Black Mirror’s season three episode San Junipero arguably remains one of the most highly rated of the entire franchise.
Now, almost ten years since the episode first aired in 2016, Black Mirror is back with yet another dose of dystopian drama and a stellar cast in season seven.
While it's been just days since the entire series dropped on Netflix, eagle-eyed fans have already taken to social media to share their fan theories — one of which centres around juniper.
“I’ve already finished 3 episodes from S7 and so far, I’ve seen the word Juniper/ Junipero has been used in 2 episodes,” wrote one Reddit user “I’m wondering what’s the relevance or if there’s a hidden meaning behind.”
Black Mirror’s creator, Charlie Brooker, is indeed a master of leaving hints and Easter eggs throughout the show, often drawing references to previous episodes and characters.
Throughout season seven, viewers have now noticed the motif of juniper arising in a number of places, including The Juniper Lodge in episode one, which the couple revisits each year on their anniversary, where they tuck into a Juniper Burger.
It also crops up in episode three (Hotel Reverie): Emma Corrin’s character Dorothy appears in a film called St Juniper, and Issa Rae’s character Brandy Friday lives on Junipero Drive.
In the final episode, USS Callister: Into Infinity, there’s yet another reference to St. Juniper’s Hospital — and it’s hard to ignore the potential connection it shares with the medical facility mentioned in season four Black Museum that’s working on human consciousness after people die.
And while these references are likely a nod to former episodes, could there also be a deeper meaning?
What is juniper?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, juniper is a type of tree that forms part of the cypress family and produces a kind of juniper berry.
A paper on the scientific names describes the word’s origin as: “The Latin common name for the cedar, from junio, young, and parere, to produce, hence youth producing, or evergreen.”
Now, that certainly may have some connection to San Junipero, where the characters remain their youthful selves in this eternal, blissful reality.
However, there are other references to juniper throughout history, including a medieval Franciscan friar from the 1200s named Brother Juniper. So, what does all this have to do with season seven?
A deeper significance to juniper?
Unsurprisingly, the internet has been alight with theories ever since Black Mirror first aired, with some viewers suggesting that the latest references to juniper could be symbolic of a place of ‘eternal bliss’.
One Reddit user said: “The juniper /junipero Easter egg in both episodes relates to 'the place' where the characters found eternal bliss -much like the San Junipero episode.”
Which makes sense, given it's a place where the Common People couple constantly travel to on their wedding anniversay to escape the harsh realities of their troubled daily lives. The Reddit user continues: “Juniper was Brandy’s address on the box - where she received the phone -connecting her to immortal true love. Immortality = San Junipero.”
However, an older social media post also suggests that there are some ties to the Franciscan friar as well.
“Saint Juniper was one of Francis Of Assisi's posse and his most notable deed was the Legend of the Pig's Feet,” the post wrote. “Essentially, Juniper got talking to this dying dude who's last wish was to have some pig's feet. Juniper goes off and maims a pig for its trotters, giving it to the ailing peon. The farmer was understandably p***** off, but Juniper just didn't understand why. He'd done a nice thing, why was the farmer angry?
“Juniper was like this, he'd give away the group's possessions to poor people all the time to the point his pals had to hide their s*** from him so he wouldn't donate it,” the poster added. “My point is this is reminiscent of the way a robot works. You program it to get pig's feet, it takes pig's feet. Unless you specifically tell it otherwise, it would never occur to it not to steal the feet.”
Is it a bit of a stretch? The jury’s out, and only Brooker has the answer.
