Here's why Black Mirror's San Junipero is worthy of its Emmys win

With the episode’s two wins for Outstanding TV Movie and Outstanding Writing, I thought it time to revisit on Netflix (all three seasons are on there, by the way); to relive the joy of arguably the best episode of the entire series.
Black Mirror’s varied tales of futuristic dystopias and, in some deceptive instances, utopias encapsulated a taut blend of timely concepts and audience connectivity.

Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mackenzie Davis, we open with Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven Is A Place On Earth blasting out over the 1980s-set setting. We’re led to believe the hour-long story is taking us back to the era, but as the plot unfolds and we experience a variety of decades – ’90s and ’00s – which end up playing second fiddle to the layered story at hand.

Mackenzie Davis’ Yorkie is a fish out of water in a strange and lively town, only for her to become enchanted by the ever-present and confidence of Kelly (Guyu Mbatha-Raw). Essentially we’re gifted an LGBT-friendly love story in time-hopping eras that leave you processing the blossoming relationship as you attempt to figure out where and when the locations are in the story’s timeline.

The entire episode is brilliantly written, with the girls’ simmering chemistry subtly transferred to the small screen. We get a rich taste of various music, fashion, and aesthetic from different decades which feels a little like the movie Detention but with, ahem, less horror and killings.

In time all becomes clear in regards to where our story actually takes place, with a build-up of the complexities of Yorkie’s and Kelly’s love affair that take centre stage. The whole thing forms a poignant and tender portrayal of love and the notion of fitting in, as well as the conceits of life and death. There’s an existentially rich array of character and raw emotion, which affirm it as one of Black Mirror’s strongest instalments.
And as for its durability of a re-watch? Simply put: it’s great. Its deft writing and fresh, fluid ideas behind it make it worthy of this year’s Emmy wins, and rightly became a fan favourite when it first aired almost 12 months ago.

Inventive and simplistic simultaneously; San Junipero stands tall as an interesting, evocative, and engaging character-driven TV movie to rival and even surpass its peers.

Are you fan of Black Mirror? Do you still adore San Junipero? Share your comments below…