Joe did not consciously kill the child and an involuntary manslaughter charge doesn't commonly exceed five years. Brooker has spoken out about how his punishment doesn't necessarily fit the crime. Ultimately, is raises the question: Did he or did he not deserve his punishment? For that question, there is an even more complicated answer. He put her in that situation and he knows it is his fault she's dead. Joe could've saved her, which is why it is believed that he deserves the punishment. He leaves him bloody and helpless as the little girl sets off into the wintery landscape to search for help before dying of exposure.
Joe discovers the baby isn't his and, in a fit of rage, he hits Beth's father with a snow globe. His crime is this: Joe reveals that his girlfriend Beth blocked him after the two got into a heated debate about whether or not she should have an abortion. But, his crimes weren't intentional and, in the real world, they don't warrant a life sentence, which causes the episode to be highly divisive in regard to whether or not he actually deserves his punishment. The exact charges can only be speculated, but his torturous punishment includes physical imprisonment and a cookie version of his consciousness experiencing 1,000 years per-minute for all eternity. Related: Black Mirror: Why "Hang The DJ" Has A Better Happy Ending Than "San Junipero"Īs each personal account grows more unsettling, the time comes for Joe to reveal what vile and horrific thing he did to end up in the cabin. Starring Jon Hamm of Mad Men fame as Matt and Rafe Spall as Joe, it features three stories that interconnect to make up one cohesive, as well as disturbing, storyline. As it was believed that season 2 would be the end of the series, Brooker featured several Black Mirror Easter eggs referring to past episodes in "White Christmas" and fully immersed his characters into the notion that technology could be the downfall of humanity and morality. In 2011, Black Mirror premiered on the British broadcasting station Channel 4 prior to its move to Netflix for season 3. In Black Mirror's "White Christmas," there are several moments that spark this inquiry, but none are as divisive amongst fans and the showrunner as that of Joe's punishment. Charlie Brooker's dystopian television show includes several controversial storylines that cause audiences to question human morality when technology has the ability to tear it apart. Black Mirror 's season 2, episode 4, "White Christmas" has one of the most divisive endings out of the entire series, primarily due to how Joe (Rafe Spall, The Ritual) is punished for his crime - here's why.