Source
r/blackmirror•
-Thoth

Season 3 Episode 3 “Shut Up and Dance”

SpoilerS03E03

Okay, wow.

I just had to make this post because I’ve just gotta get it out there. I’ve been watching all the episodes in order and this one fucked me up.

During the entire episode I kept thinking that Kenny was going a bit too far, way farther than I would’ve ever gone if some weirdos recorded me jerking off - and I empathized the whole way through. In my eyes while watching, this was just a kid who is way too scared that this may impact his life and future drastically, and if he has to drop off some packages, who cares right?

I didn’t pick up on any clues about Kenny being a child peeper until the very very end. The bank robbery seemed excessive, but Bronn kind of berated him and made him feel like shit so I figure, alright, kids going through a lot and Bronn’s obviously fucking his head up because he also doesn’t want to get caught, and the pressure is just too much to handle. So he robs the bank, okay whatever. And at the point of having to fight to the death, I mean, you’re already this far right? Fuck it. This guys way bigger than you, I would’ve pulled out the gun immediately as well. But killing yourself?? Over this?? Kenny cmon man.

EVEN WHEN the other guy started admitting that he was watching child porn and asked Kenny how young the kids he was watching were, I thought Kenny was just staying silent because he couldn’t comprehend why this had to be happening to him, what’s the point in telling him you were there for something as stupid as jerking off to porn? I’d have felt like an idiot at this point, robbing a fucking bank and having to kill someone over that?? I wouldn’t even want to admit my “crime” was so .. permissible. What’s the point of taking it this far? Even when his mom started accusing him of looking at kids I thought, oh wow, the hackers are pinning that on him on top of this??

Didn’t realize it was true until he just started sliding the phone down, and the cops showed up. Wow. I may just be too naive watching these episodes but that twist was beautiful, and I uhh..I’m ready to be hurt again. Episode 4 here we go.

Posted Mar 10, 2019, 8:36 PM UTC

1K127
jmpkh23★★★★★ 4.96•

When the girl forgets her stuffed animal in the beginning at Kenny's work and he hands it back as the mom is thanking him he never even looks at the mom only focuses on the child, just a subtle clue. Also, not being into his boss who was seemingly into him.

672
Sparklewhores★★★★★ 4.839•

As soon as that played out I jokingly said to my bf "I bet he's a pedo"

Should I use my powers for good?

307
NolesChick★★★★★ 4.69•

I don’t know, Ms. Whores. What other powers do you have over there?

124
EastWorm☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

r/rimjob_steve

21
[deleted]•

[deleted]

0
Sparklewhores★★★★★ 4.839•

It's pretty much just a pedo-detector.

17
NolesChick★★★★★ 4.69•

My superpower is sarcasm, so yours is definitely better and more useful.

6
bealtimint★★☆☆☆ 2.167•

Hm...the ability to preemptively predict criminal tendencies...sounds like a BM episode

10
alyaaz★★☆☆☆ 1.66•

Good spot!! Never noticed that. I assumed he was really shy

126
snowballsrevenge★★★★★ 4.617•

Also next time you’re watching take a listen to what song is playing (“that’s the way I like it”) it makes it more sickening

57
[deleted]•

[deleted]

3
tomlloydevans★★★★★ 4.66•

I loved that bit of foreshadowing. He does look at the mum though, twice.

56
jmpkh23★★★★★ 4.96•

It's been a while since I've watched but I believe you. If I remember correctly though his focus is pretty much all on the girl.

25
tomlloydevans★★★★★ 4.66•

yes :)

7
thesavant★★★★★ 4.927•

I actually had a double-reaction. Since the camera focus is on the girl's height-level, I actually originally thought it was saying Kenny was staring at the mom's ass, to which I was like "lol ok". But then the little girl turned around and waved and it turns out he was just waving to her and I actually felt a little bad like "oops my bad, Kenny, didn't mean to think you were a perv". Oh boy how wrong I was.

