WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The third episode of season six of ‘Black Mirror’ is a masterclass on how two genres can be blended really well. Charlie Brooker’s bonkers and out-of-the-box critical thinking ability is in full swing in this season's Episode 3 ‘Beyond the Sea’. It is possibly one of the finest episodes of the ‘Black Mirror’ franchise. It is also the longest episode of the season, clocking in at 80 minutes of run time. Josh Hartnett and ‘Breaking Bad’ star Aaron Paul lead the cast as they play two astronauts on a space mission in an alternate reality of 1969.
Given the reality of this alternate timeline, David (Josh Hartnett) and Cliff (Aaron Paul) can visit their avatars on Earth. The duo are present on a space station and only need to plug a key into a computer which then transports their consciousness into their replicas on Earth in their respective homes. They’re only present on the space station in case of any emergencies or other routine checkups while they spend most of the time with their families. However, things take a turn for the worse for David when his avatar and his entire family are murdered by a cult leader, ending all scope of his return to Earth. Witnessing him fall off the wagon and lose his mind, Cliff offers a helping hand and allows him to use his replica to visit Earth from time to time. But this altruistic attempt goes awry for Cliff.
David is no friend to Cliff
David who has just lost his family on Earth, craves human connection. Cliff allows him to use his replica on Earth for an hour a week to paint a picture of Cliff’s home. As his visits increase, David starts to grow close or Cliff’s wife Lana (Kate Mara). Up until now, Lana’s felt lonely and isolated, with her marriage to Cliff appearing lifeless and sterile. With David on the ground in Cliff’s replica, she begins to get her spark back. She even admires his passion for art, books, and music but when David confesses her feelings for her, Lana rebuffs his advances. He even draws nude pictures of Lana, which strikes Cliff as being weird as he knows David can only draw from memory.
Cliff confronts Lana who assures him that nothing happened between her and David but after seeing how Cliff mistrusts her, she might as well make something happen. This makes Cliff furious. When he returns to the space station, he blasts David for betraying him. He states that Lana only loves him and will never leave him for David. But David isn’t done. He requests Cliff’s key for one last time to return to Earth. He wants to apologize to Lana. But when Cliff refuses to give it to him, David hatches a plan.
Cliff now knows David’s misery
David calls Cliff back to the space station by making up a fake issue. As Cliff goes out of the space shuttle to fix the problem, David takes the key and returns to Earth. He even locks Cliff outside the shuttle for a while but eventually, the door opens up and much to his horror, Cliff sees David with his key in his hand. Cliff asks, "What did you do?"
Cliff rushes back to Earth by using his key only to find Lana and her kid murdered in his house. A heartbroken Cliff returns to the spaceship where he is confronted with David, sitting in a chair with an angry look on his face. He kicks an empty chair to the side, indicating for Cliff to sit beside him. Cliff, like David, now knows what it means to lose everything that you love.
‘Black Mirror’ Season 6 is currently streaming on Netflix.
