Black Mirror Season 3 Episode 4 Recap – San Junipero

1987 — a group of people rides their car while a girl walks in the middle of the night. She stops in front of a shop selling television screens. She sees a man and a woman discussing and entering a bar. She also enters the disco bar. She walks through a group of people dancing. A game machine sound catches her attention, so she plays a game. A guy asks her to play some games with him, but Yorkie refuses to. Yorkie sits at one of the tables inside the disco bar.

Kelly walks around the disco bar when she suddenly turns around and sits with Yorkie. She tells her to go with the flow with her. Not later, Wes comes near them. He tells Kelly what they had last week was amazing, but before he finishes his sentence, Kelly cuts him off and says what happened last week is last week. She tells him she needs to talk with her friend because she just has a few months to live. Wes leaves the two of them alone. He apologizes to Yorkie before he leaves. Kelly introduces herself to Yorkie. Kelly says Wes is not a bad guy, but she met him in the Quagmire. Yorkie asks what the Quagmire is, but Kelly tells her that if she doesn‘t know it, she shouldn‘t ask about it. Kelly orders a drink for them: Jack and Coke. Yorkie says it‘s just Coke for her, but Kelly insists.

Kelly stares at Yorkie, and Yorkie gets conscious. Kelly tells her the eyeglasses look good on Yorkie, but she asks her if she needs them. Yorkie says the lenses don’t do anything; it‘s just a comfort thing since she used to wear them in school. Kelly tells her the glasses are good but not her outfit. Then, Kelly tells her it‘s not bad because everyone around them tries so hard to look good in their outfits. Kelly holds Yorkie‘s eyeglasses and tells her she‘s authentically her.

The bartender gives them their drink. Kelly asks Yorkie if she is new to the town or if she is a tourist. Yorkie tells her it‘s her first night in the town when a very catchy song plays. Kelly invites Yorkie to dance with her. Yorkie refuses to dance, but Kelly forces her and tells her to follow her lead. While dancing, Yorkie suddenly felt uncomfortable. She stares at Kelly dancing and looks around her. She feels everyone is staring at her as if they are mocking her. Yorkie leaves. Kelly notices Yorkie has left the dance floor, so she looks for her outside. Kelly apologizes for pushing her to dance. Yorkie tells Kelly she left the dance floor because everyone is staring at them, two girls dancing together. Kelly tells her not to care about them. They may be staring because she dances too well.

Kelly asks Yorkie about what she wants to do in life that she has never done. Kelly invites her to San Junipero and touches her legs. Yorkie stands up and tells her she has a fiancé. Kelly tells her if she wants to go to bed with her, but Yorkie declines. She tells Kelly that meeting her was nice. Yorkie leaves, but she stops and almost wants to change her mind. She looks back to check if Kelly is still there, but she has already left.

Yorkie tries different outfits while dancing to the song she plays. It’s been a week since she last saw Kelly. Kelly is driving her car to town. She gets out of her car and sees Wes waiting for him like a stalker. She tells Wes she doesn’t like him and to stop following her. Wes tells her to listen to what he wants to say. Kelly says it was just sex, nothing more. Kelly kisses Wes and leaves.

Kelly is at the bar counter when someone approaches her. Yorkie arrives at the bar. She sees Kelly talking with a guy. Kelly sees her also, so she invites the guy she‘s talking with to dance. Yorkie sits on one of the tables, quietly watching Kelly talking with the guy. They see each other eye to eye while drinking Jack with Coke. Kelly excuses herself to the bathroom, so Yorkie follows her inside.

Yorkie tells Kelly she doesn’t know how to do it and asks for Kelly’s help. Yorkie tells her to make it easy. She looks at Yorkie and asks if she wants to come with her. Yorkie asks Kelly how long she has been in San Junipero. Kelly tells her a couple of months, and she plans to stay as long as she enjoys herself. They almost had an accident because Kelly was staring at Yorkie. Kelly apologizes to Yorkie. They arrive at a vacation house in San Junipero. It‘s an old house where Kelly grew up. Kelly kisses Yorkie, and they make love. They cuddle and have small talk about life. Yorkie asks Kelly how she knew she likes women. Kelly tells her she also likes men and jokingly says equal rights. Yorkie insists on asking how she knew. Kelly tells her she was married and was seriously in love with him, so she didn‘t act on her crushes on other women. Yet her husband still left her. She adds she just wants to have a good time before she passes.

Another week has passed after their last encounter. Yorkie returns to the disco bar. She looks around, trying to find Kelly. She even asks the bartender if he has seen Kelly, but the bartender tells her he hasn’t seen Kelly all night. The bartender asks her if she has tried the Quagmire. Yorkie asks him what the Quagmire is.

