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Black Mirror returns full of delights and disappointments

Black Mirror's new season is a mixed bag, ranging from a sublimely plotted romp to one of the worst episodes to date. And it's still playing fast and loose with its sci-fi concepts, finds Bethan Ackerley

By Bethan Ackerley

16 April 2025

HavenGreen_EP3_NETFLIX USSCallister_Unit — Elena Tulaska (Milanka Brooks) in USS Callister: Into Infinity
Nick Wall/Netflix

Charlie Brooker
Netflix

When Black Mirror began in 2011, it was easy to describe: a British horror anthology series about technology. Over time, that description has become fuzzier. It no longer feels very British. It’s not always horrifying or tech-inclined. Sometimes, it’s not even TV: in 2018, an interactive film called Black Mirror: Bandersnatch let viewers control the life of troubled programmer Stefan (Fionn Whitehead).

Now in its seventh season, Black Mirror has metamorphosed again. It’s no longer a pure anthology, with two new episodes serving as sequels to …

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