History Recap / BlackMirrorWhiteBear

It stars [[Series/BeingHumanUK Lenora Crichlow]] (Victoria), Creator/MichaelSmiley (Baxter) and [[Series/{{Sense8}} Tuppence]] [[Series/{{Dickensian}} Middl]][[Film/TheImitationGame eton]] (Jem).

* KarmaHoudini: The public considers Victoria's fiancé one, because he hanged himself in his cell. Then they turned their attention to making sure Victoria herself didn't get off so easy...

* KarmaHoudini: The public considers Victoria's fiancé one, because he hanged himself in his cell. Then they became determined to make sure Victoria herself didn't get off so easy...

* TheKillerInMe: Victoria eventually finds out that she filmed her boyfriend torturing and killing a six-year-old girl.

* WouldHurtAChild: The entire "onlooker apocalypse" is an elaborate simulation made to punish Victoria for her participation in the torture and murder of a young girl.

* WouldHurtAChild: The entire "onlooker apocalypse" is a giant simulation made to punish Victoria for her participation in the torture and murder of a young girl.

->''"I woke up in this house. I don't even know if it was my house. I don't even know who I am."''
-->-- '''Victoria'''

[[center:[-'''[[Recap/BlackMirror Series Two]]'''-]]]

%% HandlingSpoilers: An episode recap page is, by default, a spoiler. Readers of these pages are expected to have watched the episode in question. Therefore, there are no spoiler tags on recap pages. Conversely, do not add spoilers for future episodes, even under tags. Those go on the later episode pages.

* PunchClockVillain: The people subjecting Victoria to her life of torture appear to be simply doing their jobs as employees of the park.

It stars Lenora Crichlow (Victoria), Creator/MichaelSmiley (Baxter) and Tuppence Middleton (Jem).

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2447343_1362575393966.jpg]]

* BystanderSyndrome: Passing people not only ignore the protagonist's cries for help, they simply start recording the events on their phone.Turns out the reason is far more insidious than initially thought.

* AfterTheEnd: All media now displays a symbol that turns 90% of people into zombies, resulting in them filming anything interesting. Those who aren't affected either run to survive or hunt those who run. It turns out that's a lie -- those people are ordinary people.

* AssholeVictim: Victoria herself; it turns out the whole episode is a show and she's being punished for her part in the heinous murder of a six-year-old. The same six-year-old shown in the photos and videos. Also her boyfriend, who is already dead by the time the episode takes place.
* AuthorTract: The episode's uncomfortable ending, wherein we learn that the general public now takes part in the punishment of some criminals via a kind of interactive, voyeuristic theme park, echoes Creator/CharlieBrooker's criticisms of the 24-hour news cycle and its constant exploitation of tragedy (for an example, see his recent commentary on the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9Z6OVDsndA Oscar Pistorius murder case]]).
* BothSidesHaveAPoint: There's lots of evidence that can be used to support whether Victoria should be kept in the ironic hell or not.

* BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood: The White Bear Justice Park owners certainly think it is, having guest feigning it when they are intentionally recording a criminal.

** White Bear holds a negative significance for the protagonist: it was the type of teddy the little girl had, and was a symbol of the search for her.

* ComeToGawk: That's all the "normal" people (called "Observers" by the other survivors) do throughout the episode.And played more straight at the end when they jeer and throw stuff at her as she's paraded through the streets.

* MindRape: The memory eraser appears to be this, if the days' events weren't horrible enough.

* TookALevelInBadass: Victoria spends the whole episode as TheLoad to Jem's ActionGirl, but finally picks up the shotgun while surrounded by Hunters inside White Bear ...[[ItWorksBetterWithBullets and shoots confetti]].

* ActionGirl: Jem.

* AmnesiaLoop: Stuck in a particularly painful one.
* AmnesiacHero: She doesn't remember anything.

* BookEnds: The protagonist is punished, has everything explained to her, and then has her memory wiped to do it again tomorrow. ''It's also at least the eighteenth time it's happened.''
** ''... In October.''
** The ending credits have her go through the park ''[[HereWeGoAgain yet another time]]'' and possibly begin another one.

** BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood: The White Bear Justice Park owners certainly think it is, having guest feigning it when they are intentionally recording a criminal.

* ComeWithMeIfYouWantToLive: Baxter helping the two women escape in his van.

* DrivenToSuicide: We open up on a failed attempt, hence the amnesia. It turns out the suicide wasn't actually attempted, though Victoria begs to be killed every single night after she remembers.

