Black Mirror season 6 arrived in 2023 with five new episodes that possess distinct differences in both quality and execution, and they deserve to be ranked. The celebrated Netflix series has featured compelling and innovative stories with largely dystopian themes of technology's destructive impact on society since its inception in 2011. Throughout its 27 episodes, the anthological series has produced some of the most thought-provoking and mind-blowing cautionary tales of how technology, both new and old, can be used to exploit people, manipulate culture, and alter natural concepts of the human experience.

Some of the best episodes in previous seasons of Black Mirror introduced imaginary yet potentially real tech gadgets and software to pose the timeless question of scientific innovation "just because we can, does that mean that we should?" Other episodes are less tech-focused but examine another core element of Black Mirror, which is a self-reflexive lens of social commentary. While Black Mirror season 6 has instances of both, some episodes do a better job of wrapping those central themes into a riveting narrative than others. Here are all five episodes of Black Mirror season 6 ranked by premise, plot, and overall impact.

5 Mazey Day

Black Mirror Season 6, Episode 4

Mazey Day possesses several intriguing components from its opening scene alone, though it's still the weakest episode in Black Mirror season 6. Zazie Beetz plays a familiar deadpan and discerning character named Bo with similar qualities to her stylish and ambitious character Van in Atlanta. The episode offers glimpses of early 2000s nostalgia before iPods had screens and laptops could connect to WiFi but not far back enough before the implementation of long lines at Starbucks for vanilla lattes.

This Black Mirror season 6 episode, while swift and underdeveloped, is well-paced and contains elements of suspense and action shot nicely against a sun-glazed Los Angeles backdrop.

Bo's Canon DSLR camera and the obnoxious celebrity radio do much to point out that celebrity infatuation and the crucial role that paparazzi play in the pop culture business is just as vulturous and intrusive twenty years ago as it is today. This Black Mirror season 6 episode, while swift and underdeveloped, is well-paced and contains elements of suspense and action shot nicely against a sun-glazed Los Angeles backdrop.

There are even exciting elements of heist movies and mystery narratives which by the ending of Mazey Day, the show ultimately makes little use of. Black Mirror season 6, episode 4 essentially tripped on its own feet with the supernatural twist that the celebrity was also somehow a werewolf by night. The overdone creative choice simply doesn't fit in the world of Black Mirror and feels like a missed opportunity despite a poetic final shot that slightly offers a thesis and a glimpse of redemption.

4 Demon 79

Black Mirror Season 6, Episode 5

Demon 79 is d as a Red Mirror production, which is reportedly Charlie Booker's label for content that belongs in the Black Mirror universe but doesn't fall under the category of science fiction or feature commentary that includes themes of technology. While the distinction is made clear from the Red Mirror tag, it can still be seen as frustrating for one of Black Mirror's five episodes to be categorically different from the type of content that the show is celebrated for.

Demon 79 includes stylizations that imitate classic 70s horror films which are enjoyable in the episode but are effectively senseless and irrelevant to the story and its message. Black Mirror season 6, episode 5 accurately demonstrates the overt racial discrimination that people of color, particularly those of Indian and Pakistani descent, faced during that time.

It's an interesting topic for Black Mirror to address albeit a compelling and significant reality of the era in which Demon 79 takes place. The supernatural and pseudo-spiritual angles of the episode seem to comment on the outward appearance of an individual with a mental health condition, but the story loses its momentum with the lack of an acute focus that every great Black Mirror episode has. The fantastical ending of Demon 79 effectively proves that the episode is devoid of any cautionary substance.

3 Joan Is Awful

Black Mirror Season 6, Episode 1

Joan Is Awful is uniquely metaphysical in how it criticizes the very platform on which it's being displayed, which is a satisfying and authentic update to the Black Mirror universe. While Level 1 fictive Joan (Annie Murphy) as explained by Michael Cera isn't all that bad of a person, she is being portrayed as such by the Netflix-parody service Streamberry which proceeds to ruin her life episodically. Black Mirror season 6, episode 1 has all the components of a quintessential installment in the series.

It contains a feasibly attainable technological advancement in a not-so-distant future that offers critiques of a revenue-focused corporation that shifts social connectivity and deters the quality of human life. Joan Is Awful falls short in its punchy humor and uninspired dialogue that border on Marvel-esque. The initial hook of Joan is Awful is one of if not the strongest of Black Mirror season 6, however, the justification for several key plot developments doesn't necessarily add up or pay off on its gripping premise.

