Culture Crash: A New Season of “Black Mirror”

For over a decade now, British satirist Charlie Brooker has been writing and producing his hit anthology show Black Mirror. Originally released by the UK’s Channel 4, the dystopian technology series has been a Netflix production for its past few seasons, the latest of which recently hit the streaming service with five new star-studded episodes.

The intrigue of Black Mirror is a little different than any other show I’ve watched before in that it is a true anthology show. Every episode is a portal to a new story in a new world with various technologies. Fan-favorite “San Junipero” is set in a future where people can get uploaded into a virtual reality after they died. My personal favorite episode, “The Entire History of You,” is about a world where almost everyone has an implant in their eyes that records 24/7, allowing people to re-live past memories. The point is you truly never know what you’re going to get with an episode of Black Mirror. Some episodes are like horror movies, others are comedic satires.

The new season has all the hallmarks of a new season of Black Mirror. Some episodes are exhilerating highs, others feel like clunky misses. That’s all part of the journey. My favorite episode is probably the second of the season, “Loch Henry,” but each of the five episodes has something interesting to say, and they often include stellar performances. AI-phobia, true crime obsession, marital jealousy, and paparazzi invading the privacy of a starlet’s life are all on the menu, so buckle in for a new season of Black Mirror that will have you wondering how you turn your iPhone location services off all over again.

Black Mirror is streaming on Netflix.