‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ Review: This Is Going to Mess You up in the Best Way

When Netflix announced that Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones’ sci-fi anthology series would be releasing a choose-your-own-adventure episode, we all knew something bleak was on the way. But not even the most dedicated Black Mirror fan is prepared for the internal discomfort of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Over the course of roughly an hour and a half, Bandersnatch slyly deconstructs the notion of free will and control through one awkward and aspirational game developer.

Of course this is far from the first time Black Mirror has used technology to analyze free will. Both of the series’ other video game-related episodes, “Playtest” and “USS Callister,” battled with this lofty idea, questioning how much control the virtual players of these universes actually have over their own destinies. But it’s one thing to watch someone grapple with the idea that their choices may not be their own. It’s quite another to actively select their destiny and be the force sparking their existential crisis.

Without giving too much away, the 1980s-set Bandersnatch follows the perpetually awkward Stefan (Fionn Whitehead), an aspirational game developer who wants to adapt his favorite choose-your-own-adventure book into a video game. His idea is immediately greenlit by his favorite video game company, Tuckersoft, and he’s on his way to make his dream a reality. Along the way he has to balance dealing with his caring but overly involved dad (Craig Parkinson), navigating his therapy sessions with Dr. Haynes (Alice Lowe), and trying to figure out the enigma that is his gaming idol, developer Colin Ritman (Will Poulter). But it’s thanks to Colin and his favorite author’s alarmingly morose backstory that the interactive movie really picks up steam.

Early on it’s revealed that Bandersnatch‘s original author Jerome F. Davies was driven mad by his own choose-your-own-adventure story. His psychotic break eventually led him to murder his own wife, a detail that’s mentioned often but consistently brushed aside by the creative powerhouses in this story. Over time, the memories of Davies’ and Colin’s drug-fueled ramblings fuse into two sides of the same conversation about free will. If you believe you’re not in control of your own life, Bandersnatch repeatedly asks, should be held accountable for your actions? As is always the case with this show, the murky answers are more chilling than almost any monster imaginable.

It’s truly remarkable that Bandersnatch is able to deliver this sort of introspective experience through a system that is often thought of as a gimmick. Every time a choice appears, the screen narrows and the viewer has 10 seconds to decide between one of two options. Once that choice is made, the screen expands once again and resumes Bandersnatch‘s story like nothing out of the ordinary occurred. The entire system is surprisingly unobtrusive, unlike Netflix’s children-oriented choose-your-own-adventure projects, allowing you to focus on this increasingly warped story more than the mechanics of how it works.

Ultimately, by this episode’s end Stefan achieves exactly what he wants. Bandersnatch stands as an unprecedented and deeply impressive union between television and gaming, one that both gives the viewer control of the story they’re watching, and yet forces them to confront the emotional and moral weight of their selections. Bandersnatch is far more than just a creepy gimmick from a tech company and a show that loves to mock tech… It’s a revolutionary extension of storytelling that’s going to make you feel uncomfortable to your core.

Watch Black Mirror: Bandersnatch on Netflix