The fifth season ofBlack Mirroropens with the provocative “Striking Vipers,” directed by Owen Harris (who has also made “San Junipero”and “Be Right Back”). It examines how relationships can take on new dimensions in the digital era by portraying a slightly melancholic (and extremely uncomfortable) story of intimacy between two friends.
In an interview with EW,Black Mirrorcreator Charlie Brooker described the ending as “pragmatically romantic” — but, just like any otherBlack Mirrorepisode, that is open to debate.
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What Is Black Mirror’s ‘Striking Vipers’ About?
The episode begins with Danny Parker (played by Anthony Mackie,the MCU’s new Captain America) role-playing with his girlfriend Theo (Nicole Beharie) at a club. After they return home and have sex, Danny joins his roommate Karl Houghton (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) to play aStreet Fighter-style video game calledStriking Vipers. Foreshadowing future events, the scene ends with Karl mock-humping Danny while making fun of him.
Flash-forward 11 years: Danny has settled down in the suburbs with Theo, with whom he has a 5-year-old son. With his bad knee and constantly glazed expression, he seems like a shadow of his former energetic self. He spends his evenings reading the same book to his kid, playingTetris, or making sure that the dishes are rinsed before placing them in the dishwasher. His sex life with Theo is determined by ovulation apps, as they try for another baby. In contrast, Karl is hanging onto his youthful lifestyle, living in a swanky bachelor pad in the city and swiping right on younger women on dating apps. He is dating a singer named Mariella (Fola Evans-Akingbola), which is later revealed to be a shallow relationship as he struggles to connect with her.
When Danny hosts a barbecue at his house for his 38th birthday, Karl pays him a surprise visit (after being out of touch for a year) and gifts him the newly-releasedStriking Vipers X, along with a virtual-reality console (similar tothe one in the episode “USS Callister”). Later that night, Danny and Karl log on to play as their old, preferred characters: Danny as the muscular, open-vest-wearing Lance (Ludi Lin), and Karl as the scantily clad fighter Roxette (Pom Klementieff,theGuardians of the Galaxystar).
While they lay motionless on their couches, they experience the sensations felt by the characters they inhabit while fighting in ahyper-stylized fantasy world. At the end of their tussle, they share a kiss until Danny abruptly pulls away and exits the game. Even though they blame the incident on alcohol the next night, their virtual avatars get more intimate. Danny-as-Lance claims at one point that it does not “feel like a gay thing,” and their trysts continue.
Naturally, this strains Danny’s marriage, as he stops sleeping with Theo. On their wedding anniversary, a stranger hits on Theo while she is waiting for Danny at a bar. Theo, who is occasionally shown looking at her aging self in the mirror, rejects his advances but feels flattered. She tearfully asks Danny later if he is having an affair, and if her changing body is to blame for the distance between them. Danny denies it, but realizes that he needs to cut off ties with Karl. He informs his friend about his decision and locks up the game, despite Karl’s protests that “it’s not cheating, it’s not real,” as he compares it to watching pornographic material.
How Does ‘Striking Vipers’ End?
The story picks up 7 months later, when it is Danny’s birthday again. A pregnant Theo surprises Danny by inviting Karl (whom he has not talked to for months) for dinner. When Theo is out of earshot, Karl tells Danny that he has been physically involved with multiple characters (both computer-controlled and actual players), but none of them compare to the “transcendent” experiences he had with him. He tries to convince Danny to do it one more time, and Danny eventually relents.
Later that night, Karl-as-Roxette tells Danny that he loves him in a post-coital daze, after which the latter asks Karl to meet him at their old hangout in real life. They decide to try kissing in real life to see if there is any actual connection between them. However, they both realize that they are not actually attracted to each other. When Danny still insists they should stop, Karl gets angry and the two start fighting until the police show up. When Theo picks up Danny from jail later, she demands to know the truth.
Even though it is not shown,the shocking twist in the final sceneimplies that he has finally confessed. Danny is celebrating his birthday the following year, and he exchanges small boxes with Theo. They have come to a compromise: while Danny ‘plays’ the game with Karl on this one night in the whole year, Theo is free to put away her wedding ring to meet up with a stranger at a bar (supposedly for a one-night stand).
The ending is still ambiguousabout whether Danny and Karl are gay or bisexual. At one point, Danny debates flirting with Karl over text, but decides against it as he is still unsure about his feelings. Karl is also unable to perform in bed when he is with his girlfriend. At the end, he is also shown living alone with a cat, suggesting that he has given up on dating anyone in reality.
However, the episode is probably not meant to answer the question about their sexual identities. Instead, “Striking Vipers” is more concerned with the themes of sexual fluidity, modern relationships, infidelity, and even video game addiction. It explores how sexuality may also evolve when technology evolves — especially if one is facing an early midlife crisis. What could gender mean in a virtual form? And could it be translated offline? As Harris summed it upin an interview with Hollywood Reporter: “Is marriage just this big conventional concept of monogamy, and are people going to want to accessorize marriage to sustain it?”
