It’s not an uncommon occurrence to hear somebody express dissatisfaction with the British criminal justice system, particularly when a major case occurs such as a high-profile murder. Even I have made comments about criminals not getting a harsh enough sentence, or even worse let go on a technicality. Which is why the second episode of Series Two of Black Mirror hits hard, especially on what was my fifth viewing of the episode in preparation for this review. White Bear was the first episode of Black Mirror I ever saw and I knew from that moment on that the twisted stories Charlie Brooker was telling with this show were exactly the kind of stories I wanted to watch on TV. But looking at it now, eight years on, and with a more mature mind, it makes me incredibly uncomfortable…which I guess is the whole point.
I’m going to spoil the entire plot for my summary so if you want to go into White Bear without the knowledge of what happens then just know that I highly recommend it, but it is by far one of the darkest and most insidious episodes of Black Mirror ever created. There’s no scary imagery, blood, or even much violence, but you will most definitely be in a constant state of anxiety throughout the entire episode, and the twist ending will almost definitely be one hell of a gut punch.
A woman (Lenora Crichlow) awakes in a bedroom unable to remember who she is and why she is there. Her throat hurts, she has the mother of all headaches, and she’s looking a little worse for wear. As she ventures out of the house, she finds that people just stand recording her on their mobile phones, unable to communicate with her. It is then that she is chased down by a man with a shotgun and soon she meets Jem (Tuppence Middleton). Jem explains that a signal sent out by a nearby radio tower has scrambled the brains of most people to make them mindless zombies who just record everything; the ones who are left have either decided to use the opportunity to do whatever they like, such as the man with the shotgun, or try and avoid the gaze of the recording loonies like Jem does.
As the pair try to escape some more people recording them, they meet Baxter (Michael Smiley). As Baxter drives them away our leading lady slowly begins to get some of her memory back, remembering Baxter’s face and even where he will take them; as well as this she remembers a little girl who she thinks may be her daughter. Baxter reveals himself to have been the man with the shotgun and tries to kill both our protagonist and Jem but is mortally wounded in the process.
Jem & our protagonist get to the ‘White Bear’ broadcast station to turn off the signal but are ambushed by some hunters they encountered earlier. It is here that the curtain is lifted from our protagonist’s eyes and it is revealed to have all been an elaborate setup, a performance with her as the butt of the joke.
It is revealed that our protagonist is Victoria Skillane, a woman who was charged with the murder of the young girl she believed to be her daughter. Victoria and her fiancé Iain (Nick Ofield) kidnapped the girl, tortured her, then burned her alive in the forest where much of the episode takes place. The events we have witnessed are a daily attraction for the public to come and watch as Victoria is forced to endure the kind of torture she put the young girl through before they killed her. Once Victoria is carted back to the house she awoke in, she has a device planted on her head to wipe her memories as she is forced to watch the video she recorded of her and her fiancé killing the young girl. As the credits roll, we see the events of the following day, but are given some behind the scenes context of the actors getting ready for Victoria’s arrival, the guests being greeted and instructed how to behave, and how much enjoyment the crew get from putting Victoria through this torture every single day.
I’m going to spoil the entire plot for my summary so if you want to go into White Bear without the knowledge of what happens then just know that I highly recommend it, but it is by far one of the darkest and most insidious episodes of Black Mirror ever created. There’s no scary imagery, blood, or even much violence, but you will most definitely be in a constant state of anxiety throughout the entire episode, and the twist ending will almost definitely be one hell of a gut punch.
A woman (Lenora Crichlow) awakes in a bedroom unable to remember who she is and why she is there. Her throat hurts, she has the mother of all headaches, and she’s looking a little worse for wear. As she ventures out of the house, she finds that people just stand recording her on their mobile phones, unable to communicate with her. It is then that she is chased down by a man with a shotgun and soon she meets Jem (Tuppence Middleton). Jem explains that a signal sent out by a nearby radio tower has scrambled the brains of most people to make them mindless zombies who just record everything; the ones who are left have either decided to use the opportunity to do whatever they like, such as the man with the shotgun, or try and avoid the gaze of the recording loonies like Jem does.
As the pair try to escape some more people recording them, they meet Baxter (Michael Smiley). As Baxter drives them away our leading lady slowly begins to get some of her memory back, remembering Baxter’s face and even where he will take them; as well as this she remembers a little girl who she thinks may be her daughter. Baxter reveals himself to have been the man with the shotgun and tries to kill both our protagonist and Jem but is mortally wounded in the process.
