The “Hotel Reverie” episode in Season 7 of Black Mirror on Netflix explores the ability of artificial intelligence to evoke human emotions.

Since its inception in 2011, Black Mirror has explored mind-bending and ominous themes in the science fiction realm, and the highly anticipated seventh season is proof.

What is “Hotel Reverie” about?

According to the official episode logline, “Hollywood A-list actor Brandy Friday (Issa Rae) is thrown into an unusually immersive high-tech remake of a vintage romantic movie. She’s got to stick to the script if she ever wants to make it home.”

Alongside Rae, Awkwafina stars as Kimmy, Emma Corrin is Clara/Dorothy, and Harriet Walter is Judith Keyworth.

At the beginning of the episode, we meet Keyworth, a seasoned Hollywood writer looking to regain relevance by landing a big star in the remake of her hit film Hotel Reverie. Brandy wants a role as something more than being “a noble victim” or “f**kable sidekick” (it’s important to note that she starred alongside Ryan Gosling in a film).

Kimmy offers the perfect solution for both through a platform that will use AI to recreate the classic Hollywood film. However, Brandy completely misses that she will be used as somewhat of a test dummy to fulfill the mission at hand.

When falling in love with AI goes wrong

To remake Hotel Reverie, Brandy is required to enter the AI realm, where all of the original characters are computer-generated. She is only to say the lines as they are in the film that was released years ago, but when one thing (it turns out her character needed to know how to play the piano) throws the script off, it isn’t long before the character finds herself stuck in the digitally created space.

Brandy quickly realizes that Clara, or what she thinks is the computer version of actress Dorothy Chambers, is starting to garner human emotions. And, with the script thrown off, Brandy has learned that she could die in real life if her character doesn’t make it to the end credits.

The issue at hand heightens when one of the workers in the real world spills coffee on the computer, completely trapping Brandy in the computerized world, where she soon has nothing but time and space to fall in love with Dorothy.

Does Brandy make it to the end credits?

Yes, Brandy makes it to the final scene, but it’s too late to switch off the feelings she developed for Dorothy. It leads to her crashing out to fight for her love at the end because Dorothy’s memory of falling in love with Brandy has been erased, thanks to the computers turning back on.

In the end, Dorothy is shot and killed due to a significant plot twist, and Brandy is almost too devastated to utter her line, “I’ll be yours forevermore,” that will bring her out of the simulation.

Ultimately, a tearful Brandy says it, and despite the remake’s success in the outside world, she’s battling the inner turmoil of losing the person she’s developed strong feelings for.

Kimmy, who feels guilt for the emotional toll she put Brandy through, sends her a flash drive with a system that allows her to communicate with another computer-generated version of Dorothy in the final scene.

Season 7 of Black Mirror now streaming on Netflix.

Hotel Reverie

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