Score: 4/5 

Djo summons new musical directions for his third studio album, a mostly successful venture that capitalizes on the success of the softer sounding “End of Beginning.” 

I’m a recent but hardcore fan of Stranger Things star Joe Keery’s musical persona, Djo, so I was incredibly excited when he announced his third studio album, The Crux, which released on April 4. 

The leadup to this album featured the early releases of “Basic Being Basic” and “Delete Ya,” two laid-back tracks that embody enthusiastic and mournful tones respectively, but harness the same catchy riffs and choruses that made so many great songs on DECIDE — Djo’s second album, which featured the hugely popular “End of Beginning.” 

It was surprising, then, that so much of The Crux features classic-rock influences like Fleetwood Mac and Queen, but it’s understandable. Each of Djo’s albums has harnessed a different energy: Twenty Twenty was particularly psych-rock while DECIDE was electronic, but those albums were connected by a sound that was uniquely “Djo,” and that remains true in The Crux. 

The album begins with “Lonesome Is A State of Mind,” a track that starts melancholic, reflecting on the repetitive nature of life: “I’ve seen this movie before / I think I’ve heard this song,” Djo sings in a soft voice. This tone quickly bounces into something more hopeful as the instrumentals swell into an upbeat and enthusiastic chorus that retains sadness in the background, a feat accomplished by keening vocals and airy notes: “You’re not lonely / When you’re hanging with yourself.”  

The song sets the tone for the rest of the album: one that will continue to balance hope and mourning with startling deftness and grace. 

“Basic Being Basic” jumps into the fray next, showcasing Djo’s monotonous, bouncing vocals amidst an almost eight-bit, synth instrumental backing, both elements something fans will recall from DECIDE.  

The first chorus establishes a cheerful mood that continues to jump through the rest of the song until the intoxicating and thumping bridge, but the upbeat tone betrays the lyrics, which reflect on how complicated and potentially sad a “basic” life is: 

“Change your body, change your face, curl your hair then make it straight / […] / It’s a flash photograph / What an empty epitaph that is (That’s basic).” 

And finally, if you’ve ignored the lyrics and simply grooved along to the song, the ending hits you in the face with its plain final line, suddenly delivered without tone or musical background: “Yeah, my tight five might get a laugh as is / If that’s funny, [plainly] I’m not funny.” 

Next up is “Link,” the first classic rock song of the album, with electric riffs driving the listener through lyrics about feeling empty after supposedly achieving success and realizing that sometimes, the prescribed path isn’t the one that makes you happy — something I’m sure a lot of soon-to-be graduates can understand. 

The song is a wild success, showcasing Djo’s ability to embody a rock n’ roll timbre adjacent to “Flash Mountain” way back on Twenty Twenty. Djo jives triumphantly here, championing everyone who would stray from the norm: “I said hey! / A link is breaking out of the chain!” 

If you told me “Potion,” the album’s fourth track, was a lost Fleetwood Mac song, I would believe you. The jaunty strings and Djo’s falsetto lyrics detailing his search for a lover “who leaves on the lights” pull at your chest in the best way. Once again, the emotional resonance here is undeniably rich, making for a simple song that hits all the right notes. 

“Delete Ya,” the other previously released song from this album, will resonate most with fans of “End of Beginning.” The content is strikingly similar, dealing with nostalgia and love for a past place and lover that feel impossible to let go of. “Oh God, I wish I could delete ya / ‘Cause nothing can compete with ya,” croons Djo in yet another sombre track that you can’t help but sing and dance along to. 

The song displays just how technically complex Djo’s music has become. His previous two albums contained this same dichotomy, but it feels distilled to perfection in the first half of The Crux, emotional and moody but contagiously sticky. And this time, the bleak ending of “Delete Ya” — “One heart could bleed for the future us / If we were young, but this is done” — leads into another bleak song. 

“Egg” begins with a murky, electronic beat and more of Djo’s low, almost-whispered vocals detailing the speaker’s uncertainty and dissatisfaction: “Don’t you wish you could be somebody else?” 

The whole song is a gradual building-up of pressure, with haunting instrumentals resonating like unsaid horrors lurking beneath the surface until the tension breaks with Djo’s rageful screams mounting into a startling cut.  

But there is no relief in this song: the building tension resumes as twinkling overtures, haunting voices and other instrumentals — including a saxophone in the final seconds — overlap and finally go silent. 

With all that pressure, the next song, “Fly,” provides some soothing relief with its airy, acoustic guitar thrums and breezy vocals. The pain of the previous song is evident here, with a speaker craving to fall back into old comforts after a long, loveless winter: “When will spring come again? I need the bloom,” sings Djo. “Falling back to her / Could be easy to do / But I must fly / Fly away from her.” 

Ultimately, the song embodies a liminal space between life stages, reflected by the psychedelic, echoing instrumentals and the vocals that drift between stanzas. It is another hauntingly beautiful song that ends with a triumphant chord and equally triumphant lyrics: “Wind is at your back now / Carry me away now.” 

Fittingly, the next song begins with a bouncy, upbeat throughline reminiscent of “Mr. Blue Sky.” This is “Charlie’s Garden,” a track that splices bright verses with a nearly biblical, sermon-esque chorus and phone calls voiced by Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery’s co-star on Stranger Things, of all things. 

“Charlie’s Garden” feels like a showcase of ignorant bliss in the face of trouble, with the speaker trapped in a cycle of deferral and empty promises: “That work just won’t do itself / […] / I’ll just wait another day / One more day / In Charlie’s garden.”  

This is an undeniably fun track even before the bright trumpets join the fray, but the phone calls especially — in which Djo is repeatedly set aside in what seems like a professional setting — seem to imply a darker side of the story, which the speaker ignores and fully cuts off at the end of the song. 

It is somewhat strange then, that “Gap Tooth Smile” is the next song. This is a straight-up love song, a punchy, rock n’ roll tune detailing someone falling for the simple features of a woman: “It’s her hair, her style / But I fell in love with her gap-tooth smile.” The song features groovy licks, psychedelic riffs and a whole lot of fun. It may be a little out of place with the rest of the songs, but it’s a great thrill. 

