- Black Mirror season seven was released on 10 April
- In season 7, the episode Plaything is connected to Bandersnatch
- Bandersnatch is a longer episode/ film in the series, released in 2018
Black Mirror season seven premiered on 10 April. Now, fans are starting to notice a connection between episode four, Plaything, and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. In Plaything, a 90s video game journalist named Cameron Walker (Lewis Gribben) previews the latest creation from the programming company Tuckersoft. Its programmer, Colin Ritman (Will Poulter), has developed a simulation-like program called Thronglets.
Read more: Nubbin Black Mirror tech: what is it?
Later in the story, Walker (played by Peter Capaldi) gets called into a London police station. Disturbingly, detectives suspect him of murdering an unidentified man back in the 1990s.
Soon after, the policeman and a psychologist begin to realize there’s a method to Walker’s madness. This includes his obsession with Thronglets. Don’t worry — we won’t spoil the details.
Most importantly, this episode has a clear connection to Bandersnatch. What is it? Read on to find out.
How are Bandersnatch and Plaything connected in Black Mirror?
To start, Bandersnatch takes place in 1984. The 2018 movie follows Stefan (Fionn Whitehead), a young programmer.
Stefan works on a project to turn an adventure book into an interactive video game. Viewers make choices that shape the story.
Then, things start to get eerie. Stefan begins to blur the line between free will and control.
As a result, he loses his grip on reality. He discovers that multiple timelines exist.
In a way, Stefan becomes a hamster on a wheel. The viewer, his unseen owner, controls everything.
How is Colin Ritman connected to Bandersnatch?
Since Plaything takes place in 1994 and Ritman is still alive, the connection likely comes from him.
Confusingly, in Bandersnatch, there’s a scene where Ritman jumps to his death. Under the influence of drugs, he jumps, depending on what the viewer chooses.
Show creator Charlie Brooker explained the connection in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“We set up in another episode this season that there are parallel realities,” Brooker told the outlet. “That’s also set up in Bandersnatch.”
Brooker said he wanted Cameron to meet a programmer. Then he remembered Colin Ritman, played by Will Poulter.
“I loved that character,” he said. “And Mohan Thakur, played by Asim Chaudhry — I wanted to write the best version of that.”
To summarise, Brooker sees all Bandersnatch endings as canon. The connection lies in parallel realities. No version outweighs another.
“I think all endings of Bandersnatch are as valid as the next,” Brooker added.
In conclusion, the connection depends on what viewers believe. In the show’s timeline, Ritman is alive in 1994.
That part seems like a fact. The rest? You decide.
Black Mirror season 7 is now streaming on Netflix.
