‘Black Mirror’: All the Easter Eggs and References You May Have Missed in Season 5
[Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers from “Black Mirror” Season 5.]
Season 5 of “Black Mirror” has arrived with only three installments in its anthology format because so much time and effort was spent in creating the experimental choose-your-own-adventure episode “Bandersnatch.” That doesn’t mean that this season skimps on the Easter eggs though – creator Charlie Brooker wouldn’t leave viewers hanging like that.
Everything in the dark universe he’s created is connected, and it’s delightful to actually see that the same references aren’t just popping up as usual; they’re progressing. That means that this universe is actually moving forward in time – which makes the world feel far more alive.
Before jumping into Season 5’s Easter eggs, here are links to the Easter eggs in Seasons 2-4 and in “Bandersnatch” for your reference. Now, let’s have at it:
”Striking Vipers”
Connection to: “White Bear”
– One of the characters that Danny (Anthony Mackie) and Karl (Yaya Abdul-Mateen II) can choose from in their fighting game “Striking Vipers” is the polar bear Tundra, which is a direct visual reference to the episode titled “White Bear.”
Connection to: “Nosedive”
– This might be a stretch, but the milk chocolate bar that Theo gives to Danny for his birthday is labeled “Lacie,” the same name as the approval-seeking protagonist (Bryce Dallas Howard) of “Nosedive.”
Connection to: “USS Callister”
– The VR add-on for the “Striking Vipers” game appears to operate in the same way as the Infinity VR game in “USS Callister.” Just stick the round thingy that looks like a metallic Go playing piece on your temple, and your consciousness is transported into the game.
Connection to: “Bandersnatch”
– The box for the “Striking Vipers” VR add-on has “TCKR” on it. That’s the same company that created the world of San Junipero and much of the other technology in the “Black Mirror” world. The origins comes from the ‘80s-set “Bandersnatch” in which Mohan Thakur (Asim Chaudhry) owns the video game company Tuckersoft.
”Smithereens”
Connection to: “The National Anthem”
– The real-time social media screen in the Smithereen lobby displays references to the Prime Minister Callow, who was blackmailed into having sex with a pig. The breaking news on the screen announces “Prime Minster Callow to meet with EU negotiators in Brussels,” along with two hilarious swine-centric hashtags: #oinkoinkcallow and #snoutrage.
– A female Smithereen exec has a lot of “Black Mirror” characters in her phone, including Carlton Bloom, the guy who had kidnapped the princess.
– Later, when the drink-driving news article is shown, in the sidebar, the story “Prime Minster Callow seeks confidence of cabinet” story is the most read on the site.
– Later, Michael Callow’s name shows up in Chris’ frequently used wordcloud on social media
Connection to: “Fifteen Million Merits”
– When the Smithereen receptionist answers a call, on her screen among the trending topics is #HotShot, a reference to the talent singing competition, and #Cuppliance — the drink that makes the auditioners more compliant.
– Abi Khan (Jessica Brown Findlay) — who had tried out for “Hot Shot” but ended up doing porn instead — is the first contact in the Smithereen exec’s phone.
Connection to: “White Bear”
– The address of the tech company Smithereen is on Skillane Street. That’s a reference to Victoria Skillane, who aided her boyfriend in killing the young girl, and thus was publicly punished.
– Her name shows up again in Chris’ wordcloud.
Connection to: “White Christmas”
– Greta (Oona Chaplin) — who sadly became a “cookie” to be controlled by Jon Hamm — is the name of one of the contacts in the Smithereen exec’s phone.
– Later the article “Introducing the cookie – a clone from your data” is in the sidebar of the drink-driving article.
Connection to: “Nosedive”
– On the phone’s map of the area surrounding Smithereen, Blestow Park can be seen as one location nearby. That park shares the name of Lacie’s chief frenemy — Naomi Jayne Blestow (Alice Eve) — in the episode. Later, her name shows up in the Smithereen exec’s phone.
– The real-time social media screen in the Smithereen lobby displays the hashtag #SeaofTranquility, a reference to the sci-fi series that inspires a bunch of fangirls to cosplay as when Lacie hitches a ride with them.
– Lacie also shows up in the Smithereen exec’s phone.
Connection to: “Playtest”
– On the phone’s map of the area surrounding Smithereen, the SaitoGemu Arcade can be seen as one location nearby. That’s the same name as the video game company that was developing the frightening game in “Playtest.”
– The National Allied Bank on the map is also the same bank that runs the ATM Cooper (Wyatt Russell) uses and that Kenny later robs in “Shut Up and Dance.”
– As for the Redfield Theatre seen on the map, that’s Cooper’s last name.
– The real-time social media screen in the Smithereen lobby displays the two hashtags: #SaitoGemuAnnouncement and #SaitoXNetflix.
Connection to: “Shut Up and Dance”
– Both Hector (Jerome Flynn) and Kenny (Alex Lawler) are blackmailed for their behavior, and both of these names also show up as contacts in the Smithereen exec’s phone.
Connection to: “San Junipero”
– The real-time social media screen in the Smithereen lobby displays the hashtag #StJunipersStrike. This is also the name of the hospital in “Black Museum” and “Bandersnatch.”
Connection to: “Men Against Fire”
– On the phone’s map of the area surrounding Smithereen, a place called “Raiman’s” can be seen as one location nearby. That’s the same name as one of the soldiers in “Men Against Fire.”
– Ditto Atelier Arquette and Stripe’s Cocktail Bar on the map. Arquette is the name of the psychologist who is trying to treat Stripe after his implant starts to act up.
