Just finished Black Mirror Season 3, and I’ve decided to rank the episodes based on my personal preference. To the uninitiated here’s the wikipedia definition:
Black Mirror is a British television drama series created by Charlie Brooker. The series is produced by Zeppotron for Endemol. Regarding the programme’s content and structure, Brooker noted, “each episode has a different cast, a different setting, even a different reality. But they’re all about the way we live now – and the way we might be living in 10 minutes’ time if we’re clumsy.”
If I had to give an analogy it’s basically Ghost In The Shell meets The Twilight Zone meets Serial Experiments Lain, set in the not too distant future. Black Mirror explores themes and issues attributed to recent advances in social media and computers/networking in general.
Obligatory spoiler warning, I strongly recommended watching season 3 first before reading this. All the episodes are great and worth watching. Without further ado, my list:
6 Men Against Fire #
| Episode Number | Title | Directed by | Written by |
|---|---|---|---|
| s03e05 | Men Against Fire | Jakob Verbruggen | Charlie Brooker |
A military story set in a post-war future, the episode sees a rookie soldier posted overseas, protecting frightened villagers from an infestation of vicious feral mutants alongside fellow soldier Raiman. They’re hoping some new technological advantage will save them.
5 Playtest #
| Episode Number | Title | Directed by | Written by |
|---|---|---|---|
| s03e02 | Playtest | Dan Trachtenberg | Charlie Brooker |
An American, Cooper, leaves the States to avoid facing his mother after the death of his father. Trying to raise money, he signs up to playtest a new VR game for a cutting-edge company and gets more than he expected.
4 Shut Up and Dance #
| Episode Number | Title | Directed by | Written by |
|---|---|---|---|
| s03e03 | Shut Up and Dance | James Watkins | Charlie Brooker & William Bridges |
When withdrawn 19-year-old Kenny stumbles headlong into an online trap, he is quickly forced into an uneasy alliance with shifty Hector - both of them at the mercy of persons unknown.
3 Nosedive #
| Episode Number | Title | Directed by | Story by | Teleplay by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| s03e01 | Nosedive | Joe Wright | Charlie Brooker | Rashida Jones & Mike Schur |
In the near future, everyone is obsessed with getting ratings from others… and a woman, Lacie, is determined to get a high enough rating to buy the home she’s always dreamed of.
2 Hated in the Nation #
| Episode Number | Title | Directed by | Written by |
|---|---|---|---|
| s03e06 | Hated in the Nation | James Hawes | Charlie Brooker |
A police detective and her geeky young sidekick investigate a string of grisly murders with a sinister link to social media.
1 San Junipero #
| Episode Number | Title | Directed by | Written by |
|---|---|---|---|
| s03e04 | San Junipero | Owen Harris | Charlie Brooker |
California, 1987: San Junipero is a fun-loving beach town synonymous with sun, surf, and sex. And for recent arrivals Yorkie and Kelly, it’s going to be a life-changer…