# Talk:Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

I question this claim. The linked articles provide no information to support this claim which is highly dubious since human have probably not existed long enough to film, let alone plot, a trillion different variations of a TV movie (even if the variations are only seconds in length). At the least, this claim should not be presented as if it is established fact. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.107.162.109 (talk) 04:53, 29 December 2018 (UTC) 

It is a trillion permutations of around 250 segments. Roughly, one only needs twenty scenes to reach a trillion permutations (20! Is about 10^18). And that is what Netflix and Brooker state, it is not our place to question that. The Variety article has the details. --Masem (t) 05:28, 29 December 2018 (UTC)
The claim is not that a trillion different things have been filmed, but can be watched. I agree with Masem's explanation but I'll give a few more details on the maths, just for fun. For an intuitive reason, imagine that I write four different sentences A, B, C, D and by making choices, the user can read them in any order. Well there's 24 possible orders (I'll give you the first couple: ABCD, ABDC, ACBD, ACDB, ADBC, ...) but this is a lot more than the number of sentences I had to write. The article says that 250 segments have been filmed, so the upper bound of possible orders, 250! is an unimaginably large number. The true trillion paths is because of a very strict set of rules about the order in which these segments can be displayed (e.g. never bury the day before killing him). We obtain this by noting that the user can make roughly 40 choices per playthrough, and each time they have two options, producing 2^40 (roughly a trillion) paths. — Bilorv(c)(talk) 17:22, 29 December 2018 (UTC)
It should also be mentioned that, that film has many "dead end" that just tell you to change some of your past decision. So every viewer can have unique path of branching and loops how to get to "the end" with which he would be satisfied. Li-sung (talk) 20:48, 29 December 2018 (UTC)
There is some false reasoning occurring here. Besides the fact that paths have to follow a rough order, each choice reduces the number of paths that can follow. Although some paths can be backtracked, there are still limited paths that can be followed afterwards. If we ignore that, and choose to focus too much on the backtracking, then there are not a trillion possible paths, but an infinite number of paths, which would also render the trillion paths statement inaccurate.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.107.162.109 (talk) 20:59, 29 December 2018 (UTC)
This is not the case, as you cannot backtrack indefinitely—a forced credits sequence occurs eventually. The number of paths is in the trillions. This is a calculation that has been done by people with actual access to the various paths and mechanics of the system itself, and they have told us that it's over a trillion. — Bilorv(c)(talk) 22:00, 29 December 2018 (UTC)
I watched 32 paths before I had to switch it off (going out a pint), so that is 32!, which is 2.6 power 35. It is most definitely in the trillions, not trillion. scope_creepTalk 20:38, 6 January 2019 (UTC)
This is faulty logic—as I say above, you can't simply view the segments in any order. For instance, you can't kill Stefan's father at the third choice because you haven't progressed far enough yet. The only information we have is that it's over a trillion. — Bilorv(c)(talk) 16:40, 7 January 2019 (UTC)

So Bandersnatch is a bit like a video game, a bit like a film and a bit like a television episode. More precisely, it involves the viewer/user controlling what they see onscreen and borrows heavily from CYOA books and text adventure games, hence it's a bit like a video game. It's a standalone work listed separately to Black Mirror on Netflix's website and designed to be watched for about 90 minutes, hence it's a bit like a film. And it was worked out and produced during the production process for series 4 and 5, with some of the same people involved, hence it's a bit like a television episode. But we need to clarify a few contexts in which we need to categorise it as one or the other.

Name: is it Bandersnatch (as I've been using so far) or "Bandersnatch". We use italics for films and video games, and quotes for episodes.
Episode tally: have there been 20 episodes of Black Mirror now, or 19 episodes plus a film?
Infobox: for this one, episode makes most sense. It had a script writer and a separate director, was shot roughly in the way all other Black Mirror episodes have been etc.
Categories: Which of Category:2018 films, Category:2018 television episodes and Category:2018 video games apply? (Or rather, which of these three are the categories for which subcategories are appropriate.)
I'm conflicted on a couple of these points and I know reliable sources will be all over the place with this one, so input is very much appreciated. — Bilorv(c)(talk) 12:47, 28 December 2018 (UTC)

