Black Mirror season 7 may solely be a couple of days previous, however it’s already been a colossal success for Netflix.
Created by Charlie Brooker, this chilling anthology collection tells terrifying tales about humanity’s relationship with know-how, and I feel it’s truthful to say that if humanity and know-how had been companions, you’d advocate they break up after watching an episode or two of Black Mirror.
Season seven – which was launched on April 10 – has been a success with critics and followers alike, scoring a powerful 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been considered by greater than 7 million individuals worldwide.
Nevertheless, now that folks have had time to look at the present, and the mud is beginning to settle, followers have noticed an odd recurring Easter egg.
Evidently across the latest six episodes, there are 5 references (that we’ve noticed) to the phrase juniper, and this unusual truth has baffled followers.
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@Kyeekk requested on X: ‘Three episodes in, and why do I preserve seeing the phrase juniper in Black Mirror?’
Each ‘juniper’ reference in Black Mirror season 7
- Frequent Folks (Episode 1): Mike and Amanda make a journey to Juniper Lodge.
- Frequent Folks (Episode 1): Mike and Amanda eat the slightly gross-sounding ‘juniper burger’.
- Lodge Reverie (Episode 3): Dorothy appeared in a film referred to as St Juniper.
- Lodge Reverie (Episode 3): Brandy’s deal with is revealed to be 2049 Juniper Drive.
- USS Callister: Into Infinity (Episode 6): Nanette Cole is handled at St. Juniper’s Hospital.
@PsychicTee in the meantime was equally perplexed, writing: ‘What’s the obsession with Black Mirror and the phrase “Juniper?’
The truth is, for those who pop the phrases ‘Juniper’ and ‘Black Mirror’ into the X search bar, you’ll discover numerous posts of individuals asking what the hell is occurring.
This conspiracy, nevertheless, runs far deeper than individuals realise. On the Black Mirror Reddit, followers have identified that Charlie has been sneaking this reference into earlier seasons as effectively.
‘The museum curator from Black Museum was once a medical tech pusher for St. Juniper’s,’ wrote LittleDamnSquirrel. In the meantime, PsycoSaurus identified it’s in ‘Bandersnatch too, it’s the power the place he goes for remedy.’
So, what’s occurring? Why’s Charlie sneaking this phrase into so many episodes?
Nicely, one slightly intelligent fan on Reddit believes they solved the thriller again in 2018 (sure, that is how far again this thriller goes), and so they suppose the reply lies within the story of a Thirteenth-century monk.
‘Saint Juniper was one among Francis of Assisi’s posse, and his most notable deed was the Legend of the Pig’s Ft,’ Frogdwarf defined.
‘Primarily, Juniper bought speaking to this dying dude whose final want was to have some pig’s ft.’
Frogdwarf went on to clarify that the monk goes off and kills a pig to assist his good friend. This unsurprisingly upsets its proprietor, however Juniper can’t perceive why.
‘He’d completed a pleasant factor,’ the Redditor continued. ‘Why was the farmer indignant? Juniper was like this, he’d give away the group’s possessions to poor individuals on a regular basis.’
‘My level is [that] that is harking back to the best way a robotic works,’ he completed. You program it to get pig’s ft, it takes pig’s ft. Until you particularly inform it in any other case, it will by no means happen to it to not steal the ft.’
I have to admit it’s a neat idea, and the concept of programming one thing (or somebody) to do a job after which dropping management of it positively ties into the themes of Black Mirror.
But whereas we will’t low cost that Charlie has heard of the legend, it does appear a little bit of a attain (one thing FrogDwarf admits in his publish).
Fortunately, there’s one other idea going spherical concerning the symbolism of juniper. U_cannoli_imagine wrote that they imagine the phrase pertains to ‘the place the place the characters discovered everlasting bliss’.
They level out that in Frequent Folks, the phrase pertains to an idyllic getaway for Amanda and Mike. Whereas in Lodge Reverie, juniper was Brandy’s deal with on a field containing the telephone that related her to her immortal real love.
The thought behind this idea is that every time the phrase comes up, it by some means refers to a really perfect paradise for our characters.
Why does Black Mirrror preserve referencing juniper?
Metro’s Deputy TV editor Tom Percival says…
Truthfully, whereas I want I may say that juniper is a reference to an obscure legend about one among Francis of Assisi’s mates or a intelligent reference to paradise, I discover myself sceptical.
Why? Nicely, you’ve bought to do not forget that it’s Charlie Brooker who’s writing these tales. And whereas he’s a really intelligent man, who’s no stranger to an obscure reference or two, he’s additionally bought a depraved sense of humour and is attuned to the fan dialogue round Black Mirror.
It appears completely in retaining for Charlie to plant a phrase like ‘juniper’ all through Black Mirror season seven as a joke on followers who like to obsess over each minute element in his present.
There are other gags like this within the seventh season, together with one that may solely be seen once you pause the episode, asking followers to ‘cease pausing and watch the present’.
So do I feel there’s some deep which means behind juniper? Nicely, until you depend making Charlie chuckle ‘deep’, in all probability not.
Whereas this idea appears stronger, you’ve bought to use Occam’s razor in conditions as a result of more often than not, the best reply is the suitable one.
With that in thoughts, it appears more than likely that Charlie seeded the phrase juniper (pun unintended) by way of season seven as a reference to San Junipero, the preferred episode from Black Mirror’s third collection.
That is hardly an outrageous opinion, with @dracaras writing on X: ‘Black Mirror all the time hinting again to juniper… when you’ve got a favorite little one.’
@inmyshawnieera additionally thinks Charlie Booker is ensuring everybody is aware of what his ‘favourites are, writing: You already know San Junipero and Nosedive are his favorite episodes of Black Mirror bc (sic) each different episode mentions juniper.’
Or perhaps that is all constructing to some epic juniper-themed crossover? We’ll have to attend for Black Mirror season eight to seek out out.
Black Mirror season seven is on the market to stream now.
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