Summary
Aaron Paul delivers a striking performance in “Beyond the Sea,” as Black Mirror ventures out into space once again. There’s some intellectual ideas and many strong themes of identity to be explored in this episode, although the lengthy run time and ambiguous ending might frustrate audiences overall.
Here is our Recap and Review of Netflix’s Black Mirror Season 6 Episode 3, “Beyond the Sea,” which will contain significant spoilers and plot twists.
Going crazy in space is a common theme in the sci-fi horror sub-genre. This space madness fits perfectly within Charlie Brooker’s own style of writing and is given the Black Mirror treatment in “Beyond the Sea.”
The third episode focuses on two astronauts in an alternate 1969 as they deal with their own unique tragedies in deep space.
Black Mirror Season 6 Episode 3, “Beyond the Sea” Recap
The two astronauts of this feature-length installment are David Ross (Josh Hartnett) and Cliff Stanfield (Aaron Paul), family men, who are trialing a futuristic new technology. They have cloned replicas of themselves functioning on Earth while they are out in space on a six-year mission.
The Earth replicas are robots that look exactly like their human counterparts. The human and their replicas are then linked to one another. The astronaut can only be awake in one body at a time though. Throughout the episode, the astronauts swap back and forth between these two bodies and two, distinct locations.
One night, while David is in his replica on Earth, his home is broken into. The intruders appear to be from a hippy cult. Leader Kappa (Rory Culkin) and his three colleagues surround David and pin him down. They chop off his arm, revealing the robotic technology underneath.
What does the cult do to David?
The cult then kills David’s family and burns the replica, calling this new technology an unnatural abomination. Cliff is immediately informed of the tragedy. He talks with his wife Lana (Kate Mara) about the unraveling events. The criminals have given themselves up and are subsequently arrested. David appears to still be in a state of shock after the events.
David has nothing more to live for, his entire family has been murdered before his very eyes. The astronaut considers suicide, even locking himself in the airlock at one point, but he doesn’t kill himself just yet. Cliff worries that with David dead, he’d be stranded out in space on his own, which could lead to his own death.
How does Cliff cheer David up?
Lana suggests a bizarre solution that might just save David from his depression. She proposes that they let David use Cliff’s link so that he can live in the real world for an hour or so. David agrees to the switcheroo and is grateful for this opportunity.
It’s revealed that David is a talented artist. He asks to create an oil painting of Cliff’s beautiful home. This would mean David spending more time on Earth in Cliff’s replica though. Cliff and Lana agree to the terms, David can spend an hour a week painting on Earth.
Over time, David and Lana begin to bond with one another. David is far more outgoing and upbeat than Cliff. He listens to music and teaches Lana how to paint. They even dance together. Cliff starts to push their terms, going out to the local village and recommending Lana a book. He eventually makes his move and they nearly kiss, but Lana rejects David’s advances.
It is obvious that Lana wants this romance to work, although she feels utterly confused by it all. Her son Henry then ruins David’s painting and David hits him in retaliation. Lana asks Cliff to end the setup there and then, but Cliff thinks there is no harm in letting David finish his painting.
How does Cliff find out about the possible affair?
During the next session, Cliff discovers David’s drawings on the spaceship. Some of these drawings include nude sketches of Lana. Cliff loses it and confronts David about the drawings and the possible affair. David says that it’s a fantasy, he has nothing and Cliff has everything, he’s just jealous.
Angered by David’s feelings for Lana, Cliff punches his colleague in the face and then destroys the painting back on Earth. Next, Cliff confronts Lana about the affair. Lana is adamant that nothing happened. She saw the spark in David and felt like she had her old husband back again.
Cliff realizes that he has been neglecting Lana. He apologizes and the couple hug.
Back in space, David apologizes too. He asks Cliff if he can say sorry to Lana in person, to say his final goodbyes. Cliff refuses to let David see or speak to Lana ever again. If you are thinking that David doesn’t take this statement well, then you would be correct.
Black Mirror Season 6 Episode 3 Ending Explained
At the end of the episode, Cliff is summoned into space for an emergency. There is a coolant leak. Cliff suits up and goes to fix the leak, but there is no actual problem. This was all just a decoy by David so that he could spend more quality time with Lana.
David eventually lets Cliff back inside the spaceship, but the damage is already done. Cliff races back to the link and transfers into his Earth replica body. Immediately he notices blood on his hands and all over the walls. His family has been brutally murdered. David has retaliated by inflicting his own tragedy onto Cliff’s family.
Cliff returns to the spaceship with tears in his eyes. He stares at David, who silently admits to the murders. David then offers Cliff a seat. It is unclear how they will proceed after this betrayal, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that Cliff will be charged with these murders.
The two astronauts are now years away from home. They cannot be arrested or shut down. They are out of Earth’s reach, they are on their own. Will they complete their mission and return home or kill each other in the process?
Black Mirror Season 6 Episode 3, “Beyond the Sea” Review
“Beyond the Sea” takes a unique concept and just runs with it, formulating a provocative and innovative slice of science fiction from a surprisingly simplistic idea. The sci-fi elements allow for some great set designs, whilst the juxtaposing settings are professionally handled, provoking further themes and ideas.
Aaron Paul leads a truly stellar cast, delivering an impressive performance as he juggles dual roles. There’s also a fun message about defying nature in this and Brooker explores themes of identity with aplomb.
Unfortunately, the episode is a little too long and the ambiguous ending may upset a few viewers who want to know the fallout of this shock ending.
What did you think of Black Mirror Season 6 Episode 3, “Beyond the Sea”? Comment below.
