Black Mirror has left us reeling with many a twisted ending through the years, however Season 6 wields one of the crucial chilling thus far.
Within the episode “Past the Sea”, Black Mirror recurring participant Aaron Paul and Josh Hartnett star as astronauts Cliff and David, who every have “Earth replicas” that stick with their respective households. These robotic doppelgängers work with linked pods, so the pair can get pleasure from their life again dwelling whereas finishing a six-year mission in house collectively.
However all the things goes to shit. It is an understatement that begs an explainer, so let’s torture ourselves another time and dig into the unsettling, bleak, and deeply horrible ending of “Past the Sea.”
What results in “Past the Sea”‘s tragic ending?
One fateful night time, David’s life is obliterated as he is pressured to look at his household murdered in entrance of him (effectively, his reproduction) by anti-replica cultists, claiming “to revive the pure order.” The 1969 Manson Household comparability is semi-subtle. Solid as David’s spouse, Auden Thornton barely resembles the late Sharon Tate. And the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang cinema outing locations this episode in 1968, one yr earlier than the infamous Manson Household murders.
Credit score: Nick Wall/Netflix
After this despicable triple murder, the cultists destroy David’s reproduction, leaving him and not using a connection again to Earth or any means to grieve his household exterior the house station. And all this sees an irreversible change in David.
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Out of profound kindness, Cliff’s spouse Lana (Kate Mara) suggests her husband lend his reproduction to his mourning co-worker. The hyperlink to their dwelling planet may assist together with his grieving, providing him an opportunity to get out of the station and “breathe some air.”
This session on Earth impacts David so deeply that he craves extra, inventing an oil portray venture to justify continued visits. However he turns into infatuated with Lana, getting nearer to her, and trying to persuade her to let him keep in Cliff’s place. Lana lambasts David for this daring proposal. Then, her son Henry, lashes out by vandalizing David’s oil portray, spurring the latter to smack the boy. Lana does not inform her husband about David’s advances. However she makes use of this parenting overreach as a plea to Cliff: David shouldn’t return. Nevertheless, Cliff shrugs off her request.
Credit score: Nick Wall/Netflix
Finally, Cliff finds out about David’s obsession together with his spouse by means of the attractive sketches on the station. “It is pure fantasy, I acquired blended up,” David claims when confronted. Cliff lastly has a frank dialog with Lana about what she needs and the way she feels, and again within the station, Cliff declares his “possession” over Lana, firmly slicing off entry to David.
The widowed astronaut internalizes his agony over this loss, for now.
What occurs on the finish of “Past the Sea”?
David basically takes from Cliff what was taken from him: his household and his connection to Earth.
“You’ve got all of it and you do not even care,” David tells Cliff.
Fabricating an incident exterior the house station, David urges Cliff right into a spacewalk, then highjacks his reproduction. Returning to the station, Cliff realizes David has used his hyperlink, shortly runs to plug it in, and wakes up in his Earth home, together with his palms and face coated in blood.
“What did you do?”
Credit score: Nick Wall/Netflix
Black Mirror makes use of inference to devastating impact on this scene, as we do not truly see what David has finished to Cliff’s household. However from the smeared blood down the staircase by means of to the pool of blood within the kitchen, it is clear this has been a horrible wrestle. Finally, Cliff finds what he fears probably the most — Lana and his son Henry murdered by his personal (reproduction’s) hand.
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Aaron Paul’s efficiency on this scene is nothing wanting shattering.
We observe Cliff by means of his bloodied home witnessing his response intensify as he will get nearer to the horrible fact. Due to exceptionally compelling performances from Harnettt, Mara, and Paul all through the episode, the loss is far deeper for the viewer than that of David’s household originally (though it is deeply disturbing), as we did not actually get to know their reference to one another.
Credit score: Nick Wall/Netflix
Basically, David makes an attempt to take again what was stolen from him, however from Cliff — his spouse, his son, and his lovely dwelling. When that fails, he takes them away. And he frames Cliff for the crime.
It is a brutal type of punishment, horribly disciplining Cliff for not appreciating having all the things David misplaced.
What’s much more chilling is the ultimate scene: David awaiting Cliff’s response on his return, pushing out a chair in unstated, however sure acknowledgment.
David is aware of Cliff cannot return to Earth — he’ll be put in jail for his household’s homicide, as nobody however Cliff and Lana knew about David’s visits. Plus, Cliff has beforehand talked about the spacecraft is a two-person job to function. So, he is caught in house for the following 4 years together with his household’s assassin. If he kills him in revenge, Cliff has no manner again dwelling.
It is pure, darkish, chilly hell. And there is nothing both of them can do about it however kill one another or proceed work as common.
How you can watch: Season 6 of Black Mirror is now streaming on Netflix.