“Golden Line” represents where this album begins to lose steam, in my opinion. The tunes are light, almost angelic, as Djo reflects on how love can lift even the darkest spirits: “The world can be so cruel / But I still trust in love.” On my first listen-through of this album, I began to feel fatigued by this point, but admittedly, I’ve come around a bit more on subsequent listens. It’s a solid entry either way: Djo’s voice is soulful and rich, especially at the track’s end, when it fades perfectly into the next song. 

“Golden Line” flows right into “Back On You,” which begins with a choir hymn before a steady drum beat interrupts the vocals and brings another classic rock beat to the forefront. This is a fun song with a lot to like — groovy licks and layered vocals all around as Djo thanks the friends and family who’ve supported him this far in his journey — embodying angelic rock n’ roll vibes to build to a strong, triumphant finale. 

But there’s still one more song, the denouement-esque “Crux.” This song is a blend of so many sounds we’ve heard in the album, with musical motifs reminiscent of “Charlie’s Garden” and “Back On You” specifically. 

Piano chords and a deep guitar thrum hold “Crux” together as it builds into soft choruses about staying true to yourself and spreading love with your community: “Get back to your heart / But only if you give it back again,” sings Djo. 

It’s a poignant ending to this emotional rollercoaster, satisfying so many dissonant chords from before, but it doesn’t reach the same highs nor does it feel as satisfying as the endings of Twenty Twenty or DECIDE. 

Overall, while The Crux may not feel like Djo’s most cohesive album from front to back, many of its songs send his musicality to new heights. The beginning of this album, especially, is a powerhouse of poignant and thrilling tracks that have become instant staples of my playlist. This is a musician with a bright future, whose unique sound can stretch into any number of genres, emotions and styles. 

I’m already anticipating his next album, but I’ll be happy with Stranger Things season five in the meantime. 

With 35 years passing since its release, the Cocteau Twins’ Heaven or Las Vegas remains an undoubtably iconic piece in the band’s discography and alternative pop music at large. 

On September 17, 1990, the Cocteau Twins released their sixth studio album, Heaven or Las Vegas. Since its release, the album has continued to represent the pinnacle of the band’s sound, with Las Vegas tracks almost entirely encompassing the band’s most streamed songs. According to the Cocteau Twins’ website, as of July 2024, tracks from Heaven or Las Vegas made up six out of the band’s 10 most listened-to songs despite the eight other studio albums in their corpus. 

Heaven or Las Vegas builds deep, sonic landscapes that are almost entirely reliant on instrumentals rather than building stories through lyrics, which tend to be purposefully incomprehensible in the mix. 

Notably, the band’s website has a whole page dedicated to their mystifying lyrical approach. The band contends that their main goal is to focus most on the sound of their tracks, not the lyrical content. The Cocteau Twins’ lead vocalist Elizabeth Fraser expanded on this idea in a 1993 interview with Mondo 2000: 

“Combining words in different languages that I couldn’t understand just meant I could concentrate on the sound and not get caught up in the meaning,” said Fraser. “They don’t mean anything, though, that’s the thing. You know all the transcendent sounds. It’s all sound all the way through.” 

Perhaps no track speaks to this sense of transcendence better than the album’s opener in the light and airy “Cherry-coloured Funk,” a cut with an immediately uplifting soundscape that perfectly sets the stage for the album. 

“Iceblink Luck” is another lighter cut, with Fraser’s vocals floating in high pitches over low, layered instrumentals. 

One of my personal favourite songs on the album is the titular track, which is almost as popular as “Cherry-coloured Funk” as the two share a similar lighter atmosphere. The track is just plain fun, with the higher-pitched rhythmic instrumentals and Fraser’s vocals, which are slightly more intelligible than usual, lighting up the song. 

Heaven or Las Vegas delightfully mixes more somber sonic atmospheres with lighter ones like the one found in the opening and title tracks. 

“I Wear Your Ring” is one of these tracks with a more somber aesthetic. The song opens with a very deeply pitched synth instrumental. Fraser’s vocals are densely layered in this track, with lower and higher pitched takes over top of each other to intensify the sonic atmosphere. 

The album also finishes with one of these more introspective and somber tracks in “Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires,” wherein deeper percussion and lower synth sounds contrast with Fraser’s angelic vocals until the standing-ovation-worthy closer. 

Other stand-out tracks on the album include “Pitch the Baby,” a less intense track that maintains the album’s fun sound; “Fotzepolitic,” an upbeat cut backlit by rhythmic, quick paced instrumentals; and “Wolf in the Breast,” a slower song that encompasses a more thoughtful atmosphere. 

Overall, Heaven or Las Vegas is undoubtably a standout piece of the Cocteau Twins’ work, with its influence on the band’s discography and the alternative dream-pop genre remaining undeniable, even after 35 years. 

Score: 2.5/5 

Go watch A Minecraft Movie in theatres. Yep, that’s it. That’s the review. 

Just… don’t go into the theatre expecting an amazing movie, because this live-action adaptation of the hit video game Minecraft will almost certainly leave you disappointed. As a film, it’s very, very flawed. 

As I anticipated in my skeptical analysis of the film’s first trailer, the visual style of the live-action Minecraft world — arguably the most important part of a film attempting to adapt a game with an incredibly unique look — really isn’t up to par.  

For starters, the creatures inhabiting the world of Minecraft are creepy and unsettling.  

Cute blocky sheep have been transformed into terrifying vomiting monsters. Innocent in-game villagers now have lifelike human skin. The “piglins” living in the Nether dimension are now hairy and have fat, flabby stomachs. 

None of it is visually appealing, and in some ways, it feels strangely insulting to the charming style of its source material. While the Minecraft game feels like its visuals are crafted with love, its movie adaptation almost seems to make a joke out of it. As a longtime Minecraft player, the movie’s look really didn’t resonate with me. 

This disappointment is only sustained by the performance of Jack Black as Steve, the closest thing Minecraft has to a protagonist. Black was tasked with an undoubtedly difficult role in this project, considering the in-game version of Steve is a player avatar without any personality whatsoever beyond his structural role as the player’s avatar for exploring, building and mining as they please. He’s meant to become whatever the player wants him to be which prompted the question: How can you bring the role to life in a satisfying or resonant way through a story-based movie? 

You can’t. Or, at least, you can’t do it well. 