For instance, the & conditions explanation making Joan powerless against Streamberry is unrealistic, since there are limitations to what language can legally and ethically be put into agreement contracts. Despite some logical stretches in the narrative, Joan Is Awful succeeds in presenting the probable notion of artificial intelligence writing, producing, and editing content self-sufficiently in the future.

2 Loch Henry

Black Mirror Season 6, Episode 2

Loch Henry is an excellent work of true crime and murder mystery that naturally fits into the Black Mirror universe. It delivers the most poignant self-reflexive argument on the entertainment industry at large throughout Black Mirror season 6. Its message highlights the lack of empathy for real-life tragedy in the behind-the-scenes process of shaping a true crime narrative into a major Hollywood production. Loch Henry contains the strongest scriptwriting of season 6 despite not necessarily feeling much like a Black Mirror episode until its final moments.

Its ending cultural commentary targets the lust for attention and power that comes from being associated with award-winning content. The characters in Loch Henry are some of the most engaging in all of Black Mirror's episodes, particularly the hilarious and friendly bartender Stuart played by Daniel Portman of Game of Thrones fame.

The commentary on the incessant consumption of horrific tragedies that is reduced to binge-watching content for viewing pleasure is quite literally culturally reflective and true to Black Mirror's core.

While some crucial plot elements feel rushed, especially the haphazard death of Pia caused by slipping on a wet rock, the episode's big twist is genuinely surprising and equally terrifying. The lack of a fresh technological angle in Loch Henry could be interpreted as unimaginative or lazy. However, the commentary on the incessant consumption of horrific tragedies that is reduced to binge-watching content for viewing pleasure is quite literally culturally reflective and true to Black Mirror's core.

1 Beyond the Sea

Black Mirror Season 6, Episode 3

Beyond the Sea is the most innovative and expansive installment of Black Mirror season 6. Beyond the Sea excels in nearly every aspect compared to the aforementioned episodes in delivering a highly-original concept whose innovative technological theme organically creates suspense and tension. Aaron Paul steals the entire season with his multifaceted performance as both an outer-space human and an earthbound replica of his character Cliff that alternates the consciousness between his fellow astronaut David (Josh Hartnett).

Beyond the Sea is highly inventive, beautiful in construction, and devastating from start to finish. The bleak and nearly nihilistic outlook in Beyond the Sea is as chilling as it is profound. The straightforward narrative demonstrates the worst of human nature through the perspectives of a morally-skewed cultist, a broken family man, and an innocent friend disadvantaged by his own kindness.

Beyond the Sea refreshingly neglects the often-forced or contrived consideration of hope in the wake of an unimaginably life-shattering event. Beyond the Sea is a deep meditation on the corruptive darkness that can spread like a virus through trauma and violence that ultimately can turn victims into assaulters. It also introduces one of the most awesome technologies in the Black Mirror universe through its linking system of transferrable consciousness, making it the best episode of season 6.

How Season 6 Compares To Other Black Mirror Seasons

Every Black Mirror season brings something different to the table, and season 6 is no exception. Once again, the 5 episodes of Black Mirror Netflix dropped in 2023 were a unique batch of tales. Whether the best or the worst of the bunch, it's inarguable that season 6 didn't drop the ball when it came to pushing boundaries and exploring unique premises. However, comparisons are of course inevitable, and discussions on where Black Mirror season 6 ranks compared to previous installments were near-instant.

Overall, season 6 of Black Mirror can be summed up as "middle of the road" when compared to those that preceded it. It was far from the worst season of Black Mirror - this honor is near-universally given to 2019's season 5, which is still considered the show's low-point. Season 6 also arguably sured 2013's season 2. This was important, as it shows that Black Mirror hasn't completely lost momentum from its earliest outings (and that the move to Netflix was a good decision for the property). Fans were generally happy with season 6, as it represented something of a return to form after the disappointment of season 5.

However, Black Mirror season 6 also didn't match the show's high-points. Seasons 1, 4, and 3 are still considered the absolute apex of Black Mirror (especially season 3). There were some moments in season 6 that sured the worst episodes of the better seasons of the anthology. "Beyond The Sea", for example, can arguably be said to be better than season 4's "Metalhead" or season 1's "The National Anthem".

As a whole though, Black Mirror season 6 simply doesn't have the consistency of the absolute best the show has to offer. For all the brilliance of "Beyond The Sea", episodes like "Demon 79" and "Mazey Day" held the 2023 seasons back - and this is why it can't be said to be among the best Black Mirror seasons (even if it's also not among the worst).