Netflix is about to take the reigns of the groundbreaking series from Charlie Brooker. But in case you haven’t seen the first two seasons (plus the Christmas episode) then we’ve picked out the very best episodes if you’re short on time a day before season 3 of Black Mirror releases on Netflix.
The series, known for its alternative future realities, has had a tendency at actually predicting the future in some cases for which we’ll rank that episode higher. Either way, there isn’t really a bad episode in the first two seasons and hopefully that continues with Netflix now behind the show.
At this point, we should really point out that this post will be full of spoilers where we give you the scenario which Black Mirror sometimes leaves until the end of the episode. You’ve been warned.
7. Fifteen Million Merits (Season 1 – Episode 2)
Depending on how you interpret this episode, this episode is either extremely depressing or a little confusing. My personal interpretation is that the episode covers our society but just in a smaller pool of people and a different currency. In the episode, everyone is working on menial tasks in exchange for merits which have very little value in the grand scheme of things. In my eyes, it’s an exaggeration of actual society with people instead of collecting merits and instead collecting money. It’s a slower episode but the message is still very relevant.
6. The Entire History of You (Season 1 – Episode 3)
Covering the human condition of paranoia, this episode gives us the concept that we have little seeds planted in our ears that connects to your brain allowing us to rewatch and relive our past experiences.
The episode specifically follows a man who’s potentially being fired from his job and with the combination of his current unhinged mindstate and the seed, it leads to disastrous discoveries and an end he probably didn’t want.
5. Be Right Back (Season 2 – Episode 1)
Starring Hayley Atwell and Domhnall Gleeson this episode seeks to provide a reality where death doesn’t necessarily mean the end. Progressing every minute you begin to see a reality where you can essentially bring someone back from the dead but as our character discovers, it’s simply not the same. It’s one of the saddest episodes in the Black Mirror library but also one that makes you think long and hard.
4. White Christmas (Season 2 – Episode 4)
White Christmas waits until the end where it drops the true intentions of Charlie Brooker. We end up learning that the whole episode is simply a brand new way of getting information from potential criminals but also extends a lot further than that. It brings up multiple ethical issues throughout and is yet another Black Mirror episode that makes you think long and hard after the credits roll.
3. The Waldo Moment (Season 2 – Episode 3)
With increasing arguments that The Waldo Moment is actually a reflection of this current US election cycle, we’ve ranked an otherwise pretty ordinary Black Mirror episode quite highly. It depicts the idea that a cartoon character or a caricature can run successfully for office on the back of zero experience and a few catchphrases. A scary reality and one that many would argue we’re living right now.
2. White Bear (Season 2 – Episode 2)
This episode will throw up, like a lot of Black Mirror episodes, a lot of ethical and moral questions and White Bear does the best job of this. Revealed towards the end, our protagonist is subject to daily torture essentially and then have her memory wiped simply to do it again the next day to the amusement of other people.
1. The National Anthem (Season 1 – Episode 1)
As I mentioned towards the beginning of the article, we were going to rank episodes which have come to fruition as being reality much higher. Although it’s unconfirmed, last year rumors circulated about the UK prime minister committing the very act that was in this episode. You just can’t make it up.
The very first episode also shows how growing media influence and the 24 hour news coverage adds fuel to the fire in most cases. It tells the story of a kidnapping who’s captors ask for the prime minister to go on live television and perform unspeakable acts on a pig.
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