Honestly, it was only a matter of time. You’ve seen him as a grumpy wine aficionado, a crooked lawyer, and a 1970s boarding school teacher, but seeing Paul Giamatti in Black Mirror felt like the universe finally corrected a glitch. When Season 7 dropped in April 2025, the internet basically lost its collective mind over Episode 5, titled "Eulogy." It wasn't just another sci-fi story. It was a gut punch.
Giamatti plays Phillip Connarty. He's a New England recluse, the kind of guy who looks like he smells of old books and regret. The plot kicks off when a tech company—ominously named Eulogy—reaches out to tell him his ex-girlfriend, Carol, has died. He hasn't seen her in decades. They want his memories to build a digital memorial.
Why Paul Giamatti Was the Only Choice for Phillip
Most actors play "sad." Giamatti plays "haunted by the specific weight of his own failures." That’s the magic here. Phillip is convinced he’s forgotten most of his time with Carol. But the tech doesn't let him hide.
The central device in "Eulogy" is a virtual reality kit that lets users "step into" old analog photographs. No de-aging CGI here. Director Chris Barrett and Luke Taylor opted for a tactile, practical approach. They cast Declan Mason to play young Phillip, and the resemblance is actually kind of eerie. Giamatti himself mentioned in interviews that Mason looks exactly like his own cousins.
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The Twist You Didn’t See Coming (Or Maybe You Did)
As Phillip explores these frozen moments with the help of an AI known as "The Guide" (played by a brilliant Patsy Ferran), the "Black Mirror" of it all starts to creep in.
- The Infidelity Reveal: Phillip discovers that both he and Carol were unfaithful.
- The Daughter Connection: The AI Guide isn't just a random avatar; she’s modeled after Carol’s daughter, Kelly.
- The Responsibility: Phillip realizes that his own actions—a one-night stand that triggered Carol's revenge affair—directly led to the birth of the woman now guiding him through his own trauma.
It's messy. It's human. It's exactly why Giamatti deserved that Golden Globe nomination he picked up in early 2026. He brings a "peevish skepticism" to the role that slowly melts into a radical, painful epiphany.
The Tech vs. The Emotion
Usually, this show is about how technology will murder us or turn us into cookies. "Eulogy" is different. The tech is almost secondary to the grief. Charlie Brooker actually finished post-production on this episode right as he had to give a real-life eulogy for his father. You can feel that raw energy on screen.
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The episode doesn't preach. It doesn't say "tech is bad." It asks: is it better to live in blissful ignorance or to be traumatized by the truth of your own failings? Phillip ends the episode burdened with knowledge. He’s matured, sure, but he’s also broken in a way he wasn’t at the start.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
People keep arguing about whether Phillip "won" or "lost." That's the wrong way to look at it. Paul Giamatti’s Black Mirror performance is a study in ambiguity. The final shot is just his face—shifting from relief to a deep, hollow realization.
He didn't find closure. He found a mirror.
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If you're looking for the typical "technology-gone-wrong" horror, this isn't it. It’s "human-gone-wrong," with a camera lens as the witness. Critics have ranked it everywhere from the top 3 to the bottom 10 of the entire series, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s divisive because it’s intimate.
Essential Takeaways for Your Next Rewatch
- Watch the eyes: Giamatti does more with a squint than most actors do with a monologue.
- The Photos: Pay attention to the background characters in the "frozen" scenes. The actors had to stand perfectly still, and it adds a level of "uncanny valley" that feels genuinely unsettling.
- The Music: The score shifts as Phillip’s memories "sharpen," moving from distorted static to clear, melodic New York nostalgia.
To get the most out of this episode, pair it with a rewatch of Season 4's "USS Callister"—which, by the way, got a full-blown sequel in Season 7. Seeing the contrast between Giamatti's grounded drama and the high-concept space opera of "Into Infinity" shows just how wide the "Black Mirror" umbrella has become.
Before you dive back into Phillip’s repressed memories, make sure your Netflix subscription is active for the upcoming Season 8, which was officially greenlit in early 2026 following the massive success of Giamatti and Rashida Jones's performances. Keep an eye on the production notes for Season 8 to see if Brooker continues this "bittersweet romantic fable" trend or returns to the pure dread of the early seasons.