White Bear

**White Bear** is the second episode of season two of *Black Mirror*. It was written by Charlie Brooker, and was released on February 18, 2013.

## Short Summary

Victoria wakes up and cannot remember anything about her life. Everyone she encounters refuses to communicate with her.

## Full Summary

Victoria Skillane wakes up. She grabs the back of her head in pain. She notices bandages wrapped around her wrists and looks at them. She sees a television screen in front of her with a symbol on it. At her feet, there are two pill bottles spilled on the floor. She gets up and opens the curtains to look outside. She sees her reflection in a nearby mirror. She looks back at the television, then turns it off. She calls out, but gets no answer. She goes downstairs to find another television with the same symbol on it. She takes a glass off the counter, fills it with water, and drinks it. A calendar on the wall indicates that it's Friday, October 18. She looks at a picture on the mantle, which shows her with a man, with a smaller picture of a little girl tucked into the edge of the frame. She takes the picture of the little girl and gets a flash of a memory of her. She turns off the television. She puts on a jacket and shoes that are nearby and steps out into the yard.

She goes out through the gate and sees a playground. She sees some people standing in the window with their phones pointed at her. She calls to them, but they don't answer. She sees people in every window. She asks them if they know who she is because she doesn't remember. A person nearby takes a picture of her and then runs away. She tries to follow them, but can't catch up. A car stops in the distance and a person gets out, wearing a mask with the same symbol from the televisions. He pulls a shotgun out of the trunk and aims it at Victoria, who runs away. She runs past crowds of people, all pointing their phones at her and all ignoring her. She runs until she finds Jem, who is filling up her gas tank. Jem frantically yells to someone that they have to go as the person with the shotgun arrives and fires at them. He shoots one of Jem's tires as she and Victoria hide behind the car. Damien exits the shop and Jem warns him to get back. She runs into the shop herself. She tries to close the door behind her, but Victoria pushes her way in. They barricade the door as Victoria hides. They try to think of possible ways to get out. There's a crowd of people pressed up against the windows with their phones out. Jem tells Victoria to get a nearby extinguisher. The person with the shotgun starts hitting it up against the window. Victoria gets the extinguisher and rolls it to Jem. Jem tells Victoria to help Damien with Gun Guy while she uses the extinguisher to break the lock off the back door. Gun Guy breaks the glass and steps inside. Damien grabs his legs and pulls him down. They fight over the gun. Jem gets the door open and Victoria follows her through it. They hear a gun shot as they run out the back door. They crouch and hide. They watch Damien come out clutching his abdomen and realize he's been shot. Gun Guy comes out next, reloading the shotgun. The crowd follows and starts surrounding Damien with their cameras. Victoria gets more flashes of memory of the man and girl from the pictures.

Jem and Victoria run, but had to hide again when a woman wearing a sheep mask and holding an electric knife gets out of a car. A man wearing a welding mask gets out of the passenger side. Victoria asks why they look like that and Jem tells her they like scaring people. Jem sees a gap in a fence and says they need to run for it so they can lose the hunters. They make it through and find an empty house. Jem warns Victoria way from the windows, saying the onlookers sometimes wait there. Victoria is confused. She tells Jem she woke up in a house and doesn't even know if it was hers or anything about herself. She has the picture of what she thinks must be her daughter. Jem asks if maybe she tried to kill herself and Victoria recalls the pills on the floor. Jem doesn't blame her. Lots of people have fried that since it started. She tells Victoria that it started with a signal, like flashing pictures, on every kind of screen. Victoria remembers seeing the signal on the television. It did something to people, to make them the onlookers, people who just stand around taking pictures and videos and don't seem to care what's happening. Some people weren't affected, but Jem doesn't know why. Knife Woman and Welder Guy are what she calls hunters. They were normal at first, but then they realized they could do whatever they wanted, so they started taking stuff. It got worse and now they have an audience. Jem supposes they were already like this underneath it all, but just needed the rules to change so no one stopped them to show their true selves. Jem pulls out a map to show Victoria where they need to go, where the transmitters have been knocked out. There's one transmitter on their way, at White Bear, and they are going to knock it out. The phrase White Bear gives Victoria another flash of the girl. Jem tries to stop Victoria as she confronts the onlookers, asking what's wrong with them. Victoria throws a brick at them and chases them off. When Victoria goes to pick up one of their dropped phones, Jem pulls out a taser and tells her to put it down. She says their phones are dangerous and she warns Victoria not to look at the screen. Victoria ignores her and looks, which causes more flashes of memory of the girl, Jemima, and the man. Knife Woman and Welder Guy are approaching, so Jem tells Victoria to run. A van pulls up and Baxter tells them to get in. Jem climbs in and pulls a reluctant Victoria with her.

