“There’s shared DNA”: How does Black Mirror’s ‘Hotel Reverie’ Connect to ‘San Junipero’?

Black Mirror has long been a masterclass in storytelling that weaves emotion, technology, and unsettling futures into one unforgettable package. With season seven’s “Hotel Reverie,” the show has delivered a hauntingly beautiful episode that many fans are calling a spiritual sibling to the beloved season three classic, “San Junipero.” But how exactly are the two episodes connected? Let’s check in.

A Digital Romance in a Familiar Landscape

Season seven’s standout episode, Hotel Reverie, introduces us to Brandy Friday (played by Issa Rae), a Hollywood A-lister disillusioned by tabloids and uninspiring scripts. Enter Redream, a futuristic production company run by Kimmy (Awkwafina) that uses the infamous “Nubbin” tech to upload an actor’s consciousness directly into a movie’s digital world—reviving old films with new stars in real-time, immersive performances.

Brandy chooses to co-star in a reboot of Hotel Reverie—a faux-classic, Casablanca-esque love story between Clara, a wealthy heiress, and a mysterious man at a resort. But Brandy doesn’t want to play Clara; she wants to star opposite her. That role belongs to Dorothy Chambers, played by Emma Corrin.

As Brandy becomes immersed in the digital world, her growing infatuation with Dorothy begins to alter the story’s narrative. One mistake—calling Clara by the actor’s real name, Dorothy—breaks the system’s illusion, trapping Brandy inside the film. The longer she remains, the more entangled she becomes with Dorothy, both emotionally and digitally.

A Queer Love Story that Breaks the Script

Like San Junipero, Hotel Reverie explores the powerful collision between human emotion and virtual existence. The lines between fiction and reality blur as Brandy and Dorothy share unscripted, intimate moments outside the gaze of the Redream crew. Dorothy even ventures to the edge of the film’s programmed world, triggering a memory of a former queer romance and a buried trauma involving a lover who died by suicide.

Eventually, Brandy must complete the final scene, which calls for a dramatic twist: Clara’s husband, Claude, reveals murderous intentions. But instead of following the script, Clara breaks free of the code—grabbing a gun and shooting Claude to save Brandy. When police arrive, Clara sacrifices herself, ensuring Brandy’s escape.

Though Brandy survives and the film receives acclaim, she’s left heartbroken. But the story doesn’t end there. Back home, she receives a mysterious package from Kimmy: a vintage telephone that connects to her computer and opens a video feed. Onscreen? Dorothy, alive inside early black-and-white screen test footage—a digital afterlife all her own.

A “Companion Piece” to San Junipero

If any of this feels familiar, it’s by design. “Black Mirror fans will definitely check in to Season 7’s Hotel Reverie, but their hearts may never check out,” Entertainment Weekly writes of the episode. The Issa Rae–Emma Corrin romance echoes the emotional core of “San Junipero,” which followed Mackenzie Davis and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as lovers who chose to spend eternity together in a simulated city after their deaths.

Series creator Charlie Brooker confirms the connection, telling EW, “It’s a companion piece, in some ways. Clearly, there’s definite themes that overlap… It’s about nostalgia, escape, relationships, and second chances.”

Brooker does clarify one thing, “There’s shared DNA… but it’s not specifically the same tech, say, that we show in San Junipero, though Issa gets to put on the little Nub on the side of the head.”

Even the episode’s closing moments include a subtle reference for longtime fans: the package Brandy receives is delivered to an address on Junipero Drive. “It’s certainly in the same Venn Diagram of Black Mirror episodes,” Brooker says.

A Universe of Emotions

Both Hotel Reverie and San Junipero explore queerness, memory, agency, and how love can transcend even the limitations of flesh and time. But where San Junipero presented digital life as a liberating afterlife, Hotel Reverie digs into how identity and autonomy can be threatened when technology takes the reins of your story.

Whether spiritual sequel or thematic echo, “Hotel Reverie” builds on the legacy of San Junipero in deeply moving—and equally unsettling—ways. And as Black Mirror continues to evolve, one thing’s clear: love in the digital age is as complicated as ever… but sometimes, it’s still worth chasing.

All the six episodes of Black Mirror season seven are streaming now on Netflix.

Read More: Black Mirror Season 7: All 6 Episodes Ending Twists Explained