Warning: Contains spoilers for Black MirrorSeason 4.
In a lot of ways,Movies Black MirrorSeason 4 is familiar territory.
You've got your gnawing tension, your twist endings. That same old sense of humanity's inevitable, yawning doom, lurking just one or two iPhone updates away. All that good stuff.
SEE ALSO: Karl Pilkington totally predicted 2 'Black Mirror' Season 4 storylinesThere is one thing Season 4 has a lot more of than past seasons, though, and that's Easter eggs.
From self-referential cutaways to subtle, easy-to-miss moments, here are some things you may not have spotted on a first viewing.
Computer text is always a good place to start your Easter egg hunt, and "Metalhead" doesn't disappoint. If you pause the screen and zoom in when that guy's desperately attempting to start that van near the beginning of the episode, the first thing you'll see is this:
And, once he finally gets the thing working, this:
It's tricky to read, but that text includes previous Black Mirrorepisode titles, a line reading "reddit\easter.egg" (in the first pic) and -- best of all -- some text at the bottom of that last screen that literally says: "WHY. did. you. bother. PAUSING. this. you. freak".
This one isn't an Easter egg, but it's the still the sort of detail that could be easily missed amongst all the other traumatic stuff happening at the end of "Metalhead".
Basically, the reason for that final, lingering shot on the box of bears links back to this exchange right at the beginning of the episode:
Clarke: "This is mental, this is. I mean he's -- he's dying anyway. Well, he is. It's not like it's going to save him. He's got -- what, days?"
Bella: "Well if what's in there makes those days easier that'll do for me. I promised my sister we'd help him."
Then, right at the end of the episode, Bella says the following into the radio:
"I'm sorry I didn't get the replacement like I promised. I know how dear it was to him."
So essentially the bears were the main aim of their mission, and what they ended up losing their lives for. They were trying to get a replacement teddy for Bella's sister's son, to make his dying days a little easier.
The final miserable cherry on top of a truly dystopian cake.
That clip above is from the Season 3 episode "Men Against Fire". If you watch "Arkangel" carefully, though, you'll notice that the exact same footage appears on the iPad Sara is given to watch at the Arkangel offices:
Via GiphyAs one Redditor dives into in great deal in the thread above, Saint Juniper seems to hold a fair bit of significance in the Black Mirror universe.
Obviously we had the San Junipero episode in Season 3, but now we also have the "Saint Juniper's" hospital referred to by Rolo Haynes in "Black Museum".
A clue to the reasoning behind this name choice could lie in the history of St. Francis of Assisi, one of whose followers was apparently called Brother Juniper. The story goes that the Friar once went the extra mile to fulfil a dying man's request to eat pig's feet. Aside from the references to pigs and robots discussed in the thread above, this theme (helping to fulfil a sick person's final wish) ties in pretty closely with the "Black Museum" and "San Junipero" storylines.
Aaron Paul's brief voice appearance as "Gamer691" is the first of two fairly subtle celebrity cameos in the "U.S.S. Callister" episode.
This one's definitely the easiest to spot, though -- even though you don't see him, if you're a fan of Breaking Badyou'll almost certainly have recognised Jesse Pinkman's voice.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This one is way more subtle.
If you skip to about 10 minutes in to "U.S.S. Callister", you'll spot Kirsten Dunst -- currently engaged to Jesse Plemons, who plays Robert Daly in the episode -- casually strolling through the shot with her arms folded.
One of the big Black Mirrortheories that appears to be confirmed in Season 4 is that all the episodes are taking place in the same universe.
The brief appearance in "Metalhead" of a postcard for "San Junipero" -- the resort that has a whole episode dedicated to it in Season 3 -- is just one of the many subtle nods to this.
"Black Museum" takes the "one universe" theory to a whole new level. Pretty much all the artefacts in Rolo Haynes' nightmarish museum are props that feature in other Black Mirrorepisodes.
The iPad above, for instance, is the console the mother in "Arkangel" uses to spy on her daughter.
That blood-stained tub is the same one in which Shazia's husband gets bludgeoned to death by Mia in "Crocodile".
Yep, that's the same lollipop Robert Daly uses to steal Walton's son's DNA in "U.S.S. Callister".
It's not just Season 4 that gets referenced in the museum, either.
Does that tiny little creature in the GIF above look familiar? It's one of the mechanical bees used to murder people in the Season 3 episode "Hated in the Nation".
The cheerful chap above is one of the masked hunters chasing the protagonist of the Season 2 episode "White Bear".
Another favourite trick of Charlie Brooker's in Season 4 is using the same fictional companies or brands in multiple episodes.
"Fence's pizza's a big company," says Shazia in "Crocodile". "They've been in the press claiming they're driverless for years."
They're also the same company that deliver to Robert Daly in "U.S.S. Callister" (pictured above).
And they're not the only brand name with multiple mentions, either. The game featured in "Playtest" also pops up in "Black Museum", the TCKR company Haynes works for is the same one behind San Junipero, and even the porn company that originally appeared in "15 Million Merits" -- "WraithBabes" -- shows up again in "Crocodile".
You can find a detailed list of similar connections on Reddit.
In Brooker's nightmarish future, nothing, it seems, is accidental.
Topics Black Mirror
Internet speeds are down after coronavirus forced people to stay home'Saturday Night Live' suspends production amid coronavirus concernsTesla has to shut down its Fremont factory, sheriff saysEminem's 'Lose Yourself' is the perfect mindfulness anthem. Yes, really.'Saturday Night Live' suspends production amid coronavirus concernsApple TV+ joins Netflix in reducing European streaming qualityVentilator manufacturers aren't impressed by Elon Musk's offerAnimes to get your mind off the real world while social distancingElon Musk's coronavirus tweets somehow don't violate Twitter's rulesThe thinnest tablet ever is here for all your eThe best shows to catch up on while we're hiding from coronavirusIt sure sounds like Android is getting its own version of AirDropNetflix creates $100 million relief fund for workers hit by coronavirusGoogle cancels I/O developer conference due to coronavirusSeagull with stolen dentures has some very serious explaining to doApple TV+ joins Netflix in reducing European streaming qualityWant to share viral coronavirus content? Consider these expert tips first.Emergency fund launches to help nannies and house cleaners during coronavirus pandemic10 essential comedies about families of color you can stream right nowYes, of course Kenny G gave an impromptu performance mid Mexico vs. Ecuador 2024 livestream: Watch Copa America for free Wordle today: The answer and hints for June 30 James Webb telescope image isn't just glorious. It shows warped space. NASA will land daring spacecraft on a world 800 million miles away 'House of the Dragon' Season 2, episode 3: Daemon's Harrenhal vision, explained Meituan expands quick commerce operations to Saudi Arabia with Xiaoxiang Supermarket · TechNode NASA rover posts glorious GIF of a Martian day 'House of the Dragon' Season 2, episode 3 had the funniest scene so far BYD to launch full Webb telescope just saw something strange on Uranus Swiatek vs. Kenin 2024 livestream: Watch Wimbledon for free It’s not just ChatGPT on iPhone: New report claims another AI chatbot will be added The moon: Fascinating facts you didn't know TSMC's Kumamoto plant to supply initial output to Sony and Denso · TechNode Astronomers lost an entire galaxy. Then Webb found it. Raducanu vs. Alexandrova 2024 livestream: Watch Wimbledon for free Djokovic vs. Kopriva 2024 livestream: Watch Wimbledon for free How hot is the sun? It's a tricky question, even for scientists. England vs. Slovakia 2024 livestream: Watch Euro 2024 for free BYD announces recruitment for humanoid robot research team · TechNode