White Christmas
"White Christmas," widely regarded as one of the best Black Mirror episodes, revolves around two key technologies: "cookies" and "blocking." The former involves digital replicas of people stored in objects and utilized as personal assistants, while the latter enables users to block others in real life, rendering them voiceless and appearing as distorted silhouettes.
On Christmas day, Joe Potter and Matt Trent, who have been living together in a cabin for five years, finally open up to each other. Matt reveals his past involvement in an online group where men used "Z-Eyes" to watch each other seduce women. One member, Harry, ended up meeting a mentally ill woman named Jennifer, leading to a tragic murder-suicide. Matt then shares about his former job, training "cookies," digital clones of people, to be personal assistants. He recounts an experience with Greta's cookie, which resisted being an assistant until he manipulated time in the cookie's world.
Joe, in turn, reveals how he was "blocked" by his fiancée, Beth, after a heated argument about her decision to have an abortion. The block prevented him from contacting her, and he secretly watched her and their daughter each Christmas Eve. Tragically, Beth died in an accident, and Joe discovered the daughter was not his biological child. Overwhelmed with emotion, Joe committed a violent act that led to his arrest.
As with many Black Mirror episodes, "White Christmas" masterfully balances horror with emotional depth. The episode's conclusion is haunting and leaves a lasting impact: punishments inflicted on Joe's cookie with time passing at an accelerated rate - accompanied by a Christmas song on repeat - is a genius scene that explores the depths of human cruelty.
Release: 2014
Season: 2
Stars: Jon Hamm, Rafe Spall, Oona Chaplin
IMDB Score: 9.1/10
