Inclusive Screen Weekly #29: Black Mirror keeps giving us stunning lesbian love stories
My fav Blue Origin memes | Ranking of all Black Mirror S7 episodes | The return of Hacks and The Last of Us
I have no idea how to search for things on Substack. Help me, please!
I wanted to find more posts and notes about Black Mirror and The Last of Us this week, so I could share my enthusiasm with more people. When I use the “Search” function, it mostly links paid posts with closed comment sections (fine this one works as intended, but it’s not what I’m after), posts in other languages, or totally irrelevant posts.
I found a few recaps of The Last of Us, including a few angry commentaries from people who just want “more zombies”. But there’s almost nothing about Black Mirror.
Soooo, if you know of any good Substacks that wrote about those two shows, let me know!
The story that stuck with me this week
The Blue Origin mission was a total waste of money and an insult to women astronauts, but at least it brought us some top-tier memes [Daily dot]
You’re probably tired of hearing about this by now, but hear me out. It had been a while since I’d seen all my world united via memes around a common enemy. I’ve seen Blue Origin memes on internal networks at work, on LinkedIn, on Substack, on Instagram, on TikTok… For once, everyone seemed to agree on two things:
This mission shouldn’t have happened
It gave us some damn funny memes between Gayle King’s face, Jeff Bezos tripping and Katy Perry just doing whatever the hell she was doing
In honor of “I don’t want to get angry about it, so I’ll laugh about it”, here are some of the memes that made me laugh:
And in other news…
In a shocking turn of events, Fyre Festival 2 got postponed indefinitely. They’ve allegedly issued refunds to the people who were dumb brave enough to buy tickets in the first place.
What I’ve been watching
In the hot seat: Black Mirror | Season 7
Where to watch: Netflix | My rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌖
My final take on the season: It felt like a slightly less depressing version of OG Black Mirror and deserves way more hype than it’s gotten so far
My partner, who usually skips shows like Black Mirror because they are “too depressing,” watched this season with me until the end. It’s still a dystopian show, but most endings felt less doom and gloom than other seasons. There were no horror episodes, and every episode was centered around technology. None of the weird werewolves stuff from last season.
The other reason I am singing the praises of season 7 is that I enjoyed every single episode. If I had to rewatch, I would probably watch everything. I don’t think I’ve had that with any other seasons. There’s always at least one episode that’s not for me.
I thought it’d be fun to rank the season 7 episodes. Mostly because I saw The Hollywood Reporter ranking, and I strongly disagree with their choices. So here’s how I would rank the episodes. I also gave them each an alternative title.
6th and last: Episode 4 “Plaything” or "Now I feel bad for trapping my Sims in the swimming pool"
It was an ok episode, but I’ll probably forget about it in a few days. I admire how the writers made me feel bad for tiny yellow creatures from a pixelated game whose only language was some sort of bip-boop-boop.
5th: Episode 5 “Eulogy” or “This guy was so self-centered”
People seem to love this episode, and I’ve seen it rank 1st in a few posts. I didn’t jell with it. The main character who’s going through the old photographs just came off like a self centered douche to me. Honestly, the poor woman who was supposed to be the “love of his life” was probably better off without him. I feel like I’m not getting the intended message from the episode, so if anyone loved it, please let me know why in the comments.
4th: Episode 2 “Bête Noire” or “The episode that tried to gaslight all of us”
The tech in this episode felt a little too far-fetched for me, but the Mandela effect and gaslighting vibe were really unsettling in the best Black Mirror way. They even had 2 different versions of small details in the episode to drive the viewers crazy. The actress who played the main protagonist really nailed the creepy vibes. Just remembering her evil smile gives me chills. The ending was kind of ridiculous, but somehow still satisfying.
3rd: Episode 1 “Common People” or “Depressing Ads Tourette”
I had a dozen ideas about where it might be going, but "relentless brain-injected ads" was not on my list. And yet… it was a brilliant twist and terrifyingly realistic. I also wouldn’t be surprised if “DumDummies” already existed as a real product.
