Black Mirror Season 7 Episode 5 recap: A haunting look at grief and memory through the lens of technology

Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker's provocative dystopian anthology series, returned in April 2025 with a seventh season being hailed as one of the show's most layered to date. Its stories are known for their chilling depictions of how contemporary technology affects human behavior, frequently resulting in unpleasant, dystopian futures. Black Mirror is popular for its stand-alone episodes with distinct plots and settings.

Episode 6 of the latest season, titled "USS Callister: Into Infinity," has been praised for its compelling use and depiction of high-stakes virtual reality in its storytelling. Episode 5, "Eulogy," adopts a different approach on something much quieter: the psychological effects of cutting-edge technology on human memory and bereavement.

Set in the near future, "Eulogy" follows Jonah and his tryst with technology as he tries to cope with the death of his wife. As he becomes hooked on the past, his grasp on reality deteriorates, raising concerns about sorrow, memory, and their intersection with technology.

Black Mirror Season 7 Episode 5: Details explored

With "Common People," a medical-tech thriller episode opening the Season 7, this time Black Mirror seems to have broadened its tonal and thematic scope.

Episode 5, "Eulogy," follows Jonah (played by Westworld's Jimmi Simpson), a grieving man struggling to move on after the death of his wife, Eleanor. When Jonah is introduced to Echo—a new memory-replay device pushing the limits of immersive technology—he sees it as a means to reconnect with his departed wife. The story takes place in the near future where individuals can access their past through images.

After being introduced to Echo, which allows him to not just watch, but mentally engage with the moments of their past, Jonah starts to relive his memories that are emotionally vivid yet captured in digital stillness. Through a reconstruction, Jonah is able to see, hear, and even speak to his Eleanor, which provides him with solace.

However, as the episode progresses, Jonah grows increasingly reliant on Echo. The gap between his simulated memories and actual life grows wider as his trips to the past grow longer and more intense. Although Jonah keeps denying its impact, his alienation is noticed by friends and family.

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Towards the end, Jonah's unraveling becomes imminent as he faces the emotional fallout from his obsession. The illusion of control is destroyed as he is forced to experience both regretful memories alongside the joyful ones. The final sequence which is a montage of distorted memories stitched together in rapid succession, encapsulates the general sentiment of the show: it leaves both Jonah and the viewers questioning whether Echo was ever about healing, or just a technologically supplemented spiral into self-destruction.

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