San Junipero

In 1987, a shy young woman named Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis) visits the nightclub Tucker's in San Junipero. Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), a vivacious party girl, rebuffs the advances of Wes (Gavin Stenhouse) to talk to Yorkie. Kelly and Yorkie dance, but Yorkie becomes uncomfortable and leaves the club. Kelly follows and sexually propositions Yorkie, who declines, saying she is engaged. The following week, Yorkie returns to the bar and observes Kelly flirting with a man. Yorkie and Kelly reunite in the bathroom, kiss there, and later have sex at Kelly's beach house. Yorkie confesses that it was her first time having sex, and Kelly reveals that she was once married.

The next week, Yorkie visits another nightclub, the BDSM-themed Quagmire, looking for Kelly. Wes advises her to "try a different time". Yorkie visits Tucker's in a few different decades until she finds Kelly in 2002, but Kelly rejects her. After Yorkie leaves, Kelly follows and confesses she is dying; Kelly had avoided Yorkie because she feared developing feelings for her. The two have sex again, and Yorkie reluctantly tells Kelly she lives in Santa Rosa, California, so they can meet.

San Junipero is revealed to be a simulated reality where the deceased can live, and the elderly can visit, all inhabiting their younger selves' bodies in a time of their choice. In the physical world, the elderly Kelly (Denise Burse) visits Yorkie (Annabel Davis). She learns from Yorkie's nurse Greg (Raymond McAnally) that Yorkie was paralysed at age 21 after crashing her car when her parents reacted negatively to her coming out. Yorkie wishes to be euthanised to live in San Junipero permanently, but her family objects; she intends to marry Greg so that he can consent for her. Kelly offers to marry Yorkie instead, and after she enthusiastically accepts, Kelly authorises Yorkie's euthanasia.

During Kelly's next visit to San Junipero, Yorkie asks her to stay full-time. Kelly says she plans to die without being uploaded to the simulation; her husband chose the same fate because their daughter died before San Junipero existed. Yorkie and Kelly argue, and Kelly leaves in her car, which she intentionally crashes. Yorkie catches up to her just as Kelly disappears, her visiting time over for the week.

Time passes and Kelly decides she is ready to enter San Junipero permanently. She is euthanised and buried alongside her family, and she happily reunites with Yorkie in San Junipero.

"San Junipero" is the fourth episode of series three of Black Mirror; all six episodes in this series were simultaneously released on Netflix on 21 October 2016. Whilst series one and two of Black Mirror were shown on Channel 4 in the UK, Netflix commissioned the series for 12 episodes (split into two series of six episodes) in September 2015 with a bid of $40 million,{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/netflix-black-mirror-new-episodes-1201602037/|title='Black Mirror' Lands at Netflix|first=Debra|last=Birnbaum|work=Variety|date=25 September 2015|access-date=25 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612162641/https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/netflix-black-mirror-new-episodes-1201602037/|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=live}} and in March 2016, Netflix outbid Channel 4 for the right to distribute series three in the UK.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/29/netflix-channel-4-charlie-brooker-black-mirror |title=Netflix deals Channel 4 knockout blow over Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror |first=John |last=Plunkett |date=29 March 2016 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=20 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230021155/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/29/netflix-channel-4-charlie-brooker-black-mirror |archive-date=30 December 2017 |url-status=live}} Due to its move to Netflix, the show had a larger budget than in previous series,{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/sep/16/black-mirror-first-look-review-charlie-brooker|title=Black Mirror review – Charlie Brooker's splashy new series is still a sinister marvel|website=The Guardian|last=Lee|first=Benjamin|date=16 September 2016|access-date=19 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920040254/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/sep/16/black-mirror-first-look-review-charlie-brooker|archive-date=20 September 2016|url-status=live}} and a larger episode order which allowed the show to vary its genre and tone more than previous series.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/arts/television/review-black-mirror-finds-terror-and-soul-in-the-machine.html|title=Review: 'Black Mirror' Finds Terror, and Soul, in the Machine|website=The New York Times|last=Poniewozik|first=James|date=20 October 2016|access-date=12 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813011807/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/arts/television/review-black-mirror-finds-terror-and-soul-in-the-machine.html|archive-date=13 August 2017|url-status=live}} Alongside series three episode "Nosedive", "San Junipero" was first shown in 2016 ahead of its Netflix release at the Toronto International Film Festival.{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/black-mirror-season-3-review-san-junipero-nosedive/|title='Black Mirror' Season 3 Review: "San Junipero" and "Nosedive" Are a Sunny Start|work=Collider|date=15 September 2016|access-date=19 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918231259/http://collider.com/black-mirror-season-3-review-san-junipero-nosedive/|archive-date=18 September 2016|url-status=live}}

{{Quote box|quote=I'd read people saying, 'Oh no! It's going to get all American!' so I said, fuck it, I'm going to set it in California, fuck you, I'll choose protagonists that wouldn't necessarily leap into my head, and I'll explore a hopeful use of technology to shut up people who think it's written by the Unabomber.|align=right|width=30%|author=Charlie Brooker|source=interview with The Daily Beast.}}

"San Junipero" was the first script produced for series three,{{cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/black-mirror/44587/black-mirror-series-3-interview-charlie-brooker-and-annabel-jones|title=Black Mirror series 3 interview: Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones|website=Den of Geek|publisher=Dennis Publishing|last=Mellor|first=Louisa|date=19 October 2016|access-date=31 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831181736/http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/black-mirror/44587/black-mirror-series-3-interview-charlie-brooker-and-annabel-jones|archive-date=31 August 2017|url-status=live}} written by Charlie Brooker as a "conscious decision to change the series". The show previously focused on technology's negative effects;{{cite news |title=Charlie Brooker: the dark side of our gadget addiction |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/dec/01/charlie-brooker-dark-side-gadget-addiction-black-mirror |access-date=17 December 2011 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=1 December 2011 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005141925/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/dec/01/charlie-brooker-dark-side-gadget-addiction-black-mirror |archive-date=5 October 2013 |url-status=live}} this episode served as proof that uplifting Black Mirror episodes are possible.

Brooker initially envisioned an episode in which technology is used to investigate whether an afterlife exists, thinking of the genres of horror and supernatural fiction. He later became inspired by nostalgia therapy, wherein elderly people are immersed in music and fashion from their youth. Brooker and executive producer Annabel Jones felt that their concept of virtual consciousness, established in the episode "White Christmas", had more potential. One of Brooker's original concepts was based on the episode "Be Right Back", in which deceased persons' personalities are uploaded into artificial entities in a theme park that relatives can visit. This idea was scrapped with the 2016 broadcast of Westworld, in which humans visit a theme park inhabited by androids. He then recalled the 2010 BBC series The Young Ones, in which older celebrities live in a home decorated in the fashion of the 1970s and find themselves rejuvenated by the setting.{{cite magazine | url = https://ew.com/books/2018/11/20/black-mirror-creator-charlie-brooker-book/ | title = Black Mirror creator reveals the secret inspirations behind 'San Junipero' and other episodes | first = Christan | last = Holub | date = 20 November 2018 | access-date = 20 November 2018 | magazine = Entertainment Weekly | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181121001321/https://ew.com/books/2018/11/20/black-mirror-creator-charlie-brooker-book/ | archive-date = 21 November 2018 | url-status = live | df = dmy-all }} Having repeatedly thought of writing an episode set in the past, Brooker wrote "San Junipero" as a period episode.

