It’s almost time to grab your popcorn and turn off your phone for the April 10 release of Black Mirror Season 7. Despite no two episodes ever being the same storyline in past seasons, Season 7 offers a never-before-seen sequel episode to Season 4’s infamous “USS Callister,” and a lieu of familiar references. It’s possible the Black Mirror universe is more connected than fans previously thought.
After the teaser trailer for the new season of Black Mirror revealed some familiar faces and some familiar callbacks to past seasons, you may be wondering if there are any Black Mirror episodes you should watch — or re-watch — before the new season premiere. Here to answer your wish, I’ve compiled a list of the episodes I deem most important to watch before the Season 7 premiere of Black Mirror.
1. Season 3, Episode 4: “San Junipero”
Of course I have to put my favorite episode at the top of this list of re-watches, but beside my evident favoritism, the teaser trailer revealed something very important to the whole plot of “San Junipero.” What is it, you may ask? The device Yorkie and Kelly use to enter the world of “San Junipero. We can expect to see this device in the episodes with Issa Rae and Paul Giamatti, and though we don’t know its full purpose yet, it’s worth re-watching the Season 3 favorite to remember what exactly the device allowed the characters to do in seasons prior.
2. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
I know it’s not necessarily a Black Mirror episode, but as fans saw in the teaser trailer, we can expect to see a familiar face from Bandersnatch in one of the new episodes. Colin Ritman is back, and if you forgot his story and the trajectory of his video game career, re-watching the film and focusing more on his timeline may be worth your while.Â
3. Season 3, Episode 6: “Hated in the Nation”
You may have forgotten about this one (I know I did), but it’s worth noting that the episode is all about bees. Viewers see Rashida Jones in the Season 7 trailer teaching a lesson on bees. Whether these two things are connected or not, it’s interesting to see bees show up again in the series.
4. Season 4, Episode 1: “USS Callister”
The most obvious choice for a re-watch would be “USS Callister,” as we know that the sequel will be on our screens very soon. A lot happened in this Season 4 episode, and if you’re like me, you may have forgotten all about the Callister crew. What better time to familiarize yourself with the ending of the original episode than now?
Despite no real true link between episodes being announced (other than “USS Callister”), Black Mirror is infamous for its Easter eggs and potential links between storylines. It’s worth giving these episodes a rewatch — especially if you want something to binge before the release.