Unraveling the Mysteries of Black Mirror's 'Smithereens' Finale

The second episode of Black Mirror's fifth season, titled "Smithereen", presents a thought-provoking exploration of technology's impact on society. Set in a dystopian future, the episode delves into the dangers and marvels of social media addiction, resonating with viewers on a personal level. Directed by James Hawes, known for his work on "Hated in the Nation", "Smithereen" shares similarities with the episode "The National Anthem" in terms of its themes of social satire and a bleak potential outcome.

What Is Black Mirror’s ‘Smithereens’ About?

The episode begins with Chris Gillhaney, a driver for a ride-hailing service called Hitcher in London, meditating in his car outside the office of a social media company named Smithereen. After dropping off a customer, he finds himself at a restaurant surrounded by people absorbed in their phones. Chris's restlessness is apparent as he interacts with others. Later, he encounters Haley, a woman from his grief counseling group, and they spend the night together. During their conversation, Haley confesses her struggle to guess her late daughter's password to her Persona account in hopes of finding answers to her suicide.

One day, Chris accepts a ride request from Jaden Tommins, an employee at Smithereen who needs to catch a flight. Chris fabricates a story about an accident and takes a different route. Jaden, preoccupied with his phone, fails to realize they are heading into a remote area until it is too late. A tense conversation between them reveals that Chris is armed and that Jaden is just an intern at the company. Chris, frustrated, forces Jaden to restrain himself and get into another car, placing a bag over his head. As Chris drives away, two police officers notice Jaden and begin to follow. A high-speed chase ensues, and Chris's car eventually stalls in a field. With more police officers arriving, led by CS Linda Grace, Chris threatens to harm Jaden if they approach any closer.

He then orders Jaden to contact his superior, who can connect him with Billy Bauer (Topher Grace), the tech mogul who created the micro-blogging platform. A series of conference calls ensue, involving COO Penelope Wu (Ruibo Qian) from the Silicon Valley office, FBI agent Ernesto Cruz (Jorge Cordova), and other company executives. Chris remains on hold, unaware that Smithereen has manipulated the line to eavesdrop on his conversation. Penelope analyzes his online activity and categorizes him based on data clouds to determine his motive. It is revealed that Chris lost his fiancée Tamsin in a car accident three years ago, leading him to stop using the app. He likely obtained his Hitcher account from the dark web to conceal the fact that he only picks up passengers near Smithereen's office. Meanwhile, the police locate the car's owner and visit the provided address, discovering that it belongs to Chris' recently deceased mother.

Billy is notified of the situation while he is on a 10-day silent retreat in Utah. He agrees to speak with Chris but is strongly advised against it. At this moment, everyone overhears Chris informing Jaden that the gun is not real, prompting the police to surround him. Chris notices their presence and, after checking the posts of bystanders on Smithereen, fires his gun into the air as proof of its authenticity. He threatens to shoot Jaden if Billy does not speak with him within the next five minutes.

How Does ‘Smithereens’ End?

Billy bypasses corporate red tape and invokes "God mode" to obtain Chris' number and contact him directly. Initially, Chris is astonished to hear Billy's voice on the other end of the phone, but soon he begins to recount his story. The accident occurred while Chris was driving home with Tamsin, who was asleep at the time. Chris had checked a notification from Smithereen, and in that moment, their car collided with another. Tragically, Tamsin passed away two months later, and as the other driver was intoxicated, Chris blamed himself even more. Reflecting on his experience, Chris shares a piece of user feedback with Billy and suggests considering it for future updates.

Acknowledging that his platform is intentionally addictive to maintain user engagement, Billy confesses that he no longer has control over it. When Billy discovers that Chris is contemplating suicide, he desperately appeals to him not to go through with it. However, his efforts prove futile. Despite this, Chris has one final request: to urge Persona's CEO to disclose Haley's daughter's password.

Chris frees Jaden, who is now sympathetic and pleads for him not to take his own life. Jaden tries to disarm Chris, while the police outside witness the struggle and mistakenly shoot a bullet. The episode concludes with a montage showing Billy and others around the world briefly checking a notification on their phones, before resuming their daily lives. The fate of Chris and Jaden is uncertain - did Chris kill himself or was he hit by the sniper's bullet? Was Jaden accidentally shot instead? Or did both survive? Ultimately, it seems that the outcome doesn't matter.

In an interview with EW, Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker describes the characters' lives as fleeting and inconsequential, like confetti that passes us by. Talking to IGN, he emphasizes how Chris' supposedly significant day has been reduced to the level of a mere pop-up. "Smithereens" explores the idea that social media addiction is not solely the fault of technology, but also a result of human behavior - a theme also explored in the episode "Striking Vipers". Even characters who recognize the negative effects of social media struggle to detach themselves from it entirely (like Chris, who uses a meditation app on his phone to escape other apps' influence). Additionally, the episode highlights how justice is elusive when obsession with social media leads to tragedy, as the powerful corporations behind these platforms often evade accountability.

The episode also underscores the risks posed by unreliable Uber drivers and online privacy invasion. This is demonstrated when the Smithereen team outsmarts law enforcement by collecting data on Chris.