File:Charlie Brooker.jpg

Brooker has said that he wrote the script for the episode in four days.{{cite web|url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/black-mirror-charlie-brooker-san-junipero/|title='I was really worried about San Junipero' – Charlie Brooker on pushing the Black Mirror envelope|website=i|last=Watson|first=Alex|date=25 August 2017|access-date=9 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209182428/https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/black-mirror-charlie-brooker-san-junipero/|archive-date=9 February 2018|url-status=live}} In the initial draft, the love story was about a heterosexual couple, but Brooker changed it to give the episode an extra resonance, as same-sex marriage was not legal in 1987. He has said that having a twist makes the writing process easier, as "when you know that 85 percent of what's happening you can't reveal till later on, it actually sort of narrows your options in a useful way".{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2016/10/black-mirror-san-junipero-gugu-mbatha-raw-mackenzie-davis-spoilers-charlie-brooker-interview-1201739792/|title='Black Mirror': How 'San Junipero,' Season 3's Sweet Love Story, Came to Be|work=IndieWire|last=Miller|first=Liz Shannon|date=24 October 2016|access-date=8 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208174827/http://www.indiewire.com/2016/10/black-mirror-san-junipero-gugu-mbatha-raw-mackenzie-davis-spoilers-charlie-brooker-interview-1201739792/|archive-date=8 December 2017|url-status=live}} One draft of the episode contained a scene where Kelly visits a kindergarten in San Junipero, full of children who had died, but it was removed because "it was too sad and too poignant of a note to hit in that story".{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/tv/charlie-brooker-black-mirror-san-junipero-sequel-2133848|title=Charlie Brooker talks prospect of 'San Junipero' sequel episode on 'Black Mirror'|website=NME|last=Moore|first=Sam|date=3 September 2017|access-date=25 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726040949/https://www.nme.com/news/tv/charlie-brooker-black-mirror-san-junipero-sequel-2133848|archive-date=26 July 2018|url-status=live}} Brooker chose the setting of California, a location in America rather than Britain, as a way to "upend" people's preconceptions of Black Mirror.{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-san-junipero-the-magical-black-mirror-episode-that-will-help-take-your-mind-off-trump|title=Inside 'San Junipero': The Magical 'Black Mirror' Episode That Will Help Take Your Mind Off Trump|newspaper=The Daily Beast|last=Stern|first=Marlow|date=27 November 2016|access-date=13 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911160415/http://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-san-junipero-the-magical-black-mirror-episode-that-will-help-take-your-mind-off-trump|archive-date=11 September 2017|url-status=live}} One reviewer noted that all of the characters in "San Junipero" are American.

The episode was originally to have an unhappy ending. Brooker told The Daily Beast that in the rough treatment, the episode ended with the scene where Kelly and Yorkie meet in the hospital, but "when I sat down to actually write it, I was enjoying it so much that I thought, No, I'm going to keep going!" He conceived of Yorkie's euthanasia and expanded on Kelly's backstory, writing her emotional speech to Yorkie in one sitting. The ending came about when Brooker heard "Heaven is a Place on Earth" off a streaming playlist while writing the script, and wanted to license the song for the episode. After listening to the song and lyrics several times, he came to the final shot, which shows a bank of computer servers with flashing lights, giving literal weight to the song's title. An unused idea for the ending had the audience see Kelly and Yorkie in many different eras, such as the 1920s.

Following the episode's release, Brooker was asked about a Reddit post speculating that Kelly is simulated for Yorkie's benefit, rather than really there; he replied "Wrong! They are together",{{cite web|url=http://nerdist.com/black-mirror-creator-responds-to-san-junipero-fan-theory/|title=Black Mirror Creator Responds to San Junipero Fan Theory|publisher=Nerdist Industries|last=Puchko|first=Kristy|date=4 November 2016|access-date=20 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921001755/http://nerdist.com/black-mirror-creator-responds-to-san-junipero-fan-theory/|archive-date=21 September 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} and commented that "[t]hey have the happiest ending imaginable. [...] it's not a big rainbow sandwich, but what appears to be happening there, is happening there."{{cite web|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/black-mirror-creator-charlie-brooker-san-junipero|title=Black Mirror Creator Charlie Brooker on What Really Happened at the End of "San Junipero"|website=Vogue|last=Garcia|first=Patricia|date=27 October 2016|access-date=20 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817210127/http://www.vogue.com/article/black-mirror-creator-charlie-brooker-san-junipero|archive-date=17 August 2017|url-status=live}}

The nightclub settings featured arcade games, which Brooker took an interest in choosing as he was a teenager during the 1980s and has worked as a video game journalist.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-en-st-0817-black-mirror-20170816-story.html|title='Black Mirror's' rare glimpse of technology as a means to joy earns an Emmy nod|website=Los Angeles Times|last=Press|first=Joy|date=17 August 2017|access-date=13 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912125638/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-en-st-0817-black-mirror-20170816-story.html|archive-date=12 September 2017|url-status=live}} Director Owen Harris described the 1980s as a "period in life that was really optimistic".{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/black-mirror-director-san-junipero-ending-spinoffs-season-4-947617|title='Black Mirror' Director Shares His Take on "San Junipero's" Ending and Ideas for a Spinoff|last=Strause|first=Jackie|date=23 November 2016|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=20 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920214957/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/black-mirror-director-san-junipero-ending-spinoffs-season-4-947617|archive-date=20 September 2017|url-status=live}} He chose the year 1987 "fairly arbitrarily" and mentioned "very specific movie posters" in the script. Brooker put together a playlist of music from 1987 on Spotify.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/black-mirror-season-4-episodes-charlie-brooker-annabel-jones-interview-spoilers-1033807|title='Black Mirror' Bosses on "San Junipero" Sequel and an Unpredictable Season 4|website=The Hollywood Reporter|last=Strause|first=Jackie|date=3 September 2017|access-date=13 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913234649/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/black-mirror-season-4-episodes-charlie-brooker-annabel-jones-interview-spoilers-1033807|archive-date=13 September 2017|url-status=live}} Some songs, such as Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" and the Smiths' "Girlfriend in a Coma", hint at the episode's plot twist,{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/10/28/black-mirror-usually-shows-the-dark-side-of-technology-one-episode-shows-it-can-give-us-hope/|title='Black Mirror' usually shows the dark side of technology. One episode shows it can give us hope|newspaper=The Washington Post|last=Butler|first=Bethonie|date=28 October 2016|access-date=11 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315134014/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/10/28/black-mirror-usually-shows-the-dark-side-of-technology-one-episode-shows-it-can-give-us-hope/|archive-date=15 March 2018|url-status=live}} as do arcade games Time Crisis and The House of the Dead. Each song had to be cleared for roughly 15 years for Netflix. Every song was successfully cleared except one by Prince.