Jem & our protagonist get to the ‘White Bear’ broadcast station to turn off the signal but are ambushed by some hunters they encountered earlier. It is here that the curtain is lifted from our protagonist’s eyes and it is revealed to have all been an elaborate setup, a performance with her as the butt of the joke.
It is revealed that our protagonist is Victoria Skillane, a woman who was charged with the murder of the young girl she believed to be her daughter. Victoria and her fiancé Iain (Nick Ofield) kidnapped the girl, tortured her, then burned her alive in the forest where much of the episode takes place. The events we have witnessed are a daily attraction for the public to come and watch as Victoria is forced to endure the kind of torture she put the young girl through before they killed her. Once Victoria is carted back to the house she awoke in, she has a device planted on her head to wipe her memories as she is forced to watch the video she recorded of her and her fiancé killing the young girl. As the credits roll, we see the events of the following day, but are given some behind the scenes context of the actors getting ready for Victoria’s arrival, the guests being greeted and instructed how to behave, and how much enjoyment the crew get from putting Victoria through this torture every single day.
One statement I often hear from people regarding criminal justice is that people should endure the same crime they commit to teach them a lesson. But I’ve never personally believed that it would do much good, but then again, I never really thought about it in the same sense that White Bear does. The majority of the episode plays out like a post-apocalyptic horror film, where a small band of survivors try to outrun some monsters, but once the reveal is made in the final fifteen minutes of the episode the tone drastically changes, and this character you’ve been rooting for is suddenly revealed to be the villain all along.
But you feel sorry for her, or at least I do, having to go through this torment every single day of her life. I know plenty of people who would say that she deserves it, and that this is the way the justice system should function; but I feel White Bear does a great job at illustrating that the people who work at this facility, who enjoy their job of torturing this woman every day, and the people who come and visit to dehumanise this woman, are no better than she is for killing that girl.
It’s a complex subject with no right answer, but I feel as though White Bear will make your mind up for you. You’re either ok with the punishment Victoria endures, or you think that its too much. You certainly won’t be on the fence about it after finishing the episode.
As for how the episode is crafted, it’s paced very well and is extremely evocative of zombie films like Dawn of the Dead. It also works excellently for subsequent viewings because there’s lots of secrets hidden around the sets that provide clues to what’s really going on, plus the way the dialogue is delivered will hit very differently once you know the true intentions behind it all.
It is a full-frontal assault on your nerves though as from the moment the episode starts your bombarded with scrambled images, and within minutes Victoria is being chased and shot at. It never lets up until the big reveal and at that point the episode just pulls the rug out from under your feet.
If you’ve never watched Black Mirror before and are unsure if the show is right for you then I wouldn’t recommend White Bear, maybe start with one of the easier to digest and more viewer friendly episodes. But White Bear is the epitome of what Black Mirror stands for, it reflects back onto us the world we are in danger of creating, and leaves you to decide whether that’s how we really want things to be. I would say it’s one of the best episodes in the shows entire run, but it is best approached with the knowledge of what you’re getting yourself into rather than going in completely blind.
But you feel sorry for her, or at least I do, having to go through this torment every single day of her life. I know plenty of people who would say that she deserves it, and that this is the way the justice system should function; but I feel White Bear does a great job at illustrating that the people who work at this facility, who enjoy their job of torturing this woman every day, and the people who come and visit to dehumanise this woman, are no better than she is for killing that girl.
It’s a complex subject with no right answer, but I feel as though White Bear will make your mind up for you. You’re either ok with the punishment Victoria endures, or you think that its too much. You certainly won’t be on the fence about it after finishing the episode.
As for how the episode is crafted, it’s paced very well and is extremely evocative of zombie films like Dawn of the Dead. It also works excellently for subsequent viewings because there’s lots of secrets hidden around the sets that provide clues to what’s really going on, plus the way the dialogue is delivered will hit very differently once you know the true intentions behind it all.
It is a full-frontal assault on your nerves though as from the moment the episode starts your bombarded with scrambled images, and within minutes Victoria is being chased and shot at. It never lets up until the big reveal and at that point the episode just pulls the rug out from under your feet.
If you’ve never watched Black Mirror before and are unsure if the show is right for you then I wouldn’t recommend White Bear, maybe start with one of the easier to digest and more viewer friendly episodes. But White Bear is the epitome of what Black Mirror stands for, it reflects back onto us the world we are in danger of creating, and leaves you to decide whether that’s how we really want things to be. I would say it’s one of the best episodes in the shows entire run, but it is best approached with the knowledge of what you’re getting yourself into rather than going in completely blind.