Everyone is talking about Black Mirror at the moment. Not only has Apple released a new visionOS that has people have been comparing to the Netflix show, season 6 is also right around the corner! For those who can’t wait for 15 June, here are the most shocking episodes to re-watch before we are treated to five brand new ones! From trapped clones to cruel and unusual punishments, check out our top picks…
White Bear
A woman wakes up in an abandoned house in a state of confusion and pain. Trying to piece together where she is or what has happened, her confusion turns to terror as she is dogged by masked people chasing her, while everyone surrounding her silently films her distress on their phone. Is she the lone survivor in a zombie-like landscape? Is she the only person who hasn’t fallen to whatever has happened to everyone else?
No, she was guilty of being an accessory to the murder of a young girl, and her punishment is to go through this every day while no one offers her any help in a Truman Show-esque nightmare.
Shut Up and Dance
Kenny is filmed during his private time by hackers, who threaten to send footage of his actions to everyone he knows. As such, the young man is forced to do the hackers’ bidding, which includes robbing a bank and fighting another man to death. In the end, the hackers release all of the footage anyway, and it turns out that Kenny - who you have been rooting for all along - is actually not who you think he is in a jaw-dropping twist.
USS Callister
A trodden-down creator of a popular sci-fi game creates DNA duplicates of everyone who has wronged him in the office and places them into his own private version of the space game. The clones have all of their memories and think they are the same person as from the outside world - but are trapped in a never-ending game where you can’t eat or sleep. The ship’s newest member, Nanette, does whatever it takes to try to free them from their prison - to a somewhat horrifying yet satisfying conclusion.
The National Anthem
The first Black Mirror episode that got everyone talking - and for good reason. When a popular Princess is kidnapped, the kidnapper demands that he will only release her if the Prime Minister has sex with a pig. With pressure mounting from the royal family and the public, will the Prime Minister give in to the kidnapper’s demands?
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Playtest
Plenty of fans have been discussing this episode since Apple’s latest software announcement, citing similarities between the augmented reality game in the episode and Apple’s new visionOS. The story follows Cooper, an American who play tests a new reality show on his travels. The horror game targets his specific fears, leading to a horrifying experience for him - and us!
White Christmas
Matt Trent works with a man named Joe in an isolated cabin, and they tell each other stories about their lives on Christmas Day. While Matt reveals he used to work with digital clones who were forced to become personal assistants, Joe reveals that he was 'blocked' in real life by his partner, and one thing led to another before he accidentally caused the death of his partner’s daughter. It is then revealed that Matt is there to convict Joe of the death and that Joe is actually in augmented reality himself. As punishment, he will experience 1000 years per minute of his sentence, all the while listening to I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day. Grim.
Be Right Back
This heart rendering (but creepy) episode follows Martha, who is devastated when her boyfriend Ash is killed. Trying to find solace, she begins to use a service that pulls together all of his videos and voice notes over the years and imitates his voice, meaning that they can have conversations with one another. She slowly becomes obsessed with talking to Ash, eventually opting to have an android made of him. However, as time passes, she realises that there is something fundamentally missing in this version of Ash.
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