"Heaven Is a Place on Earth" plays at the episode's beginning and over the end credits. Brooker first heard it while running, and believed it would be perfect for the final scene, admitting in an interview he would have been "absolutely distraught" if they had been unable to use it.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2016/10/23/black-mirror-postmortem-interview-season-3 |title=Black Mirror postmortem: Showrunner talks season 3 twists |last=Hibberd |first=James |author-link=James Hibberd (writer) |date=21 October 2016 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=24 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026073242/http://www.ew.com/article/2016/10/23/black-mirror-postmortem-interview-season-3 |archive-date=26 October 2016 |url-status=live}} "Girlfriend in a Coma" features in the episode "for about five seconds", yet cost "an outrageous amount of money", Brooker said. Jones said the song's inclusion "was indulgent but at the same time, it was so important that we set up that era so it felt different". Robbie Nevil's song "C'est La Vie" was chosen by Harris, as it was one of the first singles he ever purchased.

The episode also featured an original score by Clint Mansell. Mansell was approached by Harris, and based the score around the previously chosen songs, including "Heaven Is a Place on Earth". He has said that the "calm electronic" score was influenced by John Hughes movies and the death of his girlfriend a year before.{{cite news|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/22717-clint-mansell-interview-black-mirror|title=Interview: Clint Mansell On His Black Mirror Score|last=Irwin|first=Veronica|date=28 June 2017|work=The Quietus|access-date=3 January 2018|archive-date=7 September 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190907152907/https://thequietus.com/articles/22717-clint-mansell-interview-black-mirror|url-status=live}} In December 2016, Lakeshore Records released the score for downloading and streaming.{{cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/news/tv/black-mirror-san-junipero-soundtrack-stream-1886429|title=Stream the soundtrack from 'Black Mirror' episode 'San Junipero'|last=Britton|first=Luke Morgan|work=NME|date=2 December 2016|access-date=3 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104132414/http://www.nme.com/news/tv/black-mirror-san-junipero-soundtrack-stream-1886429|archive-date=4 January 2018|url-status=live}}

Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who plays Kelly, had heard of the show but not seen it when she received the script, though she did watch the series two episode "Be Right Back" before the shoot. Mbatha-Raw read the entire script as soon as she received it, on a bus journey from Oxford Circus to Brixton.{{cite web|url=http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a7700702/black-mirror-gugu-mbathaw-raw-san-junipero/|title=Black Mirror's Gugu Mbatha-Raw on the Heartbreaking and Hopeful "San Junipero"|website=Cosmopolitan|last=Dibdin|first=Emma|date=28 October 2016|access-date=13 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913231233/http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a7700702/black-mirror-gugu-mbathaw-raw-san-junipero/|archive-date=13 September 2017|url-status=live}} Mackenzie Davis, who plays Yorkie, first saw the show with a friend who had pirated it; they watched "The National Anthem". Denise Burse plays the elder Kelly in the real world, as using prosthetics on Mbatha-Raw was quickly discounted. Annabel Davis was cast as elder Yorkie.

The episode's director was Owen Harris, who previously directed "Be Right Back" – an episode he described as "strangely similar" to this one as both are "relationship-led". Joel Collins served as production designer. The 1986 teen films Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller's Day Off were considered as inspiration to anchor the audience in "a place they know". The episode was filmed in 15 days across a three-week period, with shooting split equally between London for most of the interior shots, and Cape Town, South Africa, for most external scenes. They did not film in the United States as a cost-cutting measure. Mbatha-Raw said there was little time to rehearse, and she had little opportunity to meet Davis before shooting. Kelly's outfit was inspired by celebrities of the 1980s such as Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston, while Yorkie's outfit "looks like her mum laid it out on her bed", according to Davis. Her clothing is constant throughout the episode to subvert a "transforming geek" trope in fiction, also allowing her change to be internal rather than external.

The first day of filming was in London for the Quagmire nightclub, shot on location in the Electrowerkz nightclub venue in Islington.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thelocationguide.com/2016/10/black-mirror-doubled-london-for-california-on-season-three-shoot/|title=Black Mirror doubled London for California on season three shoot|last=Deehan|first=Tom|date=October 3, 2016|website=thelocationguide.com|access-date=2020-01-24|archive-date=9 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009213015/https://www.thelocationguide.com/2016/10/black-mirror-doubled-london-for-california-on-season-three-shoot/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://filmfixer.co.uk/2016/10/03/london-still-reflected-in-charlie-brookers-black-mirror/|title=London: still reflected in Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror|date=2016-10-03|website=FilmFixer|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-01-24|archive-date=21 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021181008/https://filmfixer.co.uk/2016/10/03/london-still-reflected-in-charlie-brookers-black-mirror/|url-status=live}} For the club Tucker's, a 3D model was made, which Brooker and Harris viewed with a virtual reality headset. Mbatha-Raw and Davis worked with a dance choreographer and danced to Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done for Me Lately", though Alexander O'Neal's "Fake" was used in the final edit. The alleyway scene features rain, which Harris insisted on including despite Brooker's protestations that the simulated world would not have rain. Harris said that Cape Town "has these really rich, beautiful settings" that allowed him to craft a "slightly heightened" version of California. He noted that whilst shooting Kelly and Yorkie's argument on the beach, an "incredible mist rolled in from the ocean", which caused difficulties but led to "some really lovely texture". Mbatha-Raw said that almost every scene was shot at night or dusk, particularly the exterior scenes.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/08/black-mirror-gugu-mbatha-raw-mackenzie-davis-emmys-interview-1202154140/|title='Black Mirror' stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw & Mackenzie Davis On Immersive Sci-Fi Sets And Socially Important Storytelling|website=Deadline Hollywood|last=Grobar|first=Matt|date=24 August 2017|access-date=25 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726005947/https://deadline.com/2017/08/black-mirror-gugu-mbatha-raw-mackenzie-davis-emmys-interview-1202154140/|archive-date=26 July 2018|url-status=live}}

The episode contains hints leading up to the reveal of the twist. For example, the choice of the song "Girlfriend in a Coma", and the use of the arcade games Time Crisis and The House of the Dead allude to the true reality of the episode.{{cite book | title = Inside Black Mirror | date = November 2018 | first1 = Charlie | last1 = Brooker | first2 = Annabel | last2 = Jones | first3 = Jason | last3 = Arnopp | chapter = San Junipero | isbn = 9781984823489 | publisher = Crown Publishing Group | place = New York City }} More overtly, Yorkie reacts viscerally to seeing a car accident in an arcade game, an element that Brooker was surprised was not picked up by viewers earlier. A factor considered during the editing process was how overt the hints should be. Annabel Jones said that "there may be visual signifiers that you think were going to work and then didn't, so you need more exposition in the edit". Adjustments were also made using sound design techniques such as sound effects.

