What is the best Black Mirror episode? A deep dive into story and concept

Black Mirror is an acclaimed British anthology TV series created by Charlie Brooker that is set in a dystopian future. Every episode shows how advanced technology in the future affects the lives and relationships of the protagonists. The series is known for its mind-bending plot twists and heartbreaking endings.

But one day, the creators decided to give their fans a break from all the existential dread — and thus, San Junipero was born. It is the fourth episode in Black Mirror Season 3 and was released on Netflix on October 21, 2016. Fans braced themselves for yet another gut-wrenching tale with a tragic ending—but were pleasantly surprised by a happy one instead.

The episode quickly garnered critical acclaim and became one of the best Black Mirror episodes, along with episodes like USS Callister and Nosedive. It was well received by critics and fans alike and has been considered one of the best television episodes of 2016.

Which is the best Black Mirror episode?

When someone asks, "Which is the best Black Mirror episode?" the first answer that comes to mind is San Junipero. The episode has 1 cup of hope, 2 cups of love, 1 tablespoon of nostalgia, and 2 teaspoons of sci-fi—and in the end, creates a perfect recipe for a hit show.

Let’s take a dive into the world of San Junipero and understand what made the episode so popular among the audience.

1) The Story

San Junipero has a classic story. Set in the 1980s, an awkward person meets a vivacious person, and they instantly hit it off. A shy Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis) meets the electrifying Kelly Booth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) in a bar called Tucker’s in San Junipero, and it’s violins and fireworks for both of them.

Soon, the viewers realize that something isn’t right as the ’80s turn into the ’90s and the 2000s in a short time. This happens because San Junipero isn’t a real place but a digital afterlife that the elderly choose to live in after death. The living can visit temporarily, and the dead can live there forever.

Yorkie, in real life, was disowned by her parents after coming out to them, and after meeting with an accident, she had been left paralyzed from the waist down. Kelly, on the other hand, had lost her husband and daughter, and neither of them had opted for the digital afterlife before dying. She had the same plan—until she met Yorkie.

2) It doesn't have the typical Black Mirror ending

Black Mirror is known for bending the minds of its fans with soul-crushing twists and endings. Not this time. San Junipero is a rare flower in the garden. It gives hope to the fans till the end and follows through with it. Instead of depressing the audience with their signature dystopian finales, it shows the good side of technology for a change.

Instead of showing Yorkie and Kelly dying alone and away from each other, the episode ends with them spending their lives together in the digital afterlife, happy forever. The episode explores themes of death, the afterlife, grief, separation, loss, and love—culminating with Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven Is a Place on Earth playing in the background.

3) The relatable characters

Instead of setting unrealistic relationship standards and showing a glorified version of love, Black Mirror keeps it real. Yorkie is shown to be a shy 21-year-old girl who has faced hardships in life. Right when she thought being rejected by her parents for coming out was the worst thing that could happen, she gets into an accident that leaves her paralyzed and in a coma.

Meanwhile, Kelly is a charismatic, carefree girl on the outside and a deeply scarred and grieving woman on the inside, mourning the loss of her husband and daughter. She and her husband had opted not to get uploaded to San Junipero because their daughter had died when the technology did not exist.

The story isn’t just another love story; it’s about healing from tragedies and finding the peace that the characters were searching for. While Yorkie lost her entire life after the accident, she finally gets to “live” for the first time, and Kelly lets go of her pain and finds solace in the new world.

The pain and flaws are real, and the best part is the show doesn’t pretend love is perfect—it shows how it grows despite everything. Instead, they show real love—and how it grows with all the flaws and hardships.

4) The technological aspect

Many sci-fi movies and TV shows—Vanilla Sky, Transcendence, and Self/Less—have played with the idea of uploading or transferring consciousness. But Black Mirror turns it into something hauntingly beautiful with San Junipero. But the important part is all the questions that this one episode raised.

Besides asking which genius wrote this episode, other important questions are: Is the concept of San Junipero derived from Heaven? How much of “you” is uploaded? What happens if the server is down or a virus corrupts the software?

Sadly, only the first question is answered. Charlie Brooker, the creator and writer of Black Mirror, wrote the episode.

5) The aesthetics

The Black Mirror team nailed every aspect of the episode. They simply got everything right. When the viewers are brought into the ’80s, they are welcomed with synthwave music, classic arcade machines, shoulder pads, and beaming neon lights. They even went all-in on the hairspray—pushing it past all imaginable bounds. Similarly, the 2000s clubwear was presented accurately.

The soundtrack elevated the entire episode—every track felt handpicked to tap straight into the soul. It was a smart move on the makers’ part—nothing conveys emotions like a wave of music. Even the ones who aren’t emotional felt a burst of feelings when Belinda Carlisle’s chorus hit.

6) The essence of the episode

San Junipero turned out to be a turning point in Black Mirror’s legacy. A show known for depressing dystopian stories and endings suddenly changed course and showed hope on screen. The episode didn’t negatively portray technology; instead, the makers decided to give this story a happy ending for a change.

Much like the tech in the episode, Black Mirror also wanted to do some good. It was a simple reminder that tech doesn’t always plan for world domination—sometimes, all it wants is to see two lovers reunited forever.

This change in pace resulted in the episode winning two Primetime Emmy Awards—one for Outstanding Television Movie and another for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special.

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San Junipero is considered to be one of the best Black Mirror episodes, not just because of its surprise happy ending, but also because it revolutionized the sci-fi genre. The story carried emotional depth, the performances were impeccable, and the ending was pure chef’s kiss.

The concept of love and loss has been portrayed many times on screen, but never like this one. The episode gave fans hope that one day, some technology like this will come along that helps people enter the afterlife with their loved ones—away from all the sorrows. And when that dance comes, they'll get to dance to their favorite tunes, forever.