Black mirror dating episode explained

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Black Mirror Hang the DJ trailer starring Georgina Campbell

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Black Mirror season 4, episode 4 Hang the DJ.

What happened in Hang the DJ?

Black Mirror season four, episode four explored the world of dating apps and online dating.

The Netflix instalment saw singletons using a “system” to find their perfect partner. 

Hang the DJ starred Peaky Blinders actor Joe Cole as Frank and BAFTA winner Georgina Campbell as Amy.

The romantic hopefuls went on one date before they were told by the system, who they referred to as “coach”, that their relationship was due to “expire” in just 12 hours.

Frank and Amy ended up going their separate ways as the system sent them on a number of dates with other potential partners in a bid to build up a profile of their romantic statistics.

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Amy was next paired with Lenny (played by George Blagden), while Frank ended up with the blunt Nicola (Gwyneth Keyworth).

Both Frank and Amy kept getting paired with new people before they were again put together for a short while. They made a pact not to check when their relationship was due to expire the second time.

However, curiosity got the better of Frank and he checked their expiry which plunged their relationship into chaos and saw their time together go from five years to just 20 hours.

The pair again went their separate ways after Frank told Amy the truth and continued to date other people but none compared to their relationship. 

After multiple relationships, Frank and Amy were told by the system that they would be getting assigned their perfect partner on their pairing day. 

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But before the special day they would allowed to date one last person.

Amy and Frank chose each other but decided to escape from the system and climb over the wall and live together. 

As they scaled the wall, it turned out that they were both inside a simulated app and that they had escaped 998 times before out of a total 1,000 simulations.

Only in two of the simulations the pair didn’t rebel against the system and escape to be together.

The scene finally changed to the real world and saw Amy and Frank meeting in a pub for the first time. 

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They were both looking at a dating app showing that they had a 99.8 per cent compatibility rate.

Hang the DJ ended on a uncharacteristic high note as the characters appeared to live happily ever after.

Much like season three’s San Junipero, the story wrapped up on an uplifting note as the central protagonists went off into the sunset together. 

In a recent interview Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker explained why the couple didn’t end up with each other in two of the simulations.

The Emmy-winning writer, 36, told Collier: “Now we do see at the end, [the app] runs it 1,000 times and two didn’t rebel. 

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So though there’s an algorithm that brought them together, and now they’re about to take the first step on that journey together

Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker

“So I would think they would be matched with a random other person and their world would end. We did have a lot of torturous conversations about what’s really going on.”

He went on to say about the app in Hang the DJ: “We decided it’s a cloud-based system that’s simulating 1,000 different run-throughs of yourself and a potential partner to see how many times you’d rebel against it. 

“And it deliberately is setting a tight framework. And if they do rebel, that means they’re destined to be together. So if you don’t rebel, the system has served its purpose and your reality ends.”

He later added about the ending of the episode: “So though there’s an algorithm that brought them together, and now they’re about to take the first step on that journey together.” 

Black Mirror season 4: Episode Guide

Black Mirror season 4: Everything you need to know about the upcoming Netflix episodes.

How many episodes are in Black Mirror season 4?

Black Mirror season four is comprised of a total of six episodes, like its predecessor. 

When Black Mirror was on original broadcaster Channel 4, there were only three instalments per season but this was doubled when the show moved to Netflix. 

Despite the move, the show has retained its anthology series feel with standalone stories that are vaguely lined tougher in a shared universe. 

Black Mirror season 4 is available to watch on Netflix now.