Striking Vipers
Two old friends reconnect inside a VR fighting game and find their rivalry turning into something else.
"Striking Vipers" is the first episode of Black Mirror's fifth series. Charlie Brooker wrote it, Owen Harris directed, and Netflix released it on 5 June 2019 with the rest of series five.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Black Mirror
- Episode
- 1
- Director
- Owen Harris
- Writer
- Charlie Brooker
- Photographer
- Gustav Danielsson
- Editor
- Nicolas Chaudeurge
- Air date
- 5 June 2019
- Length
- 61 minutes
Lore & Background
Childhood friends Danny and Karl meet again in a virtual-reality fighting game, Striking Vipers X, where their bouts turn into a sexual relationship between their avatars. Critics read the episode as being about the fluidity of sexuality and gender, infidelity, love and friendship, and were split on how well it handled them, with several ranking it below series three's "San Junipero". The acting and direction were mostly praised.
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