Black Mirror's "Striking Vipers" Ending Explained

While the new season of Netflix's Black Mirror contains only three episodes, each one of them is a completely different experience, packing a punch that fans likely won't expect. All three endings take turns that you won't see coming, but one conclusion in particular might leave some scratching their heads, wondering what happened. That ending arrives in the very first episode of the season, "Striking Vipers."

WARNING: This article contains MAJOR spoilers from Black Mirror Season 5! Continue reading at your own risk...

So the episode tells the story of two friends, Danny (Anthony Mackie) and Karl (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who reconnect years after college. They start playing the new version of a classic fighting game that they enjoyed together in college, Striking Vipers. However, the new version of the game is played with a VR component that puts players into the world of the game itself, as the characters. Danny takes on the character of Lance (Ludi Lin) while Karl plays as Roxette (Pom Klementieff). During their first time in the game, while they're fighting, the two friends begin to kiss as their characters.

The next time Danny and Karl play, they have sex as Lance and Roxette. This continues and grows more intimate, each and every night, until it turns into a full-blown affair. Danny begins thinking more about his virtual relationship with Karl than his real-life marriage to Theo (Nicole Beharie), causing major problems in their relationship.

Things come to a head on Theo and Danny's anniversary. Before Danny gets to dinner, a younger, more attractive man hits on Theo at the bar, and she is reminded of just how bad her relationship currently is. Despite being receptive to the younger man, she uses this to confront Danny, which causes him to call off everything with Karl. A seven-month time jump follows, and Theo invites Karl over for Danny's birthday dinner, unaware that their relationship is what caused the marital issues. Things get heated when Theo is in the kitchen, and Karl explains that he hasn't found anything as real, exhilarating, or satisfying as what they had, prompting Danny to get online later that night. The two have sex "one last time" and Karl (as Roxette) tells Danny (as Lance) "I love you." Here's where the ending really kicks in.

Danny and Karl meet up in real life in the middle of the night, behind the bar where they used to hang out. Danny tells Karl that they need to kiss in person to find out if their feelings for one another are even real. They kiss, neither one feels a thing, and it eventually turns into a fight. Both men are arrested and Theo goes to jail to take Danny home. On the car ride back to the house, she insists that Danny explain himself, and he tells her the entire story.

There's one final time jump to the next year, once again on Danny's birthday. This time around, their marriage seems better than ever. Theo and Danny hand each other small boxes that are to be returned the next morning. Danny's contains the VR adapter that allows him to play Striking Vipers with Karl for the night. Theo's is an empty ring box, which she puts her wedding ring in before heading out to the bar for the night. A calendar on the wall shows an "X" on the date, insinuating that this is a standing arrangement for each year on Danny's birthday. Each of them gets their own night of freedom.

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