Did You Catch the “San Junipero” Easter Egg in ‘Black Mirror’ Season 6’s “Loch Henry”?

Black Mirror has returned to Netflix after over four years and the new installment was worth the wait, particularly as one episode even includes a delightful Easter egg to an old fan-favorite: “San Junipero”.

The latest season consists of five episodes – each with its own starry cast. Though Black Mirror is an anthology series, there are themes and concepts that connect the episodes, such as the show’s heavy critique of the entertainment industry — which targets everything from celebrities to Netflix itself.

But we’re most concerned with the second episode of the sixth season, titled “Loch Henry,” which follows a young couple, Davis (Samuel Blenkin) and Pia (Myha’la Herrold), as they travel to a Scottish town to work on a nature documentary about egg theft. Along the way, the couple pivots to a local story about a violent killer who plagued the small village, years ago.

Spoilers past this point.

The two argue over whether it’s a worthwhile story to dredge up for a new true crime project, and Davis proclaims that the story sounds “tacky” and may be exploitative to the real victims, one of whom is his father. In the end, his partner says that she will pursue the story without him, prompting him to get on board.

The two create a series about the killer that gathers the attention of a production studio, partially due to a major event that occurred after they began researching the murder case. Flash-forward and the fictional series – titled Loch Henry: Truth Will Out – is nominated for a BAFTA award for Best Factual Series against another familiar story.

Other nominees include Suffer the Children: The Tipely Pedophile Ring and Euthansia: Inside Project Junipero. Does that sound familiar? The second nominee is a direct reference to the popular Black Mirror episode “San Junipero,” which has long been cited as one of the best episodes of the overall series. 

Released in 2016 as part of Season 3, “San Junipero” follows the budding relationship of Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis) and Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who meet in the seaside town of San Junipero after hook up at a club. Before parting ways, the two make plans to meet again; however, it is revealed that the town doesn’t really exist — that’s right, San Junipero is a simulated reality for the deceased and elderly to navigate as their younger selves.

The episode features many twists, but ultimately, reveals that Yorkie is paralyzed and wishes to be euthanized so that she can permanently live in the alternate reality – hence the “euthansia” portion of the fictional series title. 

It is quite a simple reveal – but not one that we’re mad about! The scene also refers to the first episode of the new season where the concept of the streaming platform Streamberry is introduced through a twisty story about an average woman whose life becomes fictionalized in an original series on the streamer. The Loch Henry trailer has a Netflix-like Streamberry logo in its top corner and the streaming platform is listed as the production company behind the finished docuseries.

Black Mirror may be an anthology series, but if there’s one thing Charlie Brooker is going to do, it’s sprinkle in some worthwhile connections in the wide fictional universe he’d created.

The new season of Black Mirror is currently streaming on Netflix.