‘Black Mirror’ Season 7: Eerily plausible sci-fi | Arts and Entertainment

When I talk to my college students about emerging and future media technology, I often reference episodes of “Black Mirror”—a series that paints a chilling portrait of new tech evolving to the point of harming people. 

One early episode that sticks with me is “The Entire History of You” from season one. The premise is this: everything you’ve ever seen or heard is recorded by a tiny implant called a “Grain,” allowing you to replay your memories, or even show them to others.

At the start of the episode, a man replays a performance review exchange from earlier while on his way home, dwelling over what was said. It’s relatable. We’ve all had moments—both good and bad— that we think back on and overanalyze. 

But then he starts to obsess about that time his wife laughed a bit too much at another man’s joke that wasn’t that funny. Jealous, he watches it over and over, even forcing the nanny to watch and give her opinion. It starts to feel a bit manic, but his insecurity is human.  

I show a clip from the episode in class and ask students, “Do you think technology could ever get this far—recording your life through your eyes?” When they inevitably shake their heads no, my next slide is queued up, ready to show them otherwise.

A quick Google search shows companies like Sony, Mojo Vision, and XPANCEO have been working on smart contact lenses for years, all with the same goal: recording what you see.

That’s what makes “Black Mirror” so fascinating—and so frightening. It’s not just science fiction. If someone has imagined it, someone else is probably trying to build it.

Season 7 dropped on Netflix this month, and it continues the show’s tradition of social commentary on our tech-obsessed culture—asking eerie “what ifs” about where we might be headed.

The first episode of the new season, “Common People,” explores the greed of a life-extending medical tech startup called Rivermind Technologies. When a brain tumor threatens the life of a schoolteacher named Amanda (Rashida Jones), a Rivermind rep tells her husband Mike (Chris O’Dowd) about the new technology that can replace the surgically removed brain tissue with synthetic tissue and keep her alive by essentially streaming her copied brain from a server. 

Best of all, the procedure is free—there’s only a monthly subscription after. It’s expensive, but life feels like it’s getting back to normal, until Amanda begins to involuntarily spout advertisements at random times. They rush to the Rivermind office and learn that the ad popups in her brain are going to be part of their lives now, unless they want to upgrade to the pricier premium plan.

It feels like a poke at streaming services like Netflix itself. Don’t want ads? Pay more. Want to enjoy your service elsewhere? That’ll cost more. 

It’s corporate greed at its finest, the company showing no remorse about the upcharges or the fact that failure to pay the bill will essentially end Amanda’s service—and her life. 

What an interesting piece of science fiction, right? Wrong—researchers have been able to send and receive brain signals through the internet for more than a decade now. This episode is yet another that feels uncomfortably plausible. 

Episode four, “Plaything,” imagines a 1990s-style video game that’s a bit like “The Sims” mixed with those 90s virtual pocket pets you fed and took care of—except the creatures inside this game are sentient lifeforms, powered by digital consciousness. 

It’s called “Thronglets.” The player tends to the creatures as they evolve, learn, and eventually want autonomy. Sounds fun until the lack of safeguards allows them to become too powerful, breaking through into our world. 

Netflix has even created a mobile game called “Thronglets,” mimicking the story’s game. Creepy. 

This episode brings to mind the hypothetical concept of artificial general intelligence (AGI)—AI that becomes so advanced and self-sufficient, it no longer depends on us, and might even decide it doesn’t need us anymore. And at the rate that AI is advancing, a story like “Thronglets” is especially concerning. 

But not every episode is doom and gloom. “Eulogy” is a sweet story starring Paul Giamatti as a bitter, lonely man named Phillip, who receives a mysterious package that allows him to literally step into photographs from his past, bringing long-faded memories back into focus in an immersive and heartbreaking way. 

The technology allows a user to revisit old memories to find new truths. There’s an intimate nostalgia from exploring the photos, and the episode’s conclusion is beautifully tragic. 

I won’t spoil the other new episodes, but the tech they dive into is pretty wild—and the craziest part? Who knows—it might be hitting shelves near you sooner than you think.

4.5/5