Connection to: “Hated in the Nation”
– On the phone’s map of the area surrounding Smithereen, Dahl’s Shoes can be seen as one location nearby. Vanessa Dahl is one of the supporting characters — the lady with the bangs — in the episode.
– When the Smithereen receptionist answers a call, on her screen among the trending topics is #Granular, the company that created the drone bees and possibly have something to do with the memory “grain” that’s used in “The Entire History of You.”
– Blue Coulson (Faye Marsay) is one of the contacts in Smithereen exec’s phone.
– In the drink-driving article, the sidebar reads, “Bee population in ‘serious decline.’ Environment minister heads up Government team for crisis talks.”
Connection to: “USS Callister”
– Nanette (Cristin Milioti) and Daly (Jesse Plemons), the two main characters of this episode, also show up as contacts in the Smithereen exec’s phone.
– The fictions “Star Trek”-esque show “Space Fleet” shows up in Chris’ word cloud.
Connection to: “Crocodile”
– Fence’s Pizza was first introduced in “Crocodile” as the key to a murder investigation. In “Smithereens,” the phone’s map of the area surrounding Smithereen includes the company.
– Later, an empty pizza box from the chain can be found at Chris’ mother’s house.
– Fence’s Pizza gets a third reference as one of the highlighted phrases in Chris’ social media word cloud.
Connection to: “Hang the DJ”
– In the trending topics on the receptionist’s screen is #TheSystem, which is the dating alternate reality that made the central love story possible.
Connection to: “Metalhead”
– On the phone’s map of the area surrounding Smithereen, MTLHD can be seen as one location nearby. This is also a variation of the spelling that was used in “Bandersnatch” for a video game.
Connection to: “Bandersnatch”
– On the phone’s map of the area surrounding Smithereen, the Bandersnatch Theatre can be seen as one location nearby.
– The real-time social media screen in the Smithereen lobby displays the hashtag #Tucker, a reference to the video game and later VR company.
– Reverse Easter egg: Actually, “Bandersnatch” foreshadowed what would happen in this episode with the news crawl reading, “Committee grills Smithereen CEO Billy Bauer over Russian bots.”
Connection to: “Striking Vipers”
– The grey Prius that Chris (Andrew Scott) drives for his Hitcher rideshare business looks a lot like the one that picked up Theo (Nicole Beharie) when she left the bar.
Connection to: “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too”
– The real-time social media screen in the Smithereen lobby displays the hashtag #AshleyOWembley, a reference to the very next episode and musician Ashley O (Miley Cyrus).
Connection to the Real World
– Among the frequently used terms in Chris’ wordcloud, there are “Breaking Bad,” “Kanye,” “Mr. Robot,” “Mad Men,” “Between Two Ferns,” the U.K. hit show “Darts,” and the hashtags #GoT for “Game of Thrones” and #GBBO for “Great British Bake Off.”
Connection to Behind the Scenes
– On the phone’s map of the area surrounding Smithereen, A.J.’s Coffee and a place called Huq’s can also be seen. Most likely A.J. is a reference to producer Annabel Jones, and Huq is a reference to Kanak “Konnie” Huq, a writer on the show and Charlie Brooker’s wife.
– Art Department graphic designer Erica McEwan often includes her name on the show. Her name is on the byline for the drink-driving story, and her last name is seen as one of the companies that’s owed money in the Gilhenney home.
– Mark Kinsella, Priya Cavda, Alastair Crees, Jack Woolley, Josh Harrs, Hannah Lewis, and Dalida Carew are listed among the Smithereen exec’s contacts. They share the same names as the series’ crew members.
”Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too”
Connection to: “Fifteen Million Merits”
– The song that Abi Khan sings (and heard in other “Black Mirror” episodes) returns. When Ashley O. is in a coma and apparently is still composing songs in her head, one of her “new” songs is “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand).”
Connection to: “Nosedive”
– It appears that “Sea of Tranquility” is an anime series. A news program teases that it will address the show’s reboot.
Connection to: “Playtest”
– SaitoGemu mentioned in the news crawl during the report of Ashley O. in a coma.
Connection to: “Crocodile”
– The news crawl reads, “Architect Arrested,” most likely a reference to Mia Nolan (Andrea Riseborough), who killed a baby to try and cover up another murder.
Connection to: “Black Museum”
– The news crawl reads, “Museum Owner’s Body Found in Smoking Ruins,” a reference to the ill-fated Rolo Haynes (Douglas Hodge).
Connection to: “Bandersnatch”
– Ritman High School is featured. Colin Ritman (Will Poulter) was the genius programmer at Tuckersoft who created most of the company’s hit video games.
Connection to: “Smithereens”
– Ashley O’s aunt Catherine Ortiz (Susan Pourfar) can be seen using the Smithereen social media app.
Connection to: “Striking Vipers”
– The news crawl reads, “SaitoGemu shares jump on ‘Striking Vipers’ release.”
Connection to Behind the Scenes
– The credits to Ashley O.’s song “On a Roll” is Girvan Records and director Anne Sewitsky. David Girvan is the name of the “Black Mirror” script editor, and Sewitsky is the episode’s actual director.
Connection to Nine Inch Nails
– Apparently Nine Inch Nails doesn’t exist in the “Black Mirror” universe since it turns out that Ashley O. — and not Trent Reznor — penned “Head Like a Hole” and “Right Where It Belongs.”
”Black Mirror” Season 5 is currently streaming on Netflix.
