Black Mirror Season 6

Different people binge Netflix for different reasons. We got the adrenaline chasers who like to scare themselves silly with a good horror movie, and those who hustle all day and just want to put their brain on flight mode with some reality shows – AKA the TV equivalent of junk food.

With its ability to make viewers experience dread, thrill, and wonder all in the same episode, it’s not hard to see why Black Mirror is such a smash hit. It also makes their long-awaited comeback – 4 years in the making, to be exact – all the more exciting. After a Season 6 marathon, we couldn’t help but toy with the idea of how grounded in reality these new eps are.

As a science fiction series, how likely is it for these imagined scenarios to actually take place in the real world, in years to come? And to take it a step further, what are the chances that we’d witness these Black Mirror storylines unfolding on home soil? Here’s a ranking, from least to most likely to unfold in a Singaporean context.

Note: Contains major spoilers, proceed with caution.

5. Loch Henry

An egg documentary would be more likely… and appreciated

Us Singaporeans love a good true crime doc, whether it’s crime shows and thrilling mysteries or iconic Crimewatch scenes that are oh-so-quotable. The twist ending of Loch Henry veered away from a typical murder mystery third act to a chilling revelation about the people closest to the protagonist.

Image adapted from: IMDb

As the familiar saying goes, “low crime doesn’t mean no crime”. Whilst there have been a string of spine-chilling Singapore crimes that have taken place over the last couple of decades, there thankfully hasn’t been a case so catastrophically gruesome that it causes serious detriment to our local tourism scene, the way it did for the fictional Loch Henry town in Scotland.

For that reason, we are hashtag blessed to rank this episode as one of the least likely to transpire in Singapore. If anything, we’d find more affinity in the main characters’ original storyline of gearing up to film a documentary on an esteemed egg collector. Nay, not so much a collector as a Guardian of Eggs who protects rare eggs from the high rates of egg theft.

Is it weird that that actually sounds like a ball of a time to watch? It probably has something to do with the nostalgia-inducing visual of holding egg yolks, from the Seng Choon TV commercial we’ve seen since our childhood.

Heebie jeebies rating: 8.5/10. If you’re squeamish when it comes to run-of-the-mill crime documentaries, you might want to shield your eyes for this one. Not only is the footage of the abduction, torture, and bloody killings of the victims tough to stomach, the scenes leading up to the big reveal are also very intense and will have your heart racing with empathetic panic.

4. Mazey Day

An effective anti-drug cautionary tale, if werewolves were a thing in SG

Although it doesn’t delve much into tech themes, Mazey Day was full of twists and turns, teasing the viewers with various themes as the episode progressed.

Image adapted from: Netflix

Was the main takeaway going to be about paparazzi ethics? Mental health and one’s reeling with guilt and shame from having caused harm to a fellow human? Or even the hidden struggles of those working in the various hierarchies of media? Well, out of all the possible paths the plot could’ve taken, we def didn’t see a CGI animal horror coming.

What originally seemed like the tale of an accidental homicide or manslaughter case turned out to be a CGI-driven creature tragedy, operating on the same level as meme-inspiring films like the Sharknado franchise.

We can barely tell the difference.
Image credit: Rotten Tomatoes

As many viewers have pointed out, the CGI twist was so bad that it borders on being cringey. At a dismal 5.3 out of 10 stars, Mazey Day currently has the lowest IMDb rating out of all Season 6 episodes, by a long shot. Harsh critics even remarked that the episode was so ridiculously written that it almost plays like a parody of what Black Mirror – in its heyday – is supposed to be.

At the end of the day, could the moral of the story be “don’t do drugs”, and you won’t risk getting possessed by a werewolf? Now, that’s a message that the Central Narcotics Bureau of Singapore could get behind.

Heebie jeebies rating: 4.5/10. Save for a few heart-pounding scenes amplified by the trippy editing style, strategically intended to give you the hazy effect of both psychological turbulence as well as substance usage, this ep is rather mild. If anything, the werewolf chase scenes were probably meant to be ultra frightening, but ended up looking cheap and low-key comical.

3. Demon 79

We’ll take our amulets without a side of murder quests, thank you very much

As the season finale and Black Mirror’s last shot at wowing us before going on hiatus again, Demon 79 kind of missed the mark – chalking up the 2nd lowest audience rating of Season 6. It had all the makings of potentially being a period piece hit though, with a quaint 1979 English setting perfected by artfully done colour grading and intricate retro visuals.

Image credit: Den of Geeks

Alas, things took a nosedive – a lil reference there for seasoned Black Mirror fans – the moment that awful physical manifestation of the titular demon showed up on screen. Seriously, 2 special effects creatures in consecutive episodes? What were you thinking, @BlackMirror?!

Not gonna lie, there were some witty quips in this episode that did get a light chuckle out of me. Which, after the unsettling developments of Episodes 2 and 3 in particular, are a welcome shift in tone and some light-hearted tomfoolery before we bid yet another season adieu. 

In terms of how relatable it is for Singaporeans, local viewers may have sat up and paid special attention at the mention of amulets. That said, the amulets we’re familiar with are largely the ones used for feng shui benefits. No killing quests involved, thank goodness.

