A Constant Visual Feast

Admittedly, the supposition that science fiction media has caught up with Black Mirror is hard to prove without chatting up the directors and creators of movies and TV shows like Companion and Severance. But boil these productions down to their loglines and you might be fooled into thinking that they’re episodes from Black Mirror‘s seasons past. I wouldn’t blame you, either! This, maybe more than anything, is the likelier effect of the series on pop culture: the immediate association with contemporary sci-fi with Charlie Brooker’s creation.

But man: that creation has hit an expiration date. I skipped most of season six, which I had no taste for after just a single episode, and frankly would have also bailed on season seven were I not reviewing it – though, all things being fair and just, that would’ve denied me the pleasure of “Eulogy,” where Paul Giamatti’s prototypical grump character tugs at the heartstrings in the natural, lived-in, prickly way only he can while still expressing the greatest remorse.

Years from now, if I ever participate in a ranking of Black Mirror‘s best episodes – and never say never! – “Eulogy” will be at the top. In the meantime, go down the techno-paranoiac rabbit hole with my review of the season, for Salon.