3
WholeCod3☆☆☆☆☆ 0.108•

You're seriously so stupid I have no idea why you bother watching anything.

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

-3†
Vault-B0y★★★★☆ 3.624•

Self-flagellation is really weird, dude.

For people downvoting: the person above was self flagellating in regards to being an American. It was weird.

6
Creepy_OldMan★★★★★ 4.729•

It's been a while since I saw the episode but is Kenny the teenager?

14
jmpkh23★★★★★ 4.96•

Yeah he's the main character in the episode/the boy.

7
tonyuquq☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

OMG I thought the relation with Kenny and the Boss felt a bit weird but now I finally get it.

14
LoveIsANerd★★★★☆ 4.19•

Yeah, and which song exactly is playing in the background during that scene?

"That 's the way (uh huh uh huh) I like it..."

13
crazyfeekus★★★★★ 4.626•

wow! how did I not notice this!

2
BandaMo☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

Someone wrote something like this before and since then I am afraid to rewatch any part of this episode. This is definitely one of the biggest fucks up in the whole series

2
Derpatologist_7★★★☆☆ 2.555•

Also the song playing in the background during the teddy bear scene “That’s the way uh huh uh huh I like it”

1
ff_beer_money★☆☆☆☆ 0.508•

Someone pointed this out on another thread...when Kenny gives the stuffed animal back...the background music is "thats the way, I uh huh uh huh, like it" is playing.

This is my favorite episode but most disturbing and I have not watched it since

1
chew-it-punchy★★★★★ 4.966•

San junipero is next and it has a VERY different tone. Still great though, wish I could watch all these for the first time again

470
justkeepswimmingswim★★★★★ 4.869•

San Junipero is placed perfectly, in my opinion. Gives viewers a little bit of a break from the typical Black Mirror tone. I binged the first season and had to take a break for months. I learned not to watch more than 2 episodes at a time after that, hah.

219
gmasterson★★★★☆ 4.056•

I recently rewatched a bunch and even a second time around I had to stop after a few. They are heavy stuff.

56
jmpkh23★★★★★ 4.96•

Started trying to rewatch nosedive today and quit 5 minutes in, the realism and awkwardness was too much for me to handle atm. Reminds me of the movie Requiem for a Dream. Amazing movie, like incredible but one watch is more than enough.

31
Robotlollipops★★☆☆☆ 1.532•

Nosedive is one of my favorites lol

My ringtone comes from that episode

30
iCoeur285★☆☆☆☆ 1.085•

My boyfriend is very empathetic, so I told him he’s not allowed to watch episodes without me there and we’re not going to watch a bunch of episodes at once. This was after I showed him SJ, and I warned him that the episode encompasses the thought provoking part of Black Mirror, but that the rest of the show was a lot darker. He thought I was being a bit overboard, and wanted to watch Shut Up and Dance next.

After that episode he understood.

8
hollytheimpaler☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

I binged them all while going thru alcohol withdraw. So on top of the sweating, shaking, and crippling anxiety I was also watching this. It did not make me feel better but I couldn’t stop.

6
DocPBJ007★★☆☆☆ 1.66•

I love these romantic episodes. Tho I never watch them in order always

2
StrongChemical★★★☆☆ 2.566•

I love the show and agree, it is nearly impossible to binge.

I have been rewatching 15 million merits; that episode gets better with every rewatch.

1
road_tanker☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

San junipero is my favourite episode. I wish it could be real.

10
Shoooter_☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

Same, the main actor is beautiful.

7
goodbyekitty83☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

San junipero was just... Heartbreaking.

4
xsullengirlx☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

but also one of the few with a "happy" ending.

1
IngloriousBlaster★★★★★ 4.818•

It's telling when one of the few episodes that qualify as a happy ending has the main character and her wife dying at the end.

1
WonOneJuan☆☆☆☆☆ 0.109•

Jesus dude. I might as well not even watch it now. Completely spoiled it for me.

