For the past decade, Charlie booker has been terrorizing the mental health of audiences with his dystopian critiques and premonitions of technology with Black Mirror. As is the case with all previous seasons of the standalone anthology storytelling, there are profound hits and underwhelming misses. Season 7 is no different, featuring incredibly strong execution in some episodes (USS Callister: Into Infinity) and weak execution in others (Hotel Reverie). Together yielding an enjoyable solid output overall.
Booker’s longstanding thematic perspective has been the primary threat being, not necessarily technology itself, but rather the malicious ways in which humans wield it. That conviction remains strong and feels more relevant than ever in this age of converging income inequality, risks of AI, degrading societal psychology stemming from our dependence on and addictions to technology. Humanity writ large is in a bad place.
Some ideas work better than others. Some depictions of technological possibilities are more believable than others. But Black Mirror is always just that: a reflection. A reflection of the awe-inspiring power of technology that is unfolding rapidly before our eyes, and the horrifying potential of how – at least how Booker sees it – greed, malice, and desperation will forever be primary motivations in how people choose to use it.
EPISODE RANKING:
- USS Callister: Into Infinity
- Plaything
- Bête Noire
- Common People
- Eulogy
- Hotel Reverie
