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When withdrawn 19-year-old Kenny stumbles headlong into an online trap, he is quickly forced into an uneasy alliance with shifty Hector - both of them at the mercy of persons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…