Black Mirror‘s latest episode, “Bandersnatch,” is a unique experience, an interactive outing that allows the viewer to alter the life of video game programmer Stefan Butler as he works on his passion project, a Choose Your Own Adventure game based on his favorite novel. However, the story gets really meta when Stefan starts developing delusions that his actions are being controlled by some unseen force.
The impressively complex game/episode/movie, whatever you want to classify it as, allows the viewer to guide Stefan through various outcomes. Sometimes it encourages you to go back and pick another path, but often these wrong turns still affect the unfolding narrative. There are many ways to end the story of “Bandersnatch,” of course, but what are all of the different outcomes?
Well, in case you haven’t had time to go through them all yet, here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect.
A Failed Dream: If you choose to work at Tuckersoft, the company compromises Stefan’s vision and Bandersnatch is released in an inferior form, earning negative reviews. Stefan endeavors to try again, and the viewer can go back and change their decision.
Destroying The Computer: When Stefan hits a snag with the game’s coding, you can make him destroy his computer. As it has all his work on it though, this means he’s lost everything and the narrative comes to an abrupt close.
Stefan Jumps: When Colin gets Stefan high and tells him of parallel worlds, encouraging him to jump off his high rise balcony, if you chose to jump at this point the game naturally ends with the character’s suicide.
Taking The Pills: If you decide to see Dr. Haynes instead and follow Colin and then chose to take the pills that the therapist gives you, the story fast-forwards to the release of Bandersnatch, with the game once again getting bad reviews for being made on “autopilot.”
Destroying The Computer #2: Much later in the narrative, when Stefan has almost completed his game but just has a few bugs to work out, you can again make him smash his computer, thereby ending things once more.
The Netflix Ending: When Stefan demands to know who’s controlling him, you can decide to tell him the truth, which is that you’re in control via Netflix. If you follow along this path and decide to inject some action into the story when he visits his therapist, you can either choose to fight Haynes or jump out the window. If you choose the window, the fourth wall’s left in tatters when it’s revealed that Stefan can’t jump because he’s on the set of a TV show.
Killing Dad: Many of the endings involve Stefan killing his dad, his crime being discovered and him watching the review of his game on TV from his jail cell. Depending on what other choices are made, he may also kill Colin, Thakur or Kitty as well.
Chopping Up The Body: When Stefan kills his dad, if you decide to chop up the body, this leads Stefan to have enough peace and quiet to finish his game how he wants. It gets five stars, though later becomes notorious for its creator’s crime. In the present day, Colin’s daughter Pearl is working on an interactive reboot of it to be released on Netflix. As a final gag, you can also control Pearl by deciding if she destroys her own computer or not.
Finding The Toy: If you guess that the password to his dad’s safe is “TOY,” Stefan goes back in time and revisits the day his mother died. He can’t save her, but you are given the chance to go with her. If you do this, young Stefan dies on the train crash with his mom. In the present day, Stefan has suddenly died in his therapist’s office, and in a weird way, this is probably the happiest ending of the lot.
So, that does it for all the various endings you can reach, save for the secret one, of course. But tell us, which of these conclusions for Black Mirror: Bandersnatch did you wind up with? And which one was your favorite? Join in on the discussion in the comments section down below. Or don’t. It’s your choice.