Episode Summary
- “USS Callister: Into Infinity”showcases the crew’s ongoing battle for survival amid raiding actions and new technical glitches that add complexity to their plight.
- With assistance from Walton, Nanette devises a daring escape strategy, revealing Daly’s sinister secrets and a potential way out of the digital landscape.
- The episode culminates with Cole making a pivotal choice to rescue her friends, ultimately confronting Daly and ensuring the game is permanently erased.
The “USS Callister”episode is a standout installment in the Black Mirror series, gaining a significant following since its debut. Its conclusion left audiences on the edge of their seats, with the crew of the spaceship engaged in a desperate fight for survival. Unlike typical players in the Infinity game, this crew finds themselves in dire need of credits to avoid dire consequences. In the sequel, “USS Callister: Into Infinity,”viewers witness the crew’s continuous struggle as they resort to raiding other players to gather essential credits for their existence.
These raids, however, are met with hostility from other players, adding layers to the narrative. The crew, now under Nanette Cole’s command, faces numerous challenges as they search for a way to escape the digital domain. Their quest for liberation requires significant cooperation from someone thought to be lost. Will Nanette succeed in saving her crew, or are they all headed for an ominous fate? Let’s explore the thrilling conclusion of Episode 6 of Black Mirror Season 7.
What is Black Mirror Season 7 Episode 6 ‘USS Callister: Into Infinity’ About?
The Season 7 finale, “USS Callister: Into Infinity,”picks up the storyline introduced in Season 4. Following Robert Daly’s demise, Nanette Cole (Cristin Milioti) assumes command of the USS Callister crew. With their survival at stake, the crew resorts to ambushing other players for credits, only to face unprecedented glitches that inflict emotional turmoil without physical harm. As frustrations mount, survival becomes increasingly precarious.
In the real world, Nanette teams up with James Walton (Jimmi Simpson) to identify the threats plaguing them. Walton uncovers shocking details about Daly’s cloning activities within the game. As they navigate this treacherous territory, Nanette identifies a risky escape route that requires assistance from a supposed deceased ally.
Simultaneously, a journalist from the New York Times presses Walton for answers regarding the tech company and Daly’s bizarre possessions, including a DNA cloning machine. Feeling the pressure, Walton asks the journalist to leave. Unbeknownst to him, Nanette has been eavesdropping and shares her discoveries with him about Daly’s cloning practices involving his former colleagues. Upon accessing Daly’s old computer system, they endeavor to rectify the ongoing chaos. Meanwhile, a clone of Nanette proposes creating a version of the Infinity game that offers safety—an ambitious plan tied to their escape efforts.
However, to access this new digital haven, they require Walton’s assistance, who is thought to be deceased; yet there are indications he may still be alive, as evidence surfaces within the spaceship. Their journey leads them to a planet where they encounter Walton.
Just as they are preparing to make their escape, the real Nanette and Walton confront the crew, expressing their intentions to assist. They return to the USS Callister, where a plan to access the Heart of Infinity is discussed. Tension escalates when Walton brandishes a weapon, revealing that their presence in the game is illegal. In a parallel struggle, Nanette attempts to exit the game, only to be struck by a car, collapsing unconscious on the street. Back onboard the ship, the crew strives to fulfill their mission as Walton unveils that the Heart of Infinity is, in fact, a clone version of Daly, trapped in a cycle of toil.
How Does Black Mirror Season 7 Episode 6 ‘USS Callister: Into Infinity’ Conclude?
Both versions of Cole are confronted with their struggles. A call from the clone version reveals to the real Cole, now in a coma, that her situation might be dire. Undeterred, she decides to venture into the Heart of Infinity, where she meets the clone of Daly immersed in creating the Infinity world. In a face-off, she reveals Daly’s shrouded history: he constructed a private realm that exploits and torments his captured colleagues while pretending to be a heroic captain.
In response, Daly offers Cole a choice: upload their new universe via a green floppy disk, which could enable the crew’s escape, or a red floppy disk that allows her to return to her physical body. However, this decision comes at a dire cost, as choosing her life means sacrificing her crew. Choosing to prioritize her friends, she risks everything, but Daly entices her with a blue floppy disk capable of saving them all—with an unsettling condition that she would have to create a new clone of herself to accompany him. Understanding the threat, Cole prepares to confront him.
Meanwhile, back on the USS Callister, Walton’s true identity is soon revealed, and he panics, activating an “Invite Party”button that puts the entire crew in jeopardy. Players descend upon their ship, and with their credits depleted, the crew faces imminent annihilation. Nevertheless, in a climactic showdown, Cole triumphs over Daly and successfully deploys the blue floppy disk, thereby liberating everyone and permanently shutting down the game. The episode concludes dramatically with the USS Callister crew continuing to exist within the consciousness of the real Cole, while Walton is apprehended for his misdeeds.