Shouldn't we include Template:Infobox film instead of Template:Infobox television episode once this is a standalone film, not an usual episode of the series? The current version of this page just doesn't make sense to me. - Chairhandlers (Talk to Me!) 13:36, 28 December 2018 (UTC)
(I've merged the sections since this is exactly what I talk about above.) @Chairhandlers: It made sense to me to match what we use on other Black Mirror content, and the film infobox has parameters like budget and gross which don't really reflect how a Netflix special works. But indeed I understand there are arguments for using that infobox and it's something we need to decide by consensus. I don't care much either way—I just picked one to use for the time being. — Bilorv(c)(talk) 14:20, 28 December 2018 (UTC)
I don't think the film infobox applies since that is oriented towards box office and distribution details. It is effective still a made for tv film, which is normally done via the episode infobox. That said I do feel that the film project would be relevant here. --Masem (t) 15:57, 28 December 2018 (UTC)
Thank you for bringing this discussion to my attention, given my recent edit. The release was marketed as a film, and multiple reliable sources back this up. There is no need for the use of the budget and box office parameters if they are not required, which in this case, they are not. Not every parameter has to be used. Yes, it is part of a television series, but a number of television series have films attached to them; for example, see Downton Abbey (film) and Serenity (2005 film). -- /Alex/21 03:43, 8 January 2019 (UTC)
@Bovineboy2008: why do you feel Bandersnatch is not under the remit of WPFilm (per this edit)? — Bilorv(c)(talk) 15:51, 28 December 2018 (UTC)

It is part of a television series, I don't consider it a film. Just my opinion. BOVINEBOY2008 15:54, 28 December 2018 (UTC)

Could Bandersnatch be considered an experimental film? I am inclined to add this film to that category due to its use of interactivity but I’m not quite sure if that alone qualifies it for that category. 50.37.48.71 (talk) 07:11, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

Interesting question. I think you can describe it as an "experimental film" but if all interactive films are experimental then maybe the category should be added to Category:Interactive films itself rather than to just this article (see Wikipedia:Subcategory). I see you've added the category Category:2010s avant-garde and experimental films to this article, which is appropriate unless Category:2010s interactive films is created. — Bilorv(c)(talk) 11:30, 5 January 2019 (UTC)
This IP should give some reason and sources why it's experimental so that it can be on the page. During a dispute discussion, until a consensus is established, you should not revert away from the status quo. If continued, you will be reported to an admin. Sebastian James (talk) 11:42, 8 January 2019 (UTC)
Please comment on content, not contributor. It is me that reverted you, not the IP user, and I don't appreciate the threat. I am agreed with the IP user that the category is appropriate; the film is of a non-standard format, and had bespoke technology created specifically for it. Bandersnatch is of an experimental nature, and there have been many news headlines such as "Netflix's 'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' Succeeds as an Experiment, Fails as a Good Story" which categorise the film as an experiment, in some sense. You are the one who needs to present reasoning why the category would not be appropriate. — Bilorv(c)(talk) 17:46, 8 January 2019 (UTC)

"Throughout this period, Butler visits Dr. R. Haynes' (Alice Lowe) clinic for depression therapy." "Dr. Haynes prescribes Butler antidepressant medicines, which the viewer can choose to either have Butler take or flush down the toilet."
Do any sources directly support the allegation it's depression treated with antidepressants? This screenshot says it's Olanzapine. I don't want to do original research so I'm sharing this with you guys. Angelica K (talk) 19:17, 10 January 2019 (UTC)
To clarify, I definitely think at the very least it should be neutralized into "therapy" and "medicines". Angelica K (talk) 19:21, 10 January 2019 (UTC)

Thanks for pointing this out—it's an assumption made by whoever wrote that line, as it's never mentioned in dialogue. The canonicity of that screenshot is debatable. Not to belabour the point, but in some interpretations of the film, some choices you make affect what the previous scene was (e.g. if you open the safe with PAC you were awake, but if you fail to open it with PAX you were dreaming) so it's not clear that the medicine being Olanzapine in the PAC storyline would mean that it's Olanzapine in other storylines. Anyway, the important thing for Wikipedia is that the nature of the drug is not a substantial part of the plot and so it's a detail we should omit. (And hence I've made this edit.) — Bilorv(c)(talk) 23:15, 10 January 2019 (UTC)

