Black Mirror: 10 Character Fates Worse Than Death

Throughout the Christmas special, the mystery of why Joe (Rafe Spall) and Matt are at the outpost becomes an overarching thread in the ninety-minute movie. It's in the third story, that we learn the truth about Joe, and the dark past he has done so well to hide.

From the beginning of the segment, we can tell Joe isn't the nicest bloke, and whatever twist was certainly coming wasn't going to be a happy one. But just like 'Shut Up & Dance' we're compelled to root for him in his story, right until the very end when we realise that Joe's cowardly and violent actions inadvertently killed the daughter of his ex-girlfriend Beth, as well as Beth's father.

Joe might be racked with guilt for what he did, but that isn't enough in Black Mirror's eyes. The entire events within the outpost are revealed to be a simulation, circling back to the Cookie from Greta's story. The police officers investigating Joe's murders finish up for the day, and decide to head back to the case after the Christmas break.

As a final "Screw You!" to Cookie Joe, one of the officers modifies the lapsed time of the Cookie to make it feel like a thousand years in the simulation, for every minute in the real world. Audiences are left watching a panicked, maddening and weeping Joe try to escape the scene of his crime, all the while Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" plays louder and louder, on a continuous loop.