We all know how “Black Mirror” is well known for its commentary on technology and depictions of dystopian futures. Being an episodic show, “Black Mirror” tells a complete story every episode, each with a beginning and end.
But whether you may have realized it or not, since its launch in 2011, the show has been building a complicated universe. By analyzing the easter eggs Charlie Brooker includes throughout the episodes, it’s clear how “Black Mirror” isn’t just a collection of standalone narratives. “Black Mirror” utilizes a mix of characteristics from serial television and more narratively complex shows to appeal to a large audience.
In season 6 alone, Charlie Brooker includes numerous easter eggs that indicate shared universes across episodes, making “Black Mirror” a narratively complex television show. For example, in episode one, “Joan is Awful,” Joan’s coworker Sandy receives a notification from an app called Smithereens, a social media app featured in Season 5, Episode 2, “Smithereens.” In another scene in the same episode, Joan is reading a newspaper with a sidebar titled “Grains Going Out of Style,” referencing the memory grain technology from Season 1, Episode 3, “The Entire History of You,” a device that records people’s memories to rewatch later.
In episode 2, “Loch Henry,” a documentary called “Euthanasia: Inside Project Junipero” is mentioned by one of the characters. This is a reference to Season 3’s episode “San Junipero,” in which there is a project where people can choose to live in a simulated world after death.
Through easter eggs, “Black Mirror” adds narrative depth to its episodic nature by allowing relationships between characters and episodes to develop, the more you watch the show. Piecing together the pieces and completing the puzzle to the universe in “Black Mirror” becomes part of the experience for fans, as they make connections between characters and technologies, birthing theories and predictions and creating a rich viewing experience for long time fans. “Black Mirror” not only appeals to audiences with episodes that give a satisfying beginning and end to each story, but also by creating room for audiences to analyze the complicated plot and connections made throughout the series.