The article mentions that the default path lasts 90 minutes, with a citation.
However I've played the "default path" (made no choices myself and let the film decide). When I did it, the film came to a conclusion (offering me exit to credits or the chance to make different choices) after exactly 45 minutes. The ending was the TV studio reveal as Stefan is about to attempt to jump out of the window. 84.51.161.96 (talk) 14:03, 18 January 2019 (UTC)

Yes, I've also played the default path. Once you get to that ending, if you don't touch anything it will select "Go back" rather than "Exit to credits". And then it continues (I think reaching a couple of different endings and going back) until you've played from about 90 minutes, and then exits. — Bilorv(c)(talk) 15:21, 19 January 2019 (UTC)

I noticed that on the introductory part of this article, the name of Tuckersoft's boss is listed as "Mohan Thacker." However, on the official Netflix-created Tuckersoft.net website, his name is listed as "Mohan Tucker." https://tuckersoft.net/jobs/
Should we change the name?
-Wikipedia user "eatmorepies" — Preceding unsigned comment added by Eatmorepies (talk • contribs) 18 February 2019 (UTC)

On a post the actor made on Reddit, he clarified that the character's name is "Thakur", and the anglification to "Tucker" was supposed to be part of the plot. Tuckersoft remains an in-universe website, and it could be easily seen as having been created by the character himself. This might be something worth mentioning in the body of the article, but as far as MOS:TVCAST goes, the character's name is "Thakur".  Radiphus (talk) 08:47, 18 February 2019 (UTC)
From memory I believe both the credits and subtitles read "Thakur" so that's the spelling that takes precedence. (Also: you can sign posts by adding ~~~~ to the end of them. Thanks!) — Bilorv(c)(talk) 10:32, 18 February 2019 (UTC)

This review is transcluded from Talk:Black Mirror: Bandersnatch/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.
Reviewer: The Rambling Man (talk · contribs) 06:45, 22 June 2020 (UTC)