Oftentimes, Jack Black feels as though he’s simply playing himself rather than any specific movie character. He brings his signature charisma and sense of humour to the role, but this all amounts to his character simply feeling like Jack Black rather than someone who genuinely lives in the world of Minecraft. The film’s designers didn’t even do anything to alter his visual appearance; instead, we have regular old Jack Black wearing a teal shirt, complete with his unshaven, scraggly beard. 

Again, none of this can really be described as the actor’s fault, considering the in-game version of Steve doesn’t have any explicit character lore to work with in a story adaptation where he can talk. It’s just unfortunate that it feels like there wasn’t an attempt to make a unique Steve at all; it constantly feels like we just have Jack Black running around having fun in the movie’s blocky world. 

But back to the plot, Steve, who has lived in the world of Minecraft for some time, is eventually joined by a quartet of misfits once they stumble upon the “Orb of Dominance” and the “Earth Crystal,” which, once combined, open a portal to the world of Minecraft. It’s a bit disappointing to see the film use the rehashed “real-world people enter video game world” plot, which was also used in the likes of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and The Super Mario Bros. Movie — both of which, coincidentally, also featured Jack Black in major roles. It’s not like the film is breaking any new ground. 

Compared to Black, I vastly preferred Jason Momoa’s performance as Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison. His character was quite funny throughout the film, and despite Black’s character not being up to par, the chemistry they experienced on screen was palpable. One scene in particular, in which Steve and Garrison squeeze their bodies into a “man sandwich” to fit through a tiny hole, was especially funny. 

Sebastian Hansen took on the role of Henry, a creative boy who finds himself at home in the world of Minecraft, where he can finally use his imagination without limits. The young actor has some nice moments with Black and Momoa, with him forming a friendship with the latter that feels especially sincere. Henry exploring the world of Minecraft with a sense of wonder, as so many children have while playing the game in real life, was a highlight throughout the movie. 

Unfortunately, the two leading women were quite underutilized. Emma Myers’ Natalie and Danielle Brooks’ Dawn both showed signs of interesting character building, but ultimately didn’t appear too much throughout the movie. It would have been nice for the film to further explore their characters and motivations, and give them more screen time to shine. 

Surprisingly, many of the movie’s jokes land in stride. Jennifer Coolidge excelled in her role as a principal who falls in love with a Villager and was consistently funny every time she appeared on screen. She took a silly premise and made it delightful to watch, especially during a mid-credits scene that explores her relationship with the Villager further. 

Other than that, the film is pretty standard not-great-kids-movie fare, complete with an underwhelming story and generally subpar writing. A Minecraft Movie is probably better than what I had expected, but it’s still nothing to write home about. 

Why, then, am I strongly recommending you see this movie in theatres? 

It’s because there’s something else to A Minecraft Movie than the film itself: the magic that the movie has brought to life in theatres. 

See, the movie’s existence has become somewhat of a meme online, with particular lines from the trailers (“I… am Steve” and “flint and steel!” especially) having gone viral. This has led to an unusual sensation in which theatres break out in clapping and cheering anytime one of these lines is spoken on screen, and it’s the most hilarious moviegoing experience I’ve ever had. 

There’s something so strangely magical about a theatre full of kids, teenagers and twenty-somethings bursting into joint applause when Jack Black shouts “chicken jockey!” that is hard to describe in a written review. It’s something that needs to be experienced to be fully understood. 

See, when people start cheering, they’re not really celebrating the movie in a serious way. It’s an interesting dynamic where the movie is something to laugh at rather than laugh with, but that doesn’t make it any less hilarious. 

I strongly recommend that you go to the theatre and watch this movie on a busy evening, because the experience of attending A Minecraft Movie is unparalleled. I can confidently say that taking part in this meme-based movement makes sitting through A Minecraft Movie entirely worth it. It’s probably not worth watching after the movie leaves theatres, so I suggest you take part in the experience while it’s still relevant. 

So yes, you should go watch A Minecraft Movie — not because the movie’s any good, but because of the cultural phenomenon it’s awakened in everyone who goes to see it. 

After three decades, Björk’s sophomore album remains as vibrant as ever. 

On June 13, 1995, Björk released her second album Post. The album was a bold follow-up to her wildly successful solo album following her departure from the Sugarcubes, Debut, which was released two years prior.  

Evident right from the luscious bright pink cover art, Post brings an equally beautiful and chaotic sound to the Icelandic singer’s already lively budding discography. 

In an interview with Stereogum, Björk described Debut and Post as two halves of a whole. She said this is where she drew inspiration for the album’s title, attempting to signify that the two works were a “before-and-after kinda thing.”  

Though Björk’s overall sound is hard to pin down, ranging from ethereal, intense, technically precise and, at times, downright (enjoyably) bizarre, the synchronicities between the two albums are trackable as per their stated developmental connection by the artist. One even could listen to the two albums back to back and they would sound like a consistent double-album. Still, there are important differences between the two; Debut favours harsher pitches and Post is a bit softer in comparison, oftentimes employing a more muted and simpler sonic atmosphere. 

Despite Post’s lack of sharp noise, the album is not any less intense than its predecessor. The album opens with the aggressive “Army of Me,” a rhythmic cut with almost a technologically advanced rock track backing Björk’s warnings not to “complain once more” lest you meet the “army” within her. 

The repetitive percussion in the song almost gives it a heartbeat, which mirrors Björk’s production intent to “bring the album alive,” making Post its own universe through unique instruments and new sounds. 

In terms of the production process for Post, Björk said she felt the need to be “musically promiscuous” and bring a “different mood” to each track. She attributed this to her time producing Post in London and being “too excited” about it all. 

“The picture on the cover is me on Piccadilly Circus [in the West end of London], too excited, too many things, Bright Lights Big City kinda thing […] so my musical heart was scattered at the time, and I wanted the album to show that,” said Björk. 

Listening to Post shows that she clearly succeeded in this endeavour. Although many of the songs detail the throes of romantic endeavours, the album has an incredible sonic range that displays this subject matter in different ways on each track. 

Many of the album’s upbeat tracks have become staples of Björk’s discography — a considerable feat as she now touts nine other studio albums, many of which are considered classic works of modern music. 

