MovieChat Forums > Black Mirror (2011) Discussion > White Christmas ending? SPOILERS

White Christmas ending? SPOILERS

posted 8 years ago by Narcissist00
18 replies | jump to latest

Did he actually kill the little girl as she didn't get very far if she just walked and froze to death?!
I don't think he deserved a thousand years a minute (I think that was it?) as he didn't mean to kill the old man. I think the only thing he was guilty of was not reporting the little girl being there alone!
The old man would have been a manslauter charge and you only get like four years in prison here in England for that.
I suppose it was only a copy of him that got the thousand years a minute...it's hard to fully comprehend the charge as the copy actually thought it was real so the punishment would actually be real, like I said it's really hard to think about.
Excellent episode.. I think the only episode that came close to this was Shut Up And Dance, that episode got an extra point from me for being filmed in my home town though. :)

[–] Neuronhead 8 years ago

I suppose it was only a copy of him that got the thousand years a minute...it's hard to fully comprehend the charge as the copy actually thought it was real so the punishment would actually be real, like I said it's really hard to think about.

I think you answered your own question. The copy thinks it's human, and will suffer the same way a real person would in that situation. It's "barbaric", to quote the character who was being punished, when he heard about how the copy of the woman was treated.

We don't know what the punishment for the real version of him was.

A thousand years a minute, for all of Christmas. Over a million years a day.

I choose to believe what I was programmed to believe

[–] Narcissist00 8 years ago

Do you think it is possible for the copy to kill itself or would it just start over again with the copy alive?

[–] laurendorward-990-190608 8 years ago

How could the copy kill itself? It's in a fabricated world

[–] layoneil 8 years ago

wouldn't be possible, would be like groundhog's day.

i really could not suspend my disbelief for this episode the blocking concept is so stupid and would cause so many problems. there's no way that's not cruel and unusual punishment and drives most people insane.

[–] bing-57 8 years ago

> there's no way that's not cruel and unusual punishment and drives most people insane.

Well, this takes place a couple of decades into the future and we don't know that the ban on cruel and unusual punishment is still a thing. The punishment is certainly unusual.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] layoneil 8 years ago

i get that part, that's true for White Bear too but at least in White Bear you keep those people isolated.

the bigger problem is driving them crazy and leaving them in with the populace so they would commit more crimes.

[–] Sluggr-3 8 years ago

In a way the blocking is just a more technologically advanced form of a restraining order. I do have to say that as a former suicide hotline worker it took all of three seconds to know where the dark-haired woman was going with the conversation. Those who liked Hamm in this may also like A Young Doctor's Notebook.

My Chimp DNA seems to have lost its password temporarily. Sluggr-2

[–] ExcellentBulletproofVest 8 years ago

There's no entrenched law against cruel and unusual punishment in the UK. Currently there's a law against people being subjected to "torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" but our government got elected on a pledge to repeal it (seriously).

-
What started out as a joke has turned out to be a disaster

[–] Dauw 8 years ago

I suspect it would simply go mad after enough time passed. I don't think suicide is an option inside of the virtuality.

This is my signature. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

[–] Neuronhead 8 years ago

I think the copy trying unsuccessfully to kill the radio was added to answer that question.

I choose to believe what I was programmed to believe

[–] jackmykl 8 years ago

I sees him as the victim, why is he being punished?

His wife starts blocking him over a single argument, forever and without any explanation. He wants to reconcile, any normal responsible guy would have done that especially when she's pregnant with his kid.
*SPOILERS* turns out wife actually pregnant from screwing another guy the kid wasnt his. She simply run away from her own marriage/relationship, leaving the poor sod with no clue whatsoever. Isnt she a terrible person?

His wife screw him up good and for no reason. She is the indirect cause of the tragedy. The little girl demise was unfortunate but I dont think he should take the blame.

It also bothers me alot why no one seem to share my sentiment in slightest. i.e. none has the focus on the wife why is that? Women with pretty face are allowed to ruin mens life anytime they want?

[–] layoneil 8 years ago

he's being punished for killing her father.

she is a terrible person but she didn't do anything illegal in their society or even ours. if she was a decent person she would've told him that it's not his kid but that's not illegal. he should've tried to sue for visitation rights, that's the correct thing to do. stalking, breaking and entering, manslaughter is not.

[–] The_Grither 8 years ago

I don't think anyone is defending her actions (although considering how the internet is I could be wrong), but the thing is he did kill one person directly and another indirectly. One of those being a child makes it even worse.

His ex was a horrible POS who will have to live with the fact that her actions cost the life of her daughter and ideally should be punished as well, but she didn't break any laws.