0
porn_addict_AMA★☆☆☆☆ 0.533•

The scene where Hector walks in on his wife and you can see she knows really fucked me up when watching, same with Kenny when he answers the phone at the end they're just a bit unsettling

154
john6map4★★★☆☆ 2.579•

I straight up though Hector’s wife was the mastermind to all the shit for a sec.

She set it all up, Kenny and the lady and the black guy and the older pedo guy in the end all to show her husband she knew he was cheating.

55
Polarchill★★★★★ 4.861•

My friend can’t watch the end of the episode anymore because “the look in that mans eyes was pure sadness to the extent which I wish to never see again”

49
DaveDave_Org★★★★☆ 3.673•

That's a huge compliment for the actor

18
Aurelianshitlist★★★★★ 4.869•

Just watched last night for the second time because of this thread popping up. What really sticks with me at the end is how the consequences for each person seem to be somewhat proportional to what they did.

For the CEO woman, she gets exposed as a racist and will lose her job and likely be ostracized socially. Bronn gets exactly what he feared for cheating and hiring a prostitute: he will lose his marriage and kids. They don't say what happens with the guy on the moped but it seemed like maybe they call him a pervert so maybe he was also cheating or got exposed for a weird but not reprehensible fetish.

But for Kenny and the other guy, who are pedophiles who were watching/looking at child pornography, they have to experience fearing for their life and then (in the other's guy's case) dying. Or, in Kenny's case, being outed as a sicko and being sent to jail for a LOOONG time for the child porn, plus bank robbery, plus murder.

Pretty poetic. The episode really mirrors (no pun intended) White Bear in that both reveals show us that the "protagonist" was actually a bad person being punished the whole time. This evokes thoughts/discussion about whether they "deserve" what they got. Coincidentally (or purposely), both of the main characters in this episode were connected to the exploitation of children for sexual purposes.

7
porn_addict_AMA★☆☆☆☆ 0.533•

the guy on the moped but it seemed like maybe they call him a pervert so maybe he was also cheating or got exposed for a weird but not reprehensible fetish.

It's not really clear but I think he's probably abused his sister due to there being the 5 people in the room, with what appears to be him being shouted at by his mother and his sister being comforted by his dad and brother.

Or, in Kenny's case, being outed as a sicko and being sent to jail for a LOOONG time for the child porn, plus bank robbery, plus murder.

I don't think he would get that long, the maximum sentence possible in Britain is 25 years. Then you factor in he killed the guy because he would have been killed and he was attacked first so it's kind of self defence, then he was blackmailed into the bank robbery with no reward for it and that Child abuse in general goes underpunished and that he could plead guilty to his crimes to get less time, then get early release for good behaviour and he could easily be out in a handful of years.

Pretty poetic. The episode really mirrors (no pun intended) White Bear in that both reveals show us that the "protagonist" was actually a bad person being punished the whole time. This evokes thoughts/discussion about whether they "deserve" what they got. Coincidentally (or purposely).

Yeah, they heavily borrowed from that trying to make us feel sympathy then make us question it at the end by making them out to be bad people.

Coincidentally (or purposely), both of the main characters in this episode were connected to the exploitation of children for sexual purposes.

I don't remember Hector being a child abuser unless I'm forgetting something, I just thought he wanted to have sex with a prostitute because he was getting bored in his marriage.

2
Aurelianshitlist★★★★★ 4.869•

It's not really clear but I think he's probably abused his sister due to there being the 5 people in the room, with what appears to be him being shouted at by his mother and his sister being comforted by his dad and brother.

Could be that. I feel like if that's the case he would have been more severely punished though. I'd like to think that what he did wasn't so heinous given his ending compared to Kenny and the guy he fought.

