Black Mirror is back and writer Charlie Brooker is at it again – every new episode is a treasure trove filled to the brim with references to past instalments
The anthology show, which started life on Channel 4 in 2011 before moving to Netflix in 2016, is now on its seventh run – and if Brooker has his way, it’ll be on air for another 14 years.
Speaking to The Independent about the Easter eggs featured in each episode, Brooker instructed viewers to hit “pause” regularly as “there’s little details hidden in the captions”, sarcastically adding: “They’re little jokes and gags to keep things light in such a fun and breezy watch.”
Brooker also set a challenge for viewers: “I should say, in all these episodes, there’s one Easter egg prop that’s in every single episode – the same thing. I’m not gonna tell you what it is.”
Below, Brooker and his co-producer Jessica Rhoades have run through all the references to look out for in every new episode.
Episode one: “Common People”
“There’s the Juniper lodge,” Brooker said, in reference to the hotel Amanda (Rashida Jones) and Mike (Chris O’Dowd) stay at on their anniversary. This is a reference to the Emmy-winning season three episode “San Junipero”.
While dining on their anniversary, the song “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)” by Irma Thomas can be heard being performed in the background. This song has recurred throughout Black Mirror, first appearing as early as season one episode “15 Million Merits”, where it’s sung by Jessica Brown Findlay’s Abi.
It also featured in season six episode “Joan is Evil”.
Series two episode “The Waldo Moment” is also referenced in the scenes showing Mike’s hurting himself for money on website Dum Dummies. One user is called I_AM_Waldo, a nod to the cartoon character-turned-politician
A few scenes also reference future episodes – namely season seven’s second instalment “Bête Noire”, which is set in a confectionary company named Ditta. When adverts are added to Amanda’s plan, she starts reciting adverts for the company.
Another scene references season seven’s third episode “Hotel Reverie”, which is named after a fictional 1940s classic film that exists in the Black Mirror universe. The film is playing in a cinema that the couple walk past.
Producer Jessica Rhoades added: “I think Rashida is a little Easter egg in herself ‘cause she was involved in ‘Nosedive’.” Season three episode “Nosedive” was co-written by Jones and Michael Schur.
Episode Two: “Bête Noire”
“There’s a literal Easter egg in the lobby – a ‘White Bear’ Easter egg – but whether you actually see it, I’m not sure,” Brooker said. “White Bear” was the second season’s second episode, which aired all the way back in 2013.
The reference might have stemmed from the fact that the school Maria (Siena Kelly) and Verity (Rosy McEwan) went to – Colworth Manor High – is based in the town where they filmed the episode.
Barnie’s Chicken – which becomes a point of contention among the episode’s characters – is where Alex Lawther’s character in season three episode “Shut Up and Dance” worked.
The most memorable scene in the episode shows Verity (and then Maria) glugging organic almond milk, whose brand is raiman – Raiman is the name of the main character in “Men Against Fire”, another season three episode.
Of course, the episode being set in Ditta is a reference to the previous episode – and it is situated opposite Tuckersoft, which is the maker of the game that was the source of the interactive episode “Bandersnatch”. Tuckersoft references recur throughout season seven.
Episode Three: “Hotel Reverie”
When actor Brandy Friday (Issa Rae) is researching film star Dorothy Chambers (Emma Corrin), she goes on YouTube and watches videos uploaded by Pia (Myha’la) and Davis (Samuel Blenkin) – the two podcast makers from season six episode “Loch Henry”.
Videos on the sidebar also reference another season six episode – “Demon 79”.
“We also have a Space Fleet shirt in the control room,” Brooker said, referencing the online game featured in “USS Callister”. The shirt is worn by a technician played by Ted Lasso’s Charlie Hiscock.
The Nubbin used to transport Brandy into Hotel Reverie is similar to the tech used in season one classic “The Entire History of You”, while Radio Times highlighted two blink-and-you’ll-miss-it details: that Dorothy previously starred in starred in St Juniper and My Kingdom for a Pig, which is surely a reference to Rory Kinnear’s prime minister in the show’s very first episode, “The National Anthem”.
The former is a “San Junipero” reference – and it’s not the only one: Brandy lives in Juniper Drive. The fictional actor’s version of Hotel Reverie is also made available on Streamberry, the fictional streaming service first introduced in season six instalment “Joan is Awful”.
Episode four: “Plaything”
”Obviously the biggest one is Colin Ritman and Mo Thakur, who return from ‘Bandersnatch’,” Brooker said. These are the characters played by Will Poulter and Asim Chaudhry, who cameo in the episode.
Poulter’s Ritman is revealed to be a fan of Waldo, the controversial animated political candidate featured in season two episode “The Waldo Moment”.
Rhoades points out that “all the posters” in the video game company Tuckersoft headquarters – itself a reference to “Bandersnatch” – are references to past episodes, including season five’s “Striking Vipers”.
Episode five: “Eulogy”
“Eulogy has fewer Easter eggs, but there is the odd little thing,” Brooker said, pointing out that the aforementioned prop used in every episode is easiest to spot in this moving Paul Giamatti instalment.
Episode six: “USS Callister”
“USS Callister” episode within itself is an Easter egg,” Brooker said, with Rhoades chiming in: “And there’s a human Easter egg – a character from ‘Demon 79’ pops up in the space battle.”
Brooker also pointed out that “the character of Pixie they meet is listening to the song by Ashley O”, the pop star character played by Miley Cyrus in season five’s “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too”.
The end of the episode features a bunch of references, with the show’s creator stating: “If you watch the news ticker at the very end, there’s a bunch of Easter eggs in there.”
He’s not lying – the headlines read as follows:
Hotel Reverie reboot hits Streamberry – an obvious “Hotel Reverie” and “Joan is Awful” reference
Thronglets 2 launches to critical acclaim – a “Plaything” reference
Rivermind CTO stands down – a “Common People” reference
Former UK PM Michael Callow enters Celebrity Vet School – a brilliant “National Anthem” reference
‘Mysterious Talisman’ found in plane wreckage – a “Demon 79” reference