Black Mirror Season 7 Episode 5 Ending Explained: Why Phillip Does Not Remember Carol’s Face in “Eulogy”
Black Mirror Season 7 Episode 5, titled “Eulogy” is one of the emotional episodes created by Charlie Brooker. The chapter written by Ella Road (“Doctor Who”, “Ten Percent”) focuses on a lonely man who discovers a revolutionary system that allows users to enter old photos. Phillip (Paul Giamatti) agrees to use technology and arouses intense emotions in the process. However, there is something you cannot remember. In the end, does he succeed? What happened to the protagonist? After receiving a call from a representative of Kelly Royce (Patsy Ferran), the daughter of her ex-girlfriend Carol, who has passed away, agrees to share her memories with the deceased for the funeral ceremony. Although you don’t understand how it works, you accept a representative package that contains Eulogy, a technology that allows users to enter old memories and photos to create a Eulogy.
The protagonist of the fifth episode of the seventh season of “Black Mirror” cannot share any clear memories, so the Guide suggests introducing some photos. He recommends a minimum of six, but Phillip only has three Polaroids, and none of them shows Carol Royce’s face. To help you remember, the Guide introduces you to the image and helps you relive that moment. In the emotional episode “Eulogy” of Black Mirror, we follow the story of Phillip (played by Paul Giamatti), a lonely man who receives an unexpected call: the daughter of his ex-girlfriend Carol has passed away and asks him to share memories for the farewell ceremony. Phillip receives a package with “Eulogy”, a revolutionary technology that allows you to relive old memories and photographs to create a Eulogy. However, he faces a problem: he barely has three Polaroids, and none distinguishes Carol’s face, since he vandalized them years ago after a painful breakup. Guided by an artificial intelligence called the Guide, Phillip delves into his photographs, reliving moments of his life with Carol and uncovering intense emotions that he had suppressed for years.
Black Mirror Season 7 Episode 5 Ending Explained: Why Phillip Does Not Remember Carol’s Face in “Eulogy”
Although that does not reveal Carol’s face, it lets us know that Phillip had a love relationship with her. When the Guide asks if the user has more snapshots, the man mentions that he has several, but they won’t help since you cannot see the woman’s face. Why? He vandalized them after a love disappointment. As the episode progresses, it becomes clear that Phillip holds a grudge against Carol for something she did to her in the past. To each accusation of the lonely man, the Guide questions and reproaches his attitude. The immersive journey through the past reveals that Carol loved playing the cello, but Phillip forced her to play another instrument in her band.
At a 1991 Halloween party, Phillip focuses on Carol’s closeness to another man but does not acknowledge that he was in a similar situation with his coworker Emma. Phillip remembers that Carol abandoned him to fulfill his dreams while he suffered from his absence. However, she omits that he cheated on her with Emma. When Carol finds out, they have a great fight, and it seems to be the end of their romance. However, they agreed to meet in a luxurious restaurant. Phillip travels to propose to her, but she looks different, refuses to drink champagne, and does not answer the big question. Phillip loses control and yells at him, so she leaves. That is the end of their relationship. However, once again, the protagonist of “Eulogy” only remembers his side of the story.
Carol’s Letter: The Truth that Phillip Ignored
In a crucial turn, technology shows her that Carol had left a letter after the breakup. In it, she revealed that she was pregnant with a musician with whom she had a brief relationship after discovering Phillip’s infidelity. Despite the betrayal, Carol still hoped that Phillip wanted to be a part of her life. He proposed to meet the next day to decide their future together, but Phillip never read the letter until years later, lost in his resentment. This discovery completely changes Phillip’s perspective of himself, who understands that he had built a false narrative in which Carol was the villain. As Charlie Brooker, the creator of the series, explained, “he made her a villain in his head. That was her narrative: that she was simply a terrible person who did something horrible to her. But in the end, he understands what she was going through and, as a consequence, falls in love with her again, which is bittersweet because she is no longer”.
What Does the End of “Eulogy” Mean?
Phillip finally manages to remember Carol’s face by seeing an old photograph and listening to a recording of her playing the cello. The music envelops him as he recovers the image of the woman he had loved deeply and whose memory had been distorted by pain and pride. The episode leaves a powerful message: How memory can deceive us to protect us from pain, and how to face the past, even if it is late, can give us a form of personal redemption. Eulogy offers a melancholic reflection on repentance, loss, and the opportunity to reconcile with our memories, even if people are no longer there.
Conclusion of Eulogy
Eulogy becomes one of the most moving episodes of the seventh season of Black Mirror. Throughout Phillip’s story, he raises deep questions about how we remember, how we rewrite the past to survive emotionally, and how sometimes facing the painful truth can bring us unexpected peace. Phillip closes his emotional journey with a nostalgic but reconciling look at his memories, finally remembering Carol’s face and understanding that, despite the mistakes, the love they shared was real. A bittersweet ending, true to the spirit of Black Mirror, that combines technology and humanity powerfully and emotionally.
