10 most disturbing Black Mirror episodes ever, ranked
An unhinged look at technology and humanity gone mad, Charlie Brooker’s anthology series Black Mirror is back. Having been off the air since 2019, the series is set to make its return June 15, offering us a new array of delightfully twisted tales for season 6. The plus side of having an anthology series like Black Mirror is that there’s something for everyone. From a study on dystopian futures to an examination of our current political climate, it’s bound to make you question anything and everything around you.
As our relationship with technology continues to rapidly evolve, Brooker examines how it has changed in recent years, using (presumably) the pandemic as inspiration. Little is known about the upcoming season, other than the titles of the episodes, and one can only speculate.
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Starting its existence on Channel 4 in the U.K., no one could have predicted the global sensation Black Mirror would become. With Netflix taking the reins for series 3 onward after negotiations with Channel 4 broke down, the show was catapulted into the mainstream, giving audiences around the world a chance to reflect on just how much we rely on technology in our day to day. How much is too much? Where is the line in the sand? And when does technology go from being helpful to being nefarious? Black Mirror forces us to ask those questions of ourselves and each other.
Naturally, we’ve compiled a list of 10 episodes that range from absurdly dystopian to plausibly realistic. Whatever your cup of tea is, make sure you’re ready to relive some uncomfortable truths.
10. “Fifteen Million Merits”
In Daniel Kaluuya’s break-out role, we’re introduced to the world through Bing’s eyes. In a society where much of the workforce cycles in exchange for merits, we see nothing but a monotonous existence for our protagonist. Until he hears Abi (played by Jessica Brown Findlay) sing. Exchanging all of his (15 million) merits to buy Abi a ticket onto the talent show Hot Shot, the story takes a bleak(er) turn. Abi is sold off into sex work while Bing looks on in horror. Determined to break the system, Bing earns his way back onto Hot Shot, raging against the cycle they’re all in. His pleas fall on deaf ears, and he’s offered an ultimatum. A demented take on talent shows such as American Idol or America’s Got Talent, “Fifteen Million Merits” is guaranteed to make you question your own television consumption.
9. “Bandersnatch”
Brooker’s most ambitious undertaking to date, “Bandersnatch” is the Choose Your Own Adventure of the Black Mirror universe. Innovative and cruel, Stefan’s life is in the viewer’s hands. A stressed programmer who feels his life is being controlled by outside forces, “Bandersnatch” is the ultimate breaking of the fourth wall. Sinister in its execution as an audience, there is a certain level of onus that’s put on us. Will our decisions lead Stefan to kill his father? Will the game get published? Will Stefan end up in jail? The viewer is left to play God while Stefan is agonizingly aware of our presence.
8. “Nosedive”
Some of the best Black Mirror episodes always dance on the cusp of reality. We meet Lacie (played by Bryce Dallas Howard), who lives in a world where all social interactions are rated on a five-star system. Currently rated a 4.2, Lacie will do anything to reach a 4.5 to afford a new apartment. The pressure is on, as we watch Lacie’s actions become increasingly desperate and deranged. It’s a downward spiral from the get-go, an inevitable train crash that you can’t look away from. It’s a lesson in the pressures of social media and what keeping up that outward appearance can do and how freeing it can be to let it go.
7. “USS Callister”
It’s the Star Trek of the Black Mirror universe, from the ship to its staggeringly similar uniforms. Taking escapism to its extreme, Jesse Plemons’ Robert is the likable loser. Near invisible in reality (even for the CFO of Callister Inc), Robert finds escape in a game his company is producing called Infinity. He’s in control and can play the hero. But he takes it one step further. By creating clones of his coworkers, he uses the game as a way of exacting revenge for all the slights against him in the office. He sees himself as omnipotent, terrorizing the doppelgangers until Cristin Milioti’s Nanette decides to fight back. Equal parts chilling and hilarious, it makes us wonder what we’d do with the power of God.
6. “The Entire History of You”
Have you ever relived an embarrassing moment in your head repeatedly that made you cringe? Have you ever been obsessed with a minute detail in a conversation? Brooker introduces us to “the grain,” a sophisticated little implant that allows people to replay their memories through their eyes or even through a screen. When Liam becomes increasingly suspicious of his wife having an affair, he replays every interaction she and the other man have. What we witness is Liam’s downward spiral into utter madness as he torments himself through his memories.
5. “Be Right Back”
An examination of grief through the fucked-up lens of technology, Brooker tackles death and asks the age-old question: Is it really the end? Martha loses her husband, Ash, in a car accident and is struggling to let go. With imprints of Ash online, Martha is able to compile an AI version of him to say goodbye. In classic Black Mirror fashion, the interactions escalate from simply swapping messages with her “husband” online. Both Hayley Atwell and Domhnall Gleeson deliver visceral performances, making you question the lengths you’d go to for the ones you love and what you’d do to get them back.
4. “Playtest”
The worst prison is the one we create for ourselves. After losing his father, avoiding his mother’s calls, and having his wallet stolen, Cooper is having a rough time. To make some quick cash, he volunteers to playtest a fully immersive augmented reality game, where his memories populate the game. It’s a horrific look at the hell we can manifest from our own personal horrors. It’s by far one of the most unsettling episodes of season 3, as we are made to delve deep and self-assess our own trauma.
3. “The National Anthem”
The one that started it all. A kidnapped princess and a ticking clock. The Prime Minister of Great Britain, Michael Callow (Rory Kinnear), is faced with a horrendous choice. Either have sex with a live pig on national television in exchange for the princess’s safe return or she dies. The kidnapper’s demands go viral on social media and are all over the news, leading to public scrutiny. This was the first taste of what Black Mirror had to offer. Brooker is at his best, truly giving us hope that the princess will be rescued before Callow has to commit an act of bestiality. If you’re particularly squeamish, you may want to avoid this episode.
2. “White Bear”
Victoria (Lenora Crichlow) is being hunted. Waking up with no memory, she tries desperately to find help, only to be met with onlookers filming her and saying nothing. When she runs into Jem, they work together to escape the people hunting them. A crude look at what the future of justice could be, we’re treated to the nightmarish realization that Victoria is being punished for a crime. The crime in question? Participating in the murder of a child. Victoria’s mind is continuously wiped, and her hell begins again for a new audience to witness. Once we’re privy to that knowledge, there’s a cruel satisfaction in watching her suffer.
1. “Shut Up and Dance”
A seemingly innocent teen is blackmailed by a hacker. We follow Kenny as a sympathetic character, watching as the hacker makes him do increasingly dangerous and degrading things. Near the end of the episode, you start to wonder what exactly the hacker has on Kenny. Is it worth the atrocities the hacker is making him do? The puzzle starts to click into place as police sirens come within earshot and Kenny gets a hysterical call from his mother, confirming our suspicions. Subverting our expectations, Brooker really makes you question every interaction Kenny has had from the beginning of the episode.
