San Junipero (2016)

Director: Owen Harris

Stars: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mackenzie Davis, Denise Burse
Runtime: 61 minutes

Synopsis: When Yorkie and Kelly visit San Junipero, a fun-loving beach town full of surf, sun, and sex, their lives are changed.

Performances: 9/10
Screenplay: 8/10
Editing: 7/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 9/10

Verdict: Most Black Mirror episodes are fantastic. Conceptually, it's one of the most exciting shows currently streaming and I recommend checking all of them out. Every segment can be compared to a shorter-than-usual feature film as each one of them contains different characters, stories, and ideas behind them. And to this day, my favorite out of all 22 episodes released remains "San Junipero", released in 2016 as part of the third season.

The reason I love this episode so much is because it's one of the few that focuses more on the characters rather than the idea. It's a romance before anything else, a love story between two women who meet in a bar in a gorgeous mid-1980s setting. The sci-fi element only serves as icing on the cake, giving more dimension to these two protagonists you can't help but root for. It's impossible not to be enchanted by Kelly's outgoing nature or smile at Yorkie's awkward presence, perfectly portrayed by Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mackenzie Davis respectively, and even as reality hits like a train about halfway through the episode, writer Charlie Brooker still manages to deliver one of the most satisfying endings in TV history, paired with one of the best uses of an ABBA song I can think of (I'm sorry Mamma Mia, but San Junipero wins this battle).

Heaven may not feel like a place on Earth right now, but for 60 minutes, you'll believe that it is. That's the power "San Junipero" holds on its audience and the reason why it won two well-deserved Emmy Awards (Best TV Movie and Best Writing) on the year of its release.  

FINAL GRADE: 8/10