Black Mirror season 7 episode 6: does USS Callister: Into Infinity live up to expectations? Ending explained

• Black Mirror returns to the world of USS Callister.
• The sequel episode is part of the Netflix show’s seventh season.
• But does it live up to the lofty expectations of the original?

Synopsis: Robert Daly is dead, but now the crew of the USS Callister – led by Captain Nanette Cole – are stranded in an infinite virtual universe, fighting for survival against 30 million players.

Black Mirror goes for bigger and louder in its highly anticipated USS Callister sequel episode - as it boldly embraces blockbuster sci-fi. See my rankings of every episode of the Netflix show from worst to best.

Any concerns about the decision to return to the world of USS Callister are dispelled almost immediately. The opening scene with friends waiting around in a lobby and joking about Wrexham is an absolute joy - capturing part of the mundane reality of online gaming in a way that TV and film never really do.

Upon return to the Callister, we are reintroduced to the cast from the previous episode including Nanette Cole (Cristin Miloti) who is now the captain - following their escape from Daly. However the stakes are still high, as they are trapped in the online game Infinity and have resorted to robbing players for credits in a bid to survive (to hyper warp for example).

These assaults are dangerous and they have already lost members of the crew - with Shania being killed (explaining Michaela Coel’s absence). Leaving them with just five.

Back in the real world, the actual Nanette is still working at Callister (seemingly renamed Infinity) and it has been months since the death of Daly at the end of the previous episode. A journalist has arrived to interview the real world James Walton (Jimmi Simpson) and dig into Daly - and reports of unknown players robbing others in the game.

Tensions are high on the Callister with Karl (Billy Magnussen) in particular frustrated with his role on the team. During an attempted raid on a solo player, Nanette is injured by a landmine and is captured by a player and nearly killed - before being rescued by Nate Packer (Osy Ikhile).

What unfolds from here on out is a thrilling blockbuster sci-fi yarn as the in-game clones continue to attempt to survive against overwhelming odds. It lacks perhaps the immediate tension and propulsive energy of the original as well as the horror movie monster vibes of Robert Daly in that episode.

The returning cast is excellent and Jimmi Simpson gets to channel some of his wild energy from It’s Always Sunny… In Philadelphia in suitably hilarious fashion. But once again this is the Cristin Miloti show and she eats it up as both versions of Nanette.

It is a valiant return to the world of USS Callister, looser and bigger in the way sequels tend to be. But still compelling and a worthy companion piece to the original.

USS Callister: Into Infinity ending explained -

During the episode real world Nanette realises that the unknown players carrying out robberies in game are actually the illegal clones that Daly had created in the first episode. The in-game characters come up with a plan to find the source code and create their own universe, free from Infinity.

Real world Nanette and Walton make their way into the game and find the clones, ending up on the Callister. However Walton goes rogue and tries to gun down the crew, including killing Karl.

After attempting to stop Walton returning to the game, real world Nanette is knocked down by a car and fatally injured. Meanwhile back in Infinity, clone Walton explains what is in the heart of Infinity.

Jesse Plemons makes a surprise but welcome return as a young Robert Daly in a flashback - offering a different flavour to the iconic villain, hinting at the darkness to come. Walton reveals that there is an enslaved copy of Daly inside the game engine.

As clone Nanette goes to the heart of Infinity, real life Walton returns to the Callister and sends a mass invite to every player the crew have robbed over time. It sets the stage for a major battle as they attempt to survive until the captain returns.

The clone of Daly offers Nanette a choice, to go ahead with the plan and create the alternate universe for the Callister crew. Or escape from the game forever and be transferred into the brain dead body of her real life self.

After picking to save her crew, clone Daly reveals a third choice that will allow them to ‘save everyone’. It is in this moment that the villainous side comes out of Daly, as he plots to keep a clone of Nanette with him in the heart of Infinity.

Losing control, Daly removes Nanette’s mouth and throws her around the room proclaiming “I’m a nice guy”. She kills him with a prop from the show Space Fleet causing Infinity to start collapsing.

With the Callister on the brink of being destroyed, Nanette is left scrambling to find the right floppy disk and ends up teleporting them all into the mind of her real life self who then wakes up from a coma.

Real life Walton discovers that the game has been deleted due to the kill switch and Infinity is now gone. He stares down at one of Daly’s comics and crushes it.

After a three month jump, Walton is arrested by the FBI for the illegal cloning - but the Callister crew remains stuck in Nanette’s head. It ends with the crew making her put on the new episode of a Real Housewives like show.

Just like the original USS Callister it does leave the door ajar just enough for a potential threequel - while still being a satisfying ending. Would you watch a third entry? Let me know by email: [email protected].