Black Mirror Is at Its Best and Its Worst in Uneven, Sequel-Filled Season 7: Review

At this point in the lifespan of Netflix anthology series Black Mirror, everything feels connected. That’s never more true than with Season 7: Not only does the show’s return feature the first direct sequel to a past installment — the 2017 Emmy-winning “USS Callister” — there are even more obvious connections between Season 7 and the past, making it almost feel like a full season of sequels.

It goes beyond cute in-jokes like “Common People”‘s school teacher talking about the artificial bees from Season 3’s “Hated in the Nation” and “Hotel Reverie”‘s movie star living on Junipero Drive. “Bête Noire” invokes the paranoia of “White Bear” and “Shut Up and Dance,” while “Playthings” brings back key characters featured in the interactive narrative experience Bandersnatch, not to mention the video game company Tuckersoft. And “Eulogy” feels like a mash-up of Season 1’s “The Entire History of You” and Season 2’s “Be Right Back.”

Familiar doesn’t always mean bad, though for a show where creativity feels like a key part of the appeal, it is a concern. Especially because when Black Mirror starts to feel too predictable, it can drag down even the most promising storyline. “Common People,” the season’s opening episode, feels like quintessential Black Mirror, but in all the worst ways. Chris O’Dowd and Rashida Jones (who previously co-wrote the Season 3 episode “Nosedive”) star as Mike and Amanda, whose nice lower-middle-class lives get upended after Amanda nearly dies, saved only by a miraculous new brain injury treatment called Rivermind.

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The good news is that the Rivermind surgery is free! The bad news is that it’s a subscription model plan. Imagine every complaint you’ve ever had about your Netflix bill increasing in price while the service only grows worse in quality, except it’s about your actual brain. Before too long, Amanda is being offered the chance to upgrade to Rivermind Plus. For only an extra $500 a month!

The prevalence of subscription-based services feels like a natural fit for Black Mirror to satirize, especially given how these services manipulate customers into paying for increasingly higher-tier options than they perhaps can afford. While the metaphor here isn’t particularly subtle, the issue is the thoroughly nasty way in which the show explores it: “Common People” is essentially an episode in which two nice people get royally screwed over by forces outside of their control, in ways that don’t really say much about the world aside from the fact that it sucks.

When a Black Mirror isn’t working, it ends up in danger of slipping into self-parody at times, and “Common People” is the most blatant version of that, so over-the-top in its execution that it’d work better as a parody show-within-a-show being watched by characters on The Boys or Only Murders in the Building. It’s not the longest episode of the season, but lord does it feel longer.

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<img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1477812" data-attachment-id="1477812" data-permalink="https://consequence.net/2025/04/black-mirror-season-7-review-netflix/black-mirror-season-7-chris-odowd-rashida-jones/" data-orig-file="https://consequence.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/black-mirror-season-7-chris-odowd-rashida-jones.jpg?quality=80" data-orig-size="1200,675" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Black Mirror Season 7 Review Chris O’Dowd Rashida Jones" data-image-description="

Black Mirror Season 7 Review Chris O’Dowd Rashida Jones

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Black Mirror (Netflix)

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Black Mirror: Common People (Netflix)

Fortunately, after “Common People,” the quality of the season definitely improves. As per usual, the season features two episodes starring British actors: “Bête Noire” features a young cast and an innovative take on the Mandela Effect vis-a-vie quantum mechanics, while “Playthings” puts Peter Capaldi in a long grey wig as he explains to the cops how a 1994 video game took over his life, with terrifying ramifications.

Meanwhile, “Hotel Reverie” features Issa Rae as a modern-day actor who’s offered the chance to star in a remake of an old Hollywood film, via an immersive digital simulation where her co-stars are the original 1940s cast, fully realized enough for the long-dead recreation of actress Dorothy Chambers (Emma Corrin) to engage with her like they’re both real…

Directed by Haolu Wang and also starring Awkwafina and Harriet Walter, “Hotel Reverie” is the second-longest episode of the season at 77 minutes, in ways that feel at least a little overly padded. Yet there’s a lot to enjoy, especially when it comes to Rae and Corrin’s performances and the attention to detail when it comes to recreating the nuances of old Hollywood filmmaking. (I do wish they’d experimented more with aspect ratios, but I admittedly have a personal fondness for that sort of thing.)

