If you came to Black Mirror Season 7 expecting killer robots, brain-implanted ads, or someone screaming at a smart toaster, you’ll want to recalibrate before watching Episode 5, “Eulogy.” This one is less “oh no, tech is terrifying” and more “oh no, my feelings.” And yet, it still feels every bit as Black Mirror as any of its more dystopian predecessors.
“Eulogy” stars Paul Giamatti as Phillip Connarty, a man living in what appears to be self-imposed exile in Cape Cod, surrounded by boxes of old photographs and regret. His quiet, solitary life is interrupted when he’s contacted by a company called Eulogy. Their service? Reconstructing immersive digital memorials using personal memories and photographs. They want his help creating one for his recently deceased ex-girlfriend, Carol. And they’re willing to pay.
Enter the Guide, a delightfully calm yet emotionally probing AI assistant voiced by Patsy Ferran. She leads Phillip through his memory archive, asking questions, surfacing photos, and gently peeling back the layers of a man who would very much like to stay closed. What starts as a transactional task quickly becomes something deeper and more revealing.
Giamatti is, unsurprisingly, excellent. The man could probably cry on cue while reciting a grocery list and still make it emotionally resonant. But here, he brings a quiet vulnerability to Phillip that feels lived-in. He is a man not just haunted by his past but actively dodging it, and you can see the weight of every unresolved feeling hanging off him like a wet coat.
As Phillip revisits his relationship with Carol, we learn things slowly. He loved her, he sabotaged things, he resents her, and she might not have been the villain in his story after all. The episode plays with memory in that way only Black Mirror can, nudging us to question the stories we tell ourselves about who we were and what really happened. Turns out, sometimes we’re the unreliable narrator of our own lives.
There is a particularly effective moment late in the episode where Phillip discovers a letter from Carol he never opened. It is simple, honest, and quietly devastating. No twist. No dark secret. Just a missed chance and a man left to sit in the silence of it. It hits harder than any high-concept reveal could.
The technology in “Eulogy” is intentionally understated. There are no flashing lights or elaborate interfaces. It’s all calm tones, clean visuals, and the slow reveal of emotional rot. That’s what makes it so effective. This is not a world where AI goes rogue. This is a world where AI holds up a mirror and asks if you’re ready to look.
Now, it’s not a perfect episode. The pace will test the patience of anyone who prefers their Black Mirror fast and twisty. And while the emotional payoff is strong, there’s a version of this story that could have dug even deeper with a few more layers of complexity or an added point of tension. But the simplicity also works in its favor. “Eulogy” is content to whisper when other episodes scream, and that restraint is refreshing.
More than anything, it leaves you thinking long after the credits roll. About the people you’ve lost. The words left unsaid. The versions of yourself you’d rather not revisit. And whether technology, for all its flaws, might sometimes be a better listener than we are.
Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars.
“Eulogy” won’t be everyone’s favorite episode of the season, but it will absolutely be someone’s. It’s moving, melancholic, and anchored by a stunning performance from Giamatti. Just don’t watch it right after a breakup or, you know, on your birthday. You’ve been warned.
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