Yorkie goes to the Quagmire. The Quagmire is like an underground disco bar. Yorkie keeps on walking inside to find Kelly when she bumps into Wes. Wes tells her Kelly is not in the bar. He also tells her to try another time. Kelly is worth the shot. Two weeks pass. It’s been two weeks since Yorkie last saw Kelly. She returns to ‘90s Tucker‘s, following Wes‘ advice, but she still doesn‘t see Kelly. She returns to San Junipero where they spent the night in.

Another week passes. Yorkie returns to 2002 Tucker‘s. Finally, she sees Kelly dancing with a guy. Yorkie greets Kelly, but she excuses herself and goes to the bathroom. Yorkie follows her. Kelly asks her what she is doing there because it‘s not her era. Yorkie tells her she hid from her. Kelly disagrees and tells her she doesn‘t owe her anything. Kelly tells her she only wants to have fun, but what is happening to them is not fun anymore. Yorkie tells her she should at least feel something and walks out of the bathroom. Kelly gets frustrated and punches the mirror. She looks at her knuckles, but it doesn‘t bleed. And when she looks at the mirror again, the mirror isn‘t broken anymore — they are not in a real place.

Kelly follows Yorkie outside and asks someone if they have seen her. She sees her on the rooftop, sitting alone. Kelly explains everything to Yorkie, why she is avoiding her, but Yorkie just kisses her. They end up staying the night in San Junipero again. Yorkie tells Kelly that next week is her wedding day with Greg. They talk about so many things. Yorkie tells Kelly she wouldn’t want to meet her in real life. Yorkie knows she will not like her. Kelly tells her to try her and tells her where she comes from — Carson City, Nevada. She just wants to say hi before everything comes to an end. Yorkie tells her she‘s from Santa Rosa, California.

Midnight strikes again. The following day, an old lady wearing yellow is assisted to her car. They are going to the hospital. The doctor approaches her and says, “You must be Kelly?” He takes them to the room where another old lady is confined, staring at the hospital’s ceiling. Kelly approaches her and says, “Hello, stupid. It‘s good to see you.”  She kisses her forehead. Kelly and her nurse are about to leave when a man approaches them and says he is Greg. Greg tells Kelly that it‘s good for them to visit Yorkie before she passes over. Kelly gets shocked, so Greg invites her over for coffee.

Greg tells her he has only known her for the past three years. He then tells her how Yorkie became a quadriplegic at age 21. Yorkie‘s parents did not want a gay daughter because it‘s not natural. The whole San Junipero system is a big deal for Yorkie. Kelly tells Greg that the system exists for therapeutic reasons: immersive nostalgia therapy. It plunges them deep into a sea of memory. Kelly asks about the marriage. Greg tells her Yorkie‘s family is religious, so they won‘t sign a document allowing euthanasia. Kelly immediately adds that a spouse can override it, hence, Greg and Yorkie‘s marriage.

Kelly asks for a time to see Yorkie again. Greg hesitates, but when Kelly insists, he gives in. Greg tells Kelly they only have five minutes. Things go so fast. Kelly asks Yorkie to marry her instead of Greg. Yorkie kisses her. In the real world, Kelly and Yorkie get married. Kelly signs the document, and Yorkie‘s system gets suspended. She passes over and becomes a permanent San Juniperan. Yorkie is at the seaside. Kelly arrives wearing a wedding gown. Yorkie also changes into her wedding gown. Yorkie is elated. She invites Kelly to be with her when it‘s her time. Yorkie tries to convince Kelly, but she tells Yorkie she has made her choice. Yorkie crosses the line and says Kelly should blame her husband for not choosing to be with her. Kelly gets pissed off, so she slaps Yorkie and tells her all about Richard and their daughter, Alison. Kelly pities Yorkie and compares her to the people at Quagmire who tries so hard to feel anything. Yorkie apologizes, but Kelly leaves and drives her car fast; she gets into an accident. She tries to stand up and see Yorkie extending her hand to her. Midnight strikes. Kelly is out of the system. Kelly talks to her nurse and tells her she has considered all things — she is ready for San Junipero to be with Yorkie. Kelly passes over. Yorkie rides her red convertible car and beeps at the house where she slept with Kelly. Kelly comes out, and they ride happily together.

Our Thoughts

When the chance comes, you meet the most wonderful person you could ever meet in this lifetime, and you would do anything to be with her forever. Yorkie’s decision isn’t the same as Kelly’s, but Kelly is just as grateful as Yorkie for meeting each other. Yorkie’s life isn’t as exciting as Kelly’s. She doesn’t want to let her go anymore when she meets her.

Having a chance to travel over time and space is a great thing. Many people will want to try it if it exists in real life because it can bring you to the time, place, and people you are most happy with. Meeting Kelly is the best thing that ever happened to Yorkie. That is why she is willing to sacrifice her future to be with her. But that is also a disadvantage for all of us. Because if someone is not ready to return to where she belongs, the present and the future will be ruined. We need to think about it.