‘Black Mirror’s “USS Callister” Is The Most Unsettling And Thrilling Watch Of The Year

It seems fitting that Netflix would choose to end this particularly bleak and terrible year with a new season of Black Mirror. If you haven’t yet seen the new episodes of Charlie Brooker‘s sci-fi anthology series, Season 4 stands as the most ambitious installment of this ever-ambitious show. From a brooding crime mystery set against gorgeous Icelandic landscapes to a black and white episode that watches like a post-apocalyptic nightmare, Black Mirror is pushing the limits of sci-fi, television, and what this show can be. However, even in this incredible season, there’s a clear episode that stands out. “USS Callister” is a must watch for everyone looking for both a thrilling adventure epic and a trigger for a existential crisis. Spoilers ahead.

Despite its brightly lit set and Star Trek-esque premise, “USS Callister” stands as arguably the darkest story in Black Mirror‘s bleak history. Written by Brooker and William Bridges, the episode largely follows Robert Daly (Jesse Plemons), a brilliant coder who once designed one of the most popular virtual reality universes in the world but now spends his days being bossed around by his co-founder. Robert is an intrinsically sad figure. Despite creating something that’s considered great, it’s clear he has a difficult time connecting to the people around him, and he’s not respected in his own empire. He’s every person who has ever felt slighted or undervalued. However, there’s one world where Robert is allowed to be the respected leader he wants to be — a secret mod within the video game system Callister that’s outfitted to replicate his favorite TV show, Space Fleet. But there’s another secret to Robert’s Space Fleet mod. It’s run by virtual clones of all of his co-workers.

Robert’s carefully balanced world is thrown out of whack when he meets Nanette (Cristin Milioti), a new coder with a bit of a professional crush on Robert. Within a day of meeting her, Robert adds a Nanette copy to his virtual empire, and its through her eyes that we finally learn how quietly sinister the real Robert Daly actually is.  

The entire episode acts as a study of public personas and private realities. Though everyone thinks of Robert as a quiet pushover at work, in his private playground, he’s a ruthless and cruel dictator who’s happy to torture one of his closest friends by killing his son and transform his co-workers into horrific monsters. Nanette displays this public and private duality as well, though to a lesser extent. In the end, Nanette’s wide-eyed but determined clone is only able to escape her Star Trek-esque prison by blackmailing her real self with risque photos. The rise of things like social media, the internet, and video games has given us all ways to express some of our darkest urges consequence-free. Black Mirror turns that reality on its head and asks what if there are consequences? As virtual characters become more and more lifelike, at what point is torturing them considered cruel? There’s no clear answer, but the question should chill anyone who has wasted hours killing Sims.

A huge reason why the episode is as horrifying as it ends up being is because Robert is such a relateable protagonist. We’re meant to understand his insecurities and ultimately feel sorry for him. In effect, the moral crimes he commits are meant to be something we could imagine for ourselves as well.

And yet laid on top of these dark reflections about people’s private lives, the role technology has when it comes to controlling others, and the unknown cost of experiencing our most disturbing fantasies, is a genuinely thrilling adventure story. Nanette makes for an excellent protagonist and may stand as one of the best characters Black Mirror has ever created. She’s fiery and determined to right the perceived wrongs around her, but she’s also kind, optimistic, and has an edge. If Nanette’s space fleet was given its own series, it would absolutely be worth watching. It’s also a testament to this episode,  Milioti’s performance, and the series as a whole that this entire season is led exclusively by female characters without drawing attention to that fact.

Jimmi Simpson is equally impressive as the snarky and haggard Walton, a role that lets Simpson explore the more comedic side It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans know and love. Likewise, Michaela Coel is the delight she always is, but there’s touching note of sincerity that colors all of her interactions with Nanette that echoes the spirit of Coel’s show Chewing Gum. The one-note Elena (Milanka Brooks) is also a stand out, wonderfully injecting humor through her dry one liners.

The entire episode is thrilling from its Space Fleet cold open the USS Callister’s skin-of-its-teeth victory. But this being Black Mirror, things can never end on a completely happy note. The episode ends with Robert mentally trapped in a prison of his own invention, presumably unable to escape. Will he be able to survive? And if not, will the real Nanette be linked to his death? Black Mirror strategically doesn’t ask or answer those questions, and the episode is richer for it.

There are very few shows or even episodes that can stand as works of art worthy of being critically dissected as well as fun adventure epics. Director Toby Haynes‘ episode, which equally nods to Star Trek while proudly standing as the antithesis of the iconic series, is one of those rare things. “USS Callister” should make us all question what we’re really looking for in our virtual escapes and, more importantly, why they may or may not be fit for our public image.

Stream "USS Callister" on Netflix