Comments

" released by Netflix on 28 December 2018, its release.." repetitive.
I'm mildly dubious about the linking of Choose Your Own Adventure here, as it links to a specific brand of that type of book, and that's not the brand in question.  I used to read adventure game books back in the 1980s but mine were from a different range altogether, the Fighting Fantasy version.  I had them (and loved them) all.  Ought we not be linking  "adventure gamebook" instead?
Yes, I had some Fighting Fantasy too and was obsessed with House of Hell in particular. We did actually call them "choose your own adventure" books, so perhaps Netflix's generic trademark argument has weight to it. I've changed the lead link to gamebook as that part is more of an overview, but kept "choose your own adventure" in the plot because that's specifically what Stefan says and it's relevant to the lawsuit. — Bilorv (Black Lives Matter) 19:19, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
"the film shares its name with a video game of the same name planned for release by Imagine Software in 1984" probably worth noting this was in the real world.
Now the film was named after a real video game planned for release by Imagine Software in 1984. — Bilorv (Black Lives Matter) 19:19, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
"interactive film in May 2017, during which time Netflix had several interactive" repetitive.
"the fifth series delayed to June 2019." something feels like it's missing here, like "with the fifth series being delayed..." or "delaying the fifth.."?
"reception was mixed, with positive reception to the technical design of the film and negative reception to the story's characterisation. There was mixed reception" repetitive.
"average rankings in critics' lists of Black Mirror instalments by quality. It garnered" I think these could be merged, with "but", "however" etc because it's unusual for average films (by critics' thinking) to be nominated/awarded.
"There are... There are..." repetitive.
"endings, some of which are more concrete endings" repetitive.
" the game to video game" likewise.
Especially with "famous game creator " later in the same sentence.
"Otherwise, Stefan..." a little unclear,  perhaps "Opting to reject the offer,  Stefan.."
"gets increasingly complicated" -> "becomes more complex"?
" is mysteriously absent "  I  know what you mean, that the other characters don't know where he's gone, but "mysteriously" seems a little whimsical to me.
"who he learns about" -> "about whom he learns...."
"hen bury or chop up his father's body." just "the body" would be fine.
"Burying the body " Burying it.
(" but Stefan goes to prison shortly..." - it flashed past quickly, but I think the subheader in The Sun was something like "father found in 8-bits" which is brilliant).
Yeah the Easter eggs throughout are top notch in this one. — Bilorv (Black Lives Matter) 19:19, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
Shouldn't you mention that Pearl is controlled by the viewer?
Added The viewer chooses for her to throw tea over her computer or destroy it. We haven't mentioned that Stefan was given the same choice (possibly in all of the ways in which you can reach the Pearl ending?) but I'm tempted to leave that out for reasons of space. — Bilorv (Black Lives Matter) 19:19, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
You link Netflix in Production section but it is mentioned in the Plot summary.
And earlier in Format, where it's now linked. — Bilorv (Black Lives Matter) 19:19, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
"over concerns over" jarring.
Jeff Minter is overlinked.
" to prep" prepare?
The Poulter/Twitter single-sentence para is a little out of place.
Yeah it feels a bit out of place wherever it goes, but it got a surprisingly large amount of media attention (surprising to me at least). After splitting a paragraph under "Marketing and release" into two paragraphs and shuffling, it's now located there. I could also make it a standalone paragraph in that section, or as a last resort remove it entirely. — Bilorv (Black Lives Matter) 19:19, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
"Some exterior scenes..." caption is a full sentence so needs a full stop.
" film that viewers could interact with" -> "film with which viewers could interact"
"violent material was cut from Bandersnatch, deemed to be violent" repetitive.
"released a 90-second trailer for Bandersnatch, establishing that the film would be released " likewise.
" was officially announced on 27 December 2018" you already said this in the previous para.
Ah, there were lots of repetitions like this before I copyedited the article but I missed this one. Now There was much media speculation prior to the film's announcement. — Bilorv (Black Lives Matter) 19:19, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
Twitter is overlinked.
GIF  is overlinked.
" how to come across an"  ->  "how to discover"?
"Later, Netflix reported that 94% of viewers were actively making choices" do  you mean as opposed to just watching Brooker's default choice plot?
Yeah, 6% not making any choices in the 10 second windows for whatever reasons. — Bilorv (Black Lives Matter) 19:19, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
"Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and "The Verge" are overlinked.
"summarily dismissed  ...  denied a summary dismissal" repetitive.
Could link trope (cinema).
The Hollywood Reporter is overlinked.
"Like previous episodes" this isn't an episode...
Now a bit subtler, Like previous instalments of Black Mirror, Bandersnatch makes allusions to earlier episodes., but could also change the last "episodes" if it's misleading. — Bilorv (Black Lives Matter) 19:19, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
Metalhead, ZX Spectrum, IGN and The Independent are overlinked.
Yeah and we mentioned that Slade directed "Metalhead" on the earlier linking so I've removed that too. — Bilorv (Black Lives Matter) 19:19, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
As is Indiewire, Observer and Rolling Stone.
In the lead you called them Primtime Emmys and in the awards section prose you just call them Emmys.
Now both "Primetime". — Bilorv (Black Lives Matter) 19:19, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
That's all I have.  I spent about two hours reliving various paths through the movie this morning, and sort of enjoyed it.  It's mildly harrowing but still a good watch.  Cheers. The Rambling Man (Stay indoors, stay safe!!!!) 13:37, 22 June 2020 (UTC)

Yeah I'm not a huge fan of this one, think the technical design is outstanding and there's lots of good details, but my view on the narrative is perhaps quite close to the critical consensus. The speedy review is much appreciated, think I've responded to everything. — Bilorv (Black Lives Matter) 19:19, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
Last thing, and this is picky, but note [a] is not referenced.... sorry... The Rambling Man (Stay indoors, stay safe!!!!) 20:11, 23 June 2020 (UTC)
Hopefully this is good enough, not much reporting on it because I think most reporters just don't own an unsupported platform to test it on. I won't link to a copyright violation but there's an upload of it on YouTube and it's quite funny actually—opens with a compilation of characters from earlier episodes saying "sorry" and then a message that you can't watch it on that device. Someone did put thought into making it. — Bilorv (Black Lives Matter) 20:45, 23 June 2020 (UTC)
Me telling you I'm sorry followed by that feels like a mini-Black Mirror moment. I'm more than happy this meets GA standards, and thus I'm promoting.  As many times before,  but only if you consider my reviews  thorough enough, let me  know if you  nominate  another Black Mirror episode.  All the best.  The Rambling Man (Stay indoors, stay safe!!!!) 20:53, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

so many sections discuss this, but what does it MEAN?  i watched it in both VLC and WMP; it went from start to finish like any other movie.  what sort of app does one need to jump around as described?
needs to be made explicit in article.  "alternative path" is meaningless to the average viewer who doesn't even have an input for such things.  2601:19C:527F:A660:3C94:876A:93E8:E14F (talk) 03:44, 28 August 2022 (UTC)

