USS Callister: Into Infinity

I've been waiting for continuation of this story for years, USS Callister was the best episode of entire Black Mirror, deserving it's own spin off, I can't believe they did a sequel at least in the end... And it did not disappoint... This is peak TV at the moment. The story included the best ideas of Black Mirror incorporated into a multiplayer space game and a stellar cast... We explore the fight for survival of a crew of USS Callister after they were moved into a mmo game Infinity , that has 30 million players. Believe it or not this gameplay now somewhat exists in Star Citizen.

Anyway, enjoy and I will go back to space piracy...

First of all, I gotta praise the music for this episode, because it's the only episode where the music was so good and well-composed that actually made the episode better.

Secondly, I thought a sequel to USS Callister would be lazy, just to do the same successful thing they did back when Black Mirror was actually good, just to reap the rewards of their past again. But now that I have watched USS Callister: Into Infinity, I think it was absolutely needed, and it is a great addition to this show.

Season 7 has impressed me with its mostly pretty good episodes, compared to the disappointing season 5 and the horribly atrocious season 6. It's not that the season is mindblowing or innovative, it's that it feels like the real Black Mirror we had back in the first 3 or 4 seasons.

This sequel is great in the sense that instead of just nostalgia-baiting and memberberries, it expands upon the original, adds to the lore, and continues the story in a justifiable way.

The idea is good enough you could make an entire show about it, but the two episodes we've had and the way they end this (which I did not expect to go this way) is a satisfying way to wrap up this story, while still having some open-endedness if they want to do a third one, which I hope they don't. Because, like I said, it ends in a very satisfying way and you get a fulfilling conclusion.

Overall, this episode was great and one of the best of this season. Season 7 was adequate enough that it fortunately brought back my interest in this show and enjoyment of it. It ranks up with good season like 3 and 4, and thankfully isn't as horrible as 6 and 5, and I hope they keep doing this and never repeat that 5 and 6, if there ever do another season.

The crew of USS Callister is stuck inside the universe of an MMPORG. To stay alive they need credits so turn to robbing players in the game. This causes complaints by the gamers which leads the developers to investigate. Nanette Cole is on the case but the truth is bizarre, illegal and involves her.

A continuation of the previous Black Mirror episode involving USS Callister; 'USS Callister' (S4E1). That episode aired in 2017 and I have largely forgotten what happened in it (though I do know I rated it very highly) so I watched this episode in isolation, without knowing much about the background.

Turns out you don't really need to know anything about the backstory as you can pick it up from this episode pretty quickly.

The episode itself is quite clever and complex, reminding me of Christopher Nolans 'Inception" in terms of layers of consciousness and existence. The fact that it is set inside a game universe is very original and makes for an entertaining experience.

This is all helped by an excellent performance by Cristin Milioti as Nanette Cole (well, a few Nanette Coles to be exact).

Not perfect though. It is maybe too clever for its own good and I never understood the motivations and aims of the characters stuck in the game, making engagement less than 100%.

Still, it's a fun, interesting ride, one worthy of the Black Mirror universe.

I didn't mean that in an inappropriate way. Just saying there will be plenty of plot holes in this episode, but if you're capable; ignore them. This episode along with the context of the previous somehow manage to bring so many themes into a single piece of cinema. Mirroring the concepts showcased in Ready Player One, Severance, Star Wars/Trek, Inception, Interstellar, Everything Everwhere All at Once and our very own VR/AR, to create a well thought out and impressively creative world of its own.

It may be a bit confusing or simply a lot for those that aren't crazy about the multiverse. But to summarize, that stuff was entertaining. What a cast too!

Maybe I needed to rewatch the previous USS Callister episode to really appreciate this one, because it's been a while since I saw the original and this one, good as it is, felt like it didn't really measure up.

Don't get me wrong, it really is a very good episode, it's just not up to par with the previous episode this season OR the previous USS Callister episode.

All that being said, Cristin Milioti carries *almost* the entire episode alone, and probably WOULD carry it alone if not for Jimmi Simpson. The two of them together? Fantastic. The supporting cast are great, of course, and Jesse Plemons just OWNS almost every scene he's in (but when doesn't he?), but sadly he's not in it enough.