source: NETFLIX
For the second year in a row, an entry in the Black Mirror anthology from Netflix has won an Emmy for Best TV Movie. This year, it was the season’s first episode, “USS Callister,” that claimed the prize. And on top of that award, it took home two others.
In addition to the Best TV Movie award, USS Callister also won an Emmy for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special and Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie.
The episode follows video game company officer Robert Daly, who helps run the company by day, but captains the USS Callister (a spaceship inside a Star Trek-like game he created) by night. In this world, he’s everything he isn’t in real life. He gets the girl, he has the undying affection of his friends, and he always saves the day.
Of course, like any good sci-fi flick, his creations (not coincidentally filled with faces from his office) eventually begins showing signs of sentience. And from there, he quickly loses his status as the hero of the group as the show delves into the dark side of technology that it’s become so well known for.
The episode was actually nominated in 7 Emmy categories overall, including:
- Outstanding Made For Television Movie
- Outstanding Cinematography
- Outstanding Music Composition
- Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Lead Actor
With a resume like this, it’s not hard to see why many critics rank this episode among the very best of the series.
Of course, the win doesn’t come without a little controversy. Many fans and industry insiders wonder if something like this (which can really be more compared to an episode of a TV show) should be competing with standalone films. The argument is that other episodes of the anthology or even previous seasons could sway the voting a little. For now though, the category will stay as it is.
This isn’t new territory for Netflix, as last year, it was the episode “San Junipero” of Black Mirror that won the best TV Movie Emmy, along with an Emmy for Best Writing.
