History Recap / BlackMirrorSmithereens

* TwentyMinutesIntoThePast: The only episode -- the standalone film ''Film/BlackMirrorBandersnatch'' notwithstanding -- known to actually take place before its release, it's set in 2018 with limited tech, reinforcing the tech-addict sentiment as well as depicting the reality of Big Data in the present.

* {{Revenge}}: Chris's stated motive against Smithereen, though he balks at killing Jaden [[spoiler: upon learning he has little power.]]

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Chris's stated motive against Smithereen, though he balks at killing Jaden upon learning he has little power.

** Billy Bauer's laid-back attitude and hippie-like demeanor also bears more than a passing resemblance to UsefulNotes/SteveJobs.

Starring Creator/AndrewScott as Christopher Gillhaney and Creator/TopherGrace as Billy Bauer, with Music/RyuichiSakamoto providing the original soundtrack.

[[WMG:[[center:[-'''Series/BlackMirror Series Five'''\\

[[center:[-'''Series/BlackMirror Series Five'''-]]]
[[center:[-[[Recap/BlackMirrorStrikingVipers Striking Vipers]]-] -- [-'''Smithereens'''-] -- [-[[Recap/BlackMirrorRachelJackAndAshleyToo Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too]]-]]]

[[center:[-'''BlackMirror/SeriesFive'''-]]]

* LimaSyndrome: Downplayed, but it's pretty clear that Chris envisioned Jaden was higher up on the corporate latter and when he turns out to be a kind, normal intern in his early 20s, he freaks out and no longer threatens to hurt Jaden to his face. Although he states that he will kill Jaden to the police and Smithereen staff, it's clear it's a bluff.

* NGOSuperpower: Part of the point of this episode is demonstrating how scarily close major tech companies have come to being this. While the Police and the FBI are scrambling to figure out who Chris is, Smithereen makes clear that they know pretty much everything about him, based solely on the phone number he called from. When Billy Bauer decides he wants to talk to Chris, he not only ignores demands from the FBI and his own staff to stop, but seems genuinely perplexed that they're even trying to obstruct him.

* RabidCop: The London police snipers are awfully eager to put a bullet in Chris' head, and they visibly resent being told to stand down at first. Making matters worse, they're also by far the worst police snipers in recent TV history, missing their target not once but ''twice'' over a relatively short distance and despite plenty of setup time. From their perspective it's pure dumb luck that hostage taker never intended to actually hurt the hostage.

** To a lesser degree, Chris' basic plan involving driving for an Uber/Lyft-style company under false credentials, waiting for someone who fits his target profile to hail a ride, then lying about a detour on the GPS to get his victim alone. It's an [[https://money.cnn.com/2018/04/30/technology/uber-driver-sexual-assault/index.html all-too-common template for crime]], and women who use these apps talk about the need to stay safe by having your own GPS app turned on during the ride. Jaden, unfortunately, didn't heed this advice.

** Connection as in "God Mode" root access to the system he originally designed. Billy makes clear that, while he no longer has any real power to affect change at his own company, he still has that one, very powerful, perk left. When both the FBI and his own team tries to stop him from getting directly involved, Billy simply hangs up on them, and uses God Mode to get Chris' number.

* ShootTheHostageTaker: Initially defied, as Chief Superintendent Linda Grace tells the armed officers she hopes to resolve the incident without bloodshed as the force recently dealt with a controversy when officers accidentally shot an unarmed man. However, she changes her mind and orders a critical shot to be taken once Chris starts firing out the window of the car, which ultimately ends with a police sniper shooting in at him.

* VisualPun: When Billy starts demanding he be allowed to speak to Chris man-to-man against the objections of his staff and the FBI, he stands with his modernist transparent house behind him, picks up a rock and flings it angrily into the ravine. I.e. while he's thinking about how he and Chris are possibly NotSoDifferent, he's a man ''living in a glass house throwing stones''.

** Connection as in "God Mode" root access to the system he originally designed, which Billy tells his aide is the only real perk left at his job. When Billy becomes convinced he's morally obligated to give Christopher what he wants to put a stop to this mess, he hangs up ''on the FBI'' when they object. And when his own team tries to stop him, he hangs up on them as well, and uses God Mode to contact Chris unilaterally.
** Similarly, Billy is able to call in a personal favor with Curtis, the CEO of Persona, to give Hayley the password to her daughter's account, in contravention of the company's privacy policy (and US federal law).

** The social feed seen on the large screens in the Smithereen London Office makes reference to:

*** Game company Saito Gemu from [[Recap/BlackMirrorPlaytest "Playtest"]].

*** Tucker, likely a reference to Tuckersoft and TCKR Systems seen in both "Bandersnatch", "San Junipero" and "Black Museum".

** The gas station PC Najma Haque and PC Damien Bullen are fuelling up at is a BRB Connect, a chain previously seen in the USA in "Black Museum".

* RealityEnsues:
** Billy Bauer is neither the CorruptCorporateExecutive we'd been led to expect nor a wise guru figure who has any answers for Christopher. He's going on these meditation retreats because he himself is a deeply troubled young man who bluntly tells Christopher his stockholders have taken all his power away and he has no idea how to stop what Smithereen has become.
** Christopher is a smart guy who spent a long time planning this caper... but it nonetheless all goes south very quickly once the unpredictable element of taking a live human being hostage comes into it.

* {{Bathos}}: When Chris angrily shouts threats into the cellphone, we see a screenshot of the transcribing software at the company HQ dutifully writing down everything he says… except the transcription misspells Billy Bauer’s surname and [[BluenoseBowdleriser substitutes ‘ducking’ for ‘fucking’]].

Starring Creator/AndrewScott as Christopher Gillhaney and Creator/TopherGrace as Billy Bauer.

A rideshare driver takes an employee of Smithereen, a large social media company, hostage, demanding to speak with the CEO of the company. Meanwhile, the local police attempt to keep the hostage situation under control, while also trying to piece the hostage taker's past together by examining his social media profile, hoping that they might be able to figure out a motive for his crime.

* CowboyCop: The London police snipers are awfully eager to put a bullet in Chris' head, and they visibly resent being told to stand down at first. Making matters worse, they're also by far the worst police snipers in recent TV history, missing their target not once but ''twice'' over a relatively short distance and despite plenty of setup time. From their perspective it's pure dumb luck that hostage taker never intended to actually hurt the hostage.

* AmbiguousEnding: Either Chris or Jaden died. Which one is never made clear, but we know from Billy's reaction that it isn't good, but one of them survives.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Before the main plot kicks off we're shown that Chris is a member of a grief counseling support group who regularly attends and listens to others' stories but never shares his own. Turns out he's decided the only person he can tell his story to is Billy Bauer.

* ButForMeItWasTuesday: [[https://www.nme.com/news/charlie-brooker-discusses-ambiguous-ending-black-mirrors-smithereens-2505334 The whole point of the episode]], [[WordOfGod according to Charlie Brooker]].