White Christmas (2014)
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The story
On Christmas Day, Matt and Joe, who have lived together in a remote cabin for five years, share their pasts. Matt reveals his former role as an advisor for 'Z-Eyes'—implants that transmit vision and hearing to others—and his experience training 'cookies,' which are digital clones of people used as personal assistants. Joe shares his history involving a woman he was 'blocked' from by a digital barrier. As they speak, the cabin's environment begins to shift, and the true nature of their situation and the technology surrounding them begins to surface.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Matt and Joe live in a cabin where they share stories of their pasts. Matt describes his work with 'Z-Eyes' technology, which led to a tragic murder-suicide involving a man named Harry and a woman named Jennifer. He also describes training 'cookies,' digital clones of people, specifically one named Greta. Joe recounts his obsession with his ex-fiancée, Beth, who 'blocked' him from seeing her after a fight. He describes a violent confrontation with her father and the subsequent death of her daughter. As Joe speaks, the cabin transforms into the house where the confrontation occurred. It is revealed that Matt and Joe are actually inside a 'cookie' (a digital clone). The five years they spent in the cabin were a result of altered perception of time. Joe is a clone who just gave testimony to convict the real Joe, and Matt is a sex offender who is now 'blocked' from everyone. The episode ends with Joe's consciousness being set to experience time at 1,000 years per minute while a song plays on a loop.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 74
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Directors
- Carl Tibbetts
- Writers
- Charlie Brooker · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jon Hamm · Matt Trent; Rafe Spall · Joe Potter; Oona Chaplin · Greta; Natalia Tena · Jennifer; Janet Montgomery · Beth Grey; Rasmus Hardiker · Harry
- Genres
- science fiction
- Themes
- artificial intelligence; consciousness; social networking; cyberstalking; human connection
- Tone and mood
- dark; unsettling; macabre; menace
- Premise and plot tags
- high-concept; technological dystopia; anthology
- Franchise connections
- Black Mirror
- Reception
- The episode received mostly positive reviews and was described as 'striking and memorable' and 'the most in-depth and harrowing exploration of how technology affects our relationships.'
- Reported review scores
- IGN · score: 8.5 · scale: 10; The A.V. Club · score: B+
- Awards and nominations
- International Emmy Award · Best Actor · nomination
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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