{{external media

|video1="[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDiYGjp5iFg Black Mirror – Season 3]"
The trailer for series three of Black Mirror.

|video2="[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCmGiiinH1M Orange is the New Black Mirror]"
A crossover clip released by Netflix.

}}

The titles of the six episodes that make up series 3 were announced in July 2016, along with the release date.{{cite web|url=https://nerdist.com/black-mirrors-new-episodes-will-hit-us-in-october/|title=Black Mirror's New Episodes Will Hit US In October|publisher=Nerdist Industries|last=Lutes|first=Alicia|date=27 July 2016|access-date=12 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213010958/https://nerdist.com/black-mirrors-new-episodes-will-hit-us-in-october/|archive-date=13 December 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} A trailer for series three, featuring an amalgamation of clips and sound bites from the six episodes, was released by Netflix on 7 October 2016.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/black-mirror-season-3-trailer-1201881576/|title='Black Mirror' Season 3 Trailer Teases Six 'New Realities'|last=Kelley|first=Seth|website=Variety|date=7 October 2016|access-date=8 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208070657/http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/black-mirror-season-3-trailer-1201881576/|archive-date=8 December 2017|url-status=live}} A short clip "Orange Is the New Black Mirror", released by Netflix in 2017, is a crossover between this episode and Orange is the New Black, featuring characters Poussey and Taystee from the latter reunited in San Junipero.

Reviewers have described "San Junipero" as a highly optimistic, emotionally rooted{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/television/1605250/the-10-best-tv-episodes-of-2016?story_page=8|title=The 10 Best TV Episodes Of 2016|last=Hurley|first=Laura|website=Cinema Blend|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206140150/https://www.cinemablend.com/television/1605250/the-10-best-tv-episodes-of-2016?story_page=8|archive-date=6 December 2017|url-status=live|date=28 December 2016}} love story and a work of science fiction. It features the first same-sex couple in Black Mirror. Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian wrote that it "leaves you believing in the power of love to fight pain and loneliness".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/dec/21/best-tv-episode-2016-game-of-thrones-black-mirror-westworld|title=Battle of the Bastards to San Junipero: what was the best TV episode of 2016?|website=The Guardian|last1=Holland|first1=Luke|last2=Nicholson|first2=Rebecca|last3=Bakare|first3=Lanre|display-authors=etal|date=21 December 2016|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206141451/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/dec/21/best-tv-episode-2016-game-of-thrones-black-mirror-westworld|archive-date=6 December 2017|url-status=live}} Some reviewers noted that the love story "transcends consciousness".{{cite web|url=https://ign.com/articles/2016/10/19/black-mirror-season-3-review|title=Black Mirror Season 3 Review|work=IGN|last=Fowler|first=Matt|date=19 October 2016|access-date=20 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921004218/http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/10/19/black-mirror-season-3-review|archive-date=21 September 2017|url-status=live}} The episode also has unhappy elements{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/critics-picks-15-best-tv-episodes-2016-958180/item/critics-pick-tv-episodes-americans-958175|title=Critics' Picks: The 15 Best TV Episodes of 2016|last1=Goodman|first1=Tim|last2=Fienberg|first2=Daniel|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=21 December 2016|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206135802/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/critics-picks-15-best-tv-episodes-2016-958180/item/critics-pick-tv-episodes-americans-958175|archive-date=6 December 2017|url-status=live}} and has been called "bittersweet".{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/arts/television/the-memorable-tv-episodes-of-2016.html|title=The Memorable TV Episodes of 2016|website=The New York Times|last1=Poniewozik|first1=James|last2=Hale|first2=Mike|last3=Genzlinger|first3=Neil|last4=Lyons|first4=Margaret|date=28 December 2016|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216135246/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/arts/television/the-memorable-tv-episodes-of-2016.html|archive-date=16 February 2018|url-status=live}} It evokes nostalgia for the 1980s with its soundtrack and its style, and can be considered a period piece. It also raises questions about death and the afterlife.{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/12/the-25-best-tv-episodes-of-2016.html|title=The 25 Best TV Episodes of 2016|website=Paste|date=9 December 2016|access-date=6 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206135815/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/12/the-25-best-tv-episodes-of-2016.html|archive-date=6 December 2017|url-status=live}} Esquire reviewer Emma Dibdin called it a "modern fairy tale".{{cite web|url=http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a51786/best-tv-episodes-of-2016/|title=The 20 TV Episodes From 2016 You Absolutely Cannot Miss|last=Dibdin|first=Emma|website=Esquire|date=28 December 2016|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204225759/http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a51786/best-tv-episodes-of-2016/|archive-date=4 December 2017|url-status=live}}

At the time of its release, "San Junipero" was said to be the most different from other Black Mirror episodes due to its more hopeful tone. Mat Elfring of GameSpot described it as the only episode with "warmth to it", and Digital Spy reviewer Morgan Jeffery called it the "most upbeat and positive". Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club believed that the previous episodes' sad tone heightens the effectiveness of "San Junipero",{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/black-mirror-finds-love-and-a-great-episode-in-a-hope-1798189275|title=Black Mirror finds love (and a great episode) in a hopeful place|website=The A.V. Club|last=Handlen|first=Zack|date=24 October 2016|access-date=22 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923002217/https://tv.avclub.com/black-mirror-finds-love-and-a-great-episode-in-a-hope-1798189275|archive-date=23 September 2017|url-status=live}} and Jacob Stolworthy of The Independent thought that it was consequently the show's most ambitious episode. Variety critic Sonia Saraiya pointed out that technology is portrayed as good in "San Junipero", a rarity in the show.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/20-best-tv-episodes-2016-1201932645/|title=The 20 Best TV Episodes of 2016|website=Variety|last=Saraiya|first=Sonia|date=7 December 2016|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206135856/http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/20-best-tv-episodes-2016-1201932645/|archive-date=6 December 2017|url-status=live}} The Atlantic reviewer David Sims noted that the episode follows the season's darkest episode, "Shut Up and Dance".{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/10/black-mirrors-san-junipero-is-the-standout-of-the-season/505049/|title=Black Mirror's 'San Junipero' is the Standout of the Season|website=The Atlantic|last=Sims|first=David|date=21 October 2016|access-date=22 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923050837/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/10/black-mirrors-san-junipero-is-the-standout-of-the-season/505049/|archive-date=23 September 2017|url-status=live}}

