With fans just days away from watching the first Black Mirror sequel episode—”USS Callister: Into Infinity,” the long-awaited follow-up to standout 2017 entry “USS Callister”—creator Charlier Brooker hints it might not be the last time the series continues one of its stories.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Brooker gave a vague but promising tease about what’s ahead for Black Mirror after season seven. “There’s a degree of freedom within the format,” he said. “We’ve done a sequel for the first time this season. We’re now looking at old episodes and thinking, ‘How could you revisit that idea?’ As long as it’s interesting, I’m allowed to make it and people continue to fucking watch, I’d like to keep making the show.”
The mind reels pondering all the episodes we’d like to revisit after “USS Callister” gets its moment; “San Junipero” is perfect as is, but its popularity definitely puts it on the list for further exploration. And it’s one that Brooker himself references when asked about the careful process of deciding each season’s sequence of episodes.
“I’m often not the best judge,” he admitted. “When we did the first season for Netflix, I thought ‘San Junipero’ or ‘Playtest’ should be the opener. Netflix was like, ‘No, we think it should be ‘Nosedive.’ I felt like it was, I don’t know, quite gentle? So, I tested it out by showing a friend of mine. About ten minutes in, she went, ‘Oh my god. This is an absolute fucking nightmare.’ Turns out it was accessible, and it was the best choice. But there’s an element to ordering these that’s like sequencing an album. You need tonal breaks.”
“USS Callister: Into Infinity” is the final episode of season seven. But as eager as you may be to see what Nanette Cole and company are up to now, you can guess Brooker hopes you’ll watch the episodes in the order they’re curated to get that full Black Mirror album experience. The new season hits Netflix April 10.
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