A Definitive Ranking of All 'Black Mirror' Episodes

Techno satire-thriller anthology series 'Black Mirror', created by Charlie Brooker and produced by Annabel Jones, has cemented its legacy as one of the best original series of the 21st century, a Twilight Zone for the streaming era, if one may say so.

For the uninitiated, Black Mirror is an anthology series centered on modern societies in near-or-alternative futures, as well as the development and unwanted consequences of new technologies in people's lives. Across 21 episodes, 1 Christmas special and an interactive movie, Brooker has expertly weaved together a diverse, ever-expanding catalogue of offerings for all audiences regarding the terrifying results of society's obsession with class, relationships and cautionary tales: there's a horror episode, a Star Trek spoof, an interactive movie for your 4 year-olds to play with, and one where the British PM has sexual intercourse with a pig.

The usual stuff.

To rank all the episodes together would seem unfair. After all, Black Mirror went through two separate phases:

- The high concept, emotionally driven, made-for-TV batches during the Channel 4 days

- The supercharged, glossier, more experimental style under Netflix.

Under both, however, Black Mirror has more or less succeeded in delivering its core message, which, although delivered with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, is highly effective. For all those who seek escapism and emotional detachment from the horrors of the outside world, by experiencing the horrors of the outside world while you're on your couch, here is a definitive ranking of all Black Mirror episodes.

WARNING: MILD SPOILERS

23. Season 3, Episode 5: "Men Against Fire" - D

Description: "That episode with the bug people thingies..."

The only 'bad' episode of the whole series, Brooker went military with "Men Against Fire", to less-than-inspired results. A dystopian offering, the episodes follows the aptly-named "Stripe", a soldier in the military hunting down extra-terrestrial beings called "Roaches". The new technology in this episode is the MASS implant, which enhances the soldiers' physical conditions to heightened levels, in order for them to combat these-so-called "Roaches".

A commentary on senseless killing and emotional apathy frequently seen in military procedures, Men Against Fire has good intentions at heart, but has too many narrative shortcomings to be anything more. The MASS is certainly intriguing, but the audience could see the twist coming from a mile off, and the hourlong episode on the whole feels like a pale, boring Call Of Duty rip-off.

22. Season 4, Episode 3: "Crocodile" - C-

Description: "The baby killer episode. Yep."

A deeply uneasy watch, and one best left unspoiled, "Crocodile" thrives on Andrea Riseborough's stellar performance as Mia Nolan, riding it through the rough, and quite honestly, sadistic story. A cautionary tale about how your past can come back and haunt you forever, Crocodile is careful in its execution, yet rarely hits the right notes: You'll be rooting for Mia to get away with all the crimes she has committed, but will feel deeply unsettled by the magnitude of her actions.

"The Recall" is the technology-of-the-week, a simple and brutal device that the plot hinges on, unlike many other episodes where the device is a supplement to the main theme. That might be Crocodile's biggest flaw: It mistakes technology for human nature, and is clearly more thrilling when Riseborough's Mia is under duress, rather than when the technology is front and center. Brooker's signature dark, existential humor is nowhere to be found here, resulting in a gorgeously shot, yet relentlessly bleak, middle-of-the-road episode.

21. Season 5, Episode 3: "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" - C-

Description: "Oh, Miley Cyrus is in that."

The series' most recent episode is, sadly, one of its lesser punches. Running at a far too long 67 minutes, "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" would serve better if it were a Hannah Montana spoof.

An episode where the central characters barely meet, Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too is, like Crocodile, far too indulgent in its technology, falling head over heels with A.I.-rendered Ashley Too, while barely serving up anything more than a serviceable, fragmented plot revolving around positive teen pop culture. Miley Cyrus is magnificent as herself, or who the characters called Ashley, and the whole episode would lose its appeal if it weren't for the magnetic central performances.

Not bad, but no one would be thrilled for a rewatch.

20. Season 1, Episode 2: "Fifteen Million Merits" - C+

Description: "The talent show episode."

A fan-favourite amongst the Black Mirror diehards, "Fifteen Million Merits", when taken on its own merit (no pun intended), is a classic: It was Brooker's first foray into the dystopia, experimental style that is prevalent in the Netflix run, and it holds up well with its peers; thanks to the impressive production value and an ambitiously small-scale story on consumerism and the toxic allure of gameshows and entertainment media, audience wouldn't know the difference between Merits and later episodes like Nosedive or USS Callister.

