Did the Black Mirror Season 7 harrowing episode Eulogy have a happy ending? Star Paul Giamatti feels otherwise 

Aashna
Black Mirror Season 7 (Image via Netflix)
Black Mirror Season 7 (Image via Netflix)

Netflix's British sci-fi show Black Mirror Season 7 is finally here with six new episodes, each exploring a different and mind-bending facet of technology. Created by Charlie Brooker, the show is an anthology series that debuted in 2011.

While the sci-fi show is known for its mind-bending themes and futuristic technologies that could turn human life bleak, Black Mirror Season 7, Episode 5, Eulogy offers a heartwarming peek into the universal human emotions of regret, love, and longing.

The story follows an elderly and lonely man, Philip, who is contacted by an AI Eulogy, informing him that his old lover Carol has died and that the technology will hold a special "immersive memorial" using her memories. Her loved ones could relive the memories shared with her through old photographs.

However, since Philip and Carol's relationship ended on a bitter note, Philip has consciously erased Carol's face from all his memories and photographs, which causes him to return to those memories to remember her face again.

Since Philip finally remembers Carol's face at the end, many believe it to be a happy ending. But talking to Entertainment Weekly, Black Mirror Season 7 star Paul Giammatti reveals it to be bittersweet.

More on Black Mirror Season 7 Eulogy's ending in our story.


Black Mirror Season 7 star Paul Giamatti opens up about his episode Eulogy's ending

While the show is known for its mind-bending take on human emotions, one cannot help but connect with Philip's predicament, and the episode clearly stands out in the latest season.

While experiencing Eulogy, Philip's deep-seated memories about Carol are triggered. He realizes that she had written a letter to him asking for them to get back together, but since he never read or responded to it, their relationship ended.

All of Philip's longing culminates into the realization that he was at fault, having not read Carol's letter and thus marring their chances of being together. But he also finally remembers her face and hears her cello music at the end. Talking with Entertainment Weekly, Giamatti describes the last look on Philip's face as:

"When I first read it, I thought it was a sort of bittersweet ending, kind of literally. But I thought it was ambiguous.''

He adds:

"He's found this person and lets her go at the same time, so it is therapeutic and positive. A happy ending? As happy as one of these shows could be, but he ends up in a better place than he was in."

While Philip finally sees the true love of his life after many years, which is cathartic for him, he also realises his own shortcomings and what he could have done differently for their relationship.

However, in Black Mirror Season 7 Eulogy, all is not bleak for Philip, as he gets to see Carol, albeit for one last time. But still, Giamatti believes that one must imagine Philip happy and content at the end of Black Mirror Season 7 Eulogy because he got to have his closure, as he discussed further:

"I was so happy to see her, so happy to finally see her face and remember how beautiful she was and what a lovely presence she was,"

He added:

"But, it was also heartbreaking to see her again, because she's gone. She wasn't really there. The tension between, 'I don't want to think about it' and 'I do want to think about it' finally gets reconciled. I can think about it, but it's gone. That moment of finally being able to grab it, it goes away, too. It's intense."

Also Read: Top 3 easter eggs in Black Mirror Season 7 that many missed


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Edited by Abhimanyu Sharma