The episode subverts a common trope in television of killing off lesbian characters: though Kelly and Yorkie die, they have a happy ending.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/2017/09/16/san-junipero-revisited-black-mirrors-heartbreaking-vision-heaven/|title=The story of San Junipero: why Charlie Brooker's Emmy-winning vision of Heaven will live forever|newspaper=The Telegraph|last=O'Hara|first=Helen|date=18 September 2017|access-date=11 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208145039/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/2017/09/16/san-junipero-revisited-black-mirrors-heartbreaking-vision-heaven/|archive-date=8 February 2018|url-status=live}} Some felt its Emmy Awards marked a cultural shift in relation to portrayal of lesbianism,{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/black-mirrors-san-junipero-nominated-for-two-emmys-and-were-crying_us_59679cdbe4b0a8d46d12eae7|title=Black Mirror's 'San Junipero' Nominated For Two Emmys And We're Crying|website=HuffPost|last=Amatulli|first=Jenna|date=13 July 2017|access-date=11 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212083149/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/black-mirrors-san-junipero-nominated-for-two-emmys-and-were-crying_us_59679cdbe4b0a8d46d12eae7|archive-date=12 February 2018|url-status=live}} or proof of concept that works dealing with LGBT characters need not be tragic.{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/opinion-san-junipero-s-emmy-win-says-queer-people-can-n802411|title=Opinion: 'San Junipero's' Emmy Win Says Queer People Can Live Happily Ever After|publisher=NBC News|last=Brammer|first=John Paul|date=18 September 2017|access-date=11 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210104755/https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/opinion-san-junipero-s-emmy-win-says-queer-people-can-n802411|archive-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live}} "San Junipero" has also been cited as an example of bisexual lighting, in which neon pink and deep blue – the colours on the bisexual pride flag – represent bisexual characters.{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-43765856 | title = Is 'bisexual lighting' a new cinematic phenomenon? | date = 22 April 2018 | access-date = 22 April 2018 | publisher = BBC | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180422063507/http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-43765856 | archive-date = 22 April 2018 | url-status = live }} Amelia Perrin of Cosmopolitan criticised that this and the episode's nightclub setting reinforce a stereotype of bisexuality as "a 'phase' or something experimental".{{cite web|url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/love-sex/a19491322/bisexual-lighting-problematic/|title=Sure, bisexual lighting looks cool, but it can be problematic|website=Cosmopolitan|last=Perrin|first=Amelia|date=20 March 2018|access-date=23 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423033814/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/love-sex/a19491322/bisexual-lighting-problematic/|archive-date=23 April 2018|url-status=live}}

The episode's plot raises many philosophical questions, including the nature of consciousness and experience and the consequences of digitally simulated existence,{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/heaven-is-a-place-onscreen-the-afterlife-is-tvs-most-i-1822556552|title=Heaven is a place onscreen: The afterlife is TV's most inspiring setting|website=The A.V. Club|last=Adams|first=Erik|date=1 February 2018|access-date=25 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726040857/https://www.avclub.com/heaven-is-a-place-onscreen-the-afterlife-is-tvs-most-i-1822556552|archive-date=26 July 2018|url-status=live}} though these issues are not the episode's focus. Reviewers have questioned what San Junipero would mean to believers in an afterlife, and what would happen to its inhabitants in case of technical malfunctions.

At the time of its release, "San Junipero" was very popular among fans,{{efn|"San Junipero" is described as the show's most popular episode by reviewers for Complex,{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2017/12/black-mirror-season-4-preview|title=All Your 'Black Mirror' Season 4 Questions Answered|website=Complex|last=Tharpe|first=Frazier|date=6 December 2017|access-date=4 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105073313/http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2017/12/black-mirror-season-4-preview|archive-date=5 January 2018|url-status=live}} Entertainment Weekly,{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/tv/2017/07/13/black-mirror-san-junipero-emmy-nominations/|title=Black Mirror standout episode 'San Junipero' nabs two Emmy nominations|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|last=Li|first=Shirley|date=13 July 2017|access-date=4 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105070240/http://ew.com/tv/2017/07/13/black-mirror-san-junipero-emmy-nominations/|archive-date=5 January 2018|url-status=live}} Vulture{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/05/black-mirror-san-junipero-scene-too-sad-to-air.html|title=Charlie Brooker Reveals the 'San Junipero' Scene That Was Too Sad To Air|website=Vulture|last=Bramesco|first=Charles|date=21 May 2017|access-date=4 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105233542/http://www.vulture.com/2017/05/black-mirror-san-junipero-scene-too-sad-to-air.html|archive-date=5 January 2018|url-status=live}} and The Daily Beast.{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-best-episode-of-black-mirror-season-4-is-a-hopeful-romance-to-rival-san-junipero|title='Black Mirror' Season 4's Best Episode Is Shockingly Hopeful|newspaper=The Daily Beast|last=Madison|first=Ira|date=29 December 2017|access-date=4 January 2018|archive-date=17 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917200315/https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-best-episode-of-black-mirror-season-4-is-a-hopeful-romance-to-rival-san-junipero|url-status=live}}}} which has been attributed to its emotive presentation of a love story with a happy ending. It has been favourably received by critics, garnering an approval of 93% from 27 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and an average rating of 8/10. Critics' consensus on the website reads, "Black Mirror delivers an uncharacteristically uplifting and enjoyable ending in "San Junipero", an especially bright and sweetly surprising episode that benefits greatly from its vibrant lead performances."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/black_mirror/s03/e04|title=Black Mirror – Season 3, Episode 4 – Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108131108/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/black_mirror/s03/e04|archive-date=8 January 2019|url-status=live}} The episode was rated five stars out of five in the Irish Independent and an A in The A.V. Club. Along with "Nosedive", Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave the episode four stars, while The Telegraph gave "San Junipero" three stars. It has been described by critics as one of the "best hours" and one of the "most beautiful, cinematic episodes" of television in 2016.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/12/21/the-10-best-tv-episodes-of-2016/|title=The 10 best TV episodes of 2016, from 'Black Mirror' to SNL|newspaper=The Washington Post|last=Butler|first=Bethanie|date=21 December 2016|access-date=6 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213012758/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/12/21/the-10-best-tv-episodes-of-2016/|archive-date=13 December 2017|url-status=live}}

Mbatha-Raw's and Davis's performances were universally praised.{{efn|Mbatha-Raw and Davis have been praised in Collider, the Irish Independent, IGN, Paste, and IndieWire.}} Sims lauded the couple's chemistry and said the pair concisely communicate "a whole lifetime of angst and desires". Mullane commented that the strong acting keeps the audience interested prior to the plot twist. Caitlin Welsh of Junkee complimented the "understated, pitch-perfect" performances for making the characters' relationship feel genuine.{{cite web|url=http://junkee.com/guide-binging-black-mirror-thats-thing-really-need/88116|title=A Guide To Binging 'Black Mirror' (If That's A Thing You Really Need To Do)|website=Junkee|last=Welsh|first=Caitlin|date=25 October 2016|access-date=22 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923003348/http://junkee.com/guide-binging-black-mirror-thats-thing-really-need/88116|archive-date=23 September 2017|url-status=live}} Mbatha-Raw and Davis were praised for their emotional range, for giving "fierce and vulnerable performances", and for anchoring the episode.