If you are watching it in VLC or offline players, you are not watching a legit version of the work. Only official playback of the work through Netflix is the version we talk about. Masem (t) 03:47, 28 August 2022 (UTC)
The typical viewer is watching it legally through Netflix, where the interactivity is a core component. I have no idea how the article could be any clearer about the interactivity feature. — Bilorv (talk) 06:26, 28 August 2022 (UTC)
even if i watch it on the netflix site (PAID), how am i inputting anything?  the article should mention this very basic aspect -- do u type in a number somewhere, like "select 1 or 2"?
article goes out of its way to detail the graphics OFFERING the choices, but mentions nothing about how the user would respond to them after that!
not talking pirate copies here -- paid videos from HBO, netflix, paramount+ etc still have to go thru SOME player.  which one is it that offers this interactivity?
or are u saying it only works on oldfashioned tvs utilizing "remotes"?  well then, lead with that!  95% of the population watches this stuff on phones now. 2601:19C:527F:A660:E023:67FB:35B5:2DED (talk) 02:00, 29 August 2022 (UTC)
This isn't tech support, and the input type varies platform to platform. I don't know that it's really our job to say "on this device, you touch the screen; on this device, you press this remote control button; on this device, you click with the mouse; ..." But if you've found reliable sources that mention details for lots of different devices then no-one is stopping you from adding that yourself, which is how Wikipedia works. — Bilorv (talk) 08:06, 29 August 2022 (UTC)
it is silly to have a section describing how the choices are presented to the user w/o at least some token mention of what s/he's supposed to DO with said choices!  if that's too "tech" for the article, then we shouldn't waste space mentioning the former.
don't need great details for every system, but a general line like "...which the user selects on a 'remote control' device" would be logical.  obviously, i'm not gonna write it myself since i watch netflix on my phone and haven't seen an actual remote control in like 18 years.  (do they even make hardware TVs anymore?)
i'm still confused, tho.  why would netflix put so much effort into this if 95% of the population can't experience it?  did i misunderstand your earlier comments about it not working on modern devices (phones/laptops)?  suddenly you're talking about "platforms" and "touching screens" here...as if to say it DOES work on them after all?
previous comments implied you needed a vintage tv to watch it properly.  98.216.184.137 (talk) 09:50, 29 August 2022 (UTC)
"Bandersnatch is an interactive film. A brief tutorial, specific to the device being streamed on, explains to the viewer how to make choices."  we don't need to explain more...the only way to watch it through a Netflix client. Masem (t) 11:33, 29 August 2022 (UTC)
define "device" -- phones, laptops indeed, or JUST "tv"s?
and what is a netflix "client"?  is that the hardware BOX atop a tv?   to the lay-reader client means "subscriber", i.e., viewer himself.  which makes no sense in your context.  (to some of us, client can also mean "app", but again, how does that relate to TV SETS??)
moreover, if you're serious about "we don't need to explain more", then pls. remove the section about the graphics of PRESENTING THE OPTIONS.  direct conflict to what you're advocating. 2601:19C:527F:A660:85CA:B4AD:4B18:ACD4 (talk) 16:09, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

Article needs to be updated to reflect this 2A00:23C7:46B0:9401:7C6D:A5A5:E7C0:5C44 (talk) 09:22, 7 October 2022 (UTC)

I've changed this part to use past tense, as it perhaps always should have, but without a reliable source it is not Wikipedia's place to engage in original reporting that the download link was removed. — Bilorv (talk) 22:40, 8 October 2022 (UTC)

I would remind editors that even though Bandersnatch will not be viewable from Netflix after it is pulled, that does not mean this article should be written as past tense, at least in describing the special itself. We can describe that the way the user interacted with the work as in the past since that will be no longer be possible, but the work clearly existed, it was not cancelled or the like. Masem (t) 02:33, 10 May 2025 (UTC)