A closer look at one detail of a character's disturbing Black Mirror fate suggests that another episode in the Netflix sci-fi series deserves a sequel after USS Callister. Since Black Mirror has almost religiously followed an anthology format since season 1, almost none of its episodes have official sequels or follow-ups. Subtle clues and narrative connections suggest that many episodes in the series unfold in the same universe. However, for the most part, almost all installments have standalone narratives that highlight the terrors of humanity's relationship with technology.

Despite sticking to its anthology format for a long time and even benefiting from it, the Netflix sci-fi show attempted to try something new in season 7 by featuring a sequel to one of its most iconic episodes, USS Callister. The sequel, USS Callister: Into Infinity, not only added more depth to the original episode's established lore but also proved that more episodes in Black Mirror deserve sequels. Considering one character's fate from another highly acclaimed Black Mirror episode, it is hard not to see how it deserves the same sequel treatment as USS Callister.

Daly's USS Callister Fate Was Disturbing, But Potter's In White Christmas Was Even Worse

Both Characters Were Unfairly Put Through Immense Suffering

Jesse Plemons' Daly meets a tragic doom in USS Callister's ending moments when his consciousness gets stuck inside the central game. However, in the sequel, USS Callister: Into Infinity, Nanette learns that his digital clone exists in the game's heart and has been living there for the past 500 years, forced to work as the game's eternal architect. Even though Daly is not among the most likable characters in the episode and also serves as the antagonist in the first installment, it is hard not to feel bad for him.

Walton seems to clearly take his innocence for granted by manipulating him into endlessly working as the game's architect instead of letting him lead a normal life. However, a closer look at Potter's story in Black Mirror's "White Christmas" reveals how his fate was even worse than Daly's. In the episode's ending moments, Potter's digital clone/cookie sentence to live in the same isolated cabin for 24hrs at 1000 years per minute. This means he lived for 1,440,000 years in the same cabin with little to no with anything or anyone from the outside world.

...Potter's fate seems to be the most disturbing, as even the thought of living for 1,440,000 years with no social interaction and novel experiences seems unbearably inhumane.

Characters have met the strangest and most disturbing fates in Black Mirror. For instance, Amanda and Mike in Black Mirror season 7's "Common People" do not even get to spend their final moments in peace after getting sucked into a malicious subscription model. However, out of all the characters in the Netflix sci-fi show, Potter's fate seems to be the most disturbing, as even the thought of living for 1,440,000 years with no social interaction and novel experiences seems unbearably inhumane.

Potter's White Christmas Ending Proves The Black Mirror Episode Deserves A Follow-Up

Potter's Struggles To Escape His Loopy Fate Would Make A Compelling Episode

An episode that merely follows Potter's failed efforts to escape his sentence would alone be quite compelling. It would be fun to see how, as a cookie, he would gradually figure out the limitations and mechanics of his digital prison before attempting to hack the system and escape. This alone proves that, like USS Callister, White Christmas, too, deserves a sequel. The episode also explores other intriguing ideas, like real-world blocking and the moral implications of using digital clones.

Given how Apple TV+'s Severance has created two seasons' worth of storytelling content with its portrayal of identity fragmentation in a corporate-controlled environment, the Black Mirror episode's similar concept also seems to hold immense potential for expansion. After USS Callister: Into Infinity's success, it seems likely the show's creators will consider expanding the lore of other classic episodes with sequels. Hopefully, White Christmas, too, will be considered for a follow-up sometime in the future.