The following article contains spoilers for Black Mirror season 5
Although series creator Charlie Brooker is the mastermind behind Black Mirror in real life, a new season five episode seems to confirm that there might be a darker influence at work which connects each season too.
'Striking Vipers' explores the unconventional relationship that develops between two estranged college friends when they reconnect via a virtual reality game which brings their desires to life. To enter this world, the two lead characters connect using some tech that should be familiar to long-time Black Mirror fans.
Although it’s not officially named here, the implant and its subsequent effect on the user’s pupil looks almost identical to other examples of eye tech that we’ve seen before in episodes like 'White Christmas', 'Men Against Fire', and 'The Entire History Of You'.
In each case, the similar-looking technology impacts perception in some way and there are also some clues that suggest these devices are made by the same company.
At one point in 'Striking Vipers', eagle-eyed viewers might have spotted that the game was developed by a company called TCKR, which has a long and convoluted history in the wider Black Mirror universe.
First founded under the name Tuckersoft in 'Bandersnatch'. Some version of that company survived one of that episode’s multiple endings to be reborn as TCKR, a tech corporation that’s responsible for the horrors seen in the likes of 'Black Museum' and 'Playtest'.
It’s not all bad though: TCKR also created the virtual reality that elderly people escape to in 'San Junipero' and that’s not the only thing that 'Striking Vipers' shares with that fan-favourite episode either.
Brooker told Digital Spy that he jokingly referred to 'Striking Vipers' as "Man Junipero", explaining that "There are parallels – there's two people who enter a fantasy environment and make a connection, and it's Owen Harris [directing]."
Aside from the fact that TCKR is involved in each story, it’s also true that both episodes revolve around LGBTQ+ characters who can only express their love for each other in this virtual world.
As technology develops, it provides people with the opportunity to explore their sexuality more freely and while real life hasn’t progressed quite as far as Black Mirror, it’s still fascinating to see how these two particular episodes point to a potentially more optimistic future for the LGBTQ+ community.
However, Brooker was quick to point out that 'Striking Vipers' and 'San Junipero' are “not the same” in other ways and showrunner Annabel Jones clarified this by explaining that the two episodes also diverge from each other in a few crucial aspects: "Most of 'San Junipero' takes place in the VR world… it's the absolute opposite in 'Striking Vipers', where the VR elements are very, very small in terms of the overall film."
Thematically, the two episodes diverge somewhat too. While 'San Junipero' explores the power of love and how it can help transcend both pain and loneliness, 'Striking Vipers' is far more grounded and arguably less romantic in scope.
For Jones, this particular season-five episode is more about "fantasy fulfilment and about pornography and about how our relationship with pornography changes as it becomes more sophisticated and more immersive."
However, it’s hard to deny still that both episodes foreground the ways technology can help us find ourselves, whether we’re trying to recapture the excitement of our youth or explore opportunities long thought lost.
TCKR might be responsible for most of the hardships faced in the world of Black Mirror, and a brief shot of the company’s logo in 'Metalhead' hints that they may end up being responsible for the apocalypse too. That doesn’t mean the technology itself is inherently evil though.
Just like in real life, it’s up to the individual to wield such tech responsibly and if handled right, these new devices can help give us the same kind of unconventional but happy endings that connect 'Striking Vipers' with 'San Junipero'.
Black Mirror season 5 is available on Netflix now
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
