Bandersnatch: Which ending did you get?
- trinitypopculturesoc
- Feb 28, 2019
- 2 min read
By: Laura Lutz
On December 28th, 2018, Netflix released the new Black Mirror Episode: “Bandersnatch.” Did you watch it yet? Well we did, and these are our thoughts.
This movie takes place in the US during 1984. A young programmer questions the reality he lives in when he starts working on a multiple choice video game adapted from one of his favorite books. Stefan implements a game where the ending depends on the path the player chooses to take. This is where it becomes interesting: Netflix created an interactive experience out of it. Throughout the movie, the viewer has different choices to make to guide the film’s character. The decision the viewer makes will completely influence the story and lead to a specific ending. Therefore, viewers have the option to watch it multiple times and see new scenes and new endings every time.
**Spoiler Alert!! If you have not seen it yet you probably should not read any further.**
The concept of the movie is ground breaking in terms of design and realisation. The cast was very intelligently chosen. In particular, the main actor, Fionn Whitehead, gives an incredible performance as Stefan in all of the numerous possible paths. While the production mentions that only five endings exist, fans have shown that there are about 10-12 slightly different conclusions. However, what is most striking is that regardless of the choice the viewer makes, the ending for Stephen will be bad…
From the beginning, the viewer realises that they are not completely free to choose; there are some wrong paths, thereby forcing the viewer to choose the other option. Moreover, the movie has a frustrating aspect because it does not matter how badly the viewer wants Stefan to succeed because a positive outcome is not possible. Halfway through the movie, Colin Ritman mentions something interesting about the PAC man, saying: “He thinks he’s got free will. But in reality, he’s trapped in a maze.” This is exactly the situation Stephan is facing, but the interesting thing is that so are we as the viewers. We think that we are in control when we really are following what the movie directors wants us to do. If you want to know more about each possible endings and how to get there, please see the following link: https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a25721836/bandersnatch-endings-black-mirror-explained/
Bandersnatch provides a great opportunity for Netflix to collect information about what its viewers like and which path they would rather see a character choose. This could provide useful insights for upcoming episode and movies. Additionally, Bandersnatch is a pioneer in TV entertainment. Indeed, this type of interactive media could also be applied, for example, to advertising or sensibilization. Imagine an ad in which the viewer could choose which path they wanted to choose and see what happens if they make certain choices over others. As a result, we highly recommend this interesting experience and we can’t wait to see if Netflix is planning other interactive experience.
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