* ForcedToWatch: The Observers.None of them complains, though, because they feel they're doing the right thing.

* HumiliationConga: Invoked by the park management.
* ImplacableMan: The Hunters.

** Unless the guy doing the second quote was hamming it up which seems to coincide with Victoria's misery.

* RedShirt: Damien. He's a park employee; he turns out just fine.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: The White Bear Justice Park.

* AfterTheEnd: All media now displays a symbol that turns 90% of people into zombies, resulting in them filming anything interesting. Those who aren't affected either run to survive or hunt those who run. [[spoiler:It turns out that's a lie -- those people are ordinary people.]]
* AmbiguousEnding: Does Victoria ever [[spoiler:get out of the amnesia-induced torture loop? Is she stuck there till she dies? Or is she eventually executed and put out of her misery? Or do human rights activists have her freed and instead put in a maximum security prison? The possibilities are endless]].
* AmnesiaLoop: [[spoiler:Stuck in a particularly painful one.]]

* ArcSymbol: A lambda (λ) type symbol frequently appears on pieces of technology and the pursuer's mask. [[spoiler:Turns out it's the tattoo on her boyfriend's neck.]]
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Victoria herself; it turns out the whole episode is a show and she's being punished for her part in the heinous murder of a six-year-old. The same six-year-old shown in the photos and videos. Also her boyfriend, who is already dead by the time the episode takes place.]]
* AuthorTract: The episode's uncomfortable ending, wherein we learn that [[spoiler:the general public now takes part in the punishment of some criminals via a kind of interactive, voyeuristic theme park]], echoes Creator/CharlieBrooker's criticisms of the 24-hour news cycle and its constant exploitation of tragedy (for an example, see his recent commentary on the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9Z6OVDsndA Oscar Pistorius murder case]]).
* BothSidesHaveAPoint: There's lots of evidence that can be used to support whether [[spoiler: Victoria should be kept in the ironic hell or not.]]

* BookEnds: [[spoiler:The protagonist is punished, has everything explained to her, and then has her memory wiped to do it again tomorrow. ''It's also at least the eighteenth time it's happened.'']]

** [[spoiler:The ending credits have her go through the park ''[[HereWeGoAgain yet another time]]'' and possibly begin another one.]]
* {{Brainwashed}}: Nine out of ten people have been, according to Jem. [[spoiler:Turns out they're not brainwashed.]]
** [[spoiler:BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood: The White Bear Justice Park owners certainly think it is, having guest feigning it when they are intentionally recording a criminal.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: Jem comes back to help Victoria after escaping Baxter in the forest.[[spoiler: It turns out to just be a part of the game.]]
* BystanderSyndrome: Passing people not only ignore the protagonist's cries for help, they simply start recording the events on their phone.[[spoiler: Turns out the reason is far more insidious than initially thought.]]

** White Bear holds a negative significance for the protagonist: [[spoiler:it was the type of teddy the little girl had, and was a symbol of the search for her]].
** The symbol that brainwashes the public: [[spoiler:it was her boyfriend's tattoo]].
** The little girl: [[spoiler:was actually her victim]].
** Her wrist bindings: [[spoiler:used to protect her from the metal wrist-locks when strapped into the chair]].
** The calendar with crosses: [[spoiler:is keeping track of how many times she's relived the day]].
* ColdBloodedTorture: Supposedly performed by the Hunters. [[spoiler:Later turns out that the whole experience is a particularly inventive kind]].
* ComeToGawk: That's all the "normal" people (called "Observers" by the other survivors) do throughout the episode.[[spoiler: And played more straight at the end when they jeer and throw stuff at her as she's paraded through the streets.]]

* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: The Observers. [[spoiler:Originally portrayed as brainwashing, later shown to be ''just as accepting'' without any apparent coercion.]]
* ConvenientlyTimedDistraction: Baxter gets a phone call right in the middle of crucifying Victoria. Jem uses the opportunity to turn the tables around. [[spoiler:This interruption was staged though.]]

* CosyCatastrophe: {{Deconstructed}}. The breakdown of law and order is fun for the Hunters and the recorders, not so much for the other survivors. Part of the reason why is it is [[spoiler:all a theme park attraction, and the catastrophe is Victoria being an accomplice to a child's murder.]]