Where the episode starts falling apart is when the audience take a second look: Beyond Daniel Kaluuya's compelling protagonist, power-generating existential cyclist Bing, it's a tiring watch, imaginative as it could have been. Nothing was done with the so called "classes of people", and the final message on capitalism is rather heavy-handed, with Brooker's overbearing writing taking most of the blame.

In short, an interesting sit, but probably not for your usual Mirror binge.

19. Season 4, Episode 6: "Black Museum" - C+

Description: "Can someone check on Charlie? He's gone off the rails again."

The most demented, and quite possibly most horrific, episode of Black Mirror (and that's really saying something), Black Museum is the most Brooker-ish episode of the whole series: it's filled with endearing callbacks, easter eggs and the usual sadistic humor from the creator, as well as sprinkles of unsettling horror.

When a visitor comes to his deserted museum of dangerous artifacts, proprietor Rolo Haynes (a game Douglas Hodge) decides to give her a tour. It's a simple set-up for some of the bleakest storylines of the series. Brooker might have gone a little overboard with his "an eye for an eye" approach at the tail end of the episode, but for its shock value and horrific imageries alone, it's entertaining and is a fitting conclusion for the series had it ended there.

18. Season 4, Episode 5: "Metalhead" - B-

Description: "Black and white? The shortest one too?"

You could swap "Metalhead" and Merits on the ranking and nothing would be missed. However, Metalhead wins out for me personally, for its to-the-punch approach to the dystopia conversation, and also for clocking in at a slender 41 minutes, the shortest episode of the series.

Metalhead is a prolonged chase sequence between a dystopian scrapper and a specialized robot attack dog, and it is as simple and brilliant as it sounds. Anchored by Maxine Peak's performance and David Slade's sure-handed direction, Metalhead works both as a Black Mirror offering and as a valor experiment from Brooker, with established stakes from the get-go and a snappy running time. The episode's only failure lies in its simplicity: the bluntness of it all makes the episode feel out of place from that of the ambitious and provoking storytelling usually seen in Black Mirror.

As a standalone episode though, it's great.

17. Season 4, Episode 2: "Arkangel" - B-

Description: "Helicopter parenting taken to the extreme."

The most uncomfortable watch if you're a teenager, "Arkangel" takes a simple premise and does wonders with it: What would happen if you can watch your child's activities, 24/7?

The small-scale approach is a godsend from Brooker: using the titular technology as a plot device, Arkangel magnifies the central mother-daughter relationship through the daughter's teenage years to an uncomfortable authenticity, deconstructing and deriding the 'helicopter parenting' method prevalent in even the most dynamic families nowadays. Where the episode lacks in flair and oomph, it more than compensates with raw emotions. Jodie Foster's paranoia-filled direction doesn't overstay its welcome, and serves more as a paddle for Rosemarie Dewitt's stunning performance as overprotective mother Marie.

It's the perfect vanilla welcome for those unknown to Black Mirror: high concept, ingenious and very uncomfortable.

16. Season 3, Episode 6: "Hated In The Nation" - B-

Description: "That episode with the killer bees and thick Irish accents"

"Hated In The Nation" is a peculiar episode. It's widely considered as the black sheep of the Black Mirror family, yet is also considered a cult gem. The general audience doesn't hate it as much as they have forgotten it, and surprisingly it's not Brooker's writing that is at fault.

Rather, it's the technology.

A procedural detective episode for the Sherlock bingers, "killer bees" are the new technology, and it is as uninspiring as it sounds. The concept of using social media hashtags as a means to a literal end is fascinating, but how the episode chooses to execute the "killer bees" approach feels more at home in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Running at feature-lengthed 89 minutes, Nation is Black Mirror's longest episode, but thanks to Brooker's stellar writing on themes of surveillance and cancel culture as well as the cast's game performances, it rarely shows.

15. Season 2, Episode 3: "The Waldo Moment" - B-

Description: "Animated Trump teddy bear"

The episode that has aged like fine wine, "The Waldo Moment" is, at first sight your standard, subpar Black Mirror: a neat concept taken to the extreme regarding an animated, perverse teddy bear running for office in a not-so-distant future. The set-up has enough drama and themes to carry it through an admirably slim 43 minutes, and you can happily watch it and rank it somewhere at the bottom of the pile.

Oh, do times change!

Donald Trump's spectacular run to the White House ran almost concurrently with the events of Waldo; granted, bar the colorful, potty-mouthed teddy bear with a mean streak, trying to lure disenchanted voters away from the other snazzy and unfavorable candidate (not a single similarity!). Watching The Waldo Moment now makes it ten times more satirical than when it aired.

