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Plaything” Retcon “Bandersnatch

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Black Mirror Season 7’s Episode 4, titled “Plaything,” doesn’t closely tie into the 2018 interactive movie Bandersnatch as one might anticipate. Although creator Charlie Booker has stated that “Plaything” is now canon within the Black Mirror universe, he also suggests that it carries minimal impact on the multiple possible endings in Bandersnatch. While “Plaything” hints at revising the overall narrative of Black Mirror, it stops short of doing so substantially.

How “Plaything” Connects to ‘Bandersnatch’

With the upcoming 7th Season of Black Mirror, whispers about revisiting the interactive realm of Bandersnatch have sent fans into a frenzy. Many speculate if the sequel will offer another engaging, choose-your-own-adventure episode from TuckerSoft, the gaming company behind “Bandersnatch.” Even more intriguing, fans ponder whether one of Bandersnatch‘s multiple endings might lay the groundwork or spark a new video game journey.

Titled in the future, “Plaything” revolves around Cameron Walker, portrayed by Peter Capaldi, a senior citizen who gets arrested for shoplifting. The DNA from this event is found to match a cold case murder from the 1990s. The primary connection between “Plaything” and “Bandersnatch” lies in the character of tech genius Colin Ritman, played by Will Poulter. In “Bandersnatch,” Colin assigned video game creator Stefan (Fionn Whitehead) to delve into an interactive game with various choices in 1984, causing him immense distress.

In the 1994-set story “Plaything,” it’s clear that Colin is still employed at Tucker Soft alongside Mohan Thakur. If we consider “Plaything” as an authentic part of the Black Mirror universe, then any endings in Bandersnatch where Colin meets his demise can be considered non-canon.

What Charlie Booker Has To Say About the ‘Bandersnatch’ “Plaything” Connection

In a chat with EW while promoting Season 7, Charlie Booker openly admitted that the less popular episode, “Plaything,” wasn’t initially intended to be a sequel to “Bandersnatch.” As clearly as a well-schooled politician might, Booker explained this during the interview.

The concept had been circulating for a short while, but it hadn’t occurred to me that it was a continuation of Bandersnatch. However, I envisioned Cameron interacting with a programmer. Suddenly, I realized, “Hold on, I developed the character, Colin Ritman, portrayed by Will Poulter in Bandersnatch. I admired this character immensely.” Plus, Mohan Thakur and Asim Chaudhry, who played his superior in the original Bandersnatch, were characters I wanted to delve deeper into when writing this new version.

Booker confesses that his enthusiasm to delve into ’90s video game tradition led him to incorporate Colin and Mohan in a retroactive manner, reminiscing fondly about the Colin character. When inquired if “Plaything” contradicts the outcomes of “Bandersnatch”, Booker responded:

The interpretation of what’s portrayed in terms of the Black Mirror multiverse or any similar concept is something each viewer should decide, for I believe that every ending of Bandersnatch holds equal validity to the next.

The vague, unspecific response provides minimal additional understanding, essentially repeating what viewers can already infer. In other words, aside from Colin and Mohan’s brief reappearance at TuckerSoft, “Plaything” appears to be merely a remnant of Bandersnatch. The background posters and video game titles like “Bandersnatch II” and “Space Fleet” seem more like half-hearted attempts rather than genuine story developments that contribute significantly to the narrative.

In penning “Plaything,” Booker was more focused on exploring the impact of technology on his children, rather than revisiting the realm of “Bandersnatch.” This is something he frequently touches upon.

Occasionally, after sleeping, it seems as if your child has undergone a system upgrade and is now capable of doing more. This thought crossed my mind. As you attentively listen to Cameron explain the procedure, that’s essentially what’s transpiring there.

Essentially, “Plaything” is more like a spiritual continuation rather than a direct narrative follow-up to “Bandersnatch”. Characters Colin and Mo from the former don’t significantly impact the outcomes of Stefan’s storyline in the latter. If there were stronger links between Stefan and Cameron’s virtual journey, the results might have been different. However, “Plaything” plays with the concept and uniqueness of “Bandersnatch”, but doesn’t quite manage to fully tie up the loose ends.

Black Mirror is available to stream on Netflix

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2025-05-10 00:55

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