Ever since Black Mirror first came out, it has been known for having mind-blowing endings. So it's very seldom that a Black Mirror episode ends on a somewhat "happy" note.
Black Mirror is an anthology series that dispels the connection between humans and technology.
While most endings tend to be pretty dark and disturbing, coming across an uplifting ending is a gem a dozen. And with this, we can't help but to list down the Black Mirror episodes with a happy ending.
Table of Contents
- USS Callister (Season 4, Episode 1)
- San Junipero (Season 3, Episode 4)
- Striking Vipers (Season 5, Episode 1)
- Hang the DJ (Season 4, Episode 4)
- Black Museum (Season 4, Episode 6)
- Nosedive (Season 3, Episode 1)
- Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too (Season 5, Episode 3)
- Joan is Awful (Season 6, Episode 1)
- Demon 79 (Season 6, Episode 5)
- Crocodile (Season 4, Episode 3)
Here are the episodes we believe had a happy ending, in no particular order:
USS Callister (Season 4, Episode 1)
One of the episodes that had a happy ending is USS Callister, which was Black Mirror's homage to Star Trek. The episode plays around with the idea of transfer of consciousness to a space setting.
Jesse Plemons plays Robert Daly, the co-creator of a multiplayer space adventure game. Through his game, Daly has uploaded the DNA of his colleagues to gain control over them and subject them to different forms of torment.
Some of the things that the episode focuses on include toxic masculinity and workplace harassment.
When a new employee joins the simulation, she works with the other crew members to outsmart the masochistic bully.
And as a result, Daly gets trapped in the game. In the real world, on the other hand, he becomes motionless. This allows the members of the crew to escape Daly's simulation and gain control over their virtual selves again.
San Junipero (Season 3, Episode 4)
Without a doubt, the most famous Black Mirror episode with a feel-good ending (so far) is San Junipero.
The episode follows Yorkie (played by Mackenzie Davis) who meets Kelly (played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw) in a virtual nightclub. The two women fall in love with each other through different decades.
In the real world, however, the two women are elderly women. Kelly is terminally ill and is in a simulated reality where she can opt to live forever.
Yorkie, on the other hand has been paralyzed and encourages Kelly to stay with her. But because her husband and daughter were not uploaded into the virtual world, Kelly is hesitant.
In the end, however, the two find each other again in the simulation where they are able to be together without any physical pain.
Striking Vipers (Season 5, Episode 1)
Another Black Mirror episode that tackles on virtual reality is Striking Vipers.
The story follows Danny (played by Anthony Mackie) and Karl (played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), two old college roommates who find themselves attracted to each other's virtual avatars.
Whenever they play the video game, their avatars, Lance and Roxie, find ways to be sexual with each other instead of fighting.
When he gets discovered, Danny's wife, Theo (played by Nicole Beharie) comes up with a solution that appeases everyone: a once-a-year night off from their marriage.
During this event, Theo can have an anonymous one-night stand. Meanwhile, Danny and Karl get to meet up virtually and "reconnect."
Hang the DJ (Season 4, Episode 4)
Speaking of finding a mate, Hang the DJ is a Black Mirror episode where Frank (played by Joe Cole) and Amy (played by Georgina Campbell) use a device called "Coach".
Through this device, they are able to meet up with potential partners for a fixed time duration until they get to their "pairing day."
Despite having several matches, the two can't seem to connect with anyone else. And even with the odds pressed against them, the two finally decide to defy the system.
When they leave the simulated world, they decide to meet each other for the first time and find genuine human connection that no app can calculate.
Black Museum (Season 4, Episode 6)
Black Museum is another Black Mirror episode that toys around with transferred consciousness. The episode follows Nish (played by Letitia Wright) who visits Black Museum.
The owner of the remote property, Rolo Haynes (played by Douglas Hodge), explains the different backstories of the artifacts.
The main attraction of the museum is a holographic version of Clayton Leigh (played by Babs Olusanmokun), who is the subject of perpetual electric chair executions.
