Commentary: ‘Black Mirror’ Turned A Deus Ex Machina Into A Key Plot Point
by Frank Martin
A deus ex machina is a controversial storytelling device. It’s when something random or spontaneous happens in a story in order to fix a problem or explain something away. They usually come in the end when a plot has been written into a corner but the characters need to escape their problem in dramatic fashion. Such devices do not always have to come at the end, though. A random occurrence that solves a storytelling issue can occur at any time. In the case of Black Mirror‘s sequel episode, “USS Callister: Into Infinity,” a deus ex machina happens in the middle of the episode, but it was also a necessary plot development so that the tale could end on the note it wanted to.
As the only sequel episode Black Mirror has produced, it follows the crew of the USS Callister as it leaves Robert Daly’s (Jesse Plemons) prison and enters the online game he created. Led by Captain Nanette Cole (Cristin Milioti), the crew explores the game, stealing from players in order to stay alive. Meanwhile, the real Nanette is tasked with investigating these mysterious players within the game that have no ID tags. After uncovering the truth about how Daly created them, the owner of the company, Walton (Jimmi Simpson), wants to eliminate them to cover up Daly’s crimes. Nanette is shocked by this and runs away. Unfortunately, she is struck by a car in the street, which sends her into a coma.
Randomly getting hit by a car is absolutely a deus ex machina. It is a sudden and unpredictable plot development that ends the chase scene before it begins. On its face, it can be viewed as an easy solution to Walton’s problems that occurred strictly by chance. But this random occurrence actually has a purpose. By the end of the story, Nanette’s virtual clone is able to escape the game by uploading herself into the brain of her comatose counterpart. Getting hit by the car ulimtately acted as a plot development to allow the entire crew to escape their predicament. So it’s interesting that a deus ex machina for one plot thread was used as a key plot point for another.
Black Mirror is now streaming on Netflix.
