“You’re so pretty when you’re alive.”
In an era of appointment television where series like “The White Lotus” and “Reacher” seem to occupy space to the tune of millions of viewers each week, Netflix is sticking with its bingeable model with the drop of another must-see title. “Black Mirror,” the British television series famous for its convoluted anthology episode premises akin to the modern version of “The Twilight Zone,” returns for Season 7 with a new concept that feels familiar. An A-list cast in almost every episode, the series presents sequels to a couple of its highest-rated plots to date.
The result works wonders with a talented cast and storylines that continue to impress, while leaving room for other installments to entertain with original commentary on humanity’s reliance on evolving technology — often to heartwrenching resolutions.
The six-episode season also marks a turning point for “Black Mirror,” as the long-running series strives to remain relevant by keeping its boundary-pushing platform. Season 7 contains original episodes, most notably the Rashida Jones/Chris O’Dowd-starring “Common People.” But the crux of the season comes in the form of two sequels, one to the 2018 interactive film “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” and the other being a long-awaited continuation of 2017’s Season 4 episode, “USS Callister.”
“Black Mirror” Season 7 starts off strong with “Common People,” where Mike (Chris O’Dowd) and Amanda (Rashida Jones) find themselves in a pickle when Amanda develops a brain injury and surrenders to a coma. Mike enlists the help of Rivermind, a company specializing in an experimental treatment promising to keep Amanda alive with some technological consequences. Signing on the dotted line, Mike is able to bring Amanda home safe and healthy, at least until the complications to the service roll out, which Rivermind’s representative (Tracee Ellis Ross) conveniently left out of her initial pitch.
“Common People” is a stellar introduction to the seventh season of “Black Mirror,” keeping with the series’ tradition of blazing trails of the absurd. The human condition and one man’s desperation are further examined in a tight episode that keeps viewers guessing until the very end. It’s a fascinating look at how technology has bound humanity to devices (and people) we need while also clouding our judgment on affordability.
But “Black Mirror” really takes off with the episode “Plaything,” a follow-up to the Will Poulter movie “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.” When “Bandersnatch” first debuted on Netflix, it was presented as an interactive film, with audiences having options to choose how Fionn Whitehead’s gaming programmer character would proceed through the film. It was the first of several Netflix experiments with the interactive format, similar to a special lengthy episode of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”
“Plaything” revisits some of the characters from “Bandersnatch,” including the blonde-haired game designer played by Poulter, who reprises his role as a very much alive and powerful Colin Ritman. Though this episode isn’t interactive and is set in the 1990s through flashbacks, it dives headfirst into the world built by the 1980s-set “Bandersnatch” and creates solutions for its audience rather than them choosing who lives and dies. It’s a welcome quasi-continuation with slight revisions to the original premise, a nice lead into the season’s finale, “USS Callister: Into Infinity.”
Keeping with the gaming concept, “Into Infinity” is a direct sequel to the Season 4 episode, which saw Jesse Plemmons as a gaming coder hellbent on destroying the lives of those who work at an online game company. Originally presented in a universe similar to that of “Star Trek,” Plemmons’ Captain Robert Daly is discovered to have created digital clones of his coworkers, including Lieutenant Nanette Cole (Cristin Milioti), and torturing them in the multiplayer online game of his creation.
“USS Callister: Into Infinity” sees Milioti reprising her role as the game is still going with 30 million players that control the space crew’s every move. Robert Daly is dead, but the virtual universe and the crew’s lives within the game depend on the actions that Cole and team take while battling their real-life human selves. Cole is the captain now in this immersive experience, while outside the game, the company’s owner, James Walton (Jimmi Simpson), attempts to seize control of the mission at every turn.
The reason “Black Mirror” Season 7 works on the varying levels that it does is primarily due to the cast’s commitment within each episode. Issa Rae, Emma Corrin, Awkwafina, Michele Austin and Paul Giamatti grace several episodes of the season, but “USS Callister: Into Infinity” is a prime example of acting at its finest, combining unbeatable visual effects with magnificent work from Milioti. Along with “The Penguin,” Milioti continues to prove her weight as a massive talent, leading viewers to believe Nanette has everything handled even when the show’s writing staff throws wrenches and surprises into a nearly 90-minute episode.
Bookended by strong performances and eerie realities, “Black Mirror” Season 7 prides itself on its deliciously weird and thought-provoking concepts. Further pushing the envelope and creating scenarios where surprise guest stars flourish in combative dialogue, the series gives its loyal viewership a deeper look into established premises while entangling characters in dazzling situations. Themes of corruption, technology dependence and vulnerability take center stage in a season worth the wait.
“Black Mirror” Season 7 premieres Thursday, April 10, on Netflix.
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