Anyone who hasn't watched USS Callister is encouraged to go have a gander - because it's great and because this sequel will make a hell of a lot more sense after that.
The Premise
Following the events of USS Callister, Nanette and the crew of USS Callister roam the universe of the Infinity game, but find life hard in this virtual universe, resorting to robbing players for credits for their continued survival. Their antics catch the attention of the original Nanette and Walton, who venture into Infinity to investigate.The Characters
Cristin Milloti as Nanette Cole. Milloti portrays original Nanette as excitable and adorably clumsy, and lacking in confidence. Unlike clone Nanette, who has experienced loss and grown into her role of leadership. Milotti brings the acting chops she displayed in The Penguin, over to this episode, quite handily. Did I also mention that she's remarkable easy on the eyes either way?Jimi Simpson as James Walton. In his own words, "Captalist Asshole". Seriously, Walton is an even bigger dickbag the second time around, and Simpson's acting is off the charts as he now shows different sides of the same character by playing original Walton and clone Walton. Original Walton is selfish, narcissistic and opportunistic. He doesn't care about anyone but himself (and his son, a brief but noteworthy few seconds in the episode) and his ignorance of his own company's products and staff, is a running joke and even a plot point later on. Clone Walton, on the other hand, has matured into someone who thinks of others and is deeply regretful of his past actions.
Jesse Plemons as clone Robert Daly. In Breaking Bad, Plemons acted as the unstable psycho Todd Alquist, and he carries over shades of that same performance as socially awkward nerd Daly. This time round, the performance is even more nuanced - we see an early incarnation of Daly who is still awkward and shy, but nonetheless shows Nanette (and us) why someone like him ultimately can't be trusted with power.
Osy Ikhile as coffee intern Nate Packer. Packer undergoes quite the transformation from how he was in the original USS Callister. Here, he's a grim warrior who ends up being the captain once Nanette is gone. From an intern, to a leader. I like it.
Milanka Brooks as receptionist Elena Tulaska. Her character doesn't change much, but Brooks takes the opportunity to show that while original Elena is cold and snarky, clone (and foxy blue-skinned!) Elena has a heart.
Paul G Raymond as programmer Kabir Dudani. He has the least character development in the original and the sequel. Original and clone Dudani are both computer nerds with no real severe character tics and are just unlucky. They stay pretty much constant through the episodes.
Billy Magnussen as Karl Plowman. His arc is short but significant. Offline, he's a jovial gym bro and in the game, the trauma of USS Callister has turned him into a restless manchild. He does sacrifice himself heroically to save the others, though how much of it is just poor impulse control, is up to interpretation.
Bilal Hasna has a brief appearances as Kris El Masry, reporter. Sharp as a tack. Asks hard questions, and keeps Walton on the back foot. This guy has "mild-mannered reporter" written all over his face, but when he hits hard, he hits. Hard.
Iolanthe is hilarious as Pixie Bunkin and her hot pink equipment. That character brought so much energy in.
The Mood
A colorful space adventure, complete with spaceships and laser battles and gunfights on alien planets.What I liked
Multiple character arcs. The original had the cast play different versions of the same character. This time round, it's even more pronounced because we've had time to get used to the characters and we see how the originals are like versus how their clones have evolved into different people. Trauma really shapes character.
The visual of the space battle is epic.
The joint cameos of Nisha and Grawp. I don't like the fact that Demon 99 exists as an episode, but I couldn't help but feel intense glee when they appeared. These two are so watchable!
That gag with Rocky, the hole in its back, and Walton's relationship with it. It's vulgar as shit, and I'm all here for it!
I don't know about anyone else, but this big pink gun is some seriously cool shit.
What I didn't
The ending was just a bit too similar to the premise of Black Museum. Just felt like a huge letdown.Michaela Coel is missing from the cast as Shania Lowery. I get it; it's not exactly the showrunners' fault that she didn't reprise the role. It could be for any given reason, and they made the effort to explain her absence as having been killed in action. It actually added to the narrative tension because this tells the audience that the crew can die now. What I have an issue with is that at the end of USS Callister, Nate Packer and her looked like they were going to be in some kind of relationship, and now in the sequel, I would have expected the character to be way more upset than Nanette at Shania's death.
Conclusion
Did USS Callister really need a sequel? It's up for debate. I thought the original left it in a good spot. This sequel is good fun, I'll grant you, but was it necessary?My Rating
8 / 10Final Thoughts on Black Mirror Series Seven
It's been a long time coming, but Black Mirror has finally gotten its act together and is back at its best. We're seeing six badass episodes, each hitting us in emotional places. This installment started out strong and somehow got even stronger at the end. Plaything and Eulogy were outstanding in particular, with the others being more than decent. The silliest episode in my opinion was Bete Noire, and even that was a worthy addition to the Black Mirror collective.It's good. It's really good. Whatever sins Black Mirror may have committed in the past few iterations, all is forgiven. It's a return to form, and long overdue.
Spacing out,
T___T
T___T
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