Image. Netflix
For anyone confused about the ending of Black Mirror season 6 third episode, let us try to help you out! We’ll be covering the remaining episodes of Black Mirror season 6 as well, but here’s the ending explained to Beyond the Sea.
Beyond the Sea is the third episode of the sixth season of Black Mirror, directed by John Crowley and written by Charlie Brooker.
This is the basic premise of the episode:
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«In an alternate 1969, two men on a dangerous, high-tech mission grapple with the consequences of an unimaginable tragedy.»
Beyond the end of the sea explained
After the death of David’s family and the destruction of his cloned body, he is forced to remain on the spaceship. Over an unknown period of time, David has spent too much time alone and away from Earth, which has affected his sanity.
Image: Rory Culkin as Kappa – Netflix
To help David, Lana, Cliff’s wife, suggests that he allow David access to his link, giving him time to spend on Earth. Reluctant at first, Cliff steps up and allows David access to his clone. While on Earth, David begins painting Cliff’s house and spending time with Lana.
Image: Kate Mara (left) and Aaron Paul – Netflix
Cliff is eager to get back into his body, meanwhile, in his free time, David starts drawing Cliff’s wife. She is also reading the books that he recommends. David finishes the painting of him and the couple dance to the same music that Cliff had with his wife. Lana and David share their own intimate moment, but she rejects her advances. Meanwhile, Cliff’s son Henry, after witnessing the pairing, attempts to ruin David’s painting and is disciplined by the man using his father’s body.
Lana tries to distance herself from David, meanwhile, Cliff snoops through David’s possessions and finds his drawings of Lana. Cliff brings David back early to confront him about Lana’s nude drawings, punching him in the face. David accuses Cliff of not appreciating his family and that he is jealous of everything he has, while he has lost everything.
Image: Aaron Paul as Cliff
David confronts Lana about the drawings, accusing his wife of cheating, but she strongly opposes the accusations. Lana admits her feelings about how lonely she has felt since she moved into her new home and misses the intimacy she used to receive from her husband. Cliff hugs Lana and apologizes.
David tries to set the record straight, but Cliff makes it very clear that he will never allow David to access his link again.
Image: Joh Hartnett as David (left)
David remembers Cliff after reporting damage to one of the refrigeration systems. Cliff gets dressed and finds there is no damage, to which he tries to notify David, but David doesn’t answer on the intercom. For a brief second it appears that David has blocked Cliff, however he returns and lets his co-pilot back on board.
Image. Aaron Paul as Cliff – Netflix
As he puts his uniform back on, Cliff notices that his link is missing. Reluctantly, David takes it out of his pocket and hands it back to Cliff. Immediately knowing something is wrong, Cliff runs to his bed and connects his link, only to discover that David has violently murdered his family.
Upon his return, Cliff finds David waiting anxiously for him, and the latter pulls up a chair for his co-pilot. Both astronauts have lost everything they loved, and with no families to return to, all they have left is their mission and the cold abyss of space.
Why didn’t David kill Cliff and take control of his link?
To survive its mission, the spaceship requires two men to pilot it. If David has any hope of returning to Earth safely, he can’t afford to kill Cliff. Even if David was in control of Cliff’s body at the time, if something were to happen to the spaceship, David’s link to Cliff’s body would most likely be severed and he would die.
The same can be said for Cliff. No matter how angry he feels right now, if he wants to go back to Earth, he can’t afford to kill David.
What will happen when they return to Earth?
Since the murder of Cliff’s family was committed through Cliff’s clone, the authorities will assume that it was Cliff who committed the crime.
With no security cameras on board, and NASA never alerted what was going on, there is no evidence that David took control of Cliff’s body. If David decides to deny any murder charges, Cliff will need to find a killer lawyer to help keep him from going to jail.
What do you think about the black mirror episode Beyond the Sea? Let us know in the comments below!