Black Mirror has released its darkest season yet. Season 6 of the series, which dropped on Netflix yesterday (June 15), showcases the growing threats that civilization faces with advanced technology and cynical interests. And it only makes sense, given that showrunner Charlie Brooker penned the episodes during the COVID-19 pandemic when people found themselves glued to their screens (more than usual) and overwhelmed with feelings of grief, heartbreak, and anger.
Earlier this month, Brooker told Wired, “I started writing the season during the pandemic, and I think when I started writing it—apart from Zoom, which suddenly everyone was using—it felt a bit like things had plateaued, but obviously the world was going through a tough old dystopian time of it.”
While the series has always played into dystopian situations and common fears, the latest installment feels more grounded than ever, which may just be because it’s eons better than the previous season we received roughly four years ago. The five new episodes are all deeply complex, unique, and addictive – and a few are bound to leave you aching to press replay as soon as the end credits roll.
But as always, some episodes are better than others! Continue reading to figure out how we ranked the episodes in Black Mirror Season 6. And, if you like what you see in this article, check out our list of the 12 best Black Mirror episodes of all time.
Oh “Mazy Day,” sorry to say that you didn’t stick the landing. With excellent performances and a worthwhile premise, the episode builds a strong foundation in its 40-minute runtime, which is the shortest of the season. Unfortunately, the storyline becomes muddy as it loses itself in a sudden tone change that fails to link back to the overall message. We love surprises, but they have to make sense in the grand scheme of things. And in this case, it just felt like Brooker began with a solid script and then lost steam by the third act. The episode lacks the palpable tension of the others and seemingly has nothing to say. Following a troubled starlet who was recently fired from her movie set and is being stalked by paparazzi, the work truly loses steam when it adds a supernatural element rather than developing the narrative it introduced from the top.
We’ll give “Demon 79” props for being creative with disco demons and lo-fi imagery, but overall, the episode felt like a snoozefest. The story takes place in Northern England in 1979, and follows a sales assistant who is pressured into committing terrible acts to prevent a worldwide disaster – à la Knock at the Cabin. The episode is equal parts horror and camp, feeling like something lifted straight from Ryan Murphy’s catalog. In all, it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the season – which doesn’t bode well for a finisher – and feels very out of place in the Black Mirror universe. It is bound to be a divisive watch, one that may have worked better as a separate special, like Bandersnatch.
Starring Aaron Paul and Rory Culkin, “Beyond the Sea” is the tearjerker of the season. The episode is long-winded and has a slow build, but eventually dissolves into a gory nightmare, driven by anger and grief. The episode takes place in 1969 and follows two men on a space mission. But in this universe, things are quite different than the world we know. To combat feelings of homesickness, replicas are created of the two travelers, allowing them to exist back on Earth with their families. One of them is struck by a gruesome tragedy, leaving his replica and this family murdered. In response, his teammate offers him the chance to use his own replica, in order to help him navigate his grief, and as things go haywire, tensions build between the two. The episode has a few hiccups but offers an ending that leaves viewers feeling like it was worth the investment.
Initially, I was fearful that “Loch Henry” and “Joan Is Awful” were my favorite episodes because they were the first episodes of the new seasons; however, the more I sit with them, the more I like them. And, the more I talk about them, the more I find out that they seem to be the only episodes from the season that people are talking about. But does that mean anything? Not with every show, but definitely when it comes to Black Mirror. Since its conception, the anthology series has managed to get under the skin of its viewers with episodes that toe the line between being excessive and dangerously realistic. This episode does exactly that by inserting a critique of true crime and its exploitative nature before divulging into utter chaos. It’s smart and witty, and features one of the greatest twists of all time.
It makes absolute sense that the new season would begin with this episode as it is a definite crowd-pleaser. The episode offers smart commentary on artificial intelligence and the ingrained evilness of capitalism – unashamedly bringing Netflix (the show’s streaming home) into the equation — while also being laugh-out-loud hilarious. “Joan Is Awful” will leave you wanting to salute Brooker, the episode’s director Ally Pankiw and the all-star cast who participated, which includes Salma Hayek, Annie Murphy, Ayo Edebiri, and Michael Cera. Murphy plays Joan, an everyday businesswoman who discovers that her life is being depicted in a prestige drama, starring Hollywood’s Salma Hayek (played by herself). Hilarity ensues as Joan begins to face the consequences of her secrets being aired on the small screen and eventually, she devises a plan to get back at Hayek. The episode is absurd and so very meta, perfectly curated for the overly online and the cynical. As time goes on, it is revealed that the fictional show has been created using artificial intelligence and surveillance, both of which pose a real-life looming threat to civilization as technology advances and remains ungoverned.