Ty Watches "Black Mirror: USS Callister: Into Infinity"
/I have finished watching the most recent season/series of "Black Mirror" and I want to write about the last episode, "USS Callister: Into Infinity".
This is the sequel to the wonderful "USS Callister". I didn't know they were going to do a sequel, but I'm glad they did. This one sees almost everyone back from the first go round. Micheala Cole isn't in the sequel, and some stuff has been written about why. I missed her in this one, but the rest of the crew does an admirable job.
"Into Infinity" picks up pretty soon after the events of the first episode. This time the cast of characters are in their infinite loop in the videogame world and they are just trying to survive the world they have been thrust into. They have to scrap and claw to make money in the world they're now living in. They also get called out a ton by people playing the game in the real world because they don't have gamertags and they are taking other people's hard earned videogame money. From here on out we get a good glimpse into the videogame world and what is happening to the people on the outside. There's an ongoing investigation into what happened to Jesse Plemons' character from the first episode. We also get to see how his idea from the game "USS Callister" was introduced into the world. We see him and the cofounder of their company coming up with the money and the idea to do all of the things they end up accomplishing.
Cristin Milioti shines again as Nanette. Milioti has achieved a new amount of fame from some movie roles and her star turn on "The Penguin", so seeing her slip back into Nanette was a treat. She is such a good actor and her skills have only gotten better over time. But what I like most about this episode is all the other characters get a chance to shine. Jimmi Simpson is sleazy and slimy. Billy Mangussen does some great comic relief. Osy Ikhile pulls some very good double duty and gets to play two totally different people. He's great. Milanka Brooks is the heart of the mission. And Paul G Raymond brings levity to both worlds within the "Black Mirror" world.
What makes this show work is the people involved know what they're doing and are some of the best people in the industry. Getting Toby Haynes to direct this episode was the cherry on top. He is so good at this sci-fi world and he gives a show like this so much gravitas. I really liked the back and forth between the real world and the videogame, the way the story unfolds was at times shocking and easy to follow, I thought the actors fully bought in and this was a very solid way to end the 7th season/series of "Black Mirror".
"Black Mirror" has reached a status of being one of the most reliable and best shows on tv. I know when a new season/series comes out I'm going to find something to enjoy about each episode. And I like how each episode is its own thing. They are not tethered to each other in any way. My hat is off to another very good season/series of "Black Mirror". Go watch it all as soon as you can.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.
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