History Recap / BlackMirrorSanJunipero

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* AdultFear: [[OutlivingOnesOffspring Outliving your children]] and being able to achieve digital immortality after they weren't.

* DeathlessAndDebauched: Those who choose to be [[BrainUploading uploaded to the Cloud]] after death spend the rest of their days partying - either in the innocently nostalgic environment of Tucker's bar, or the [[DenOfInequity seedy, perverted confines of the Quagmire]]. Kelly suggests that this is an ultimately empty existence that drives people to greater and greater extremes of hedonism in a desperate effort to feel ''anything''; however, it's indicated that Yorkie and Kelly will enjoy a much happier eternity as a married couple, as they have something other than meaningless pleasure-seeking to live for.

* ContinuityNod: We're not shown it in-episode, but to White Christmas; Kelly mentions that she will 'red-light' Wes if he doesn't leave her alone. It can be assumed that red-lighting works the same as blocking.

** [[SuspiciouslyAproposMusic "Im living in a box, im living in a cardboard box, im living in a box."]]

* EternalSexualFreedom: Subverted. Kelly assures Yorkie that society has progressed enough that nobody will judge her for her homosexuality, which would seem anachronistic for a story ostensibly set in TheEighties. This is actually one of the first clues that San Junipero is not a real 1980s beach town but rather an idealized simulation of one.

* SocietyMarchesOn: In-universe example. Yorkie is worried that people will react negatively to the sight of two girls dancing, but Kelly assures her that such prejudices aren't really a problem anymore. This is one of the big hints that the story is actually taking place in the future.

* BuryYourDisabled: Despite all the ways in which the BuryYourGays trope gets messed around with (see below), Type 4 of this trope gets absolutely played straight.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: Yorkie and Kelly both have very different viewpoints on being uploaded into the Cloud post mortem, but the episode does not treat either as the "right" one. Yorkie has been paralyzed most of her life and doesn't seem to believe in life after death, and is thus eager to be uploaded so she can live the life she was deprived of forever. Kelly, meanwhile, is reluctant to go through with it out of fear of never seeing her husband and daughter in the afterlife. Beliefs aside, she also doesn't think it fair for her to live in youthful eternity when her daughter never had the chance--which is why her husband did not upload himself. Again, the episode does not offer an absolute solution to the situation.

* AnachronismStew: The titular 1987 city is named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junipero_Serra a saint that was only canonized in 2015.]] But of course the simulation was created well after that.

* ManicPixieDreamgirl: The episode plays with this trope. At first it seems like this is going to be a story about the zesty Kelly pulling the timid Yorkie out of her comfort zone. Then it turns out that Kelly is scared to death of actual intimacy and it's up to Yorkie to push her to feel something real again. Kelly teaches Yorkie to have fun, Yorkie teaches Kelly to truly live.

* ManicPixieDreamgirl: The episode plays with this trope. At first it seems like this is going to be a story about the zesty Kelly pulling the timid Yorkie out of her comfort zone. Then it turns out that Kelly is scared to death of actual intimacy and it's up to Yorkie to push her to feel something real again.

** "Im living in a box, im living in a cardboard box, im living in a box."

* NiceGuy: Against all expectations, Greg turns out to be one.

* NiceGuy: [[DarknessInducedAudienceApathy Against all expectations]], Greg turns out to be one.

* DeadpanSnarker: Elder Kelly, as illustrated by the example above.

* SomethingElseAlsoRises: A rare female example when Kelly, ahem, "deflowers" Yorkie. They kiss, Kelly begins undressing Yorkie and slides her hand down her panties... and the scene abruptly switches to a shot of waves breaking on the seashore.

** The opening scene isn't subtle in establishing that the year is [[TheEighties 1987]], flat out stating it twice in a matter of seconds. That may be a hint that it's actually a simulation of 1987; it may be for the characters' benefit, a way of assuring them that they are in the year they intended.

* YourCheatingHeart: Subverted. Yorkie seemed to be cheating on her fiancé with Kelly, but it's revealed that she's been completely paralyzed the entire time and the marriage was only so she could be legally euthanized.

** For her second visit to meet Kelly, Yorkie tries changing from her regular {{Adorkable}} getup into stereotypical [[TheEighties '80s]] costumes from ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'' and Robert Palmer's ''Addicted to Love'' music video.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: Yorkie and Kelly both have very different viewpoints on being uploaded into the Cloud post mortem, but the episode does not treat either as the "right" one. Yorkie has been paralyzed most of her life and doesn't seem to believe in life after death, and is thus eager to be uploaded so she can live the life she was deprived of forever. Kelly, meanwhile, is reluctant to go through with it out of fear of never seeing her husband and daughter in the afterlife. Beliefs aside, she also doesn't think it fair for her to live in youthful eternity when her daughter never had the chance--which is why her husband did not upload himself. Again, the episode does offer an absolute solution to the situation.