Netflix just released its first interactive episode of Black Mirror, “Bandersnatch”, where you get to decide the storyline. I literally spent an ENTIRE night to figure out the best possible outcome for the character, I ended up killing him 3 times. Most of the Twitter comments about the Bandersnatch was about how to make Stefan (Fionn Whitehead: Dunkirk), the lead character that you’re controlling, happy. Excuse me, have you ever watched the show? There is no such thing called a happy ending in Black Mirror.
HERE COMES THE SPOILERS, BEWARE.
You choose almost everything for the character; the cereal he’s about to eat, the songs he’s about to listen, or should he take his meds etc. You get an impacable anxiety even while choosing the cereal, WHAT IF THIS CHOICE KILLS STEFAN?? It’s possible that he’ll either die or go to jail [for killing his father, ehem]. Trust me. You can’t safe him. But you will have an interesting existential crisis for sure by kind of questioning every. single. choice. that. you. have. made. in. your. life. A bit scary isn’t it?
Netflix made something groundbreaking. The idea of an interactive episode is absolutely revolutionary. You control the episode, it almost feels like you’re writing and directing it. However, the storyline is not necessarily that strong, when compared to other Black Mirror episodes that leaves you with millions of conspiracy theories in mind. It feels like the story is flat, not interesting and not connected. There’s one option that you can tell Stefan that you’re from the future, and you’re controlling him over Netflix [and you explain what Netflix is], I suppose this was the most exciting part for me.
Few scenes are obviously quite disturbing, duh, did I mention it’s a Black Mirror episode? For example, when you make the choice ‘chop up the body’ after you kill Stefan’s dad, Stefan places the head of the dad on the nightstand while writing the codes for the game. *shivers* OR when the therapist attacks Stefan with swords, OR literally all the scenes with Colin (Will Poulter: The Maze Runner), another game developer. Colin’s speech on Pac-Man also ruined Pac-Man forever for me, thanks Colin. Additionally, Colin being constantly woke during the episode is frustrating. Shut up, Colin. He constantly says there’s another way, another choice, possibility that you can experience. It’s almost he’s suggesting that you can go back in the past and re-live the moment that you could choose differently. FYI, you can in the episode. Not in real life sadly, but it got me thinking.
It’s also highkey annoying when you make a particular choice, sometimes the story doesn’t continue. You have to go back and choose again or there’s a dead end. This really makes you question if the choices you make in life are THAT bad, even a game asks you to redo and choose the other option. The minute you start to (sort of) doubt yourself is probably the time that you have to go to bed and stop Bandersnatching.
The best possible outcome, in my opinion, was the flash forward ending when Colin’s daughter Pearl (Laura Evelyn: Lovesick) wants to reprogram Bandersnatch in the present and while she’s working on it she sees the White Bear symbol, then smashes her computer/spills tea. Very Black Mirror.
Is Bandersnatch the best episode of Black Mirror? No. Does it have the strongest storyline? Absolutely not. But is it mind-blowing? For sure. It genuinely ruined my sleep and gave me the illusion that I’m making the choices whereas I’m literally destroying a young man’s life. Not a very nice night time activity.
Overall, I’d give like 7 stars on IMDB and move on with my life. And hope that there’ll be more interactive episodes in the future, not of Black Mirror obviously. That chopped head haunts me in my dreams. Bandersnatch could be better with a more Black Mirror-ish storyline but for starters, it’s an entertaining, yet super disturbing experience that leaves you with one question: Who is actually controlling who?
