Black Mirror Season 3 Episode 3 Recap – Shut Up and Dance

A woman parks a car in what seems to be a basement parking. She gets out of the vehicle and wears her hoodie. She surveys her surroundings, feeling anxious. She receives a text message. Then she puts the car keys on the car’s rear right wheel and leaves.

Kenny is in the kitchen cleaning the plates when her manager calls him and asks him to clean the table outside. While cleaning the table, he sees that the girl has left her toy, so he calls for their attention and returns the toy to the girl. The mother of the girl thanks Kenny and leaves. Kenny eats alone at the back of the diner and goes home. He immediately looks for his laptop. It’s not on his table, so he shouts for Linds. His sister tells him something is wrong with his laptop. Kenny checks it and sees his laptop has malware. He searches for an app to help remove the malware and downloads it. He gets a Coke, and it seems someone is already watching him from his laptop.

While Kenny is cleaning the tables in the restaurant, he sees a kid’s drawing on their table mat. His manager approaches him and asks if he drew it. The manager is seemingly flirting with Kenny. Inside the kitchen, he takes a photo of his scheduled shift. His manager says goodbye to him. At home, Kenny puts a double lock on his door so her sister can’t come inside and get his laptop while he is not there. His mom asks his opinion about how she looks and leaves their house. Kenny returns to his room and looks at suggestive images, not knowing that the laptop is recording everything he does. He cleans himself up. He checks his email and sees a message saying, “We saw what you did.” Kenny opens the email and sees a recording of what he just did to himself. He panics and covers the camera of his laptop. The person behind the email asks for his number. He hesitates but eventually gives in. He’s threatened his videos will be posted if he doesn’t give his number.

They start giving him orders about what he needs to do. The following day, he’s still frazzled, but he goes to work. He receives a message saying he has been activated. He needs to obey them, or they will leak the video. They send him a location with a specific time when he needs to be there. Kenny tells them he is at work, but they tell him to be at the location in 45 minutes or they will leak the video.

Kenny makes an excuse to his manager and hurriedly leaves the restaurant, driving his bike as fast as possible. He arrives on time. Someone on his motorcycle arrives at the place and gives him a package. Kenny asks him what he needs to do. The guy tells him he can’t help him, but he needs to follow their orders because they will let him out after he has accomplished his tasks. He receives a message and a location where he needs to bring the package. He can’t ride his bicycle holding the cake, so he leaves his bike and rides a bus going to the area. He takes a peek at what is inside the box, and he sees a cake. He arrives at the place. He knocks on room 121 and says he has some delivery. The person inside the room says he delivered it to the wrong room. Kenny sends a message that the guy won’t let him in. The blackmailer says to mention Mindy.

Kenny says the cake is from Mindy, and the man lets him enter the room. Kenny tells him the people on the phone said to bring the cake to him. He asks to look at his phone, and he reads the messages. Suddenly, the man receives a message. Kenny asks him if it’s them. Kenny asks if he can go, but they say no and ask him to take his photo.

The guy tells Kenny that they have to take the package together to another location, so they drive together to the dropped pin. The guy starts to share what is up with him with the blackmailer. Kenny cries and tells him that they filmed him jerking off. Hector stops at a gasoline station to refuel the car. Hector gives Kenny his card to pay for the gas. When Kenny returns to the car, he sees Hector talking to a girl named Karen. Hector introduces him as his nephew. Karen asks Hector if she can ride with them, but Kenny tells her they are in a rush. The blackmailer sees they are going the wrong way, so they send them text messages and tell them to turn around. Hector keeps on driving. They tell them to be at the location in 20 minutes, or they will leak their videos.

Hector drives fast. They drop Karen in front of her house. Hector hurriedly drives to their destination. They order Kenny and Hector to look in the cake. Hector gets a cap, a pair of glasses, and a gun. The blackmailer asks them to decide who the driver and the robber will be. Hector says he will be the driver since Kenny told him he couldn’t drive. Kenny says he can’t do it. Hector tells him they don’t have a choice. He has a cap and glasses, so no one will recognize him.

Hector also tells him to point the gun at them, and they will give him the money. It’s that easy. Kenny says it’s not easy. Hector agrees, but they don’t have a choice but to follow their orders, or else their video will be leaked. Hector will lose his kids if they leak the video. Hector encourages him to do what they are told. Once the video has leaked, it will forever be on the internet, and people will remember what he did. Kenny says he can’t do it. Kenny doesn’t trust Hector because he thinks Hector will run away and leave him once the job is finished.

Kenny cries. Hector encourages him again. Kenny enters the bank. He immediately points the gun at the teller and tells her to give him the money. Kenny is so scared he pees on his pants. The teller gives him the money. He goes out but doesn’t see the car when he gets out of the bank. He thinks Hector left him, but he didn’t.

They hear a police car siren. Kenny gets so anxious that they will catch them. He tells Hector to drive faster. Hector tells Kenny to ask the blackmailers where they will send the money. They give them a location, and they arrive at the place. They give Hector a final instruction to take the car away and destroy it. But they also tell him to go alone. Kenny asks why only him and receives a message. They tell him to bring the money to the drop point alone. Hector tells him to go and drop the money, and that’s it. They are free to go. Hector apologizes to Kenny before he goes and tells him to take care.

Kenny starts walking to the drop point alone. He sees a gate and enters. Kenny continues walking in the forest until he reaches his drop point. A man is standing in the forest, and it looks like he is waiting for him. He tells Kenny to hang on as he will let the drone fly. The guy asks him if he has the prize money. Kenny is confused about what he is talking about. He tells Kenny they will fight for the money. The winner takes it all. Kenny asks how they will know if it is over and how they will know who won. Kenny wants everything to be over. They order them to fight to the death. Kenny points the gun at the guy, but he can’t do it. He points it at himself, but the gun is not loaded. The guy attacks Kenny. Hector comes home. The blackmailer still sent the video to his wife. Kenny is still in the forest, walking alone, when his mom calls him. Kenny cries. His video still got leaked. The police arrest him.

Our Thoughts

Everyone has their own filthy mistakes, but punishing them for another one’s gain is not justifiable. This is how technology gets abused by people. Those who are not aware of the horrors people could do with the technology in their hands are the ones taken advantage of. Still, looking at both sides, no one wins. Everyone will lose, even those who do horrendous things with technology, getting into people’s private lives. How cruel can this world be?