The return of Black Mirror sees Anthony Mackie and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II starring as two friends who try their hand at VR gaming with surprising consequences.
The season five premiere of Black Mirror opens in a bar where Danny (Anthony Mackie) tries to pick up Theo (Nicole Beharie). When they are interrupted by their friends, the gig is up – Danny and Theo are a new couple and Danny was role-playing as a stranger hitting on her because Theo is into that! They dance and return to Danny’s apartment.
When Danny wakes up, his roommate, Karl (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) convinces Danny to join him to play a Street Fighter-esque video game titled Striking Vipers. Despite Danny’s protestations, he gives in. Karl beats Danny every time, but their game time is over when Theo appears complaining that they woke her up.
11 Years Later
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Danny and Theo are still together now with a son called Tyler. They’re living in a suburban home and celebrating Danny’s 38th birthday with their friends. Karl arrives, now a dapper older man who still can’t keep a relationship down, and presents Danny with a gift – a copy of Striking Vipers X along with the VR controller to play it with.
Gone are the wistful days of youth for Danny; he has an injured knee preventing him from working out, but Danny insists he’s glad that he is no longer on the dating scene. Karl has to do a lot to keep up with the younger generation, and Danny couldn’t be bothered. So he says, but Danny was definitely checking out one of his female acquaintances earlier at the party.
While Danny and Theo clean up after the party, Karl goes on a date with a young woman. Their age gap becomes apparent quite soon into their date, but at least Karl gets to see some action. Which is more than one can say about Danny and Theo – Theo turns in while Danny plays a silly game to bide the time.
Photo Credit: Netflix
Striking Vipers X
While playing, Danny gets an invite from Karl to play Striking Vipers X, and the two of them plug in the VR controller to start the game. Karl chooses his favourite avatar, Roxette (Pom Klementieff), while Danny selects his – Lance (Ludi Lin). Before proceeding with this recap, lets marvel at the fact that Black Manta himself, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s character has a Marvel actor as his avatar (Klementieff plays Mantis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe), while Aquaman actor Ludi Lin is the new Captain America’s (Mackie) avatar.
Karl as Roxette and Danny as Lance are both very impressed by the VR experience of the game, especially since all in-game sensations can be felt in the real world. Roxette still beats Lance hollow, just like she did when Karl and Danny used to play when they were younger. The effects and editing of the fight scene perfectly captures the Street Fighter style of in-game action, it’s so much fun to watch.
When Roxette has Lance pinned down, she makes a strange move, she kisses Lance. Horrified, Lance pulls away and Karl and Danny exit the game, still reeling from their intimate encounter. Danny is pre-occupied the following day as well, but successfully puts his son to bed while Theo is out for the night.
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When Danny returns to play his Tetris-like game, Karl invites him to play Striking Vipers X again. They both brush off their previous encounter as the result of too much alcohol, and promise to play a ‘serious game’ this time around. Yeah, that doesn’t work out so well. Neither avatar even lands a punch before they passionately fall into each other’s arms. Before Karl and Danny can talk through ‘this gay thing,’ Tyler wakes Danny up asking for water. Talk about unfinished business.
The Family Man
Danny is obviously struggling with his hum-drum life. He and Theo are apparently trying for a second child, which means their love life is dictated to by calculations rather than romance. It’s the same old routine everyday for Danny, so Striking Vipers X is a welcome change of pace for him. In the game, Karl is delighted to be in Roxette’s body, assuring Lance that her experiences are far more enhanced. Danny and Karl start escaping into the game more often, and Danny begins neglecting Theo. Of course, this feeds into Theo’s insecurities about not being desirable enough as an older woman.
Danny is so caught up in this virtual reality, that he forgets his wedding anniversary. Theo makes plans for the evening, organizing a baby-sitter so the two of them can go out. Danny shows up late, and while waiting a younger man offers to buy Theo a drink. She declines, of course, but this sets up Theo and Danny’s confrontation over dinner.
Theo lays bare her soul to Danny – she agrees that family life is boring, but Theo is heart-broken that Danny refuses to even touch her. She’s feeling unwanted and wants to understand why Danny won’t pay attention to his wife. Danny assures her that there’s no one else, but we know the truth.
Karl’s love life is suffering as well, and it’s evident now that both Karl and Danny are addicted to their virtual romance. Though Karl pleads with Danny to keep the game going, Danny makes a clean break to support Theo.
Credit: Netflix
Seven Months Later
Theo is finally expecting their second child and it looks like Danny has been able to cement his family life back together. Theo invites Karl over for Danny’s birthday, not knowing the history between the two friends.
Theo tries to be the life of this small party, but the tension is palpable. The moment Theo walks away, Karl begs Danny to join the game again. Karl hasn’t been doing so well. He has tried to recreate the in-game experience several times, but it’s not about the game – it’s about Danny. Whatever Danny did as Lance has Karl hooked, but Danny refuses to relent.
Karl has a game open at midnight, and despite himself, Danny joins him and regrets it. Karl as Roxette blurts out she loves Lance, and now the two are at a crossroads. Unable to figure out where this relationship will lead them, Danny comes up with a plan. He and Karl meet and see if sparks fly when they kiss in reality.
Well, nothing happens, so Danny thinks it’s all good. But it isn’t, because Karl can’t get the game out of his head. The two of them end up fighting and are soon arrested. Theo bails Danny out, and asks him what he and Karl were fighting about. Danny opens his mouth to speak, but the scene ends before we hear what he has to say.
The premiere episode of Black Mirror season 5 ends with Danny and Theo, parents of two, still happily married. How have they kept their romance alive? By opening up their relationship. One night a month, Danny plays Striking Vipers X with Karl, while Theo goes to a bar to enjoy a hook-up. At least everyone’s happy now.
As a season opener, not only does ‘Striking Vipers’ have big names to propel Black Mirror’s popularity, but the episode is a nuanced look at the struggles of middle-age relationships. Despite focusing on Danny and Karl, it’s great that the Black Mirror writers provided Theo’s perspective on her sacrifices as well. The show has matured from shock value to sharing a message.
What did you think of this episode of Black Mirror? Let us know in the comments!