Black Mirror season seven
Charlie Brooker has been serving up bleak portrayals of an eerily probable near-feature society within anthology series Black Mirror for years. From fables surrounding social media obsession to virtual reality gone wrong, and what life after death could mean, each of the previous seasons has tackled a diverse range of topics while dipping its toes into an assortment of different genres. The first two episodes of the latest season show that Brooker still has his finger firmly on the pulse. By delivering a mixture of thought-provoking concepts and tender human drama, this series is shaping up to be the best that it’s ever been.
The anthology gets off to a remarkable start with Common People. It stars a pitch-perfect Chris O’Dowd and Rashida Jones as loving couple Mike and Amanda, whose lives are turned upside down when Amanda is diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumour. Rather than saying goodbye to his wife, Mike is convinced to sign up for a subscription service that essentially streams functionality to Amanda’s brain. As they’re constantly upsold the pricier “premium” package, which causes more strain on their already tight budget, Brooker’s critique of this corporate practice is far from subtle in its execution, but it’s nevertheless effective. O’Dowd and Jones never miss a beat as they spiral towards the inevitable outcome, closing the episode on a heart-wrenching and bittersweet conclusion.
Although the follow-up entry, Bête Noire, doesn’t resonate as strongly as its predecessor, it’s still quintessentially Black Mirror. This time, the life of successful employee Maria (Siena Kelly) is sent into a tailspin when a former school acquaintance (Rosy McEwen) gets a job at her office and proceeds to gaslight her in ways that should be impossible. As Maria digs deeper to figure out how this could be happening, events only become stranger as they get increasingly out of control. Though this twisted drama lacks some of Brooker’s usual bite, the writer fully commits to the premise to end Maria’s story on an outlandish bombshell.
These opening instalments only provide a small glimpse at what wicked delights await viewers in the rest of Brooker’s latest season. If their quality is any indication of what’s to come, viewers are in for an unforgettable time.
Andrew Murray
Black Mirror season seven is released on Netflix on 10th April 2025.
Watch the trailer for Black Mirror season seven here:
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