I don't think he would get that long, the maximum sentence possible in Britain is 25 years. Then you factor in he killed the guy because he would have been killed and he was attacked first so it's kind of self defence, then he was blackmailed into the bank robbery with no reward for it

I don't think the child pornography stuff is going to win him any sympathy with a jury. I'm Canadian but our legal systems are similar, and I don't think blackmail is an excuse for armed bank robbery. Regarding the murder, unless the hackers give the drone video to the police, the only evidence that it was self defence is Kenny's own testimony. This is just nitpicking though, as either way his life as he knew it is over forever.

I don't remember Hector being a child abuser unless I'm forgetting something, I just thought he wanted to have sex with a prostitute because he was getting bored in his marriage.

Sorry. I think I meant to type something along the lines of "these episodes" or "this episode and White Bear", as I meant that the main characters of both White Bear and Shut Up and Dance were involved in sexual exploitation of children.

2
IBlame_Nargles★★★★★ 4.873•

Shut Up and Dance is my favourite episode and I’ve only watched it twice. I adore film/TV so only two viewings is extremely little for me (I watched Suicide Squad 7 times and I hate that movie). Shut Up and Dance has such perfect storytelling. Nothing too over the top but just crazy enough. Your heart going from “Aw” to “Ugh”. Fucking fantastic.

116
42Norbi☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

Can you please explain how you come to watch a movie you hate seven times?:D

74
IBlame_Nargles★★★★★ 4.873•

First time to watch it, second time to solidify my opinion of the movie, third time to see why I didn’t like it, fourth time going deeper into why I didn’t like it, fifth time was mainly me wondering how I’d improve it, sixth time I re-edited it to see if that helped (it didn’t) and seventh was watching it one last time to see if I truly did hate it. I do hate it.

I’m a huuuuge film nerd and, even though I rarely do this, it helps me understand the medium more. I was taught to be analytical when watching films and since I was taught that I haven’t not been analytical since.

I try to have positive movie experiences so this was a kind rare thing for me, it was fun but I couldn’t do it for every show/movie. Don’t get me started on what I do when I like a film lmao

45
WonderBoy1981★★★★☆ 4.338•

I watched Rogue One eight times at the theater, but because I loved it and I was showing it to different people

16
JaapHoop☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

Goddamn, did you have a research grant to fund that?

10
jamesplayspiano★★★★★ 4.8•

I bet you're one of those annoying people who sit there like "OMG the next part is amazing, wait for it omgggihegriuwg"

-5
beepbeepbitch☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

That makes no sense to me. If I don't like something, I believe myself that I don't like it and not going to spend more time watching something I don't like.

6
musicaldigger★★★★☆ 4.33•

that sounds exhausting omg

3
IBlame_Nargles★★★★★ 4.873•

Like I said, I love film so for me it wasn’t that bad but I get where you’re coming from aha. It was over the course of like a month and a half so it wasn’t that bad, if it was done within a week I would just be torturing myself lmao

1
Le_Monade★★★★☆ 3.88•

Ah this is like Andy from Parks and rec on the Expendables 2

https://vimeo.com/91144774

1
ApoliticalDecoration☆☆☆☆☆ 0.199•

It got to be one that sticks up today's standard with many women doing explicit pics and having a ransom.

2
zarbixii★★★★★ 4.939•

Wake... From your sleep...

Yeah, this episode fucked me up as well. It was the first one that actually made me think "Alright, I should take a break from this." Still my favourite episode of the whole show.

75
pompeii1009☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

Whenever I hear that song now, I can only think of this scene. Heard it in Umbrella Academy and was just like , “Fuck, shut up and dance.”

21
12blackcats★★★★★ 4.815•

One of my favourite Radiohead songs. What a way to end the episode.

15
new-monkey★★★★★ 4.859•

Look IN the cake

57
GIFtoGasm★☆☆☆☆ 0.941•

Love that you call him Bronn. I refuse to call him anything else but that as well. I think that was the best written episode thus far. Although there are so many epic ones.

48
JamesOCocaine★★☆☆☆ 1.626•

Jerome from Robson and Jerome.

