The Black Mirror Season 6 episode “Beyond the Sea” will leave you with tears in your eyes. Aaron Paul and Josh Hartnett play two astronauts who embark on a six-year space mission that turns into a gory nightmare. The episode is emotional, bloody, and just a bit sexy, making for a perfect watch in this anthology series.
Written by showrunner Charlie Brooker, the installment occurs in 1969 and takes inspiration from the Manson Family murders. In this universe, the two space travelers have replicas of themselves that live back on Earth with their families, which they can easily and regularly access. Sounds like a sweet way to combat homesickness, right? Well, not all is fun and games.
While David (Hartnett) is spending the night with his family, their home is invaded by a group of violent cult members who are against the replicas. The group gathers the family and David’s replica, and claim that they “just want to find out who is real.” David’s replica is tied up on a couch and forced to watch his wife and two kids being murdered, and then his replica is destroyed.
To consult his grieving partner, Cliff (Paul) is convinced by his wife, Lana (Kate Mara), to let David use his replica. Cliff hopes that being in the “real world” will help David shake off his suicidal urges as he is concerned that he can’t finish the mission as a one-man job.
While using Cliff’s replica, David grows obsessed with his family and tries to start an affair with his wife, who rejects his advances. Meanwhile, Cliff finds out that David has drawn nude sketches of his wife and accuses them of having a romantic relationship. David denies it while also telling Cliff that he doesn’t appreciate Lana enough. In a jealous fit, David tells Cliff, “I don’t have anything. I have nothing at all. You have no idea what it’s like to be me… You have got it all and you don’t even care.” Cliff visits home with his replica and confronts his wife about the drawings, and she corroborates David’s claim, insisting on their son’s life that they didn’t have an affair.
As I’m sure you can tell, this episode continues to dissolve into chaos. How does it end? Does David get revenge on Cliff and his family? Continue reading for everything you need to know about this disturbing episode of Black Mirror.
Cliff and Lana somewhat make up, and Cliff returns to the ship with a better understanding of his wife and the events that went down. When David tries to consult him about it, Cliff states that he knows Lana rejected him and nothing went down. David asks if he can use his replica once again to apologize to Lana and Cliff denies him access.
Cliff tells David that Lana doesn’t want to see him and lays into him. “The thought of you returning makes her vomit. She says that you’re a snake, a con man. The worst kind. The arrogant kind. She won’t have you anywhere near here. She’s mine, every day and every night, in every way,” he tells him. “You will not speak to her ever again.”
David, however, doesn’t take “no” for an answer and instead, invades Cliff’s replica without his permission after faking an emergency that requires Cliff’s attention outside. Once Cliff returns, David hands him the keys to his replica with an emotionless look on his face. “What did you do?” Cliff asks while running to his machine.
Cliff returns home to see his replica covered in blood. Shaking, he gets up to investigate his house and call for his family. Cliff finds his wife and child slaughtered. After some time passes, he returns to the ship where David is waiting for him at a table silently. They stare at each other. The scene cuts to show their rocket floating around in space before fading to black.
Earlier this month, Hartnett spoke with Tudum to break down the twisty ending. He theorized that his character’s motives were rooted in getting even. Hartnett said, “I think he was like, ‘Let’s just even the score, and then we can figure out where we go from here. We both will have a choice. We’re both starting in the same spot.’ And I think he thought of that as being the most logical and also the most fair.”
He also guessed that Cliff didn’t return to the ship to murder David because that would likely result in his death and failed mission, so “they’re mutually bonded in their destiny until they get back to Earth.”
Well, that’s messed up. Did David murder Cliff’s family? It appears so.
Black Mirror is currently streaming on Netflix.