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Beyond the Sea (Black Mirror)

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"Beyond the Sea"
Black Mirror episode
Promotional poster
Episode no.Series 6
Episode 3
Directed byJohn Crowley
Written byCharlie Brooker
Featured music"La Mer" by Charles Trenet
Cinematography byStuart Bentley
Editing byJon Harris
Original air date15 June 2023 (2023-06-15)
Running time80 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Beyond the Sea" is the third episode of the sixth series of the anthology series Black Mirror. It was written by series creator Charlie Brooker and directed by John Crowley. The episode was released on Netflix, along with the rest of series six, on 15 June 2023.

Set in a retrofuturistic 1969, the story follows two astronauts, Cliff and David, who wrestle with the consequences of a tragedy back on Earth.

Plot

In an alternate history 1969, astronauts Cliff and David are two years into a six-year deep space mission. As their presence aboard the ship is only needed for routine checks and repairs, the two spend their free time by transferring their consciousness to artificial replicas on Earth with their respective families, using personalized key tags to activate the transfer process. David is highly engaged with his family; Cliff is more emotionally distant from his wife Lana and son, who have moved to an isolated rural home.

While David is in his replica, his family is attacked by cult members who believe his replica form is unnatural; they destroy it and kill his family. On the ship, David becomes withdrawn and considers suicide, and Cliff fears for his own life as both crew members are essential to keeping the spacecraft operational. Lana suggests that Cliff allow David to use his replica to visit their idyllic home, to help him recover. David finds the visit therapeutic, and offers to paint a picture of their house in exchange for more time there, to which Cliff agrees.

David and Lana become more familiar during his visits: he becomes attracted to her, and she appreciates his attention. On one visit, they dance affectionately, but Lana rejects him when he becomes too physically intimate. Cliff's son sees the incident and vandalizes the painting; David hits him, and Lana demands David leave. Cliff discovers that David has drawn nude sketches of Lana, and accuses him of having an affair with her. David denies it, but tells Cliff he does not appreciate Lana enough, and that he has no idea what it is like to have nothing. Lana admits to being lonely but also denies an affair, citing only David's treatment of their son for why she wants to end his visits.

A short time later, David calls Cliff back to the ship for a fake emergency. While Cliff does a spacewalk to perform repairs, David uses Cliff's key tag to return to Cliff's replica one last time, briefly stranding him outside. Cliff realizes something is wrong, and rushes back to his replica. He finds his wife and son slaughtered in their home, their blood on "his" hands. Horrified, he returns to the ship, where David is waiting for him and offers him a seat.

Production

Netflix announced that a sixth Black Mirror series was in development in May 2022, nearly three years since the previous series was released.[1] The screenwriter for "Beyond the Sea" was Charlie Brooker, and the director was John Crowley.[2]

The choice to set an episode in the past was inspired by "Demon 79", the first episode in the sixth series to be written.[3] Set in 1969, "Beyond the Sea" was inspired by science fiction of the era and the Helter Skelter predictions of the Manson Family. Brooker said the characters behave differently due to the lack of mobile phones.[3]

Brooker wrote the episode as a reaction to COVID-19 lockdowns in the U.K. during that period.[4] He saw it as an episode about working from home.[5] Hartnett said that a person's soul will "atrophy" if "love and connection" are taken from them, as in David's case. Mara saw that David, Cliff and Lana all experienced isolation.[4]

Casting and filming

First reports in July 2022 revealed the casting of Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett, Kate Mara, and Auden Thornton,[6] with the casting of Rory Culkin revealed in April 2023.[7] This cast was linked to the episode "Beyond the Sea" the month before the series' release.[2]

Paul is among the few actors to have two appearances in Black Mirror, after a cameo at the end of the space-themed series four episode "USS Callister". He accepted the role in "USS Callister" under the condition that it not preclude him from future appearances. He had also auditioned for a different episode, and was approached for a series five appearance, but could not appear due to other commitments.[8][9][10]

Paul was a big Black Mirror fan and stated that the show had encouraged him to limit his use of technology and social media—including not owning a computer. He wanted his acting roles to be "characters that are dealing with a lot of conflict".[10] Mara said it was always clear which character Paul was playing within "Beyond the Sea" as David is "much more present with Lana" while Cliff is "gone, in so many ways".[4]

Most filming was done in Whitstable, England, in the summer 2022 heatwaves.[5] The spaceship's interior was built in Twickenham, England—on the same soundstage where the Beatles recorded "Get Back" (1969).[3] Three nights of filming took place in Valencia, Spain, including the scene where David's family are killed. Hartnett said this scene was "at the end of a very long night", time-limited, and emotional for him as a parent.[4]

Analysis

Hartnett has noted that the killing of David's replica and his family mirrors the Manson Family's murder of Sharon Tate in 1969, the same year the episode is set.[4]

Reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the episode holds an approval rating of 85% based on 13 reviews.[11] The Independent rated it four stars out of five,[12] as did The Daily Telegraph.[13]

References

  1. ^ Ravindran, Manori (16 May 2022). "Black Mirror Returns: New Series in the Works at Netflix (Exclusive)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b May 11, Christian Holub (11 May 2023). "'Black Mirror' season 6 reveals episode details, new photos". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b c Stefansky, Emma (15 June 2023). "Black Mirror Season 6: Charlie Brooker Breaks Down Every Episode". Esquire. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Strause, Jackie (16 June 2023). "Josh Hartnett, Kate Mara on Their Lockdown-Inspired 'Black Mirror' and Why It's Set in an Alternate 1969". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b Flood, Alex (16 June 2023). "'Black Mirror' season six post-watch guide: trivia, set secrets and more". NME. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  6. ^ Ravindran, Manori (13 July 2022). "Black Mirror Cast Revealed: Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett, Paapa Essiedu, Kate Mara and Zazie Beetz Join New Season (Exclusive)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  7. ^ Strause, Jackie (26 April 2023). "Black Mirror Sets Season 6 Return, Reveals Cast and Teaser Trailer". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  8. ^ Warner, Sam (25 October 2018). "Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul almost landed another role on Black Mirror". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  9. ^ Strause, Jackie (2 January 2018). "'Black Mirror' Director Explains Hidden "USS Callister" Cameos". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  10. ^ a b Jones, Daisy (16 June 2023). "'You'd need to talk to my therapist about that': Aaron Paul on Black Mirror, AI and his love of dark roles". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Beyond the Sea". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  12. ^ Hilton, Nick (15 June 2023). "Black Mirror season six review: Charlie Brooker's sci-fi mishmash needs to stop messing with a winning formula". The Independent. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  13. ^ Power, Ed (15 June 2023). "Black Mirror, Beyond the Sea, review: patience is needed – but rewarded – in this meditative sci-fi". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 June 2023.

Further reading

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