Black Mirror Episodes Too Real To Be Fiction

I finally gave in.

After years of avoiding Black Mirror because "I did not need extra anxiety, thanks", I caved.

Earlier this year, a friend casually showed me one episode — Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too — and suddenly I was extremely intrigued by this unsettling vortex of techno-dystopia. Honestly, the Miley Cyrus episode didn’t even feel like science fiction. It felt like someone had taken today’s pop-star-worship culture, tossed in AI assistants, and hit fast-forward. I've read a short story previously along the same lines — Taylor Swift by Hugh Behm-Steinberg. It even won the Barthelme Prize in 2015 because 'it casts a spell'. And I agree. The story is as strange and unsettling as the Black Mirror episodes I talk about below.

And you know what, the scary part in these stories is never the tech. It's always the fact that people can easily twist tech into something manipulative and profitable at the expense of other people.

That episode starring Miley Cyrus struck a chord because I’ve been working on a short story in the same AI-tech space. So with a blend of curiosity, dread, and writerly research greed, I started exploring more episodes. And wow… some of them are so real, it’s almost like the show is reporting live from our near future.

Let's get into a few of them that have been renting space in my brain for a while.

1. Fifteen Million Merits (Season 1, Episode 2) – We’re Already Pedalling Into It

Fifteen Million Merits is one of the earliest episodes and one of the most plausible ones. People cycling all day to generate power, earning digital credits, drowning in hyper-personalised ads — it’s weirdly familiar, isn't it?

Japan recently started converting footsteps into electricity. Train stations, stadiums, public pathways — people simply walking around are generating power. It’s incredible technology and a brilliant sustainability effort. But watching Fifteen Million Merits, I could see the extent to which this idea could be exploited. Technological inventions always start with a noble intention, then greed takes over. You don't even realise how trapped you are in the system. Moreover, when the ending did not disappoint, it became even scarier. I mean, how do you even fight against the system when you're dying at its feet, but it still manages to provide a lifeline?

2. Be Right Back (Season 2, Episode 1) - Digital Ghosts, Anyone?

Imagine losing someone you love… and then getting an AI version of them built from their social media footprint.

Comforting or creepy? The answer is yes.

What’s wilder is that this idea isn’t staying fictional. The Indian web series Mismatched played with a similar concept. And recently, there was news about an AI app developed by the former Disney Channel actor, Calum Worthy, that lets you create avatars of relatives who have passed away by learning from their videos.

At first, you'll feel relieved that something like this exists. But then you start to see how the dependency plays out and isolates the person who's grieving, and often drives them to madness. I loved how this episode ended with the thought that hyper-realistic AI models are just that - a piece of technological junk, or rather a toy to play with. It will never be the real thing.

3. Nosedive (Season 3, Episode 1) – The Social Media Olympics We All Signed Up For

This is one of my most favourite episodes solely because of the narrative curve. It was a chef's kiss for me. This pastel-colored world where your social rating decides whether you get a house, a flight upgrade, or even basic respect… we’re already halfway there. Aren't we?

Think about how much of life revolves around flawless Instagram aesthetics, perfectly curated LinkedIn updates, restaurant ratings, Uber ratings, Amazon reviews, Goodreads stars, “Did you like this ride?” notifications — everything we do gets scored.

We pretend it’s harmless, but all of us have felt the subtle pressure to appear better, happier, more “together” online. Nosedive just pushes that pressure to its natural, terrifying extreme.

It doesn’t feel like fiction. It feels like Tuesday.

4. Hated in the Nation (Season 3, Episode 6) – Hate + Tech = Combo that Kills. Literally.

Online hate is not a new thing. Sadly, it's a normal thing.

In this episode, what begins as online hate disguised as outrage spirals into something far darker, powered by tech that was apparently replacing bees because the bees went extinct due to rampant usage of tech. Talk about irony.

We’ve all seen how social media mobs operate: someone says or posts something, and within hours, thousands of people who don’t even know the full story are attacking them. This particular story takes the hate to a new extreme.

It goes on to highlight how much personal data we casually share online. Our photos, locations, preferences, connections — all floating around, waiting to be used by someone with enough audacity to take a disastrous step.

In Hated in the Nation, that data gets weaponised into teaching a lesson. But the ones who needed the lesson never really get it.

The Only One I Found to be on the Positive Side: San Junipero

Just when I thought Black Mirror was going to warp my brain and fill me with dread for the future, I watched San Junipero. And it was… beautiful but also predictable.

For once, I found the use of advanced technology to be healing, to offer connection for the helpless, to create joy. It explored death and the afterlife in a way that felt hopeful instead of horrifying.

I’ve only finished three seasons so far, but I’m hooked. I’ll definitely be back with more reflections, more worry, and hopefully another feel-good episode or two (right?).