* DrivenToSuicide: We open up on a failed attempt, hence the amnesia. [[spoiler:It turns out the suicide wasn't actually attempted, though Victoria begs to be killed every single night after she remembers.]]
** [[spoiler:Victoria's boyfriend (who actually killed the girl) did hang himself in prison.]]
* TheEndingChangesEverything: A while into the plot it's revealed that [[spoiler:the entirety of the episode was a setup; Victoria's fiancé abducted and burned alive a six-year-old girl, while she stood and filmed it. After they were caught, the boyfriend hanged himself in his cell, leading to her sentence to be centered around not letting Victoria escape justice.]]
* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:At the end of each day, Victoria begs to be killed, but White Bear Justice Park doesn't seem to be in any hurry to do that. And who knows how long this punishment will last. It's the whole point of her sentence. People think her fiancé [[KarmaHoudini got off easy]] when he killed himself in prison.]]
* ForcedToWatch: The Observers.[[spoiler: None of them complains, though, because they feel they're doing the right thing.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Vast amounts through her slowly returning memory. Most notable is when the protagonist picks up the dropped phone and the other survivor points a taser at her claiming she'll go mad if she looks at it; [[spoiler:it's later revealed that the protagonist would have seen it was all a setup, and the tasers are used for days when things don't go according to plan]].
* HereWeGoAgain: It is revealed that post-apocalypse was a [[spoiler:complete ruse]] so that Victoria can be horribly frightened and emotionally tortured, before she is [[spoiler:told the truth and forced to do it again after having her memory wiped]].
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Jem suggested that the onlookers of them being chased are that way because the White Bear signal really brought out what was beneath the surface. [[spoiler:Then it gets turned very straight as the truth about the protagonist is revealed, with the whole thing being a ruse designed to make sure she "doesn't escape justice" like her boyfriend, as she is chased, brought to the place with a braying crowd watching her, watches the clip she filmed of the little girl's last moments, while she's mind-wiped, every day.]]
* HumiliationConga: [[spoiler:Invoked by the park management.]]

* IronicHell: [[spoiler:As punishment for watching and recording while her boyfriend terrified, tortured and murdered a little girl, Victoria now lives her life being constantly terrified and helpless while people just record and watch.]]

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: A woman is being chased around by a hunter and a gang of MalevolentMaskedMen rescued by an Action Girl and led to a final confrontation at the factory [[spoiler:for the viewers' entertainment]].
* MalevolentMaskedMen: {{Invoked|Trope}}. Jem specifically tells Victoria they do it to scare survivors. [[spoiler:Turns out it was specifically for just the protagonist.]]

* MindRape: The [[spoiler:memory eraser]] appears to be this, if the days' events weren't horrible enough.
* TheMole: Baxter was [[spoiler:one of the Hunters all along, and both he and Jem turn out to be park employees manipulating Victoria.]]

* NotBrainwashed: [[spoiler:''All'' the people observing, in a fairly chilling example]]
* OnceMoreWithClarity: The 'credit sequence'. [[spoiler:We see another scene of the episode, but get a backstage look at it.]]
* PunchClockVillain: [[spoiler:The people subjecting Victoria to her life of torture appear to be simply doing their jobs as employees of the park.]]
* RedShirt: Damien. [[spoiler:He's a park employee; he turns out just fine.]]
* ShoutOut: [[spoiler:The murder is meant to be a nod to the infamous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moors_murders Moors murders]] which, even now, still haunt the British public consciousness. Victoria shares a few traits with Myra Hindley. Unlike Hindley, however, her remorse appears to be genuine. ''Appears'' to be.]]

* TookALevelInBadass: Victoria spends the whole episode as TheLoad to Jem's ActionGirl, but finally picks up the shotgun while surrounded by Hunters inside White Bear [[spoiler: ...[[ItWorksBetterWithBullets and shoots confetti]]]].
* TomatoInTheMirror: The protagonist [[spoiler:conspired in a murder and is perpetually being punished for her crime]].

* [[spoiler:TrumanShowPlot: It's all a theme park experience, where the protagonist's memory is eventually wiped and done again for more people.]]
* VillainProtagonist: [[spoiler:Victoria]], in a way, though the episode makes it very clear who the true monsters are.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:The White Bear Justice Park.]]

[[center:[-'''Series/BlackMirrorSeriesTwo'''-]]]

It stars Creator/LenoraCrichlow (Victoria), Creator/MichaelSmiley (Baxter) and Creator/TuppenceMiddleton (Jem).

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2447343_1362575393966.jpg]]