Mbatha-Raw and Davis also received praise in negative reviews. Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph criticised the characters' dialogue but praised that the ending is emotional due to Mbatha-Raw's "vivacity and conviction". Aubrey Page of Collider reviewed that the episode is unoriginal, but this is compensated by the perfect casting and emotion of the acting. However, Andrew Wallenstein of Variety criticised Mbatha-Raw and Davis for an inability to "pack the emotional punch" needed for the episode to stand out.

The episode's plot twist, revealing that San Junipero is a simulated reality, was commended by critics. Pat Stacey of Irish Independent called the twist "ingenious" while Louisa Mellor of Den of Geek described it as "captivating". Adam Chitwood of Collider noted that there is more to the episode than its twist and praised Harris for how the story unfolds. Similarly, Alex Mullane of Digital Spy said the developments in the story are "refreshing" as they are not presented as twists. Handlen liked how the episode finds a balance between revealing information and making the audience care about the characters.

The episode's visual style and music, which evoke the 1980s, were well received. IndieWire praised both the production design and soundtrack.{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2016/12/25-best-tv-episodes-of-2016-veep-game-of-thrones-americans-bojack-horseman-1201757385/|title=The 25 Best TV Episodes of 2016|website=IndieWire|last1=Travers|first1=Ben|last2=Nguyen|first2=Hanh|last3=Miller|first3=Liz Shannon|date=13 December 2016|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211200042/http://www.indiewire.com/2016/12/25-best-tv-episodes-of-2016-veep-game-of-thrones-americans-bojack-horseman-1201757385/|archive-date=11 December 2017|url-status=live}} Mullane called Mansell's score "wonderfully tender". The Wrap reviewers said that the episode was "visually stunning" and its nostalgia for the 80s was "joyous".

Many critics admired the emotion the episode evokes, and how it ventured into a new genre for the show. Corey Atad of Esquire and Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter both opined that the story would leave viewers in tears,{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/black-mirror-season-3-review-929346 |title=Black Mirror Season 3: TV Review |last=Goodman |first=Tim |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=15 September 2016 |access-date=19 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919032058/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/black-mirror-season-3-review-929346 |archive-date=19 September 2016 |url-status=live}} and Adam David of CNN Philippines cried whilst watching it. Stacey found the episode "extremely moving".{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/tv-reviews/black-mirror-is-back-and-its-as-disturbing-as-ever-with-a-few-minor-cracks-35156063.html|title=Black Mirror is back and it's as disturbing as ever... with a few minor cracks|website=Irish Independent|last=Stacey|first=Pat|date=24 October 2016|access-date=22 September 2017|archive-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702175455/https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/tv-reviews/black-mirror-is-back-and-its-as-disturbing-as-ever-with-a-few-minor-cracks-35156063.html|url-status=live}} Scott Meslow of GQ called it "breathtakingly and tear-jerkingly human".{{cite web|url=https://www.gq.com/story/best-tv-2016|title=The Best TV Episodes of 2016|website=GQ|last=Meslow|first=Scott|date=15 December 2016|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206135840/https://www.gq.com/story/best-tv-2016|archive-date=6 December 2017|url-status=live}} Lee was surprised by the episode's poignancy, while Mellor wrote that it is "genuinely moving". Mullane said the episode demonstrated that the show can tell stories without a dark tone,{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/black-mirror/review/a811882/black-mirror-season-3-san-junipero-review-beautiful-rather-than-biting/|title=Black Mirror season 3 'San Junipero' review: beautiful rather than biting|website=Digital Spy|last=Mullane|first=Alex|date=23 October 2016|access-date=22 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923053728/http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/black-mirror/review/a811882/black-mirror-season-3-san-junipero-review-beautiful-rather-than-biting/|archive-date=23 September 2017|url-status=live}} and Jacob Hall of /Film concurred. Wallenstein called the episode "satisfyingly daring", although he ranked it poorly in comparison to other episodes.

The episode has also received negative criticism from a minority of critics. Collin noted that the episode's central conceit has been widely used within the science fiction genre.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/black-mirror-season-3-san-junipero-review-charlie-brookers-dark/|title=Black Mirror, season 3, San Junipero, review: 'Charlie Brooker's dark sci-fi has never felt bigger'|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|last=Collin|first=Robbie|date=21 October 2016|access-date=22 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923201620/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/black-mirror-season-3-san-junipero-review-charlie-brookers-dark/|archive-date=23 September 2017|url-status=live}} Stolworthy criticised the third act as "overloaded" and commented that "San Junipero", rather than "Hated in the Nation", should have been 90 minutes long.

"San Junipero" appeared on many critics' rankings of the 23 installments in the Black Mirror series, from best to worst.

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

• 1st – Ed Power, The Telegraph{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/black-mirror-every-episode-ranked-rated/|title=Black Mirror: every episode ranked and rated, from Striking Vipers to San Junipero|newspaper=The Telegraph|last=Power|first=Ed|date=28 December 2017|access-date=2 July 2019|url-access=limited|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101030556/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/black-mirror-every-episode-ranked-rated/|archive-date=1 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}
• 2nd – Matt Donnelly and Tim Molloy, TheWrap{{cite web | url=https://www.thewrap.com/all-19-black-mirror-episodes-ranked-from-good-to-mind-blowing-photos/ | title='Striking Vipers' to 'National Anthem': Every 'Black Mirror' Ranked, From Good to Mind-Blowing (Photos) | author=Donnelly, Matt | author2=Molloy, Tim | website=TheWrap | access-date=2 July 2019 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217192830/https://www.thewrap.com/all-19-black-mirror-episodes-ranked-from-good-to-mind-blowing-photos/ | archive-date=17 February 2018 | df=dmy-all }}
• 2nd – James Hibberd, Entertainment Weekly{{cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/gallery/black-mirror-episodes-ranked/?slide=283288#283288 | title=Every Black Mirror Episode Ranked (including season 5) | author=Hibberd, James | author-link=James Hibberd (writer) | date=23 October 2016 | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | access-date=2 July 2019 | df=dmy-all | archive-date=7 September 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907204419/https://ew.com/gallery/black-mirror-episodes-ranked/?slide=283288#283288 | url-status=live }}
• 3rd (of the Top Seven) – Al Horner, GQ{{cite web|url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gallery/best-black-mirror-episodes|title=The best Black Mirror episodes of all time|work=GQ|last=Horner|first=Al|date=6 June 2019|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702224405/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gallery/best-black-mirror-episodes|url-status=live}}
• 3rd – Corey Atad, Esquire{{cite web | url=http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a49919/black-mirror-episodes-ranked/ | title=Every Episode of Black Mirror, Ranked | date=24 October 2016 | author=Atad, Corey | website=Esquire | access-date=2 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815171949/http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a49919/black-mirror-episodes-ranked/ | archive-date=15 August 2017 | url-status=live}}

