All five of the Black Mirror season 6 episodes, ranked

2. Joan is Awful

Out of all five new episodes of Black Mirror released, “Joan is Awful” felt like the most Black Mirror-y episode of the bunch, with a genuine focus on tech-based terrors and satire. It was a solid season-opening installment, and it’s always nice to see Annie Murphy on my screen.

Overall, “Joan is Awful” is a solid installment, but it didn’t explore its twisty concept enough for my tastes, and the actual dialogue felt very cringe in places. Nonetheless, it was still a fun episode, and I always think Black Mirror is at its best when it gives viewers something to stress about after they walk away. How many of us perused the Netflix terms and conditions after watching, just to be safe?

Grade: B

1. Demon 79

Ironically, my favorite episode from Black Mirror season 6 turned out to be one of the least Black Mirror-coded episodes released this season. “Demon 79” would have felt much more at home in Cabinet of Curiosities.

I found the leads to be very endearing. Both Anjana Vasan and Paapa Essiedu are excellent in their roles. Vasan plays a shoe sales clerk named Nida, who inadvertently triggers the apocalypse when she finds a strange talisman at work.

The talisman summons a demon, Gaap (Essiedu), who gives Nida very specific instructions to avert the end of days. This episode plays out more or less like a straightforward horror-comedy, and it worked really well for me. I also loved the somewhat ambiguous ending and Nida’s character. Can we please cast Paapa Essiedu in, like, everything?

How would you rank the latest episodes from Black Mirror season 6?

Grade: A-