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Jared Leto Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Multiple Women: Report

Jared Leto was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women in a report published by Air Mail on Saturday. Nine women, including model Laura La Rue, shared their alleged experiences with Leto dating back to 2006 in interviews with Air Mail senior editor Elena Clavarino. The accusations range from inappropriate text messages with underage girls to incidents where Leto allegedly exposed himself to a 17-year-old girl and an performed an explicit act in front of an 18-year-old. Leto’s behavior has “been an open secret for a long time,” one of the woman told Clavarino.In a statement to Air Mail, a representative for Leto “expressly” denied all of the allegations. You can read Air Mail’s full report here.

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Paul McCartney Joins Bruce Springsteen in Liverpool for “Can’t Buy Me Love”: Watch

Here’s a fun piece of trivia: Until his current tour, Bruce Springsteen had never played a concert in Liverpool, England. So it was only fitting that when he and the E Street Band finally took the stage at Anfield on Saturday, they were welcomed by one of Liverpool’s most beloved sons — none other than Paul McCartney.McCartney made a surprise appearance during the concert’s encore, joining Springsteen and co. for renditions of The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” and Little Willie Littlefield’s “Kansas City.” Watch fan captured footage below.
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McCartney’s cameo wasn’t entirely unexpected; just the day before, he and Springsteen spent time meeting with students at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA).
Springsteen and McCartney have shared the stage many times over the years — including during Macca’s headlining set at Glastonbury in 2022, when The Boss joined him for performances of “Glory Days” and “I Wanna Be Your Man.”
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Wu‐Tang Clan Kick Off Final Tour in Baltimore: Videos + Setlist

Hip-hop pioneers Wu-Tang Clan kicked off their final tour, “Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber,” at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on Friday, June 6th.Spanning roughly two hours, the concert saw the fully reunited group performing hits from throughout Wu-Tang Clan’s discography and the members’ solo catalogs. The first part of the 40-song set saw them running through classics including”Bring da Ruckus,” “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit,” and “Protect Ya Neck.”
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After that, Method Man (“Bring the Pain”), Ghostface Killah (“Daytona 500”), Raekwon (“Ice Cream”), GZA (“Liquid Swords”), and more took turns performing some of their signature tracks, with Inspectah Deck rapping his standout verse from Gang Starr’s “Above the Clouds.”
Related VideoNot nearly done yet, Wu-Tang Clan played “Impossible” for the first time since 2013, “Tearz,” and “Reunited” before paying tribute to late member Ol’ Dirty Bastard. ODB’s son, Young Dirty Bastard, stepped up to perform his father’s classics “Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” “Brooklyn Zoo,” and “Got Your Money.”
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The group followed with performances of “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Triumph,” which led into RZA closing out the concert by rapping a medley of songs from Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) over the band playing The O’Jays’ “Family Reunion.”
Wu-Tang Clan will next bring their “Final Chamber” tour to Raleigh, North Carolina, followed by dates in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Toronto, and more. Get tickets here.
Editor’s Note: See where Wu-Tang Clan’s classic debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), landed on our list of the best hip-hop albums of all time.
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Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber Setlist:
Set 1Bring da RuckusClan in da FrontDa Mystery of Chessboxin’Sunlight (Possible live debut, first recorded performance)Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ WitMethod ManShame on a N****aProtect Ya Neck
Set 2The Way We Were (Gladys Knight & the Pips cover) (with Blue Raspberry)Can It Be All So Simple (with Blue Raspberry)Bring the Pain (Method Man song)Hollow Bones (with Blue Raspberry) (First time since 2000)Take It Back (Possible live debut, first performance recorded on setlist.fm)Daytona 500 (Ghostface Killah song)’97 Mentality (Cappadonna song)Above the Clouds (Gang Starr cover)Incarcerated Scarfaces (Raekwon song)Ice Cream (Raekwon song)Release Yo’ Delf (Method Man song) (with Blue Raspberry)Bring the Pain (Method Man song)All I Need (Method Man song) (with Blue Raspberry)
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Set 3Liquid Swords (GZA/Genius song)Duel of the Iron Mic (GZA/Genius song)Severe Punishment4th Chamber (GZA/Genius song)Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana cover)No Said Date (Masta Killa song)Run (Cappadonna song)Run (Ghostface Killah song)Roar of the Lion (The Lion’s Pit) (Live debut)Impossible (First time since 2013)Tearz
Set 4ReunitedFor Heavens SakeShimmy Shimmy Ya (Ol’ Dirty Bastard song)Brooklyn Zoo (Ol’ Dirty Bastard song)Got Your Money (Ol’ Dirty Bastard song)C.R.E.A.M.TriumphFamily Reunion (The O’Jays cover) (RZA rapped a medley of 36 Chambers songs over the band’s instrumental)
Wu-Tang Clan 2025 Tour Dates:06/07 – Raleigh, NC @ Lenovo Center06/10 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena06/11 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena06/13 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena06/14 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center06/15 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center06/16 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center06/18 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center06/20 – Ontario, CA @ Toyota Arena06/21 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San Diego06/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena06/24 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center06/26 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center06/28 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena06/30 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena07/01 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center07/04 – Greenwood Village, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre07/07 – Chicago, IL @ United Center07/08 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena07/09 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena07/11 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden07/13 – Laval, QC @ Place Bell07/14 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena07/16 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden07/17 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center07/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
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Miley Cyrus Heckled at Something Beautiful Film Premiere: “Thought This Was a Concert!”