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• 3rd – Travis Clark, Business Insider{{cite web|url=http://businessinsider.com/every-black-mirror-episode-on-netflix-ranked-from-worst-to-best-2018-5|title=All 23 episodes of Netflix's 'Black Mirror,' ranked from worst to best|work=Business Insider|last=Clark|first=Travis|date=10 September 2018|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911115114/https://www.businessinsider.com/every-black-mirror-episode-on-netflix-ranked-from-worst-to-best-2018-5|archive-date=11 September 2018|url-status=live}}
• 4th (of the Top Ten) – Gina Carbone, CinemaBlend{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2474549/the-10-best-black-mirror-episodes-including-season-5|title=The 10 Best Black Mirror Episodes, Including Season 5|last=Carbone|first=Gina|work=CinemaBlend|date=5 June 2019|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702224404/https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2474549/the-10-best-black-mirror-episodes-including-season-5|url-status=live}}
• 4th – Morgan Jeffery, Digital Spy{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/black-mirror/feature/a780434/black-mirror-episodes-ranked-charlie-brooker/|title=Ranking all 23 episodes of Charlie Brooker's chilling Black Mirror|website=Digital Spy|last=Jeffery|first=Morgan|date=9 April 2017|access-date=2 July 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806110935/http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/black-mirror/feature/a780434/black-mirror-episodes-ranked-charlie-brooker/|archive-date=6 August 2018|df=dmy-all}}
• 4th – Aubrey Page, Collider{{cite web | url=https://collider.com/black-mirror-episodes-ranked | title=Every 'Black Mirror' Episode Ranked From Worst to Best | date=28 October 2016 | last=Page | first=Aubrey | work=Collider | access-date=2 July 2019 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202134910/http://collider.com/black-mirror-episodes-ranked/ | archive-date=2 February 2018 | df=dmy-all }}
• 6th – Charles Bramesco, Vulture{{cite web | url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/10/every-black-mirror-episode-from-worst-to-best.html | title=Every Black Mirror Episode, Ranked | author=Bramesco, Charles | date=21 October 2016 | website=Vulture | access-date=2 July 2019 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312082859/http://www.vulture.com/2016/10/every-black-mirror-episode-from-worst-to-best.html | archive-date=12 March 2018 | df=dmy-all }}

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Following the fifth series, Brian Tallerico of Vulture rated Mbatha-Raw's performance the fourth best of Black Mirror.{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/best-black-mirror-acting-performances.html|title=The 12 Best Performances on Black Mirror|last=Tallerico|first=Brian|work=Vulture|date=11 June 2019|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702224247/https://www.vulture.com/article/best-black-mirror-acting-performances.html|url-status=live}} Additionally, Proma Khosla of Mashable ranked the 22 Black Mirror instalments excluding Bandersnatch by tone, concluding that "San Junipero" is the second-least pessimistic episode of the show after "Hang the DJ".{{cite web|url=https://mashable.com/2018/01/05/black-mirror-pessimism-ranking-dread|title=Every 'Black Mirror' episode ever, ranked by overall dread|work=Mashable|last=Khosla|first=Proma|date=5 January 2018|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308090919/https://mashable.com/2018/01/05/black-mirror-pessimism-ranking-dread/|archive-date=8 March 2018|url-status=live}}

The episode also appears on critics' rankings of the 19 episodes from series 1 to series 4:

• 2nd – Eric Anthony Glover, Entertainment Tonight{{cite web|url=http://www.etonline.com/every-black-mirror-episode-ranked-worst-best-93082|title=Every 'Black Mirror' Episode Ranked, From Worst to Best|website=Entertainment Tonight|last=Glover|first=Eric Anthony|date=22 December 2017|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801004027/https://www.etonline.com/every-black-mirror-episode-ranked-worst-best-93082|archive-date=1 August 2018|url-status=live}}
• 4th – Steve Greene, Hanh Nguyen and Liz Shannon Miller, IndieWire{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/11/best-black-mirror-episodes-worst-netflix-ranked-1201897973/2/|title=Every 'Black Mirror' Episode Ranked, From Worst to Best|last1=Greene|first1=Steve|last2=Nguyen|first2=Hanh|last3=Miller|first3=Liz Shannon|work=IndieWire|date=24 November 2017|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228022045/http://www.indiewire.com/2017/11/best-black-mirror-episodes-worst-netflix-ranked-1201897973/2/|archive-date=28 December 2017|url-status=live}}

Other critics ranked the 13 episodes in Black Mirror{{'}}s first three series.

• 1st – Jacob Hall, /Film{{cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/black-mirror-episode-ranking/3/|title=Through a Touchscreen Darkly: Every 'Black Mirror' Episode Ranked|publisher=/Film|last=Hall|first=Jacob|date=28 October 2016|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923002231/http://www.slashfilm.com/black-mirror-episode-ranking/3/|archive-date=23 September 2017|url-status=live}}
• 2nd – Adam David, CNN Philippines{{cite web|url=http://cnnphilippines.com/life/entertainment/television/2016/10/24/black-mirror-ranked-episodes.html|title=How to watch all 'Black Mirror' episodes, from worst to best|last=David|first=Adam|publisher=CNN Philippines|date=24 October 2016|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928214125/http://cnnphilippines.com/life/entertainment/television/2016/10/24/black-mirror-ranked-episodes.html|archive-date=28 September 2017|url-status=dead}}
• 3rd – Mat Elfring, GameSpot{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/gallery/black-mirror-every-episode-ranked-from-good-to-bes/2900-956/12/ | title=Black Mirror: Every Episode Ranked From Good to Best | author=Elfring, Mat | date=28 October 2016 | website=GameSpot | access-date=2 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116100250/http://www.gamespot.com/gallery/black-mirror-every-episode-ranked-from-good-to-bes/2900-956/12/ | archive-date=16 November 2016 | url-status=live}}
• 3rd (of the Top Ten) – Brendan Doyle, Comingsoon.net{{cite web|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/908789-the-top-ten-black-mirror-episodes|title=The Top Ten Black Mirror Episodes|work=Comingsoon|publisher=CraveOnline|last=Doyle|first=Brendan|date=17 December 2017|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228000141/http://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/908789-the-top-ten-black-mirror-episodes|archive-date=28 December 2017|url-status=live}}
• 9th – Andrew Wallenstein, Variety{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/black-mirror-episodes-rank-binge-guide-netflix-1201894706/|title='Black Mirror' Episodes Ranked: Spoiler-Free Guide to Seasons 1–3|website=Variety|last=Wallenstein|first=Andrew|date=21 October 2016|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923050700/http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/black-mirror-episodes-rank-binge-guide-netflix-1201894706/|archive-date=23 September 2017|url-status=live}}

"San Junipero" has been widely described as the best episode of series three of Black Mirror.{{efn|The episode has been described as such in The New York Times, IGN, GameSpot, The Atlantic, Junkee, Vox and Collider.{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/black-mirror-season-3-review/ |title=Black Mirror Season 3 Review: The Future is Slightly Sunnier on Netflix |last=Chitwood |first=Adam |website=Collider |date=4 October 2016 |access-date=2 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005121413/http://collider.com/black-mirror-season-3-review/ |archive-date=5 October 2016 |url-status=live}}}} It has also appeared at various ranks on critics' lists of series three episodes by quality.