The human drama is nothing to write home about, the main character is neither as complex or as relatable as Brooker thinks he is, and there are better episodes to spend your time on, but this remains a fascinating watch all the same.

14. "Bandersnatch" - B-

Description: "Bury or decapitate? Nah, I'm choosing Tony The Tiger."

We have officially moved from "good" to "great" Black Mirror episodes. Everything from here on out ranges from "That was cool" to "Holy fuck".

If "holy fuck" was a rating, "Bandersnatch" would have run away with it, no questions asked.

A film so daring in its innovation that it overcomes any and all narrative flaws, Bandersnatch is both a representation of Black Mirror itself, and what Black Mirror wants to warn us: technology is wonderful, yet dangerously uninhibited. The story itself is nothing special, but surely the audience is more fascinated in screwing with young programmer Stefan's (brilliantly portrayed by Dunkirk's Fionn Whitehead) life than they do the actual story. Who cares if Stefan ends up in jail? We're too busy choosing Kellogg Corn Flakes.

Gimmicky? Yes. Fun? Absolutely. There's no value in a rewatch unless you're trying out another ending, but everyone should give it a try.

As for the overall quality, to quote Tony The Tiger, "it's gggggggggggreat".

13. Season 2, Episode 2: "White Bear" - B

Description: "Oh my god..."

The fact that "White Bear" ranks this high in spite of being one of, if not the most, contrived episode of the series speaks volumes about its final reveal. It's quite genuinely shocking, and leaves a gigantic gut punch that would linger on the viewers' minds long after the credits have rolled.

In the end, isn't that what Black Mirror strives for?

It's a perverse and unflinching look at modern society's susceptibility to casual sadistic torture, and the episode works on many other levels too: as a criticism of reality TV, as a commentary on online harassment, and as a piece of pure, shocking entertainment. In the days where Star Wars fans would send out death threats because their favorite characters don't get their preferred sendoffs, White Bear is a quintessential watch.

12. Season 5, Episode 1: "Striking Vipers" - B

Description: "Dudes don't hug it out; they fight."

A stunning episode best left unspoiled, "Striking Vipers" sees Brooker tackle virtual reality in a much more reserved and sensitive manner, with a neat callback to USS Callister, and is a cautionary tale regarding gaming culture, masculinity, and gender concepts.

At its core, Striking Vipers is a relationship drama: between two friends and their respective romantic relationships with their loved ones. It encompasses how modern society is more prone to letting themselves indulge in frivolous fantasies than in their actual relationships. You can call it escapism, you can call it a simple need, but there's no denying how we see ourselves in Anthony Mackie's Danny and Yahya Abdul Mateen's Karl and their refusal at suburbia complacencies, horrifying as it may be.

A tender, genuinely provoking episode, it's a surprisingly welcomed restraint from Brooker.

11. Season 1, Episode 1: "The National Anthem" - B

Definition: "British PM does a pig LOL #PigKink."

The episode that started it all, "The National Anthem" is the living and breathing definition of 'high concept television': The British PM has to have intercourse with a pig, to be broadcast worldwide, or else a kidnapped princess will be executed. There are a bunch of Youtube videos titled "The National Anthem: Ending Explained" and "Breaking down 'The National Anthem'". What is there to explain here? The PM either fucks a pig or let someone die.

It's that simple.

An effectively stripped down and fittingly demented opener, Anthem does more than enough to hook viewers in for the long haul.

10. Season 5, Episode 2: "Smithereens" - B

Description: "Beware of the Uber driver."

Continuing the more personal stakes of season 5, "Smithereens" is a mature and heartbreaking look at grief and guilt in the days of social media. The twist of the episode is actually quite ingenious: there's no twist. There's no new technology, no final bombastic showdown, or even a conclusion for that matter. Brooker intentionally hit Smithereens close to home, and the end result is as spectacular as it is thought provoking.

Sitting squarely on Andrew Scott's magnetic turn as rideshare driver Chris, the horror of the episode lies in its admirably small stake: Chris abducts Smithereen's (a social media app akin to Twitter) employee Jaden, in the hopes of contacting the app's CEO; however, things soon fall apart as layers of Chris' motivation are peeled off, revealing a tragic backstory and commenting on accountability and by-standing phenomenas.

It's a well made, well acted, and all-around great hour of television.

9. Season 3, Episode 3: "Shut Up And Dance" - B+

Description: "Goddamn, again?"