One of these staple tracks is the highly theatrical “It’s Oh So Quiet,” which is the absolute opposite of what its title suggests. Filled with Björk’s screams and yells backed by Broadway style instrumentals, the track brings an incredibly fun listening experience. 

An equally enjoyable upbeat track on the album is “I Miss You,” where Björk sings about missing the idea of a lover she has yet to meet. The lyrics are backlit by a fun dance track and rhythmic beats, interestingly contrasting with the subject matter. 

However, I would argue that Post shines even brighter through its several softer tracks that bring an undeniably beautiful listening experience that I have rarely found replicated in any other artist’s work. 

“Cover Me” and “You’ve Been Flirting Again” are a couple of these beautiful tracks, with the former bringing two minutes of flowing strings and simple vocals to establish a mellow atmosphere and the latter bringing a soft serenade backlit by cascading instrumentals. 

Post’s crowning track is also one of these softer cuts (and my personal favourite song by Björk). “Possibly Maybe,” a song whose subject material spans an exciting romantic fling from beginning to end, opens with noises that resemble an old computer reluctantly starting up before soft synth notes draw in. The track revolves around the exciting uncertainty of a new relationship, with Björk repeatedly wondering what might “possibly maybe” happen with the connection. 

The song lifts the listener through an ethereal experience, immersing them in the emotion behind the song. 

Overall, Post currently stands as my favourite album by Björk for its beautiful intensity and reluctance to be confined to a singular genre, sound or sonic atmosphere.  

Even if you haven’t already heard of Black Mirror, you’ve almost certainly been living through it. Black Mirror, Netflix’s hit anthology series created by Charlie Brooker, explores the dangers of technology through an array of thought-provoking episodes, asking a series of “What if?” questions that leave you questioning everything you know about humanity and our overreliance on technology.  

It’s hauntingly prescient: we find ourselves closer than ever to living through a real-life episode of the show as the use of artificial intelligence continues to spiral out of control, proving the series’ unnerving parallels to our own reality. 

With Black Mirror’s seventh season rapidly approaching on April 10, there’s never been a better time to look through the show’s catalogue of episodes to see where it made us think, where it fell flat and where it might just define our future. 

Here are all 28 episodes of Black Mirror, ranked from worst to best. 

(*Heavy spoiler warning ahead for the entire show thus far.*) 

28) “Mazey Day” — Season 6, Episode 4 

When Black Mirror flops, it flops hard, and no episode demonstrates that better than “Mazey Day.” What starts as a terribly boring review of how the paparazzi negatively impacts the lives of celebrities — you know, a point that pretty much everyone already agrees with — gets even worse when the main character inexplicably transforms into a werewolf midway through the episode. This awful excuse for a plot twist came out of nowhere and left me intensely confused and frustrated by the end of the episode. After watching it, I had to wonder whether Brooker actually thought he had something insightful here, or if he wrote this episode as a joke because he lost some sort of bet. 

“Mazey Day” isn’t just the worst episode of Black Mirror — with zero redeeming qualities, it’s a strong contender for the worst episode of television I’ve ever seen, and I advise you to avoid it at all costs. 

27) “Metalhead” — Season 4, Episode 5 

The only reason “Metalhead” isn’t in last place is because Black Mirror somehow managed to top it (bottom it?) with “Mazey Day,” but trust me, that isn’t saying much. 

“Metalhead” is a wasted slog of an episode where we watch a lethal robotic dog chase a woman around and… yeah, that’s pretty much all that happens. While many Black Mirror episodes ask thought-provoking questions about technology and what it might become, “Metalhead” pretty much just asks what would happen if dogs were killer robots, and the outcome is about as predictable as you’d expect. There’s not much else to say here. 

Oh, and the entire episode is filmed in black-and-white, because having it with colour would apparently risk making it too entertaining. 

26) “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too” — Season 5, Episode 3 

This episode is quite a bizarre watch because it all feels like some sort of weird joke. Its bright and bubbly themes make it feel like it shouldn’t be taking itself seriously, yet with a story about a celebrity being controlled by her manager, it does take itself seriously, and it’s never quite clear what this episode is trying to be. 

It also stars Miley Cyrus in one of the show’s biggest celebrity cameos, but it feels oddly out of place with the rest of the show. Other episodes explore silly and funny moments, but they manage to do so in a way that still feels distinctly Black Mirror. 

It’s not impossible for Black Mirror episodes to be quirky and silly; it’s certainly been done elsewhere. “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too,” unfortunately, is not an episode that is successful at it. 

25) “Crocodile” — Season 4, Episode 3 

“Crocodile” has the bare foundation of a decent Black Mirror episode, but its execution falls flat in just about every way. The episode explores the idea of being able to physically see other people’s memories, but its plot just turns into a string of murders that makes it impossible to empathize with the protagonist and ultimately feels like wasted potential of a good Black Mirror concept. This is a rare instance of the show creating a good idea but squandering its exploration of the core concept, and it quickly becomes an episode that’s very hard to recommend. 

Plus, the ending simply feels needlessly cruel with a flubbed joke that’s not in line with the dark themes of the rest of the episode. While the rest of the episode was already far from perfect, the ending solidifies “Crocodile” as a truly bad episode of Black Mirror. 

24) “Bandersnatch” — special interactive episode 

Originally planned as part of Black Mirror’s fifth season, “Bandersnatch” was spun off into its own entity, and it’s not hard to see why. The episode is an interactive Netflix special, which means it’s up to the viewer to make decisions using their TV remote to guide the characters’ destinies and ultimately shape the plotline. It’s an incredibly cool concept that feels right in line with Black Mirror’s core themes, and its creators should be proud of the difficult concept they chose to tackle. 

Unfortunately, that’s about all that “Bandersnatch” has going for it. 

While the interactive gimmick is fun, it’s weighed down by an uninteresting story, unsatisfying endings and an ungodly amount of repetition. It’s the sort of thing that’s worth trying out if you’re interested in a choose-your-own-adventure-style episode, but after you’re finished going through its multiple endings once, it’s hard to find a reason to return. 

23) “Loch Henry” — Season 6, Episode 2 

“Loch Henry” is one of those occasional Black Mirror episodes that doesn’t go all-in on a futuristic technological theme, instead relying on a concept that already exists today as an overarching theme: in this case, documentary filmmaking. 

