The best science fiction is either pure spaceships and aliens escapism or intelligent present-day social commentary viewed through a more pliable lens than that available to Charlotte Bronte or even Tom Wolfe. By virtue of its title, Black Mirror is prevented from being the former, so it must succeed at the latter, which it did in the early seasons, at least often enough to maintain viewer goodwill through the episodes that were too long, too self-indulgent, or not clever enough to merit rewatching. Season 6 aired in 2023 and is broadly despised by the show’s extremely online fanbase for its largely unsuccessful detours into self-parody and horror. So, hopes were high that the latest six episodes comprising Season 7 of the anthology series would represent a return to form.