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Black Mirror is back and we are already completed creeped out. The first episode of the seventh season, “Common People,” is one of the eeriest, saddest instalments in the show's history.
The episode follows teacher Amanda and construction worker Mike, a happy couple hoping to start a family. When Amanda collapses from a shock brain tumour, Mike is presented with a choice: a new start-up, Rivermind, is offering their services. They will replace the impacted part of her brain with a copy that is powered through their servers. She'll survive and her brain will function just as it always has — the only catch? She'll need to sleep “a little more” to give the servers a rest, she'll be restricted to the server coverage zones, and they'll have to pay a monthly subscription fee.
Things get progressively worse — Amanda starts spouting out ads; she sleeps for 12 hours a day and remains exhausted; subscription tiers are introduced leaving them struggling to make ends meet. While it may seem like an outlandish sci-fi tale, it's a sobering indictment on the very real greed of businesses that leaves so many families hostage to their whims and struggling to survive. The ending is utterly heartbreaking.
The powerful opener to season 7 certainly features plenty of familiar faces. In between your horror at what was unfolding on screen, you probably found yourself wondering: Where have I seen them before?
Stars such as Emma Corrin, Issa Rae and Awkwafina will appear in this instalment of the dystopian series.
You've almost certainly seen Rashida Jones in one of your favourite films or TV shows over the years. Daughter of musician Quincy Jones and actress Peggy Lipton, Jones got her start in the early 2000s with roles in Boston Public as Louisa and The Office as Karen. This was followed by the part of Ann Perkins, BFF of Leslie Knope, in Parks and Recreation from 2009 until 2015. More recently, you may have seen her in Sofia Coppola's On the Rocks and Apple TV+'s Silo.
Irish actor Chris O'Dowd appeared in countless early aughts comedies, including Dinner for Schmucks, Bridesmaids, and Friends with Kids. You also might recognise him as Roy from The IT Crowd.
Tracee Ellis Ross, who plays Rivermind executive Gaynor, is best known as Joan Clayton from the long-running sit-com Girlfriends and as Rainbow from Black-ish. In 2023, she starred in Oscar-nominated film American Fiction and the Prime rom-com Candy Cane Lane.
Nicholas Cirillo plays Shane, Mike's annoying colleague. You may recognise him as drug-dealer Barry from Outer Banks. He's also made appearances in She-Hulk, Poker Face and Good Egg. He even had a tiny unnamed role in Stranger Things.
The Traitors, Rivals, Bridgerton and Love is Blind UK are up for gongs.
Sabrina Jalees plays Angie, Amanda's colleague, who is (understandably) pretty creeped out by her post-Rivermind. The Canadian comedian recently appeared in I Used to Be Funny alongside Rachel Sennott, the debut feature of Ally Pankiw, who also directed this episode of Black Mirror. You may have also seen her in Search Party or the Canadian sketch show, Baroness Von Sketch Show.
Carolyn Turner makes a brief appearance as Penelope, another colleague at Amanda's school, who warns her she'll lose her job if she keeps spouting out ads to the kids. Turner is another Canadian comedian is one of the four leading ladies of the Baroness Von Sketch Show. She has also appeared in the American version of Ghosts and Murdoch Mysteries.
The period drama will star Erin Doherty and Stephen Graham.