Another episode headlined by its gut-punching twist, albeit one with a much more cohesive narrative and tighter pacing, "Shut Up And Dance" thrives in its present horror, painting a gaudy picture of privacy, surveillance and malware that wouldn't feel out of place with what's on the news nowadays.

The plot revolves around Alex Lawther's Kenny, as he is blackmailed into escalating crimes after his webcam is hijacked and footage of his "private activities" fall into the wrong hands. It's a relatable premise for all: being a teenager is hard; having one of your "fun" time broadcast to the world is basically a death sentence. Like White Bear, there's an insane 180 in the episode that warrants a rewatch, one that might present a difficult question: Does the end justify the means if the one at gunpoint is bad?

8. Season 4, Episode 1: "USS Callister" - B+

Description: "The How I Met Your Mother episode where the Mother is a Star Trek power slave. Oh and Ted is sadistic Ron Weasley now."

Brooker's loving ode to Star Trek, "USS Callister" started out as a whimsical throwback to the Picard ages of the franchise, but soon descends into an intoxicating look at Sillicon Valley workplace masculinity, VR abuse and dominion, as the episode verges on asking the viewers a very uncomfortable question: If you had the technology, would you take advantage of it to grant yourself power and pleasure in direct relation to the suffering of others?

Sit down Grant, we do not have the technology!

The fact that Brooker reverts all expectations on this episode is a feat unto itself: Our relatable, awkward tech-savvy protagonist Robert (played wonderfully by Jesse Plemons) is in fact *spoilers* a domineering douche who creates and tortures avatars of his real life colleagues to live out his Trekkie fantasies; Viewers end up rooting for one the big "baddies"; The ending is actually happy for once.

It's not the easiest sit, especially for millennials with a lease for dominion, but it's entertaining and thoughtful without ever being preachy, something that can't always be said about the show.

7. Season 3, Episode 2: "Playtest" - B+

Description: "The horror episode."

Brooker's foray into horror, "Playtest", is the most out-there episode of season 3, toying with ideas of free will and familial remorse, while also delivering edge-of-your-seat thrills that Black Mirror hasn't showcased before.

Cooper (Wyatt Russell at his best) is a world traveler, reeling from his father's death and detaching himself from his mom. When his credit card is defraud, Cooper takes on an oddjob at a video game giant, trying out their latest horror game.

From the basic premise, seasoned director Dan Trachtenberg ("10 Clovefield Lane") milks out every single ounce of suspense and paranoia from the genre exercise when given free reins from Brooker and Jones (a rarity in the series). As Cooper descends into madness, so do the audience's awareness of what is real and what is not, until Black Mirror does its thing and pull the rug on the viewers not once, but twice, delivering the tragic ending in spectacular fashion.

It pulls home Brooker's final message: What technology gives, it takes back.

6. Season 3, Episode 4: "San Junipero" - B+

Description: "The one everyone loves."

I have a confession to make: I don't love "San Junipero".

Alright, you can all proceed with gun violence and hateful comments.

Maybe it's my disconnect with 80s nostalgia. Maybe it's the out-of-left-field feeling of this being so different from the usually bleak offerings since the series started airing. Maybe it's because this would have worked better had it bean a theatrical release, not a barely feature-length TV movie.

Don't get me wrong, there's plenty to like about San Junipero: it's probably the only optimistic view of technology in the future during the series; the neon drenched aesthetic; the palpable chemistry between Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mackenzie Davis; and the fact that it might be the closest Black Mirror could get to a theatrical release. Props to director Owen Harris' tender direction and Charlie Brooker's deftly sensitive screenplay also, which seamlessly balances emotional beats and the gut-wrenching plot twist.

It's the heart of what Brooker wants to inspire through the series, of two sides of the technological evolution and how NOT to abuse it.

5. Season 1, Episode 3: "The Entire History Of You" - A-

Description: "You can find out who your significant other fucked a long time ago with this magical device."

The first truly magnificent episode, "The Entire History of You" is all that Black Mirror encompasses: technology has been, is, and will always be a part of our lives, for better or for worse. And in the case of married couple Liam and Ffion (brilliant turns by Toby Kebbell and Jodie Whittaker), it's definitely for the worse.

Where History succeeds is by focusing on the psychological aspect of using technology, taking the wheel while letting the tech itself in the backseat. We fear for Liam's job, for the couple's crumbling marriage, and for the inevitable ending. We ourselves, if put into Liam and Ffion's shoes, would no doubt bring upon ourselves paranoia and insecurities as well, at a click of a button.

