Ranking Every ‘Black Mirror’ Episode in Season 6

The excitement one feels when a show they indulge in returns is almost indescribable. Black Mirror season 5 dropped in 2019, and for the longest time it felt like it wasn’t coming back. When Netflix announced that there was a new season coming, fans exploded like overheated pizza pockets. Black Mirror being an anthology series means that even if you dislike one episode, you may love the next one. And season 6 offers fans a nice array of options.

Black Mirror season 6 reflects the current state of technology and some social issues. The episodes all range in terms of writing, direction, and genre—mostly a mix of sci-fi, dystopian, and horror. Think of it like a bowl of candy. And remember that taste is subjective. Ahead, I’ve ranked all five episodes from Black Mirror season 6 from worst to best.

5. “Mazey Day” (episode 4)

“Mazey Day” is the fourth episode of Black Mirror season 6—and the weakest. The episode starts off with paparazzi photographers (including Bo, played by Zazie Beetz) trying to make money by ruining celebrities’ lives. And then way too late into “Mazey Day,” the episode becomes a riff on a horror classic. The episode had so much potential to be scary and relentless from the beginning. Instead, it toyed with the audience in a way that was unsatisfying, until the paparazzi realize they’re photographing something truly horrific. The characters aren’t compelling enough to make the episode satisfactory, and with a weak first half, it lands at the bottom of the list.

4. “Beyond the Sea” (episode 3)

“Beyond the Sea” isn’t the most terrible Black Mirror episode, but it’s certainly not the finest. The third episode is set in an alternate 1969 and focuses on a pair of astronauts—Cliff (Aaron Paul) and David (Josh Hartnett)—on a multi-year mission. During the mission, they can visit their families using replicas—realistic androids that the astronauts connect with through pods in their spacecraft. When David’s family is killed and his replica is destroyed, he’s stuck in space without anyone to return to and no way of doing so. until Cliff lets David use his replica to spend time on earth. Predictably, David becomes fixated on Cliff’s wife (Kate Mara). “Beyond the Sea” is well-acted but poorly executed and way too long. There is no reason for us to care about Cliff or his family, and it was obvious that nothing good would happen when Cliff let David borrow his replica. The predictability takes away from the more interesting beats (the replicas) and makes the episode lackluster and relatively boring as a result.

3. “Joan Is Awful” (episode 1)

It’s fun to watch an episode that explores AI’s dangerous nature. “Joan Is Awful” follows a successful woman named Joan (Annie Murphy) who finds out her life is being used as the basis for a series on Streamberry, a very Netflix-like streaming service. “Joan Is Awful” is delightfully meta and touches upon AI and how easily streaming services could do something like this. Black Mirror is at its peak when it gets to the point and captures the perfect atmosphere. The episode is quirky and very strange, Annie Murphy and Salma Hayek are a surprisingly excellent duo, and it’s a premiere episode that you’ll want to keep watching.

2. “Loch Henry” (episode 2)

Despite how it needed to be longer, “Loch Henry” effectively captures the complicated nature of true crime documentaries. The episode follows Pia (Myha’la Herrold) and Davis (Samuel Blenkin), a couple who visit Loch Henry to make a documentary about a man who protects eggs from poachers for their film class. After learning about the local history, Pia urges Davis to make a documentary on serial killer Iain Adair instead. And what they uncover is even more horrific than anyone could have imagined. The eerie atmosphere is properly established in “Loch Henry,” and when the reveal hits, it’s shocking. In all honesty, the episode needed to flesh out the ending a bit better. Otherwise it’s a well-crafted and acted episode that feels more like a short film. It’s safe to say that it’s one of Black Mirror‘s scariest episodes.

1. “Demon 79” (episode 5)

It may be bold to say, but “Demon 79” is one of the best episodes of Black Mirror. The episode focuses on Nida (Anjana Vasan), a salesperson who uncovers a talisman that summons a demon named Gaap (Paapa Kwaakye Essiedu) who claims she must kill three people to prevent the apocalypse. “Demon 79” perfectly captures the feeling of ’70s horror with people of color at the forefront. The chemistry between Anjana Vasan and Paapa Kwaakye Essiedu is spot on. There are many humorous beats perfectly balanced with violence and horror. Black Mirror season 6 ends with a bang.

(featured image: Netflix)