2nd: Episode 6 “USS Callister: Into Infinity” or “Never trust self-proclaimed nice guys”
I rewatched the original USS Callister right before jumping into this sequel, and I highly recommend doing that. This episode was mostly fun. There were some darker moments, especially Daly’s clone and his whole “I’m a nice guy” routine. But it balanced out with a lighter ending, and the scenes of the spaceship crew watching Real Housewives of Atlanta were an unexpected fun inclusion.
1st: Episode 3 “Hotel Reverie” or “Black Mirror gives us an amazing lesbian romance story. Again”
My favorite of the season and close to my favorite BM episode ever. It taps into such a simple wish: what if you could actually step into a movie and become the main character? And not just any main character, but the love interest in a swoony romance with a gorgeous woman. It reminded me of old-school choice-based games where you try to say the right thing to win someone over. Emotionally, it felt like a cousin to San Junipero with a beautiful lesbian love story that was hopeful and sad at the same time.
How is it that Black Mirror, a dystopian sci-fi show, gave us two of the best lesbian love stories on television?
Rapid Fire Reviews:
🐹 Abbott Elementary | Season 4 | ABC / Hulu: This episode was super sweet, with the kids peacefully protesting and Jacob looking like a proud parent. I'm so relieved Ava is officially back! I couldn’t keep stressing about losing my favorite character. Also, Sweet Cheeks better live forever.
😲 High Potential | Season 1 | ABC / Hulu: The finale was intense. And that cliffhanger!! I knew the guy in the parking lot was sketchy the second he ran up, but now I’m trying to figure out how he’s connected to Roman. I’ve really missed having a fun procedural like this to watch.
🤔 The Residence | Season 1 | Netflix: I almost gave up on this show, but by episode 6, I was too deep to stop and just wanted to know who did it. The final reveal didn’t really do it for me. In the end, I loved the ensemble of quirky characters and the inclusion of so many different nerdy black characters. But I don’t think it worked as a murder mystery. I would 100% watch a comedy spin-off about the White House staff, though.
🍕 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills | Season 14 | Bravo: Garcelle’s exit felt like watching someone slowly realize they just don’t belong, and it honestly broke my heart. That said, I think she’ll be better off without the show. She seems to have an actual life and career outside of Real Housewives. I’m also planning to now use the phrase “this is not pizza party behavior” whenever someone is acting entitled.
😨 Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing | Season 1 | Netflix: Apparently, it’s the year of family vlogging true crime, and I’m weirdly into it. This one is once again horrifying: from kids cleaning up after 60 cats in the middle of the night to abuse that somehow flies under the radar again. I think every parent should watch this. It’s sad how much kids will endure, especially in group settings, before they talk to their parents. The documentary also featured Taylor Lorenz, who runs one of my favorite Substacks.
😍 The Last of Us | Season 2 | Max: They are sticking close to the game storyline, but they switched around how some of Abby’s backstory is introduced. I’m really curious how people who haven’t played the games see her so far? She just came off as really angry and unlikable to me in this first episode. On the other hand, I’m in love with Dina’s character. They did a fantastic job casting Isabela Merced for the role, and her chemistry with Ellie totally works. I also loved all the little nods to the game, like distracting a clicker with a bottle or scouting an exit.
🦭 North of North | Season 1 | Netflix: I knew I would love the show after I saw it recommended by two of my favorite newsletters: Turn & Smile and Things That Make Me Happy!. This show is heartfelt and genuinely funny, and it's so refreshing to see Inuit stories on screen. Ting is absolutely the worst. He almost let her drown and then had the audacity to text asking what’s for dinner.
🤬 Hacks | Season 4 | Max: I prefer when Ava and Debra are getting along and teasing each other instead of full-on fighting. Debra gets so nasty and mean. I’m also rooting for Kayla to succeed as a manager. She’s clueless, but her energy is kind of endearing.
I’m gonna be quoting this for days
That’s it for me! Now it’s your turn to let me know about all the interesting news and new shows you’ve seen lately.
I watched the entire season of “North of North” yesterday and it was an absolute joy. Anna Lambe was so good!
I’ve been watching Ransom Canyon. It’s my what Beth would call Hear Me Out show! I’ve also started Maid.