San Junipero

"San Junipero" is the fourth episode of the third series of Black Mirror, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mackenzie Davis. It was directed by Owen Harris and written by series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker, and premiered on Netflix on 21 October 2016.^[1]

Plot

The year is 1987, and the setting is the scenic California beach resort town of San Junipero. A shy young woman, Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis), is visiting San Junipero for the first time, and she heads to a crowded local bar called Tucker's. One of the first people she notices is Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), a vivacious party girl trying to get away from Wes, a man she had a fling with. Kelly uses Yorkie to ditch Wes, pretending they are old friends and that Yorkie only has 6 months to live. Kelly compliments Yorkie's "authentic" look and invites her to dance. Yorkie begins but, embarrassed by her inexperience dancing, general social awkwardness, and concern about what people will think about two girls dancing with each other, Yorkie runs away. When Kelly comes after her and propositions her for sex, Yorkie looks uncomfortable, tells Kelly she is engaged, and leaves.

The following week, Yorkie tries on an array of stereotypical '80s styles before settling on an outfit similar to what she wore the previous week. She again spots Kelly, this time flirting with a different man, and the two of them go to the bathroom to chat. They kiss, then go to Kelly's bungalow where they have sex and Yorkie reveals it was the first time she had sex with anyone, male or female. The scene ends as the clock turns midnight.

The following week, Yorkie searches for, but cannot find, Kelly. Spotting Wes, Yorkie asks him where she is, but he tells her he doesn't know although he's seen Kelly in the 1990s and the early 2000s occasionally. Yorkie then spends the following weeks traveling to those times, searching for Kelly. She eventually finds her in 2002 playing Dance Dance Revolution. Kelly brushes her off and Yorkie is hurt and leaves. A frustrated Kelly punches a mirror, only for the glass to instantly repair itself. Feeling bad, Kelly goes back and finds Yorkie. She confesses that in reality she is dying and that she only meant to have fun and not have a connection while in San Junipero. The two sleep together again and Kelly tells Yorkie she wants to meet her in real life. Yorkie demurs, but after some persuasion she tells Kelly her location.

In the real world, the consciousnesses of the dead can be uploaded into a virtual reality system, where they can live in San Junipero as their younger selves forever. Living people can visit San Junipero for a trial period, but are limited to five hours a week. An aged Kelly (Denise Burse) lives in an assisted living facility, dying of cancer. She goes to visit Yorkie and discovers that Yorkie is a completely paralyzed elderly woman living in a nursing home. Yorkie became incapacitated over forty years earlier when, at age 21, she told her deeply religious parents that she was gay. They rejected her and she fled in her car, then got into an accident that left her completely paralyzed.

The technology for San Junipero is relatively recent. Yorkie tried out San Junipero's trial period and decided to be euthanized and spend her afterlife in the virtual reality system. Because her family has religious objections to signing the papers allowing her to die, she plans on marrying Greg, her nurse, so that he may legally override their authority. After learning of this, Kelly spontaneously requests a few minutes' visit with Yorkie in San Junipero, where she proposes to Yorkie, who enthusiastically accepts. They marry and Kelly then authorizes Yorkie's euthanasia, which takes place a few hours after the wedding.

Yorkie is happy in San Junipero but frustrated that Kelly is only able to join her for five hours per week. She asks Kelly to join her in the afterlife but Kelly rejects this. Her plan is to die naturally. She was married 49 years to a man she greatly loved, and he did not want to live in San Junipero. Yorkie accuses Kelly's husband of selfishly forcing this option onto Kelly, but Kelly reveals that they had a daughter, Alison, who died at 39 before the technology of San Junipero was available. Rather than live in San Junipero, Kelly's husband chose to die to be with their child. Though Kelly doesn't believe in an afterlife she wants to honor their decision. Angry with Yorkie, Kelly drives away and crashes her car. Yorkie appears and tries to help her up, but Kelly's weekly time is up and she disappears.

Time passes. Kelly's condition in real life worsens, and she decides to be euthanized. However, rather than die, she opts to have her consciousness permanently uploaded into San Junipero, where she and Yorkie can remain together and live happily, forever. In the real world, an enigmatic corporation known as TCKR Systems operates a massive server room, wherein robots maintain the consciousnesses of those that now live permanently in San Junipero and other virtual places.

Production

Brooker wrote the episode after wanting to write a period episode, and being inspired by nostalgia therapy for older people.^[2] In the initial draft of the story, the love story was between a heterosexual couple, but Brooker changed it. He revealed that he thought this gave the episode an extra resonance, because same-sex marriage was not legal in 1987. Brooker revealed that the song "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle (which plays over the end credits of the episode) was included after he heard it on a 1987 playlist in Spotify after he started writing the script.^[2] He knew the song would be perfect for the end scene, and admitted he would have been "absolutely distraught" if they had been unable to use it.^[2]

Critical reception

The episode received critical acclaim, being called one of the best episodes of the series. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian noted that the episode went to "surprising and ultimately poignant places".^[3] Tim Goodman, for The Hollywood Reporter, praised the "emotional hook that will leave only the hardest heart not shedding tears".^[4] Adam Chitwood, reviewing the episode for Collider, described it as the "best episode of the season".^[5] Matt Fowler of IGN similarly described the episode as the best of the season.^[6]

References

External links

• "San Junipero" at the Internet Movie Database