The sixth season of "Black Mirror" is the farthest that it has ever been from its original roots. A series known for its shocking and unabashed techno-horror twists and turns, this sixth season has more episodes that have extremely loose or even no technological connections at all. It's clear that the show is slowly but surely expanding beyond its core audience into a broader viewer base. A bunch of these episodes could have easily passed off as an episode in other anthology franchises such as "The Twilight Zone". Only time will tell if this will mean more success for the show but it definitely comes at the cost of losing the appeal to its extremely loyal fanbase. For us, we're hoping they stick with what made this franchise unique because we would rather it have a distinct and distinguishable identity against one that's generic as any other show out there.
For our quick review rating for each episode for Season 6, see our analysis below:
Joan is Awful -
"Joan is Awful" was not awful but it also wasn't as great as it could have been. We felt that this episode is closest to how a traditional "Black Mirror" episode should be like. The initial revelation on how the streaming service was able to exploit and victimize Joan was a fun sequence of events. And the actual technology that pulled of the "Joan is Awful" show is right around the corner which meant it adds to the terror and thought-provoking content. The participation of Salma Hayek was also one of the highlights of this episode for us. It was a great way to start the season for sure.
Loch Henry -
This hits closest to us as we are true crime fanatics. And we're pretty sure this also hits close with Netflix as one of the most prolific sources of true crime content nowadays. The audacity of Charlie Brooker to pull this stunt off is simply stupendous. In any case, this was a fun episode even though its has a very loose connection to technology. What we loved was how it was able to show the perils of choosing success and at what cost. That very last scene will certainly leave a mark - one that is both horrific and disturbing at the same time. The real issue with this episode is that its twist was one that even not-so-keen viewers would have easily predicted early on.
Beyond the Sea -
At 1 hour and 20 minutes long, "Beyond the Sea" is the longest episode this season and could be a feature film already in its length. This was our favorite episode this season also. We felt that the performance of Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett, and even Kate Mara made this episode stand out. This was a serious, slow-burn, with dramatic, emotional. and disturbing content to hook you throughout its runtime. Our only gripe was that even with its length, the ending was a bit rushed feeling like it needed more time to fully-develop its last act. And likewise, same as "Loch Henry", the twists in the end was easy to predict come a certain point.
Mazey Day -
This episode was simply out of touch. Set in the mid-2000s, this revolves around the confounding issue of the paparazzi. We already know how they are seen in real-life and this episode plays into that without a new concept or content to make it truly standout. What works best is that it reminds us that both sides are humans. Paparazzis do their living for a reason and likewise actors still need their privacy. Being famous doesn't mean they need to give up everything to the public. The execution though was just weird and you'll have to see it to really understand our gripe about "Mazey Day"
Demon 79 -
No, this it not set in 2079 but in 1979. So expect the last episode to be the farthest away from the traditional "Black Mirror" episode. No modern technology or whatsoever. Luckily, "Demon 79" was an episode that had compelling content that hooked us. It tackles racism, dirty politics, and the nuclear arms race head on. It had its own surprises that really got our attention and that ending had perfect execution. If this is the sign of a shift for "Black Mirror", it wouldn't be so bad if the content will be as compelling as this one.
In summary, even with it's hefty and controversial changes, we won't deny that "Black Mirror" Season 6 is still of great quality. Coming from other seasons, we're disappointed with the sudden shift in format but we won't discount the fact that the non-tech heavy episodes is close to the quality of the tech-related episodes. But if you're coming in blind to "Black Mirror" and starting off from this season, then you'll probably be in for a treat.
Black Mirror Season 6 Series Review: Conflicting and Divisive Changes
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