Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker has explained how an episode from the seventh season affects a classic instalment.
The sci-fi series returned on Netflix earlier this week with its latest slice of satirical dystopian drama, with the fourth episode, ‘Plaything’, being set in the same universe as the 2018 interactive film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.
Though not a direct sequel, ‘Plaything’ does see Will Poulter and Asim Chaudhry reprise their respective roles of Colin Ritman and Mohan Thakur from Bandersnatch, which saw viewers influence the narrative by making choices.
With various endings from Bandersnatch now being potentially influenced by the narrative in ‘Plaything’, fans have been left wondering which outcome is considered canon within the series. Brooker, however, is reluctant to offer a definitive version for this particular storyline.
“What that [‘Plaything’] says, in terms of the Black Mirror multiverse or whatever you want to call it, I’ll leave up to the viewer, because I think all endings of Bandersnatch are as valid as the next,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
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Brooker also explained that ‘Plaything’ wasn’t initially conceived as a companion piece to Bandersnatch, but “prayed and hoped” that he could get Poulter and Chaudhry to reprise their roles after linking the two stories.
‘Plaything’ isn’t the only episode from the seventh season to share a bond with a previous instalment, with the feature-length final part, ‘USS Callister: Into Infinity’, being a direct sequel to season four’s ‘USS Callister’.
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Despite receiving positive reviews from critics, the latest season has been criticised by some fans for its increasing use of Hollywood stars as opposed to earlier seasons of the show, though Brooker defended the casting decisions in an exclusive interview with Digital Spy.
“Sometimes I've seen people go, 'Oh, it's all famous people now, Black Mirror!'. I think, well they've not noticed that we also have lots of episodes that showcase other talents that they don't know yet,” he explained.
Black Mirror is streaming on Netflix.
Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
