Black Mirror Episode Ranking

[frunk]

I've long held that no two people rate Black Mirror episodes the same way.  It makes more sense now than back when there were 6 episodes and only 720 people had watched it.  With 20 episodes it'll still hold even if most of us pick San Junipero as our #1.  Now I've encountered two rankings of Black Mirror episodes, which I assume is either happy coincidence on the new season coming out or Netflix marketing.  I'll join in anyway.

AV Club Ranking

The Ringer Ranking

Bandersnatch - Haven't seen it

19. The Waldo Moment - Ugh
18. Playtest - Felt generic and the hook wasn't a hook if I don't care about the characters.
17. The National Anthem - I still don't get the love for this one.  I'm not buying any politician would seriously consider going through with it.
16. The Entire History of You - The self obsession bits were interesting, the jealousy plot felt tacked on to that.
15. Be Right Back - Meh
14. Arkangel - I waffle on this one, but this is where it lands right now.
13. Metalhead - Nice action shots but not much to it beyond the dystopian setting.
12. Hated in the Nation - I wanted to like this one more, but I think it has too much fat on it.
11. Nosedive - The ending saves this one from a lower rating.
10. Crocodile - The procedural that Hated in the Nation should have been, with a genuinely horrifying and funny ending in equal measure.
9. Black Museum - I think this one suffered from being at the end of a season of people occupying other people's bodies, but stands quite well on its own.
8. USS Callister - One of the few comedic episodes, and a damn fine one.
7. Hang the DJ - It's not a dystopian hell, it's just a dating app.
6. Men Against Fire - Perfectly predictable but still powerful in its execution.
5. Fifteen Million Credits - The first Black Mirror that made me sit up and take notice.
4. White Christmas - Another one that I saw coming from a mile away, but so well done that I didn't care.  John Hamm Christmas Spectacular!
3. White Bear - The confusion and horror of this one still gets to me.
2. Shut Up and Dance - Another splendid blend of WTF, horror and an ending that fits the story and shocks you.
1. San Junipero - Damn dust in my eyes.

[Tamas]

This is a series I'd enjoy much more if it wasn't hyped to high heavens. It is harder to handle the more sanctimonious/techfobia stuff in it this way.

[frunk]

I'd say it isn't so much a techphobic series as it is skeptical that technology will make us better people.

[Tamas]

I'd say it isn't so much a techphobic series as it is skeptical that technology will make us better people.

Luckily that's not technology's job.


I mean, I don't want to be harsh I've very much liked several episodes and I haven't watched all yet. I just often seem to find gasping awe for the series online and I find THOSE level of emotions unjustified.

[frunk]

Luckily that's not technology's job.


I mean, I don't want to be harsh I've very much liked several episodes and I haven't watched all yet. I just often seem to find gasping awe for the series online and I find THOSE level of emotions unjustified.

I haven't encountered that awe.  It's an anthology series, there will always be good and bad episodes.  It's modern day Twilight Zone without the supernatural elements but with deeper characterizations.

[Tamas]

To be fair I am mostly annoyed with the journalists at the big Hungarian liberal news site I frequent. They seem to consider Black Mirror a series of phrophecies on our future, which can be really annoying.

[Habbaku]

The coverage in the USA is much more balanced, then, I guess. The show has some truly excellent episodes and some real stinkers, but I don't think it's been perceived as some sort of visionary program so much as a take on humans+technology a la Twilight Zone/Outer Limits.

[Eddie Teach]

Twilight Zone was considered rather visionary.

[Grinning_Colossus]

Didn't Cameron actually shag a pig once?

[Josephus]

To me it all went downhill after the pig fucking prime minister.

[garbon]

To me it all went downhill after the pig fucking prime minister.

[Eddie Teach]

I saw the first two episodes way back. Tonight I decided to give it another shot. San Junipero is quite good.

[Josquius]

I really don't get the San junepero love. Thats towards the bottom of the pile for me.

[Habbaku]

I really don't get the San junepero love. Thats towards the bottom of the pile for me.

You might be a coal-mining robot.

[Josquius]

20   The Entire History of You   I totally forgot about this one. Nice idea. But dull story.
19   Hated in the nation   Something about bees? Benedict Wong policeman? But rubbish
18   Playtest   Nothing much going on
17   Men Against Fire   Totally forgot this one too. But now I remember it I recall the cool use of the context filter. Bad execution but nice idea. And I do remember being super curious about why there were American soldiers in Denmark
16   National Anthem   Interesting way to start the series. I know several people who didn't watch Black Mirror for years because of this episode.
15   Black Museum   Too fan servicey. This is the sort of episode you'd expect to be made 10 years after the final episode. But it's a normal series closer? Err.... Its like they've just dumped a bunch of ideas not good enough for their own episodes here
14   San Junipero   I just don't get it. There seemed to be some really weird time travel stuff going on but then they reveal what it actually is and its just...oh. Meh.
13   Be Right Back   Nice idea again, but totally meh
12   Metalhead   Well, its cool and stylish, but no story.
11   Bandernatch   Loses huge points for how much more it could have been and my failure to recreate certain conditions. Oirginal and cool.
10   Arkangel   I think I was going to have this higher but then I realised I forgot it so it went down. Nice idea, though suffers from its small scale.
9   White Christmas   Nothing with John Hamm can be bad.
8   Shut Up and Dance   I'm sure I've seen this one somewhere before
7   Crocodie   Perfectly captures the Scandi Noir style and gave me feelies.
6   Fifteen Million Credits   After the pig fucking one it perfectly showed how this series was worthwhile
5   Waldo Moment   It saw the future. Excellent.
4   Nosedive   Manages to be very so very American and yet cool and relatable. This one came out when I was working on a project for a company heavily pushing peer reviews. This is the way we are heading. Scary
3   White Bear   Others have followed in its path but this was the first with the idea. I remember it being genuinely gripping and the twist making sense and being satisfying.
2   Hang the DJ   Really very good. A lot of angles to look at it from.
1   USS Callister   Its just brilliant. If it would be slightly extended it could be a movie in the cinema. A Galaxy Quest beater