The Best New 'Black Mirror' Episode Isn't the One You Think
The return of Netflix's popular sci-fi anthology show, Black Mirror, is a cause for celebration. This is the first time the show has dropped a six-episode season since 2017, and the final episode of Season 7 is nearly as long as a movie. In fact, with Black Mirror Season 7 now streaming all of its episodes, it's natural that the flashiest episodes will dominate a good portion of the online chatter. Both Bandersnatch (2018) and "USS Callister" (2017) have sequel episodes this season, which means there will be more head-scratching than usual with this batch of episodes.
However, if you're looking to watch just one great episode of Black Mirror Season 7, you could skip the more obvious choices and instead hit up the quiet and brilliantly heartbreaking episode "Eulogy." This is the fifth episode of the new season and stars Paul Giamatti as a mopey guy named Phillip. This is the kind of role Giamatti excels at, a self-entitled down-on-his-luck man, whose soul is comprised of a bitter cocktail, consisting of equal parts regret and self-pity. The episode begins with him learning that an old girlfriend has passed away, and now, an AI is going to help him sort through old photographs to conjure a suitable memory of her at the request of her family.
Related: 'Black Mirror' Reveals Upcoming Season 7 Cast, First 'Sequel' Episode
There are a lot of twists in this episode, including the secret identity of someone called The Guide (Patsy Ferran). But these aren't the usual mind-bending Black Mirror twists that alter the nature of reality or our perception of humanity. Instead, the twists in "Eulogy" are all about what we choose to remember about our past, and how men often are blind to something staring us right in the face.
While "Eulogy" is hard to watch at moments, it's not a horror story nor is it exceptionally dark like some Black Mirror episodes. (Sidenote: The show has a reputation for being dark, but many episodes are, in fact, quite uplifting, including another standout this season, "Hotel Reverie.")
But, of all the episodes in the new Black Mirror season, "Eulogy" is the closest to a comfort-watch, the kind of story that feels like a miniature Giamatti movie in the mode of Sideways or The Holdovers. If you feel overwhelmed by the new Black Mirror season, just watch this one episode. It will be the best chilled-out and smart Netflix experience you can have right now.