Originally written May 25, 2015

There really isn’t enough shows out there like Black Mirror anymore. In our modern age where what’s valued most in a TV series is a continuous storyline that keeps us engaged, there’s little room for series that tell a self-contained story in each individual episode. Black Mirror is a nice little breath of fresh air from the normal formula, with each new episode telling an entirely different story. Furthermore, Black Mirror actually has something to say, with some really dark social commentary on our society, and specifically with how technology affects it. Season 2 delivers more great additions to the awesome anthology series.

Since each episode is a different story, I might as well just talk a little about each individual episode, just like I did with season 1. Just like the first season, season 2 is three episodes long: “Be Right Back,” “White Bear,” and “The Waldo Moment.” However, since then there has also been a one-off Christmas episode, “White Christmas.” I won’t factor that episode in to my scoring of the season since it’s technically not part of it, but I might as well talk about it in the review since I don’t know when else I would.

“Be Right Back” is easily the best episode of the season for me. This one centers around a couple, Martha and Ash. Ash dies in a car accident one day, and Martha is having a tough time moving on. Her friend tells her about this program where a computer will analyze all of the emails and personal information of someone that’s deceased and recreate their personality so that you can communicate with them. Martha uses this to talk to Ash, but as she continues through the process she finds herself frustrated because she knows it’s not really Ash, only pieces of him. The interesting thing about episodes like this is it’s easy to imagine yourself in the situation, and not being sure how you would act. It raises the question, if you could communicate with a recreation of a loved one that’s passed away, would you? It’s a really interesting concept, and provides some of the best moments of delving into the human psyche that the show has had. Also of note, I really loved the performances here, with Domhnall Gleeson playing Ash and Hayley Atwell playing Martha, both awesome actors that really deliver. Definitely a perfect episode in the series.

“White Bear” is also pretty fantastic. This one is more of a mystery thriller, with a young woman waking up in a strange room, unable to remember anything about her life, even her name. As she heads outside, she finds everyone around her won’t speak to her, and instead just films her on their phones. A group of masked men then start chasing her, and so she’s trying to figure out who they are, who she is, and why no one will help her. Saying anything else about it kind of ruins the twists, which is the whole point of the episode. Still, it’s a really fantastic episode, and it kept me guessing the whole time what was going on.

“The Waldo Moment” is unfortunately what drags the season down. I’m all for an episode of a TV series being a little average compared to other episodes if it all comes together to deliver a cohesive whole, but when you have an anthology series where stories aren’t connected at all, every episode needs to be great, or else the bad ones will stick out like a sore thumb. Not to mention, considering these seasons are only three episodes, the show should be giving a lot of quality if there’s not much quantity. “The Waldo Moment” is simply about a failed TV comedian that voices a cartoon bear named Waldo, and the people working with Jamie (the voice actor) decide it would be fun to have Waldo talk some trash on politicians running for office. It winds up going over extremely well, however, and eventually people actually want Waldo to run for office, which Jamie doesn’t support, since Waldo isn’t even real. While I was able to pick out a least favorite episode in season 1 too, I found the episodes had still been pretty close in quality for the most part. Not the case with “The Waldo Moment.” While the other two episodes are amazing, this one is just nothing special. I’m not saying it’s bad, it’s just not that good, and it’s definitely been the worst episode of the series so far. I get what they were going for with showing how we worship fictional characters more than real people and don’t take things like politics seriously, but it just wasn’t that engaging of an episode.

As I said, “White Christmas” isn’t technically part of season 2, but I do want to mention it as well. This episode involves two people that work together at some isolated place (not really made completely clear), and the episode is basically just the two of them having a conversation over Christmas dinner since they never normally talk, getting to know more about each others lives. While the episode isn’t quite a mystery in the same vein as “White Bear” was, the interesting aspects of it do revolve around where the plot goes, so it’s still not something I can fully talk about without spoiling the fun of it. Suffice it to say, this episode was crazy interesting. I never quite knew where it was headed, but the whole ride was really fun. I actually think this one might be the best episode of the whole series so far. It’s definitely up there with “Fifteen Million Merits” from season 1 and “Be Right Back” from season 2. This is another one that’s helped by some great performances from the leads, Jon Hamm and Rafe Spall. Without spoiling how it plays into the story, I should also mention that the episode explores the idea of blocking a person in real life, in the same way we block people online. Just like with “Be Right Back,” it was a very interesting concept where I found myself questioning how I and everyone else in life would wind up using such technology if it were real. Definitely an awesome episode.

Right, so yeah, not including “White Christmas” (although it is completely fantastic), season 2 was a great follow-up to the first. We get two new awesome episodes with “Be Right Back” and “White Bear,” and one average episode with “The Waldo Moment.” I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s better or worse than the first season, because I kind of felt like they were pretty even, with some exceptions. This is a highly recommended show to watch, and with it only being 7 episodes total (so far at least), it’s definitely an easy one to get through.

4.5/5