Summary
Black Mirrorseason 7 finally arrived in April this year, giving eagerly awaiting fans another chance to jump into its complex, twisted, and compelling dystopian worlds that explore the dark side of humanity and society through the lens of technology. However, 17 years before one episode in season 3 ofBlack Mirroraired, the comedy sitcomFriendshad weirdly predicted its storyline.
Created by Charlie Brooker, who also wrote for comedy series likeBrass Eye,The 11 O’Clock Show, andNathan Barley,Black Mirrorwas inspired byThe Twilight ZoneandTales of the Unexpected,although some episodes were actually influenced by real-life events or true stories, like ‘The National Anthem’ episode, in which elements were taken from the British TV showI’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, where contestants have to eat horrifying animal parts in trials. Producer Annabel Jones said the episode was about “humiliation, and the public’s appetite for humiliation.” The episode ‘Beyond the Sea’ was also apparently inspired by Brooker’s experience working from home, as well as the cult mirroring the horrific actions of Charles Manson and his followers when they murdered Sharon Tate.
Black Mirror’s San Junipero Episode Was Foreshadowed in Friends
As reported byComicBook, an episode ofFriendsfrom 1999 predictedBlack Mirror’s season 3, episode 4, “San Junipero.”Praised for its unique and optimistic tone, as well as a combination of beautiful storytelling, fans fell in love with Mackenzie Davis and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Yorkie and Kelly’s depth and chemistry, along with the show’s nostalgic settings. However, 17 years before the popular episode was released, anepisode ofFriendsfrom season 6, titled “The One Where Phoebe Runs,” showcased that Ross Geller had an unknowing peek into the future, where he commented to Janine (Elle Macpherson) that “By the year 2030, there will be computers that can carry out the same amount of functions as an actual human brain. So, theoretically, you could download your thoughts and memories into this computer, and live forever as a machine.”
Even though Ross loves to flaunt how smart he is when it comes to digging around with dinosaur bones, it seems as though many took his intellectualism for granted, as it’s pretty strange how accurately he predicted the storyline of San Junipero. However, during an interview with NME in 2018, the show’s creator revealed, “I don’t think the notion of consciousnesses being uploaded to a computer came from Ross fromFriends.” Continuing, “I’d certainly heard that concept before, so I must have stolen it from elsewhere.”
Naturally, there are countlessEaster eggs splashed throughoutBlack Mirror’s world, which offer callbacks to previous episodes. Most notably in season 7’s San Junipero, where the vacation spot, The Juniper Lodge, can be seen in episodes Common People and Juniper Drive in Hotel Reverie. Even though nothing official has been announced for Black Mirror Season 8, Brooker previously said that “Nothing is off the table. I’ll keep doing this until people get sick of it. Or me.”