The episode explores the effects that true crime documentaries have on their stories’ real victims, and while there are occasionally interesting moments, it all unfortunately ends up quite boring. The episode isn’t helped by its final plot twist, which unintentionally ends up being quite humorous instead of horrifying when some old footage is rediscovered — which does a bit of a disservice to the entire purpose of the episode, which is meant to stand against the sensationalizing of victims’ stories. 

“Loch Henry” isn’t a grossly offensive episode of Black Mirror like some examples earlier on this list, but it’s only barely possible to describe it as a competent episode, if you can even call it that. 

22) “Men Against Fire” — Season 3, Episode 5 

“Men Against Fire” shows a neat concept with some interesting ideas, but it’s far from the show’s best. 

The episode shows soldiers at war attempting to go out and defeat “roaches”: supposedly evil, disgusting monsters who terrorize villages and must be eradicated. The plot twist eventually reveals that the “roaches” are in fact human beings of an unnamed ethnic group that the government is attempting to eliminate, and the soldiers only visually see them as monsters because of chips inserted in their brains. It’s an interesting idea, but it doesn’t go much further than that.  

The twist occurs somewhat late into the episode for my tastes, meaning so much of the episode is just a hunt for “roaches” before anything of interest happens. It’s an interesting allegory reminiscent of the Nazi party’s genocidal actions in World War II, but when so much of the episode consists of soldiers shooting up old farmhouses and abandoned buildings, it’s hard to consider it one of the most interesting. 

There’s nothing inherently wrong with “Men Against Fire,” it’s just not an episode that I could see myself returning to. 

21) “Demon 79” — Season 6, Episode 5 

“Demon 79” is actually one of the series’ more interesting episodes, but it loses points because it’s quite difficult to actually consider it a part of Black Mirror. Instead, the episode is framed as part of a new subseries entitled “Red Mirror,” which supposedly explores supernatural themes rather than technological ones. 

While the plot — which consists of a woman begrudgingly helping a demon save the world by committing a series of murders — is quite interesting, it feels completely out of place with the rest of the show’s lineup. It doesn’t help that this episode comes from the same season as “Mazey Day,” which suffers a similar problem with its werewolf theme even if that one isn’t branded an episode of “Red Mirror.” 

Black Mirror is at its best when it explores the terrors of technology, and “Demon 79” unfortunately strayed from that path. While it’s worth a watch if you enjoy supernatural stories, it’s fair to hope that it won’t define the future of Black Mirror. 

20) “Fifteen Million Merits” — Season 1, Episode 2 

As one of the show’s earliest episodes, “Fifteen Million Merits” has some kinks to iron out, but it still does an acceptable job overall. The episode details a world composed almost entirely of screens, where every wall of every building is lit up with some sort of advertisement.  

It’s the earliest episode to explore a dystopian future, and while you can start to see some of Black Mirror’s intelligence at times, I found it lacked the nuance exemplified by some of the show’s later episodes. This episode was also created before Black Mirror would eventually move to Netflix with its third season and see a corresponding jump in its budget, meaning this ambitious episode feels a bit cheap in places, such as the somewhat ugly Xbox 360-like avatars meant to digitally represent different people. The episode also explores too many themes, like advertisements, digital currency and game shows, which makes it impossible for “Fifteen Million Merits” to truly flesh out any single one of its many themes. 

For a very early episode of the show, it’s not bad by any means, but it’s certainly been outdone many times by the show’s future seasons as it grew in budget and concept. 

19) “Striking Vipers” — Season 5, Episode 1 

“Striking Vipers” is probably the first episode on this list that I find more enjoyable than not. The episode goes into the theme of virtual-reality gaming, with two old friends reconnecting over a fighting game called Striking Vipers X. However, things quickly go awry when the two friends, both of whom are men in the real world, pick their characters in the video game. One chooses to be a man and the other a woman, which progresses into them having regular sex with each other through virtual reality, since the game allows their physical bodies to feel the full sensations that it emulates. This starts driving one of the players away from his wife as he is wracked with guilt and confusion. 

It’s definitely an interesting watch, and a competent episode of Black Mirror that mixes themes of technology with that of humanity. Unfortunately, because it doesn’t reach the heights of other episodes of the series, it also just doesn’t stand out in my mind, leading to its placement on this list. 

18) “The Entire History of You” — Season 1, Episode 3 

“The Entire History of You” is the first episode of Black Mirror to home in on a specific technological theme in a futuristic setting. It’s also the first episode to focus on the idea of a computer chip that connects with your brain, a concept that would repeatedly (sometimes to a frustrating degree) get reused in future episodes. 

This episode, however, uses the brain chip to examine the relationships between people and how technology can come between us. In the episode, a man begins to fear his wife is having an affair, so he obsessively uses his brain chip to recall his own memories in search of clues to support his theory. His obsession with this, and his distrust of his wife, eventually begins to drive them apart, and we see the first example of Black Mirror using futuristic technology in a realistic way to create division between people. The concept is quite simple, but that’s part of the beauty of it. Not every episode needs to be elaborate to be successful. 

The reason this episode ranks fairly low on this list is because the brain chip eventually reveals that the man’s wife was indeed having an affair, causing a confrontation between them. Unfortunately, this twist did something that works against the general theme of Black Mirror: instead of painting the technology as something harmful, this twist inadvertently validates the technology it’s trying to paint as evil, which I feel works against the episode in the long run. However, “The Entire History of You” still does so many things well that it’s impossible to rank it any lower on my list. 

17) “Nosedive” — Season 3, Episode 1 

Despite not being higher on my list, “Nosedive” can probably be described as a quintessential episode of Black Mirror thanks to its dark technological theme and its corresponding effect on society. “Nosedive” explores a future in which everyone is linked to a digital social score out of five, where people influence each other’s scores by ranking the social interactions they have with them. This social score then affects every aspect of a person’s life, including their socioeconomic status. 

The episode reflects on the nature of social media and the way we perceive each other through “likes” and follower counts. It’s quite an interesting episode, it’s just not terribly exciting. It’s one of those episodes that feel like they deserve to be ranked higher, but frankly, there are so many other episodes of Black Mirror that are much more of a thrill. 