On Friday night, Miley Cyrus premiered the film component of her newly released visual album, Something Beautiful, at the Tribeca Film Festival. The event was promoted as a “one-of-a-kind pop opera featuring thirteen original new songs,” with an exclusive conversation with the singer to follow. However, some fans missed the message that it was a movie premiere and loudly heckled her while she was on stage.“We thought this was a concert! We paid $800!” one audience member can be heard saying in a video posted on social media. Despite the host reminding them that the event was part of a film festival, they persisted and asked, “Are you actually going to sing?”After more misinformed fans chimed in, Cyrus pacified them with an a cappella version of her 2009 song “The Climb.”
A comment on Cyrus’ Instagram could provide insight into why some fans didn’t realize they were attending a movie premiere. “I bought my tickets [off StubHub] and it said MILEY CYRUS LIVE. It wasn’t clear that it wasn’t a concert so yea, for 1200 bucks for 2 crappy far away seats to see a movie and not hear any live music and not even knowing it until I saw chairs on the stage, yea I was livid and felt duped… I’ll admit maybe it was my mistake for not doing more research but I will say that afterward there were several other people outside saying the same thing.”
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Fans will be able to watch the Something Beautiful visual album in theaters for one night only on June 12th in the US and Canada, with international screenings following on June 27th. Learn more here.

“We thought this was a concert! We paid $800! Are you actually going to sing…”
LEAVE HER ALONE IT’S A FILM PREMIERE 💔😭 pic.twitter.com/fwLV8Kpf5C
— Miley Edition (@MileyEdition) June 7, 2025

miley’s comments are now full of complaints 😩 pic.twitter.com/vMi1LIZonG
— Miley Edition (@MileyEdition) June 7, 2025

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Song of the Week: Sabrina Carpenter Skewers a Helpless Himbo on “Manchild”

Every week, Consequence’s Songs of the Week column spotlights the best new tracks from the last seven days. Find our new favorites on our Top Songs playlist, and for more great songs from emerging artists, listen to our New Sounds playlist. This week, Sabrina Carpenter quips about a pattern in her past romances.
“Why so sexy if so dumb?” Sabrina Carpenter asks coyly on her new single, “Manchild,” hitting at a recurring theme found in her recent releases: What’s the deal with all these hot dudes being absolute tools?
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Sure, it’s easy to read the song as Carpenter following up on the promise given to her now-ex-boyfriend Barry Keoghan on “Please Please Please” (“If you don’t wanna cry to my music/ Don’t make me hate you prolifically”), but even disregarding any real-life context, “Manchild” serves as another sonic thesis statement from a pop star at the very top of her game.
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Related VideoShort n’ Sweet offered the similarly-countrified “Slim Pickins” and “Please Please Please” — also co-writes from Carpenter’s now-trusty duo of Jack Antonoff and Amy Allen — but “Manchild” has a bit more pep in its step. The track’s syncopated synths and strum-heavy acoustic guitar show that Carpenter is not interested in wallowing, but “Manchild” isn’t a full-fledged disco celebration either; instead, Carpenter skewers her half-witted beau while hinting that she’s maybe, perhaps, ever-so-slightly accountable, too.
“Oh, I like my boys playing hard to get/ And I like my men all incompetent/ And I swear they choose me/ I’m not choosing them,” she sings with a wink, recalling a similar conclusion drawn in “Slim Pickins” about her own inability to choose men with long-term relationship potential. Like the hitchhike-through-mayhem absurdity found in the music video, Carpenter knows the cycle well: They meet, it’s thrilling, dangerous even, and eventually, despite her telling herself things could be different this time, he lets her down. “It’s all just so familiar,” she sings.
Her lyrics are once again endearingly funny — “If I’m not there it won’t get done/ I choose to blame your mom,” Carpenter quips — and more proof that the trio of Carpenter, Allen, and Antonoff have nailed the SabCarp formula. There’s a nostalgic, comforting air, circa late ’70s and early ’80s, which fits with Carpenter’s retro-themed stage movements and music videos. There’s a slight country twang, which allows Carpenter to slip into a more casual and authentic singing style. And, above all, there’s a sharp, halfway-out-the-door wit that instantly puts the listener in Carpenter’s corner.
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Humor, used as often as Carpenter employs it, can start to feel like a defense mechanism — like she’s masking her vulnerability. Perhaps there are some meatier epiphanies to come, but in the meantime, she shrugs off a helpless himbo so well on “Manchild” that you’d have to believe she’s landed on her feet. Better off, even.
— Paolo RagusaAssociate Editor
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Turnstile Celebrate NEVER ENOUGH, Welcome Hayley Williams to the Stage at Brooklyn Show: Review, Photos + Video