10
IVIorgz★★★★☆ 4.13•

I didn't even realise they were the same guy and that OP was calling him Bronn, not Hector, until you pointed it out. I watched black mirror before i started GoT so i guess that does make sense. Wow!

3
Serpent73☆☆☆☆☆ 0.224•

I was pretty sure he was smashing it to something hinky pretty early. The tip off? When he is watching TV and gets up, he looks right at his YOUNGER sister. (Never mind the secrecy. Who puts a lock on your bedroom door?)

​

editing for spelling

37
zarbixii★★★★★ 4.939•

Don't forget when he's talking to the little girl and the song in the background is "That's the way (uh huh uh huh) I like it"

43
Serpent73☆☆☆☆☆ 0.224•

Missed that. But, yeah, def foreshadowing for sure.

17
CrimsonT-Rex☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

Maybe I'm like OP because I did not realize he was looking at kids until the fight at the end. However, putting a lock on your door makes sense to me, my family likes to get into EVERYONE's business and I remember the shit I went through when they found my birth control.

This episode really messed with me because I felt for him, I didn't even try masturbating until near the end of college because of trauma and a religious family so I figured I identified with Kenny. The feeling of disgust and sheer stupidity on my part (I should have realized earlier) really fucked with me. And so, I truly enjoyed this episode, I love being thrown off like that.

37
notfriendlyghost★★★★☆ 4.408•

I have a lock in my bedroom door. Why is that weird?

8
Serpent73☆☆☆☆☆ 0.224•

It is generally indicative of a lack of trust / boundaries / enforced rules in the household. All 3 of which are needed for children to grow up feeling safe. This dynamic (no doubt arising from a permissive and 'absent' single parent) might explain why Kenny was so lost socially, and didn't realize / acknowledge how grossly inappropriate his interest in little girls was.

1
TeniBear★★★☆☆ 3.262•

Watch carefully when he starts searching for the kind of porn he wants. You clearly see him type “CHIL” before the shot changes. Very quick and very subtle, but somewhat easy to catch on a rewatch.

3
slaylor_me★★★★☆ 3.987•

At first I thought he was wanking it to his sister

2
PinkIce0226★★☆☆☆ 1.785•

It took me a second watch as well. I also had a feeling that Kenny was mentally challenged in some way based on his social interactions and demeanor. I may be the only one who picked up on it but it reminded me of some of my sisters patients with autism.

36
TimTheTalkingPie☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

I have autism and I would definitely agree with that. Watching Kenny this shy awkward teenager running around to prevent his life being ruined by public humiliation was something I could really empathise with, so the reveal when this character we’d been rooting for was a pedophile was very shocking.

45
queen_clean★★★★☆ 4.273•

I've watched pretty much every episode more than once now except San junipero.. for some reason I just didn't get it and I've had no inclination to go back and watch it again? Am I just being stupid, I feel like if i force myself to pay attention I would more than likely enjoy the episode (did exactly the same thing rewatching Sherlock & just got through the last season again)

27
hawks0311★★★★☆ 4.302•

San Junipero addresses the afterlife. You can live in the computer world as a cookie forever or die and pass into the unknown. There's a lot of moral dilemmas with it obviously.

22
Evieneve1999☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

Me too! It’s literally the only episode I felt I was being dragged through and I’ve never had the intention to go back and try again, despite rewatching other episodes.

10
StuRedman22☆☆☆☆☆ 0.306•

Same here got bored with it, stopped watching and never tried again. Then the week after that I found a list of best black mirror episodes and it was at #1. Still didn’t care to go back and watch it. Maybe I’m stupid?

10
queen_clean★★★★☆ 4.273•

Yeah I saw something like that too hyping up the episode which is what made me think that I might of missed something

3
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
light_yagami_lovesL★★★★★ 4.712•

Nah I didn't like it either was sad and I hated that they stayed there

7
anotha1bitesthecrust★★★☆☆ 3.36•

I feel like this episode had an impact on me unlike any other episode. I think for me it was like a feeling of betrayal that it gives you. You really empathize with Kenny and then you find out what he did in the end and you're just like...oh. One of my favorites though by far.