Haynes has been notorious for recruiting people to experiment with his technologies. But what he doesn't know is Nish is Leigh's daughter.
She proves that there was conflicting evidence in Leigh's trial and gets revenge for her father. The episode ends on a positive note, with Nish liberating her father and punishing Haynes for his inhumane experiments.
Nosedive (Season 3, Episode 1)
Another Black Mirror episode that is highly acclaimed is Nosedive.
The episode follows Lacie (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) who lives in a world where people's socio-economic status allows them to afford different things, like a cup of coffee or a real-estate property.
The problem is, their social status is based upon their activities and interactions with each other.
As she tries to increase her status to 4.5 from 4.2, Lacie encounters different obstacles that test her patience. This also leads to her social rating to suffer a drastic decline to 1.4.
When she sneaks into a wedding, she gets arrested and put in jail. There, she finds peace and finds comfort from another man where they happily exchange insults without worry of being rated and finally being allowed to do what they want.
Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too (Season 5, Episode 3)
The episode stars Miley Cyrus as Ashley O, a pop star with a vast following. Her handlers release a doll called Ashley Too, which gives its owners motivational soundbites.
Unfortunately, the real Ashley O is announced to be in a coma over a shellfish allergy. The Ashley Too doll that lands on Jack's (played by Madison Davenport) hands, however, reveals the truth. Together with her sister, Rachel (played by Angourie Rice), they come to Ashley O's rescue.
As she tries to help the doll, they discover that the real pop star has been poisoned by her aunt as a way to control her.
The episode ends with the real Ashley getting rescued and able to do the kind of music she wants to do.
Joan is Awful (Season 6, Episode 1)
The recent season of Black Mirror has a couple of episodes that ended on a positive note. One of them, Joan is Awful, follows the story of a tech executive named Joan (played by Annie Murphy).
When she and her fiancé decide to chill later that night, they come across a Streamberry show called Joan is Awful with a photo of Salma Hayek with an uncanny resemblance to Joan.
The episode also surprises Joan, and everyone who watched it, since it follows every single thing that happened to her that day. The only difference is that there was some exaggeration.
As her personal life falls apart because of the show, Joan decides to get Salma Hayek to help her. The two then discover that they are actually different layers of reality where the source Joan is a different person.
In the end, the real Joan and Annie Murphy are placed on house arrest. But this time, Joan has more control over her life and has finally opened up her cafe.
Demon 79 (Season 6, Episode 5)
The other Black Mirror Season 6 episode that ended on a positive note is Demon 79, which is actually referred to as a Red Mirror episode.
The episode is set in Northern England in 1979 and follows the story of a lonely salesclerk called Needa (played by Anjana Vasan).
She dreams of getting her revenge on people who have wronged her and convicted criminals who are still able to roam around the streets. But never gets around to doing so, until she finds a talisman.
A demon emerges from the talisman and tells her that she needs to kill three people to prevent a catastrophic end-of-the-world doom.
She hesitates at first, but when Gaap (played by Paapa Essiedu) gives her a glimpse of the future, she complies with the task.
Unfortunately, she is unable to kill her last victim and the world ends, but not before we see Gaap and Needa exiting into nothingness--at least they've got each other.
Crocodile (Season 4, Episode 3)
Crocodile is another episode that has a good ending, at least for viewers.
The show follows the story of Mia (played by Andrea Riseborough) and Rob (played by Andrew Gower), who hit a cyclist after a night of partying. Instead of reporting the accident to the police, they decide to dispose of the body.
Years later, the two have drifted apart and with their own lives. Rob comes across Mia and tries to convice her to turn themselves in.
Worried of losing her own family, Mia tries to stop Rob, who ends up dead. After that, Mia becomes paranoid and kills anyone who tries to expose her secret.
The unexpected twist, however, happens when police manage to extract the memories of a guinea pig pet, who was present at the murders.
Mia gets arrested for her actions, which is a happy ending for the episode.
Did we miss anything? Which of these episodes did you enjoy?
We'll add more Black Mirror episodes with a happy ending when new ones get released.
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