the CNN series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy in 2021, he doesn't want to explore the rest of the world on camera. It's clear he doesn't want to be the next Anthony Bourdain – the late chef who grew internationally famous for his globetrotting food series Parts Unknown. 'I don't want to do different regions and different countries, because I don't think that would be appropriate. I don't have a connection to those countries,' Tucci explains. In fact, it sounds like Tucci doesn't think there should be another Anthony Bourdain at all. Instead, he wants the Tucci in Italy model to be repeated globally – starring figures who are looking to explore their roots, not modern-day adventurers looking to become the Indiana Jones of restaurants. 'I think it would be more interesting to have somebody like me explore those countries in the way that I've done it – and they need to have a connection to those countries. They need to speak the language, and they have to really, really appreciate the food – not just like to eat. 'They have to know food and be willing to explore and ask questions. It's not just about what's delicious – it's about understanding the passion of the people that make it.' In fact, the next season of Tucci in Italy may be the final food travel series for Tucci. 'I'm kind of tired,' he says. Tucci is grappling with the fact that, at 64, he's aging. And part of knowing himself now is about knowing how to navigate his limitations. He's doing that by focusing, once again, on food. 'As a person who's getting older, your body is changing all the time – meaning it's getting weaker all the time. You need to know what it is you need to strengthen yourself - to keep yourself strong. Otherwise I'll grow impatient with myself, too.'