16) “The Waldo Moment” — Season 2, Episode 3 

Upon my initial watch of “The Waldo Moment,” I probably wouldn’t have ranked it this high on the list, but it’s grown on me due to the parallels it shares with the real world since the episode’s release.  

The episode follows a computer-animated bear named Waldo on a comedy show who pranks politicians. Waldo is voiced by an unhappy comedian, who is eventually surprised when television executives push for Waldo to run in an upcoming election. It explores the ideas of celebrities and popular figures running for political positions when they have no place in politics, and the effects that can occur when they use their power to get into office. 

Sound familiar? 

Indeed, “The Waldo Moment,” which originally aired in 2013, has been credited as “predicting” the rise of U.S. President Donald Trump, whose story mirrors that of Waldo’s rise to the top. It is for this reason that “The Waldo Moment” ranks higher on my list than it would have in the past: if an episode of Black Mirror is able to so closely reflect the future of reality, then it’s successful at what it set out to do. 

It’s just a shame that some use these cautionary tales as instruction manuals rather than what they actually are: warnings. 

15) “Hang the DJ” — Season 4, Episode 4 

One thing I love about Black Mirror is how many genres of film it takes on through its varying episodes, and as a rom-com-style episode, “Hang the DJ” is no exception. 

The episode follows a world where people use a machine that functions as an intensely thorough dating app, setting people up with romantic encounters that last for a predetermined amount of time before they break up and are matched with someone new, all in order for the machine to analyze their behaviour and eventually match them up with the “perfect person.” The episode can be seen as a critique on the culture of dating apps, and as a person who doesn’t like dating apps myself, the theme resonated with me. 

While I didn’t find the episode particularly gripping all the way through, it succeeds at what it sets out to do, telling a story about technology’s involvement in the world of matchmaking and the way it might actually be leading us astray. 

14) “Smithereens” — Season 5, Episode 2 

“Smithereens” is, in many ways, a story about closure. In line with its theme, it doesn’t reveal many of its protagonist’s motivations until the end of the episode, so viewers are left asking several questions throughout the majority of the show. This is a risky creative move by the showrunners, as it’s certainly possible to frustrate the audience by keeping them waiting too long, but it pays off in “Smithereens.” 

Throughout the episode, we follow a live hostage situation as the protagonist kidnaps an employee from the social media company Smithereen, threatening to kill him unless he is given the opportunity to speak with Smithereen’s CEO over the phone. The episode follows the law enforcement’s attempts to rescue the hostage, Smithereen’s internal panic as they debate whether to disturb their CEO, and the FBI intervening in the situation.  

It’s quite an exciting episode, and while there’s not a terrible amount of action on-screen, it’s an interesting glimpse into hostage situations and the immense pressure placed on law enforcement as they attempt to perform a rescue. The episode also has an incredibly satisfying ending with one plot point in particular that calls back to an early scene in the episode, solidifying closure as the episode’s overarching theme. This episode may not appeal to everyone, but I quite enjoyed my time watching “Smithereens.” 

13) “Playtest” — Season 3, Episode 2 

“Playtest” is Black Mirror’s take on a traditional horror episode, complete with a haunted house filled with nightmarish monsters. The twist is that none of these monsters are actually real; instead, they only exist in the mind of our protagonist Cooper, who has signed up to playtest a cutting-edge horror video game that exists on a computer chip drilled into the back of his neck. The chip analyzes his brain to find his deepest, darkest fears, then uses them to create a personalized horror experience unlike any other. 

By the end of the episode, you’re left wondering what scenes have actually taken place in the real world and what’s simply a figment of Cooper’s inescapable nightmare. The episode continually provides unnerving glimpses into Cooper’s familial experience with Alzheimer’s disease, and by the end of “Playtest,” you feel the overwhelming urge to give your parents a call to remind them that you love them. If that doesn’t make for a successful Black Mirror episode, then I’m not sure what does. 

12) “Joan is Awful” — Season 6, Episode 1 

“Joan is Awful” is an unabashedly silly episode of Black Mirror, and it’s not afraid to show it. The episode proves that not every episode of Black Mirror needs to be horrifying to be successful, and the comedic writing and acting on display throughout the episode leaves you laughing throughout.  

In the episode, Joan is left in shock when she finds the streaming service Streamberry (an obvious parody of Netflix) posting a new series called “Joan is Awful,” the events of which are eerily similar to her own life. She embarks on an adventure attempting to defeat Streamberry’s auto-generated show and learns a valuable lesson about reading full Terms & Conditions documents along the way. 

Unlike other episodes, “Joan is Awful” doesn’t try to leave you thinking too hard after watching. It just wants you to have a good time, and in my experience, it does a pretty good job. 

11) “San Junipero” — Season 3, Episode 4 

“San Junipero” was the first Black Mirror episode to win an Emmy Award, and it’s not hard to see why.  

The episode explores technology’s relationship with the afterlife, allowing the elderly to insert their consciousnesses into a virtual world where they can remain forever young, even after their bodies die in the real world. The episode’s ending is uplifting, an unusual characteristic for Black Mirror episodes, but it pays off here. 

The writing and performances in “San Junipero” are consistently effective, and so is the way the episode reveals the eventual twist about the nature of the virtual world that the protagonists are living in. It leaves you thinking about the afterlife and what it means to grow old. While I didn’t enjoy it quite enough for it to crack my top ten, I can wholeheartedly recommend you give this episode a watch. 

10) “Hated in the Nation” — Season 3, Episode 6 

As of writing, “Hated in the Nation” is the longest episode of Black Mirror, having a runtime of 1 hour and 29 minutes. The episode is a crime fiction in which police officers attempt to solve a series of strange deaths, in which people start suddenly writhing in pain before meeting their untimely demise. The police immediately deduce that it’s no coincidence each victim is in the midst of a major internet controversy when they die, leading them to question what could be causing the string of peculiar passings. 

The episode is an insightful look at cancel culture on the internet and might leave you questioning the way you treat others online — including popular celebrities and other influential figures. It’s all too easy to hide behind the veil of anonymity, and the episode explores this theme in full, questioning what might happen if everyone who partook in bullying online were held accountable for their behaviour. 

