Analysis of San Junipero in The Black Mirror Essay Sample

San Junipero is one of the most unique Black Mirror episodes. The episode discusses many different topics. The writer had been locking into nostalgia therapy and the effects of Alzheimer’s. The strength of the book is not in the shocking or disturbing setting but, has a strongly written story with a classic soundtrack. The director sets the scene with eighties music playing and the characters are all dressed in retro clothing to depict the setting would be in the eighties. There is a scene in the episode where the girl “Yorkie” is invited by Davis to play “top speed” and this foreshadows the reveal of her getting into a car accident after being disowned by her homophobic family. Yorkie finds a girlfriend named Kelly, with who she falls in love, but the girl is not willing to give up her man who she had also rejected after decades. During the scene, a song is played named “fake” creating a connotation that Yorkie’s new girl will change and reject her soon. The characters who have passed over are relieved to get rid of their commitments and anxieties whereas Yorkie never had any for most of her life. 

A week later she tries to go after Kelly again, where Yorkie dresses to impress Kelly and changes her character for her. Yorkie begins to feel uncomfortable with all the changes to her style just for someone else’s happiness. Yorkie and Kelly return to a bar where they met, and a specific song is playing titled “Living in a Box” by Living in a Box. The song is playing to reflect the fact that all these people in the bar are now living inside a box that is their afterlife. The song then changes to “Need You Tonight” by INXS the song's lyrics depict that they only have this night to enjoy themselves and their aspect of living before they all get banned from the server in a week. The music starts to fade after the lyric “the 21at century’s yesterday” given that any notion of time is completely eradicated in San Junipero. 

Yorkie finally gets what she wants with Kelly, and they bring waves into the scene to symbolize regret which is shown all over the episode. The period is a reoccurring change. Kelly and Yorkie argue later in the Scene but Yorkie's desire for Kelly never ends. Late in the episode, Kelly becomes frustrated in herself and punches a mirror, and in a stunning edit, no damage is sustained, and Kelly is still purely visible. This is a sharp reminder that her experience is simulated lets her know she does not have much time left to live. Kelly finds Yorkie to talk about all the people living simulated lives. This can be compared to a graveyard but given that any person can potentially live forever in the simulated existence. 

The episode does not give many clues to the simulation throughout the beginning, the audience does not recognize until towards the end what has been occurring has been a simulation. Yorkie and Kelly plan to meet. Once they do the audience sees reality for the first time and the pieces start falling into place. The two are aged but still have a love for each other. The lesson learned is that human simulations can be identical to reality, the afterlife may not be what we think. This pops the question to the audience, “is life just a simulation,” “how much time do we have left,” Black Mirror aims to pop deep questions into the heads of their audience which opens their minds on what life may be.