• 1st – Liam Hoofe, Flickering Myth{{cite web|url=https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2016/10/ranking-black-mirror-season-3-episodes-from-worst-to-best/2/|title=Ranking Black Mirror Season 3 Episodes from Worst to Best|website=Flickering Myth|last=Hoofe|first=Liam|date=29 October 2016|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190726184500/https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2016/10/ranking-black-mirror-season-3-episodes-from-worst-to-best/2/|archive-date=26 July 2019|url-status=live}}
• 5th – Jacob Stolworthy and Christopher Hooton, The Independent{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/black-mirror-season-3-episodes-1-6-netflix-ranked-a7373321.html|title=Black Mirror review: The season 3 episodes, ranked|website=The Independent|last1=Stolworthy|first1=Jacob|last2=Hooton|first2=Christopher|date=21 October 2016|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903211031/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/black-mirror-season-3-episodes-1-6-netflix-ranked-a7373321.html|archive-date=3 September 2017|url-status=live}}

"San Junipero" appears in multiple critics' lists of the best episodes of television from 2016.

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

• 1st of 15 – Den of Geek, 25 reviewers{{cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/black-mirror/46080/den-of-geeks-top-15-tv-episodes-of-2016|title=Den Of Geek's top 15 TV episodes of 2016|website=Den of Geek|publisher=Dennis Publishing|date=22 December 2016|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206075807/http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/black-mirror/46080/den-of-geeks-top-15-tv-episodes-of-2016|archive-date=6 December 2017|url-status=live}}
• 2nd of 9 – The Guardian, 7 reviewers
• 2nd of 20 – Variety, Sonia Saraiya
• 3rd of 33 – Vox, Caroline Framke and Emily VanDerWerff{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/12/22/13938430/best-tv-episodes-of-2016|title=The 33 best TV episodes of 2016|website=Vox|last1=Framke|first1=Caroline|last2=VanDerWerff|first2=Emily|date=22 December 2016|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206140018/https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/12/22/13938430/best-tv-episodes-of-2016|archive-date=6 December 2017|url-status=live}}
• 5th of 10 – Entertainment Weekly{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/gallery/best-tv-episodes-2016/5-san-junipero-black-mirror-netflix/|title=The 10 Best TV Episodes of 2016|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=9 December 2016|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206135931/http://ew.com/gallery/best-tv-episodes-2016/5-san-junipero-black-mirror-netflix/|archive-date=6 December 2017|url-status=live}}

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• 7th of 25 – IndieWire, Ben Travers, Hanh Nguyen, Liz Shannon Miller
• 9th of 10 – Time, Daniel D'Addario{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/collection-post/4574935/top-10-tv-episodes-2016/|title=The Top 10 TV Episodes|magazine=Time|last=D'Addario|first=Daniel|date=22 November 2016|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127115304/http://time.com/collection-post/4574935/top-10-tv-episodes-2016/|archive-date=27 November 2017|url-status=live}}
• 9th of 25 – Paste
• 18th of 20 – Esquire, Emma Dibdin

{{col-end}}

Other critics listed their favourite episodes of television in 2016, without giving an order. "San Junipero" appears on these lists:

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{{col-2}}

• Top 10 – The Washington Post, Bethanie Butler
• Top 10 – The New York Times, 4 reviewers
• Top 10 – Cinema Blend, Laura Hurley

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• Top 12 – GQ, Scott Meslow
• Top 15 – The Hollywood Reporter, Tim Goodman and Daniel Fienberg

{{col-end}}

{{See also|List of awards and nominations received by Black Mirror}}

In 2017, "San Junipero" won two Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as two BAFTA Television Craft Awards. It has also won or been nominated for several other accolades:

In August 2017, Brooker said there were no plans for a sequel episode to "San Junipero". He told the Los Angeles Times that "we want to keep [Kelly and Yorkie] happy there". In an interview with NME, Brooker mentioned that some ideas for the episode were later removed, such as a scene with a kindergarten in San Junipero that "felt like a whole world in and of itself". He raised the idea of doing a sequel in "a completely different form", such as a graphic novel or "an experience".{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/tv/charlie-brooker-rules-out-direct-sequel-to-san-junipero-but-teases-a-graphic-novel-about-it-instead-2135308|title=Charlie Brooker rules out direct sequel to 'San Junipero' but teases graphic novel about it instead|website=NME|last=Jones|first=Damian|date=7 September 2017|access-date=8 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208070805/http://www.nme.com/news/tv/charlie-brooker-rules-out-direct-sequel-to-san-junipero-but-teases-a-graphic-novel-about-it-instead-2135308|archive-date=8 December 2017|url-status=live}} "San Junipero" has been alluded to through Easter eggs in subsequent episodes: for example, "Black Museum" shows Kelly's and Yorkie's dresses on display in a museum,{{cite web | url = https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/black-mirror-season-4-black-museum-colm-mccarthy-directing-interview-1202640505/ | title = 'Black Mirror' Director on 'Black Museum': 'I Think There's Something Quite Spiritual About It' | first = Danielle | last = Turchiano | date = 29 December 2017 | access-date = 9 January 2018 | website = Variety |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180111102248/http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/black-mirror-season-4-black-museum-colm-mccarthy-directing-interview-1202640505/ | archive-date = 11 January 2018 | url-status = live}} and features a hospital named Saint Juniper's.{{Cite web |url=http://heavy.com/entertainment/2017/12/black-museum-easter-eggs-photos-screenshots-mirror/ |title=Black Museum Easter Eggs: Photos of Every Black Mirror Episode Mentioned [SPOILERS] |last=Dwilson |first=Stephanie Dube |date=29 December 2017 |website=Heavy |access-date=9 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171229122344/http://heavy.com/entertainment/2017/12/black-museum-easter-eggs-photos-screenshots-mirror/ |archive-date=29 December 2017 |url-status=live }}

The first episode of season 7 "Common People" features a hotel called "Juniper" where the lead characters spend their most precious time together.

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb episode|4538072|San Junipero}}

{{Black Mirror}}

{{EmmyAward TelevisionMovie}}

{{GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode}}

Category:2016 British television episodes

Category:Black Mirror episodes

Category:British LGBTQ-related television episodes

Category:Television episodes about the afterlife

Category:Fiction about consciousness transfer

Category:Fiction set in 1987

Category:Fiction set in 2002

Category:Films scored by Clint Mansell

Category:Lesbian-related television

Category:Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie winners

Category:Television episodes about death

Category:Television episodes about euthanasia

Category:Television episodes about simulated reality

Category:Television episodes written by Charlie Brooker

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Category:Television episodes set in the 1980s

Category:Television episodes set in the 2000s