WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Black Mirror Season 7.
After a few hit-or-miss seasons in recent years,Black Mirrorseason 7 delivers with its best Rotten Tomatoes score in nearly a decade. The latest installment of the acclaimed Netflix sci-fi series features six new episodes with six original stories.Black Mirrorseason 7 also includes the first-ever sequel episode of the franchise, a direct follow-up to season 4’s Emmy-winning “USS Callister.“Black Mirrorhas come a long way from its critically acclaimed first season, which first aired back in 2011 on England’s Channel 4 and earned a near-perfectRotten Tomatoesscore of 98%.
Series creator Charlie Brooker has written or co-written all ofBlack Mirror’sepisodes, so the slump ofBlack Mirrorseasons 5 and 6 isn’t the result of a change in the writer’s room. Season 1 only consisted of three episodes, all of which were instantly successful and iconic in their own right. Season 2 included the notable Christmas special episode “White Christmas” starring Jon Hamm, which is commonly referred to as one of the all-timebestBlack Mirrorepisodes, while season 3 introduced viewers to new immersive and dystopic futuristic worlds in “Nosedive” and “San Junipero.”
Black Mirror Season 7 Is Netflix’s Best Since Season 4
It’s The Second-Highest Rated Season In The Series
Black Mirrorseasons 3 and 4 were a great showing for the show on Netflix after the streaming service bought the rights to the series in 2015. Season 3, in particular, is arguably the greatestBlack Mirrorseason of them all, but season 4 is a close contender,consisting of the exceptional “USS Callister” as well as “Hang the DJ” and “Black Museum”.While each season of Black Mirror typically has stronger episodes than others, there are usually more gems than duds. That can certainly be said ofBlack Mirrorseason 7, which consists of at least three outstanding episodes: “Common People”, “Eulogy”, and “USS Callister: Into Infinity”.
SomeBlack Mirrorfans noted thatthe show arguably started to go downhill with season 5, with season 6 being a slight improvement. With the release ofBlack Mirrorseason 7, the consensus has flipped and the show now feels like a great return to its original heyday. This is reflected inBlack Mirrorseason 7’sRotten Tomatoesscore of 89%, its highest mark since season 4’s 85% and season 3’s 86%. In fact,Black Mirror’sRotten Tomatoes scoreis the second-highest in the franchise after season 1’s near-perfect rating. It’s safe to say thatBlack Mirrorseason 7 has returned the sci-fi series to an elite and prestigious status.
Why Black Mirror Season 7 Is Such An Improvement From Season 6
Season 7 Has At Least 3 Exceptional Episodes
Black Mirrorseason 7 shines because of its range of stories and its outstanding premises performed by top-tier actors. Paul Giamatti is incredible in “Eulogy”, which instantly became one of my all-time favoriteBlack Mirrorepisodes.The “USS Callister” sequel could have gone terribly wrongand been seen as a cheap and unnecessary way to get people to watch season 7. Fortunately, “USS Callister: Into Infinity” is just as good, if not better, than the original. Lastly, “Common People” is innovative, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking, holding the “episode 1 slot” firmly in the wake of debut classics like “USS Callister” and “Nosedive.”
Black Mirrorseason 5 is often considered one of the weakest seasons of the series in the shadow of the new heights that seasons 3 and 4 reached. Reverting to only a three-episode season was likely the first mistake,although “Smithereens” starring Andrew Scott was a solid standout, sandwiched in between the less effective “Striking Vipers” and the Miley Cyrus-led “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too.”
SomeBlack Mirrorfans were beginning to get nervous that the spark of brilliance that was infused in the earlier seasons had been exhausted before season 7 came along.
Simply put,the swings that season 5 were taking, and some episodes of season 6, weren’t hittingas well. SomeBlack Mirrorfans were beginning to get nervous that the spark of brilliance that was infused in the earlier seasons had been exhausted before season 7 came along.
Black Mirror Season 7’s Success Raises The Stakes For Season 8
Image via Netflix
WithBlack Mirrorseason 7 raising its bar back to its original levels of acclaim, season 8 must continue to carry the torch. Similar toThe Twilight Zone, whichBlack Mirrorhas commonly been compared to,Black Mirrorhas the potential to be one of the best sci-fi series ever made, if it’s not already.The Twilight Zoneproduced 156 episodes, whileBlack Mirrorhas only made 33 in seven seasons.
Watching newBlack Mirrorepisodes always feels like a cultural experience, which is why the letdown of season 5 was so disappointing. Now thatBlack Mirrorhas gotten its mojo back, it should continue to challenge because when it’s good, it’s truly outstanding television.
