After they return home and have sex, Danny loudly plays the fictional fighting game Striking Vipers with his friend Karl Houghton ( Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) as their preferred characters Lance and Roxette, respectively. Twenty-seven-year-old Danny Parker ( Anthony Mackie) and his girlfriend Theo ( Nicole Beharie) go to a bar and pretend to be strangers.

The acting and directing was mostly praised, though some critics found the characterisation lacking. Reviewers were divided over whether it addressed these themes in an interesting way, and some found it inferior to series three's ' San Junipero', which also shows a queer relationship in virtual reality. Its storyline arose from an idea about a workplace affair in virtual reality where neither co-worker knew the other's identity.Ĭritics identified fluidity of sexuality and gender, infidelity, love and friendship as major themes the episode raises questions about whether Danny and Karl are gay and whether their relationship is infidelity. The episode has an all-black main cast and was filmed in Brazil. They begin having virtual sex in the game, which affects Danny's marriage with Theo ( Nicole Beharie). The episode follows two old friends, Danny Parker ( