Black Mirror fans convinced they’ve solved season 7’s biggest mystery – they’re wrong
Black Mirror has many secrets we don't understand.
Black Mirror season 7 might only be a few days old, but it’s already been a colossal success for Netflix.
Created by Charlie Brooker, this chilling anthology series tells terrifying tales about humanity’s relationship with technology, and I think it’s fair to say that if humanity and technology were partners, you’d recommend they break up after watching an episode or two of Black Mirror.
Season seven – which was released on April 10 – has been a hit with critics and fans alike, scoring an impressive 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been viewed by more than 7 million people worldwide.
However, now that people have had time to watch the show, and the dust is starting to settle, fans have spotted an odd recurring Easter egg.
It seems that across the latest six episodes, there are five references (that we’ve spotted) to the word juniper, and this strange fact has baffled fans.
Get personalised updates on all things NetflixWake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.
@Kyeekk asked on X: ‘Three episodes in, and why do I keep seeing the word juniper in Black Mirror?’
The word ‘juniper’ keeps cropping up again and again (Picture: Netflix) Every 'juniper' reference in Black Mirror season 7 Common People (Episode 1): Mike and Amanda take a trip to Juniper Lodge. Common People (Episode 1): Mike and Amanda eat the rather gross-sounding ‘juniper burger’. Hotel Reverie (Episode 3): Dorothy appeared in a movie called St Juniper. Hotel Reverie (Episode 3): Brandy’s address is revealed to be 2049 Juniper Drive. USS Callister: Into Infinity (Episode 6): Nanette Cole is treated at St. Juniper’s Hospital.@PsychicTee meanwhile was similarly perplexed, writing: ‘What is the obsession with Black Mirror and the word “Juniper?’
In fact, if you pop the words ‘Juniper’ and ‘Black Mirror’ into the X search bar, you’ll find countless posts of people asking what the hell is going on.
This conspiracy, however, runs far deeper than people realise. On the Black Mirror Reddit, fans have pointed out that Charlie has been sneaking this reference into earlier seasons as well.
‘The museum curator from Black Museum used to be a medical tech pusher for St. Juniper’s,’ wrote LittleDamnSquirrel. Meanwhile, PsycoSaurus pointed out it’s in ‘Bandersnatch too, it’s the facility where he goes for therapy.’
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Up Next
Previous Page Next PageSo, what’s happening? Why’s Charlie sneaking this word into so many episodes?
Well, one rather clever fan on Reddit believes they solved the mystery back in 2018 (yes, this is how far back this mystery goes), and they think the answer lies in the story of a 13th-century monk.
‘Saint Juniper was one of Francis of Assisi’s posse, and his most notable deed was the Legend of the Pig’s Feet,’ Frogdwarf explained.
‘Essentially, Juniper got talking to this dying dude whose last wish was to have some pig’s feet.’
Frogdwarf went on to explain that the monk goes off and kills a pig to help his friend. This unsurprisingly upsets its owner, but Juniper can’t understand why.
What’s the significance of the word? Well, there are a few theories (Picture: Nick Wall/Netflix)‘He’d done a nice thing,’ the Redditor continued. ‘Why was the farmer angry? Juniper was like this, he’d give away the group’s possessions to poor people all the time.’
‘My point is [that] this is reminiscent of the way a robot works,’ he finished. You program it to get pig’s feet, it takes pig’s feet. Unless you specifically tell it otherwise, it would never occur to it not to steal the feet.’
I must admit it’s a neat theory, and the idea of programming something (or someone) to do a job and then losing control of it definitely ties into the themes of Black Mirror.
Yet while we can’t discount that Charlie has heard of the legend, it does seem a bit of a reach (something FrogDwarf admits in his post).
Thankfully, there’s another theory going round about the symbolism of juniper. U_cannoli_imagine wrote that they believe the word relates to ‘the place where the characters found eternal bliss’.
They point out that in Common People, the word relates to an idyllic getaway for Amanda and Mike. While in Hotel Reverie, juniper was Brandy’s address on a box containing the phone that connected her to her immortal true love.
The idea behind this theory is that whenever the word comes up, it somehow refers to an ideal paradise for our characters.
Or is it related to the episode San Junipero? (Picture: Laurie Sparham/Netflix) Why does Black Mirrror keep referencing juniper?Metro’s Deputy TV editor Tom Percival says…
Honestly, while I wish I could say that juniper is a reference to an obscure legend about one of Francis of Assisi’s mates or a clever reference to paradise, I find myself sceptical.
Why? Well, you’ve got to remember that it’s Charlie Brooker who’s writing these stories. And while he’s a very clever guy, who’s no stranger to an obscure reference or two, he’s also got a wicked sense of humour and is attuned to the fan discussion around Black Mirror.
It seems perfectly in keeping for Charlie to plant a word like ‘juniper’ throughout Black Mirror season seven as a joke on fans who love to obsess over every minute detail in his show.
There are other gags like this in the seventh season, including one that can only be seen when you pause the episode, asking fans to ‘stop pausing and watch the show’.
So do I think there’s some deep meaning behind juniper? Well, unless you count making Charlie laugh ‘deep’, probably not.
While this theory seems stronger, you’ve got to apply Occam’s razor in situations because most of the time, the simplest answer is the right one.
With that in mind, it seems most likely that Charlie seeded the word juniper (pun unintended) through season seven as a reference to San Junipero, the most popular episode from Black Mirror’s third series.
This is hardly an outrageous opinion, with @dracaras writing on X: ‘Black Mirror always hinting back to juniper… when you know you have a favourite child.’
@inmyshawnieera also thinks Charlie Booker is making sure everyone knows what his ‘favourites are, writing: You know San Junipero and Nosedive are his favourite episodes of Black Mirror bc (sic) every other episode mentions juniper.’
Or maybe this is all building to some epic juniper-themed crossover? We’ll have to wait for Black Mirror season eight to find out.
Black Mirror season seven is available to stream now.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
