Black Mirror: Why “Hang The DJ” Has A Better Happy Ending Than “San Junipero”

Black Mirror rarely features an episode with a happy ending, but “San Junipero” and “Hang The DJ” prove that it is possible, despite the series’ bleak premise. Even with all of the joy these couples bring to the show, “San Junipero” has a hidden darkness lurking covertly beneath the surface, despite many thinking it has the happiest ending in the show’s history. Here’s why the happy ending in “Hang The DJ” is better than “San Junipero”.

Charlie Brooker’s dystopian television series initially premiered through the British broadcasting station Channel 4. Following season 2, it was picked up by Netflix. When they released season 3, fans were shocked to find that there was an episode with a happy ending, rather than an obscenely disturbing one. Season 3, episode 4, “San Junipero” quickly gained notoriety for not only being the first happy ending, but the only episode at the time to feature an LGBTQIA+ relationship. Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Kelly and Mackenzie Davis (Happiest Season) as Yorkie, it follows the two women as they navigate their newfound love that began in a simulation. The system transplants consciousness of the dead and dying so that they can continue to live on after they die. It is one of the few episodes that doesn’t feature the concept that technology will be the downfall of humanity. Instead, it offers a perspective that showcases the positivity it can bring.

Shortly after “San Junipero,” most fans concluded that this would be the only happy ending the series would ever feature, but season 4, episode 4, “Hang The DJ”, proved that to be false. Starring Joe Cole (Green Room) as Frank and Georgina Campbell (The Pale Horse) as Amy, the two meet in a dating application simulation that subjects people to several relationships before they meet “the one.” It is purposefully constructed to cause true soulmates to attempt to override the system, which Frank and Amy do. They look at their phones and across the room at each other, which confirms that they are truly meant to be together. While each couple has a different experience in their storyline, there are several distinct difference in their happily-ever-after that separates Yorkie and Kelly from Franke and Amy.

Throughout the entirety of “San Junipero,” Kelly is hesitant towards committing to a relationship with Yorkie. There are several reasons for her hesitation. Kelly has never identified as someone who is LGBTQIA+, and she was married to a man in the real world, with whom she also had a child. She believes that she’d be going against her deceased husband if she commits to Yorkie. In order to be with Yorkie, she has to permanently transplant her consciousness into San Junipero, which means that she will die. Kelly doesn’t seem particularly ready to say goodbye to her life, but she is being pressured by the person who loves her. While an initial viewing may have Yorkie seem determined and lovestruck, she actually somewhat stalks Kelly by tracking her down, coerces her into believing that San Junipero is what she wants, and partakes in self-destructive behaviors to get what she wants. When their relationship is fully unpacked, it is more toxic than it may initially seem.

On the other hand, there isn’t any pressure from Frank or Amy onto each other. They know how the system works, they trust it, and agree to go along with whatever it decides. Even when Frank breaks Amy’s trust, the two reconcile their differences by having an open conversation about why he did it. Their relationship appears far more open and honest than Yorkie and Kelly’s. Give, theirs is far more complicated than Frank and Amy’s, but they exhibit signs of a very unhealthy relationship, which causes their ending to be more unsettling than happy. Yes, the two are happy to be together, yet it took a lot of willpower for Kelly to feel comfortable with it and Yorkie put an extreme amount of pressure on her.

In “Hang The DJ,” the love isn’t forced and it comes fluidly to each partner. While, in “San Junipero,” Kelly shows both physical and emotional signs of being pressured, as she doesn’t truly know who she is yet, despite her sexual exploration in the simulation. Both are happy endings in comparison to other episodes of Black Mirror, but the dynamics of each couple defines one of them as distinctly happier than the other.

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