And even though it was just a copy of him, making him relive that a thousand years per second was just excessive.

[–] xwolven 8 years ago

Its supposed to be horrific. All Black Mirror shows the Horrors of technology and this one was taken to an terrifying extreme of crime and punishment in a ruthless uncaring society. This gives me another reason to believe that true AI is not possible, because to be able to commit an act of such suffering to another living sentient being is so off the charts evil that I don't think it would be possible.
Also the wife didn't live with any facts because she was snuffed out sometime before her daughter. How she even went on for years living knowing what she did and was continuing to do to the boyfriend/husband makes her like the most horrible person I can imagine. Reminds of of Johnny Depp's 2nd wife in Blow.

[–] ebonyknight 8 years ago

This gives me another reason to believe that true AI is not possible, because to be able to commit an act of such suffering to another living sentient being is so off the charts evil that I don't think it would be possible.

I am not seeing what any of that has to do with developing a true AI.

The fact that there are no truely "innocent" main characters in the stories is what makes Black Mirror so compelling. It's up to one's on moral character as to who the "villian" in the story is or what act was "barbaric".

It definitely gives rise to thoughtful debate...

Also the wife didn't live with any facts because she was snuffed out sometime before her daughter. How she even went on for years living knowing what she did and was continuing to do to the boyfriend/husband makes her like the most horrible person I can imagine.

Bear in mind we only have his view on the matter. It seems like she was unhappy with him for other reasons and remember, the child was never his to begin with, nor was she married to him....

"the world's smartest man poses no more threat to me than does its smartest termite." -Dr. Manhattan

[–] metamay 8 years ago

This gives me another reason to believe that true AI is not possible, because to be able to commit an act of such suffering to another living sentient being is so off the charts evil that I don't think it would be possible.

Evil is unnecessary. To bring endless suffering to other beings, you only need to be indifferent to them, something an artificial intelligence would be by default, unless specifically programmed to care.
Almost like people.

[–] alligatoruk 8 years ago

I sees him as the victim, why is he being punished?

His wife starts blocking him over a single argument, forever and without any explanation. He wants to reconcile, any normal responsible guy would have done that especially when she's pregnant with his kid.
*SPOILERS* turns out wife actually pregnant from screwing another guy the kid wasnt his. She simply run away from her own marriage/relationship, leaving the poor sod with no clue whatsoever. Isnt she a terrible person?

His wife screw him up good and for no reason. She is the indirect cause of the tragedy. The little girl demise was unfortunate but I dont think he should take the blame.

It also bothers me alot why no one seem to share my sentiment in slightest. i.e. none has the focus on the wife why is that? Women with pretty face are allowed to ruin mens life anytime they want?

I think he HAS to be punished by law because he directly caused the death of the woman's father and indirectly that of the child BUT I do feel really sorry for him because there was no intent to do either. I think it should be manslaughter at worst, given the mitigating circumstances of his girlfriend blocking him and blocking access to who he thought was his daughter. That girlfriend was a weak, selfish cow IMO.

Seems to me he was a fairly nice guy (if a bit of a drip), so he would have probably accepted the child if he knew the truth OR he would have walked away from them and then they would have been no worse off! To torture him with the not knowing where they were etc was pure cruelty.

What I didn't like (but this is the darkness of Black Mirror for you!) is the way the police officers cranked up his punishment. But again that probably is another social commentary on its own - about people's need to punish others and not being able to see the grey in a situation, only black and white.

White Christmas was one of the darkest episodes and quite thought provoking. The whole bit about the girl's consciousness getting trapped in the cookie. Is it cruel if it not's real?

The guy using the dating guru - yes, this was sleazy, dishonest and a total disregard for his intended date's privacy but really was his fate justified? I felt completely sorry for him as I don't think he was a bad guy, just not very good with women but the questionable antics of the rest of the "helpers" wasn't very nice. And when he did get killed, them not reporting it was also very dark and is telling of today's society - rather bury their heads than put themselves at risk.

I love how Black Mirror gets you to question your moral standards and what you yourself would do in the situations. I don't think it's ever easy to be totally clear how you would react.

[–] nepentheberyl 8 years ago

I suppose it ends up highlighting that legal sentences can be overkill for mild(ish) crimes or manslaughter compared to the legal horrible things people can do to each other and live (or die) without justice or punishment for those social crimes.
This episode was lovely for the combination of tech involved, but it was frustrating in the sense that there was also a combination of apathy complied on which was why it resulted in this. Sure tech was a driving part of it. But it always seems apathy (assisted by tech) on the part of enough people are what leads the person to their doom. Not tech leading to apathy.