I highly recommend you give this episode a watch, especially if you enjoy taking part in online controversies yourself. Even if that’s not the case, there’s still a lot to be said about this episode: it’s an exciting ride from start to finish, and there’s not much more I could ask for from an episode of Black Mirror. 

9) “Arkangel” — Season 4, Episode 2 

“Arkangel” is a fascinating look at how technology affects the experiences of parenthood and the consequences of using it to track your child. The episode follows an overprotective mother having a chip implanted into her young daughter’s head, allowing her to track her child’s location and even see through her daughter’s eyes on a tablet-like device. It’s a terrifying idea that addresses the importance of privacy, and how that line might become blurred by a parent who simply wishes to protect their child. 

“Arkangel” could probably be described as the ideal episode of Black Mirror. It explores a sinister future technology, but better yet, you absolutely know that there would be plenty of people who would use this technology if it existed in the real world. The implant is essentially an extension of real-life privacy-invading apps like Life360, which are used by parents to track their children’s locations in real time.  

As much as people might deny that they would use a system like “Arkangel” if it really existed, there’s no doubt that it would become at least somewhat popular if it were normalized in the real world — and that creates an excellent foundation for any Black Mirror episode. 

8) “Black Museum” — Season 4, Episode 6 

“Black Museum” is one of two Black Mirror episodes that explores a chronology of twisted technological tales throughout a single episode, with all of the stories culminating in one grand conclusion at the end.  

Through the episode, we follow our protagonist as she enters the “Black Museum,” a largely forgotten old building on the side of a desert road filled with tons of tales of technological horrors. She speaks to Rolo Haynes, the operator of the museum, who tells her three stories that will leave you shaking by the end.  

Each story is effective in its own right — the second one, which features a comatose mother having her consciousness inserted into a teddy bear, particularly gripped me — but it’s when the stories all come together in the episode’s conclusion that the episode is solidified as one of the series’ best. Plus, the museum is full of little easter eggs referencing a variety of previous episodes, making the whole episode feel like one big love letter to the entire Black Mirror series. 

There’s one other episode that features multiple stories, and it performs the concept even better, but we’ll get to that shortly… 

7) “The National Anthem” — Season 1, Episode 1 

Having “The National Anthem” placed so highly might be an unpopular opinion, but it’s one I’m confident in. 

The episode follows the modern-day fictional British prime minister, Michael Callow, as he is faced with the most difficult decision of his lifetime: a member of the British royal family has been kidnapped, and her kidnapper will only release her if Callow has sexual intercourse with a pig on live television. The episode follows the public reaction to the unusual ransom demand and the increasing pressure felt by Callow behind the scenes as more eyes turn to him to rescue the hostage. 

Having this episode as the series premiere was certainly a risk as it might have turned people away from the show, but I’d argue that it’s an incredibly effective series opener. The plot follows the public’s sick obsession with watching Callow embarrass himself on live television and might leave you wondering whether you’d jump on the bandwagon to watch a politician embarrass themselves in such a degrading way. The episode is incredibly tense with a slight touch of humour in the ridiculous ransom request, and it all comes together to create an episode that is among the best that Black Mirror has to offer. 

6) “White Bear” — Season 2, Episode 2 

It’s strange that “White Bear” ended up so high on my list considering much of the episode is actually quite boring. The episode centres around a woman affected by amnesia on the run from hunters who want to kill her, as active bystanders stand around filming her on their phones, unresponsive to her requests for help. Maybe this is interesting to some people, but for me, it quickly became boring watching her hopelessly run around a residential area and forest confused and afraid. 

The reason this episode ranks so highly, then, is because its ending is so incredibly spectacular, tying together everything that’s happened so far into a story about punishment and the public’s enjoyment of torturing those who have done evil. 

When it’s revealed that the woman, whose name is Victoria Skillane, actually abducted and murdered a girl with her husband, everything starts to make sense. Every day, as part of her punishment, her memory is wiped and she is forced to live out the same psychological torture she’s endured over the day as she runs from hunters for the public’s amusement. She has no recollection of who she is or what misdeeds she has committed, but she is forced to live out the same hellish spectacle every day only to have her memory wiped by an electrical torture device. 

I admit that the episode had me questioning my own views on vigilantism, and what punishment I believe the worst offenders in society deserve to face. The episode does a brilliant job making you empathetic for Skillane before the plot twist is revealed, leaving you questioning everything you’ve just seen and whether it’s deserved. It’s true that some of the episode might be a bit of a slog, but I promise you, the ending makes it all worth it. 

5) “White Christmas” — Season 2, Episode 4 

“White Christmas” is the other episode that features multiple stories throughout a single episode. It has the same overall structure as “Black Museum,” but it simply does an even better job.  

The episode follows two men in a remote cabin on Christmas, telling each other stories about their past. The men have lived together in the cabin for five years but have hardly spoken, and they eventually open up to each other about their pasts and the guilt they’ve been holding onto. 

In true Black Mirror fashion, the episode features several terrifying technological concepts. The one that resonated with me the most was based around punishing people by forcing them to endure simulated long periods of time by submitting their consciousnesses into electronic “cookies.” Just like “Black Museum,” the episode’s ending ties together its various stories into one satisfying conclusion, and with some incredible writing and acting to boot, it’s no wonder that “White Christmas” ends up so highly on so many Black Mirror ranking lists. 

4) “Beyond the Sea” — Season 6, Episode 3 

“Beyond the Sea” proves that Black Mirror hasn’t lost its touch in creating intelligent and impactful episodes exploring frightening technology. The episode takes place in an alternate version of 1969, where two astronauts — Cliff and David — live together up in space but are able to transfer their consciousnesses to identical robots living back down on Earth. This way, they can continue to live with their loving families back on the planet while taking time to explore the cosmos. 

Things go terribly wrong, however, when David’s family is murdered by a cult that believes the robot replicas to be evil. Furthermore, his robot is destroyed by the cult, leaving him alone up in space knowing his family down below is dead. Cliff, feeling sorry for him, offers to let David use his robot, but tensions rise when David begins falling in love with Cliff’s wife using Cliff’s robot body. 

