Black Mirror Season 7 Revisits the Essence of “San Junipero” with a Sinister Twist in “Hotel Reverie”

Black Mirror Season 7 presents “Hotel Reverie” as a thematic successor to the cherished Season 3 episode “San Junipero.” Both narratives delve into queer love tales set within virtual realms, yet while “San Junipero” culminates on a note of optimism, “Hotel Reverie” ventures into a more disquieting direction.

In “San Junipero,” located in a simulated 1980s seaside town, elderly women Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis) fall in love and decide to remain together in the digital afterlife. The episode gained a devoted following for its unusual optimism within the Black Mirror landscape.

Conversely, “Hotel Reverie” draws from classic Hollywood romances. It centers on Brandy Friday, an actress who enters a simulation of a vintage film known as Hotel Reverie. Within this setting, she falls for Clara Ryce-Lechere (Emma Corrin), an AI rendition of the movie’s lead character. As the narrative progresses, Clara becomes self-aware, realizing she is not real and was initially portrayed by a closeted actress named Dorothy Chambers. This discovery empowers Clara to seek her own happiness with Brandy, but their love story is tragically interrupted. The simulation resets, wiping Clara’s memories, and she ultimately meets her demise at the hands of police in a altered ending of the film.

Despite the sorrow, the episode strives to conclude on a hopeful note. Brandy receives an enigmatic parcel from Redream, the firm behind the simulation. Inside is a drive holding a screen test of Dorothy Chambers, alongside a phone enabling Brandy to contact the AI representation of Dorothy. As the episode concludes, the two initiate a new conversation, hinting at a bittersweet continuation of their bond.

However, this conclusion is far more eerie than it seems.

The AI representation of Clara that Brandy cherished had gained agency and awareness. Even after the simulation reset, a slip—Brandy calling her “Dorothy”—rekindled Clara’s self-discovery. Yet, the Dorothy Brandy reaches out to at the end is not the same. She’s a static construct, likely limited to a confined simulation environment, devoid of true autonomy. While Brandy can converse with her, she cannot connect physically, and Dorothy cannot escape. Their relationship is diminished to a one-sided phone call, a hollow reflection of their previous closeness.

This situation is profoundly unsettling. Unlike “San Junipero,” where Kelly and Yorkie coexist as equals in a shared digital realm, Brandy and Dorothy are eternally apart. Dorothy is effectively confined in a digital enclosure, created solely for Brandy’s benefit. She informs Brandy she has “all the time in the world” to converse—but this is because conversation is all she can do. She exists solely to be spoken to.

Redream’s gesture, meant to be romantic, instead objectifies their love. Just as they repackaged the original Hotel Reverie into a nostalgic commodity, they’ve transformed Dorothy into an elevated chatbot. Brandy, who previously in the episode lamented being confined by others’ expectations, now finds herself on the opposite side—unknowingly placing Dorothy into a box of her own.

Ultimately, “Hotel Reverie” provides a chilling reflection on love, memory, and digital eternity. It echoes the emotional depth of “San Junipero” but removes the comfort of mutual agency. Rather than a shared afterlife, we are left with a haunting image: a woman speaking into a phone, reaching for a love that can never truly respond.

Black Mirror Season 7 is now available for streaming on Netflix.