After playing a handful of guerrilla-style pop-up shows in anticipation of their new studio album, NEVER ENOUGH, Turnstile flipped Brooklyn’s “Under the K Bridge Park” underpass into an adrenaline-fueled collision of sound and bodies as they ripped through a 24-song set on Thursday night (June 5th).The outdoor show opened with dreamy lead single “NEVER ENOUGH,” as fans shouted lyrics into the air while the band took their positions on stage. When the first riffs broke out, a retro-toned rainbow flag dropped behind the band, sending the crowd surging in every direction and some fans spilling over the barricade. Lead singer Brendan Yates floated about the stage with what can only be described as a mix of jumpstyle and hardstyle dance moves, thrusting the mic stand into the air and jumping sporadically to the rhythm.
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With their new album only hours away from dropping, the band played a mix of songs off of previous LPs and brand-new tracks from NEVER ENOUGH. While some have seen Turnstile’s divergence into a more melodic space as an abandonment of the hardcore principles they stood upon for a majority of their career, the energy in the space proved that hardcore is alive and well in their community.
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Related VideoOlder, heavier singles like “Keep It Moving” garnered the same reaction from the crowd as newer, softer singles like “I CARE”. Even with a barricade and security to keep the room from getting too wild, I caught a handful of stage divers making their way onto the stage and back into the crowd (one guy via a front flip). And from a higher vantage point, you could see the crowd flare and fade to each song as mosh pits formed throughout the venue.
The highlight of the set came during “SEEIN’ STARS.” The lights dimmed to a light blue and Yates began to sing the opening verse. About a minute in, Yates suddenly exclaimed “HAYLEY!” and Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams strutted onstage to sing the song. Williams has been a long time supporter of Turnstile, even appearing on the studio version of “SEEIN’ STARS,” so it was an incredibly special moment on the precipice of NEVER ENOUGH’s release.
With the energy at a boiling point, the band ended the evening with the new hardcore anthem “BIRDS,” and the place exploded with one last wave of energetic moshing. While Turnstile continue to move into a gentler sonic landscape, their ability to mesh hardcore ethos with calmer sounds has pushed them into a space that finds them drawing mainstream-sized crowds without losing their grassroots energy.
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See a photo gallery, fan-filmed video footage, and the setlist from Turnstile’s Brooklyn show below. Catch Turnstile on a UK/European tour of headlining dates and festivals throughout June, as well as North American festival appearances at Ottawa Blues Fest in July, and the Aftershock (Sacramento) and III Points (Miami) festivals in October.[embedded content]
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Setlist:NEVER ENOUGHT.L.C. (TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION)ENDLESSCome Back for More / Fazed Out7Keep It MovingPushing Me AwayFLY AGAINI CAREDULLDON’T PLAYReal ThingBig SmileDropInterludeUNDERWATER BOIHOLIDAYALIEN LOVE CALLLOOK OUT FOR ME (live debut)Encore:MYSTERYBLACKOUTSEEIN’ STARS(with Hayley Williams)BIRDS

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