History proves that Black Mirror's biggest strength is when it hits close to home, and Brooker should continue with his "personal scale, immediate stakes" approach, rather than be too experimental or crowd-pleasing with his writing.

4. Season 4, Episode 4: "Hang The DJ" - A

Description: "Your not-so-typical romantic drama, from the creator of the pig sex show."

My personal favorite, "Hang The DJ" differentiates itself from its peers in that the main characters actually have satisfying arcs fitting to the audience's expectation. There's no subversion here, no shocking scenes of molestation or interactive features; it's simply an uplifting, sometimes heartbreaking, love story for the Tinder Age.

"Coach", a partner-linking device, works as the "antagonist" of the episode, but in the way that it's a reflection of the self-destructive nature that social media profiles and the likes have injected into any relationship. Here, the characters don't choose their partners; rather, "Coach" will pair up randomly until it has accumulated enough data to find "the one". It's simply quite an ingenious perception of online dating and profiling once you can look past the rom-com cliches that Brooker couldn't help but include.

Other than that, the performances and the chemistry is amazing, the twist doesn't quite hit that sweet spot but is effective nonetheless, and Brooker's writing shines through with humor and heart to spare.

Definitely check this one out!

3. Season 3, Episode 1: "Nosedive" - A

Description: "Holy shit, this actually came true."

Making a splashy transition from homegrown channel to tech giant Netflix, Brooker's opener has also inarguably been his strongest offering for the streaming giant to date, as "Nosedive" set such high expectations for subsequent episodes and seasons that it has more or less ruined Black Mirror for fans of the Channel 4 series.

Using bright color aesthetics for its sugary suburbia setting, Nosedive distant itself from its Channel 4 peers from the get-go. And the difference only expands as the episode goes on: the narratively twisty, experimental storytelling is replaced with a predictable but economic plot; the production value is stunning to watch even for a theatrical release (thanks mostly to director Joe Wright's eye for bright palettes); and the social system plot is pushed to its extreme but through comical shenanigans and sinister societal undertones, rather than the bleak-and-black approach Booker was so fond of.

Off-brand? Yes. Creative? Hell yeah. Worth a watch and a rewatch? Absolutely.

2. Special: "White Christmas" - A

Description: "Oh no, not another existential crisis."

The favorite Black Mirror episode if IMDb is to be trusted (currently sitting at a 9.2), "White Christmas" is the head child for a reason: It carried with it tremendous expectations as "The return of T.V.'s greatest hour"; it was coming off a stellar season 2 and would eventually become Channel 4's final contribution to the franchise before their sendoff to Netflix; and it had arguably its biggest star yet (Jon Hamm before Mad Men ended).

As for the result, to put it lightly, it delivered a banger of a return.

Widely regarded as Brooker's most ambitious effort, Christmas interweaves 3 storylines with minimal connective tissues, only to deliver one doozy ending that seamlessly brings all 3 stories to a fitting conclusion. It's a magnificent piece of writing from Brooker, who interjects both the fledging, uninhibited style of the first two seasons and the more experimental stuff later on into the plot, to universal acclaim and newfound fanbases.

It's a must-watch, even if you're not familiar with the show (what are you even doing with your life then?).

1. Season 2, Episode 1: "Be Right Back" - A+

Description: "It's the one you need to watch."

Black Mirror's true finest hour, "Be Right Back" strives to be so many things at once, yet is always clear about what is at its heart: a mature, gut-wrenching tale of grief.

After her husband Ash dies, Martha (Hayley Atwell's finest hour too) tries to cope with the loss through an A.I. bot, built from Ash's social media interactions. The success of Be Right Back lies in how invested the audience is in Martha and Ash's relationship: when they are a couple, when Martha loses Ash, when Martha gets A.I. Ash, and when the relationship starts breaking down, the viewers are there to sympathize and marvel at the sadness and dysfunction that grief could cause to a human being. The characters feel like a picture perfect encapsulation of life with layered flaws and misgivings, rather than words on a document.

It can't be stressed enough how instrumental Hayley Atwell is to this episode: she is its heart, its emotions, showing range without ever verging on sappiness or melancholy; kudos to Domnhall Gleeson for more than holding up against Atwell's Emmy-worthy performance. Brooker was clearly invested in the story, as he backtracks the usual sledgehammer commentary for a more soulful, touching and tragic love story, and proves that this is where he excels: not at bombast, but at tenderness.

This is the episode that will stick with you time and time again, because you know you would do the same as Martha if you had the chance: to sacrifice closure for a few more wistful moments with your loved ones.