If you’d like the complete opposite of befriending a demon-in-training and being banished to post-apocalyptic nothingness with him for the rest of eternity, AKA some protection from evil forces and blessings of abundance instead, feel free to pick up an amulet or 2 from Fu Lu Shou Complex. #NotSponsored

Heebie jeebies rating: 6.5/10. With a slew of violent scenes depicting both daydream fantasies as well as actual gruesome murders, squeamish folks need to ready themselves for quite a bloody ep ahead. Other than that, the storyline isn’t particularly stress-inducing, as the high stakes consequences of not achieving the 3-kill count is overshadowed by the absurdity of it all.

2. Beyond the Sea

We all know a sabo kia or 2, but thankfully not to this degree

Beyond the Sea is widely regarded as the best episode of Black Mirror Season 6, clocking the highest IMDb rating at the time of writing. The storyline and universe is as close to OG Black Mirror as you can get, with themes of sci-fi and tech taking centrestage.

Image adapted from: Netflix

Hands up if you were on the edge of your seat towards the finale, where you thought that Cliff was about to be trapped out of their flight vessel and cruelly unalived by his space mission partner. While that looming possibility already left a pit in viewers’ stomachs, the eventual reveal turned out to be way, way worse.

The widowed astronaut, David, turns out to be the ultimate sabo kia. We’ve all crossed paths with one – or a few – at various stages of life. They’re all about the “if something bad happens to me, I have to make others suffer too” mentality. In other words, they ruin things for people around them and are proof to the age-old saying: “this is why we can’t have nice things”.

Image adapted from: Chan, Wikimedia Commons

In a local context, you may recall incidents ranging from bike sharing mishaps where people abused rental bicycles to the point of tossing them into the Singapore river or down a HDB block, to Covid-era nationwide where people flouted the rules – be it mask wearing or group gathering in public spaces – which led to nationwide restrictions either being applied or prolonged. Feels bad man.

Of course, the premise of tech-fuelled space expeditions might not be the most relatable be it in a Singaporean context or even across the globe. But tapping onto the element of suffering ill fates at the hands of someone who believes that misery deserves company, we can’t help but experience a pinch of PTSD caused by the various sabo kias we’ve come face to face with.

Heebie jeebies rating: 7.5/10. The brutal mutilation scene at the start of the ep ensured that this wasn’t a casual TV session to wind down with for the night. In fact, you’d probably need to wind down from this harrowing hour or so, especially after its conclusion that instils such horror and hopelessness that you’ll be staring at your reflection in the screen like, bruh. Classic Black Mirror feels!

1. Joan Is Awful

At the rate that we gloss over T&Cs, who’s to say what we’re signing off on?

First of all, a moment of silence to all the Joans out there. Imagine jumping for joy that the new season dropped, only to see that Episode 1 is bashing you in its title.

Image credit: IMDb

Joan Is Awful plays on the all-too-common phenomenon of tech users neglecting to read the terms and conditions of whatever online platform they’re signing up for. Realistically speaking, you can’t really fault us for not having the time of day to scan through pages upon pages of tiny contractual text. I mean, what are we? Lawyers?

While the concepts of an AI quantum computer – or as Salma Hayek so gloriously puts it, quam-puta – being able to generate original series based on each and every user’s unique life experiences is far-fetched to say the least, you gotta admit that the theme of not knowing what’s in the T&Cs hits very close to home.

Image adapted from: Bondee

Remember the whole hoo-ha about whether or not the Bondee social networking app – RIP, the hype died down faster than I could finish decorating my virtual room – was a scam?

The overwhelming paranoia and lack of awareness were testament to how the average user has no idea what they’re signing up for when they conveniently check off the “Agree to terms and conditions” box with absolute nonchalance.

No judgement here, as we’re just as guilty as you are. Thank goodness that the consequences aren’t as dire as having the most private and sometimes damning happenings of your daily life broadcast for all to see. For now, that is…

Heebie jeebies rating: 2/10. Save for the church pooping scene – a string of words I never expected to write – this episode is hardly creepy or disturbing. In fact, it has probably the most light-hearted and borderline wholesome endings of this season. Just don’t watch it while you’re eating, especially if it’s burgers.

Black Mirror storylines in a Singaporean context

Those who’ve followed along on the Black Mirror journey since Season 1 dropped over a decade ago would realise a jarring detail: Season 6 doesn’t have very much to do with the themes of futuristic tech, sci-fi, or even social media at all.

While technology was originally the driving force behind the series as a whole – with the term “black mirror” said to refer to the reflection cast by your gadgets’ screens – the show’s creator, Charlie Brooker, has expressed that there’s a slight shift with this season.

You can now expect Black Mirror episodes to play more on the overarching theme of human nature. In particular, how it can all go horribly wrong.

Perhaps with this new plot direction, we will begin to see more reflections of our daily life as Singaporeans in upcoming seasons. A cheeky Red Mirror spin-off for our Little Red Dot, perhaps? Oh wait, that’s actually the name that Charlie Brooker has for the new horror-esque Black Mirror episodes.

For more Netflix guides and deep dives:

• Netflix hacks for a better viewing experience
• Squid Game: “Singapore Edition”
• Alice In Borderland Season 2 fun facts
• Singapore movies on Netflix

Cover image adapted from: IMDb, Netflix