27
Le_Monade★★★★☆ 3.88•

Betrayal is the perfect word to describe it. Both betrayal from the hackers, the fact that he did everything they asked and they still ratted him out, and then the betrayal from Kenny seconds later when you realize he was a pedophile.

Uh it literally makes me tear up like no other show can I hate/love it

9
TearOutMyEyes☆☆☆☆☆ 0.031•

But does it ever say how old Kenny was? He looks like a child himself. You can get a job as young as 15.

1
Le_Monade★★★★☆ 3.88•

Doesn't really make a difference imo whether he's 15 or 19.

1
TearOutMyEyes☆☆☆☆☆ 0.031•

But it does. He could have been looking at girls his age, it he was 15, and it would have been totally normal. Still not legal, but it wouldn't make him a pedophile.

-2†
Fuckgorms☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

This easily still goes down as one of my favorite episodes, purely based off how different it is off the second watch through. First time you watch it you feel for the kid who got caught jerking off on video and doesn’t want it to get out for simple public humiliation. However once you learn his true motivations for not letting that get out, it changes everything you were thinking about Kenny on a complete 180. Easily the best episode in my opinion, if not top 3. Simplistic and horrifying in the way it was done.

18
runnerblade4920☆☆☆☆☆ 0.11•

The episode is my favourite. My experience watching it was the exact same as yours too. Took me a while to get over it. I've watched it a few times since and it doesn't get any easier.

Go back and listen to the song playing during the scene with the kid at the start...

14
Mr_Jennings★★★★★ 4.804•

The song was "That's the way" by KC & the sunshine band

Thanks for making it even more awkward...

1
nnikkiplierr★★★★★ 4.528•

I've watched the episodes completely out of order, Shut Up and Dance being one of the last ones to watch. Unfortunately, I judge books by their covers with Netflix shows/movies so just by looking at the cover, I thought it was going to be boring or whatever. Boy was I wrong. Shut Up and Dance is by far my favorite episode of Black Mirror, I haven't continued watching since that episode because it fucked me up THAT much. I think about it more than any other episode. I hope more people watch it though because it does honestly seem lackluster, but man, I've never felt so many intense emotions than when Kenny answered that phone call.

9
basedcvrp★★★★★ 4.863•

I’m so happy I’m not the only person that explains this episode and refers to him as “Bronn”

6
waterynike★☆☆☆☆ 1.355•

I need to rewatch as I didn’t even realize it was Bronn!

1
MontegoBarbados★★★★☆ 3.642•

Another clue is how his attractive and pleasant supervisor at work seems to be interested in him and he couldn’t care less. I thought maybe I was reading into it too much, that I was just assuming she was interested just because she’s nice to him. But then his envious coworkers tease him about it, saying that she’s into him and apparently only nice only to him.

6
ChiTownChick★★★★★ 4.542•

I never had that thought either! I just thought that he was young and didn’t want to be forever haunted by a video of himself circulating the internet. On a second viewing I saw more subtext. It was a gut wrenching ending that made me extremely uncomfortable. The entire episode you’re behind this guy. He’s a teenager who’s being blackmailed for looking at porn. Something that is so normal for a teenager. I was on the edge of my seat yelling at the tv. His “crime” wasn’t a crime. Until it was. When he uttered the words “I never touched them” my heart sank. It all made sense.

6
the_episode_bot★★★★☆ 4.149•

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Shut Up and Dance [8.5 ★] | Watch on Netflix | imdb

Spoiler Alert

5
Ieralaa★★★★★ 4.841•

It goes to show that not every pedophile is the stereotypical old, fat neckbeard. I love how Black Mirror turns our biases against us. It does a great job at giving the viewer a reality check.

5
quaker_0ats★★★★☆ 3.583•

This one totally fucked me up. Like for weeks.

5