As they drive, Jem complains that Baxter nearly ran them over, but he says he saved their lives. Victoria thinks she knows him, but she can't tell him where they met. Jem says they're heading south, but he says that's not a good move, by which he means he won't drive them there. He knows a safe place. Victoria thinks it's in the woods, but doesn't know how she knows that. She has a memory of them getting out and no one chasing them. Then they eat.

They've arrived. Victoria looks at the picture of Jemima as Baxter confirms there's no signal. Baxter sees the picture and asks if it's Victoria's daughter. She thinks so, but doesn't know any more than that. She doesn't know what happened to her wrists either. Baxter thinks she must have some kind of mysterious mental illness. He asks Jem if she has any weaknesses and she says everyone has some. Baxter says that's why they're easy pickings. Victoria asks about his weaknesses and he goes to get something from his van. He comes back with a shotgun, saying he'll shoot them if they run. He hands Victoria a ski mask with the symbol on it, telling her to put it on backwards so it covers her eyes. Then he has her put her hands on Jem's shoulders so Jem can lead her. He presses the gun into Victoria's back and guides Jem through the woods. He has Jem take the mask off Victoria as they stand at the top of a hill. Victoria sees nooses and people hanging from crosses below. More onlookers appear as they walk down the hill. When Baxter gets distracted by his phone, Jem runs. He shoots at her, but misses. Baxter ties Victoria up and pulls out a drill. He taunts her with it while she pleads with the onlookers to do something. As he prepares to drill into her back, Jem appears with a shotgun pointed at him. She shoots him and frees Victoria. Victoria thanks Jem for coming back for her, but she really came back for her backpack. She takes Baxter's keys and starts walking away. When Victoria doesn't follow, she calls for her. They get back to Baxter's van and drive away as Knife Woman and Welder Guy approach.

Jem says White Bear isn't far, so she's hopeful they'll be able to shut it down before the hunters find them. They just need to light the tower on fire. She has the plans for the compound. She's been planning this for a while. An onlooker takes a picture of Victoria as they drive past and she gets another flash of the man and then herself telling Jemima to lie down in the back seat as they drive past a police car. Victoria tells Jem to turn around because there's something not right about White Bear, but she doesn't know what it is. Jem doesn't trust her because of what happened with Baxter. Jem stops outside the compound and as she starts to work, Victoria has more flashes. Jem breaks the lock on the compound and gets Victoria out of the van to come with her. Victoria has another flash, which shows that the man has a tattoo of the symbol on his neck. Jem sees a security camera and realizes the hunters will be there soon. She looks at the plan and then leads Victoria to a building. Inside, Victoria sees several screens with the symbol on them. Jem starts to pour gasoline and holds up her lighter as Welder Guy and Knife Woman find them. Welder Guy has a shotgun. Knife Woman fights with Jem and cuts her arm. This distracted Welder Guy and Victoria grabs his gun. She points it at him and shoots, but it sprays confetti. Suddenly, the wall behind Victoria opens to reveal an audience, full of applauding people. Jem, Welder Guy, and Kinfe Woman settle Victoria into a chair and strap her in. Then they step forward, joined by Damien, and take a bow. Baxter comes on stage and takes his own bow. He tells Victoria it's time to tell her who she is. He turns her chair and shows her that the man from her memories is Iain Rannoch, her fiancé. Victoria hears a news report that tells her she was found guilty after she and Iain, who died by suicide while in police custody, abducted Jemima Sykes, the girl, who had a stuffed white bear as a toy. She was missing for months and the only clue was the bear, which became a symbol for the hunt. Finally, they found Jemima's body in a forest, wrapped in a sleeping bag and burned. Victoria and Iain were caught when footage of Jemima being tortured was found on Victoria's phone. Iain was identified by the tattoo on the back of his neck. He tortured and killed her while Victoria recorded it. Victoria admitted to having done it and claimed that Iain had pressured her into it. The judge and jury weren't convinced and ruled that she'd face "proportionate and considered" punishment. Iain hanged himself to avoid his own punishment, leaving the public to focus on Victoria. Victoria cries as the news report finishes. Baxter turns her to the audience and tells her to stop. He lays out what Victoria did while Iain tortured and killed Jemima. She just watched and filmed it. He asks how she likes it. Everyone in the audience holds up their phones to record her. Baxter tells them to get Victoria out of there and put her back where she came from.