The whole episode explores the theme of control: as David begins controlling Cliff’s replica, things start falling apart between the real Cliff and his wife, and it all comes together in a disastrous ending in true Black Mirror fashion. I absolutely recommend you check this episode out; it’s undoubtedly one of the series’ best. 

3) “Be Right Back” — Season 2, Episode 1 

“Be Right Back” is another one of those perfect Black Mirror episodes that just manages to check all the boxes. The episode follows a young couple left torn apart after the boyfriend is killed in a car accident. His girlfriend is destroyed by grief; that is, until she discovers an online program that can dig through her boyfriend’s online activity to create an A.I. chatbot that perfectly imitates him. This quickly comes in the way of her grieving process as she begins to act as though her boyfriend were still alive through the chatbot. 

She begins talking to the chatbot over the phone and eventually purchases a full-size robot version of her late boyfriend, effectively replacing the real version of him. She is eventually put off by some of the replica’s robotic qualities, and the episode quickly becomes quite unnerving as she’s stuck with a robot boyfriend she no longer wants. 

The episode explores the way that technology can impact the grieving process, and with the use of A.I. chatbots being higher than ever before, it’s never been more relevant. This is an episode that embodies everything Black Mirror is to its very core: it’s unnerving, nuanced and it will certainly leave you with a lot to think about. 

2) “Shut Up and Dance” — Season 3, Episode 3 

There’s a reason that “Shut Up and Dance” is such a critically acclaimed episode of Black Mirror. Here’s the thing: the episode doesn’t feature any sort of hypothetical future technology that ruins the way humans interact with the world. Instead, everything that happens in “Shut Up and Dance” could very well happen today, and that’s part of its beauty. 

The episode follows Kenny, a young man, after he accidentally downloads malware onto his computer and hackers secretly film him masturbating through his webcam. The hackers then blackmail him into going on a long goose chase in which he must deliver a cake, rob a bank and engage in a fight to the death — the entirety of which he is most certainly an unwilling participant. The episode ends with a shocking plot twist that will stick in your mind for years to come; in fact, it’s worth rewatching this episode when you know the additional context, as the moments of foreshadowing might just make the episode even more exciting. 

This is a quintessential episode of Black Mirror that anyone interested in the show must watch. There’s a solid case to be made for “Shut Up and Dance” being the best episode of the show, but in my opinion, only one other episode has managed to top it. 

1) “USS Callister” — Season 4, Episode 1 

Where do you even begin to talk about “USS Callister,” the absolute pinnacle of the entire Black Mirror series? 

The episode follows a quiet, disrespected businessman with a dark secret: after the office day is over, he goes back to his apartment where he controls a virtual world containing copies of his coworkers, where he rules over them like a malevolent god. In his virtual world, he takes out all his frustrations toward his real coworkers, torturing and abusing their virtual replicas as he pleases. 

As the leader of the virtual gang plots an escape that will require her to call upon the assistance of her real-world equivalent, you’re taken on the adventure of a lifetime. 

The writing is fun yet terrifying, and the acting — especially from Jesse Plemons, who plays both the quiet businessman and his godlike counterpart — is utterly superb. The episode left me on the edge of my seat, rooting for the group of virtual companions to escape the twisted world ruled over by a truly broken man. The whole episode is such a spectacle, and its tense final act is some of the best work that Black Mirror has to offer. There’s no doubt about it: “USS Callister” is my favourite episode of Black Mirror, and frankly, it’s not even close. 

— 

So, that’s how I would rank all 28 episodes of Black Mirror. With so many wonderful (and less-than-wonderful) episodes to discuss, there will surely be plenty of varying opinions about how these episodes should be ranked, and that’s part of the fun of discussing the show.  

One thing’s for certain, though: no matter whether you agree with my rankings or not, as long as you enjoy Black Mirror as much as I do, we’re both ready and waiting with antsy anticipation for when the show’s long-awaited seventh season finally drops on April 10. 

Score: 4/5 

Being the first installation of a two-album conceptual project from Men I Trust this year, Equus Asinus is a tranquil work that matches the band’s well-worked sound. 

Men I Trust, a Canadian indie band from Québec City, released their fourth studio album Equus Asinus on March 19, with its counterpart Equus Caballus still awaiting release.  

The album sonically matches what can be heard across Men I Trust’s discography: simple rhythmic tracks dominated by soft chords and the light voice of lead singer and guitarist Emma Proulx.  

The album’s first track “I Come With Mud” opens with a minute-and-a-half long intro of simple, repeated guitar chords backlit by a consistent, soft beat before Proulx begins her vocals.  

The long intro is effective in establishing the slow nature of the album, with many tracks drifting through dozens of seconds of instrumentals between vocal takes — which isn’t out of the ordinary for the band, especially when looking at earlier albums like Oncle Jazz, released in 2019. 

There are several songs that shine through on Equus Asinus, placing themselves as lovely additions to Men I Trust’s discography. 

Among my favourite tracks on the album, “All My Candles” stands out as a sonically delicate yet deeply introspective cut. Although the lyrics ponder the malleability of one’s character, the lighter and sometimes playful strings in the background accompanied by incredibly delicate drums make the track feel softer than its lyrical content suggests. 

“The Landkeeper” brings an equally soft listening experience. Backgrounded by dreamy instrumentals, the lyrics describe a “home away from home” with “morning dew on cherry trees.”  

Although Men I Trust’s sound is easily identifiable, I would argue that the album staying faithful to their core sonic style works in favour of the band. Even though Men I Trust’s listeners can expect their distinct, delicate sound, each song employs this sound in its own individualized way, even if many of the songs are threaded together by similar, soft beats which guide the tracks in the background. 

Although the album largely reflects Men I Trust’s customary sound, it also includes some experimental tracks which make the album distinct.  

One of these experimental tracks is “Moon 2,” which employs disjointed keyboard and string instrumentals that swing back and forth in pitch, eliciting a similar effect to an overused whammy bar. 

“What Matters Most” also takes a slightly different approach from Men I Trust’s overall sound, including more distinct jazzy piano instrumentals while the rhythmic hum of a record player floats over the track. 

Overall, Equus Asinus continues the softness of Men I Trust’s discography in fresh ways, creating another lovely listening experience from the indie band and fueling anticipation for the album’s companion LP to follow later in 2025.