Culture

“A masterpiece”: LGBTQ+ fans react to Issa Rae and Emma Corrin’s Black Mirror episode

By Jordan Robledo

14th April 2025

Netflix

Issa Rae and Emma Corrin’s sapphic Black Mirror episode has left fans absolutely gutted. 

On 10 April, the hit anthology series made its grand return following a two-year hiatus.

Like previous entries, season seven takes a deep look at “humanity’s worst traits, greatest innovations and more” across six stand-alone episodes.

Since its release, Black Mirror season seven has received universal acclaim from critics and fans – with many praising the show’s writing, cast performances, and thought-provoking concepts.

The season has also secured an 89% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, one episode that thoroughly captivated fans –especially LGBTQIA+ viewers – is ‘Hotel Reverie.’

In the episode, A-list acting talent Brandy Friday (Rae) agrees to star in a remake of the classic romantic movie Hotel Reveire using the immersive AI software Redream.

Stepping into a gender swap version of the film’s lead character, Brandy stars alongside her favourite Hollywood actress, Dorothy Chambers (Corrin). However, remaking the classic film is easier said than done for Brandy, who gets stuck in the AI simulation and falls in love with Dorothy.

Over the last few days, fans on social media have celebrated the emotional sapphic episode, with one person on X/Twitter writing: “The black mirror episode with Issa Rae and Emma Corrin ……. my heart is aching.”

Netflix

A second viewer echoed similar sentiments, tweeting: “Yeah, give Hotel Reverie all the awards. I’m talking Emmys, Grammys everything. A cinematic masterpiece.”

A third fan added: “Hotel Reverie just fucked me up and I genuinely don’t think I’ll be ok for a little bit…. not even tryna be funny or relatable or kiki. as a longer and a yearner, storylines like that ruin my life.”

Some viewers also compared ‘Hotel Reviere’ with another iconic sapphic Black Mirror episode, ‘San Junipero’ (season 3).

“The new season of #BlackMirror could potentially be one of its best. Hotel Reverie episode is the new San Junipero and deserves all the awards!” one fan tweeted.

In a recent interview with Out, Rae opened up about the episode’s emotional story, praising its writer and creator, Charlie Brooker.

Netflix

“I have to give credit to Charlie and his depiction and obviously his imagination, but even in the character of Dorothy, for the character of Dorothy in the episode, it shows the fact that Dorothy was queer during this time period where she couldn’t really acknowledge those feelings and couldn’t be who she really was. And that is what ultimately led to her demise,” she told the news outlet.

“There’s this beautiful element in my character’s decision to remake this movie. Dorothy gets a chance to be who she is, even though she is this fictional character, she ultimately becomes who she’s meant to be.”

All seven seasons of Black Mirror are now available to stream on Netflix.

Check out more fan reactions below.