Baxter thanks everyone for coming. He encourages them to take as many pictures as they want. Most importantly, he needs them to shout and scream so Victoria knows they're there. He gets in the van. Victoria is tied up in the back, in a glass enclosure, so she can see and hear people as they drive by. Once they've arrived, the workers carry Victoria out in the chair and put her back in the room where she started the day. Victoria asks Baxter to kill her. He says that's what she always says. He dumps the pills on the floor and tells her they'll wipe her day clean. It takes about 30 minutes, he says as he attaches a device to Victoria's temples. While it works, he puts on a video of Jemima, which he says Victoria recorded. The device starts shocking Victoria and she screams as Baxter leaves.

Downstairs, the workers reset everything in the house so it's exactly as it was the day before. Baxter marks off October 18th on the calendar and leaves.

A sign welcomes visitors to White Bear Justice Park and tells them to enjoy the show.

Jem welcomes the crowd to the park and hands them over to Baxter, who explains the rules. There is to be no talking. Not just to Victoria, but to each other. They need her to believe they're all mesmerized.

The workers prepare for the day and welcome people to the park.

Jem says rule number two is to keep your distance. They should treat Victoria as they would an escaped lion. Yesterday, she threw something, so Jem tells them they'll step in if she gets too close. They all have tasers, but it'll shut down the day, so it's best to keep their distance.

Baxter says the final rule it to enjoy themselves. They need to take lots of pictures, but stay safe. He riles them up.

Victoria wakes up just as she did the day before, with no memory of who she is or what has happened. The onlookers watch footage of her on their phones.

Baxter warns Jem and Damien, who are in position, that Victoria is on her way.

Baxter puts on the symbol mask and gets ready.

Victoria's day plays out much like the one before it.

Once Jem and Victoria have left, Damien gets back up. He celebrates with the onlookers that he was convincing.

In the forest, the actors get ready for Victoria and Jem's arrival, with actors hanging from the crosses.

Baxter tortures Victoria in the woods.

The audiences waits for Victoria to be revealed on the stage.

Baxter encourages the crowd.

Victoria is driven back to the house.

Victoria's memory is erased.

She wakes up another day.

## Cast

* Lenora Crichlow as Victoria Skillane
* Michael Smiley as Baxter
* Tuppence Middleton as Jem
* Ian Bonar as Damien
* Elisabeth Hopper as Knife Woman
* Nick Bartlett as Welder Guy
* Nick Ofield as Iain Rannoch
* Russell Barnett as News Reporter
* Imani Jackman as Jemima

## Notes and Trivia

* In Black Museum, there is an exhibit of a model wearing a balaclava with the symbol on it. Furthermore, at one point, a picture of Victoria is shown in the background alongside a tagline that reads "CHILD KILLER".
* According to the showrunners, Blue Coulson from Hated in the Nation worked on the Rannoch case.
* Based on the 1973 horror film "The Wicker Man" and the controversial 2003 Rockstar Games survival horror video game "Manhunt."

## References

1. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/59cppq/were\_charlie\_brooker\_and\_annabel\_jones\_the/d97gtui/

 Specials | • White Christmas • Bandersnatch •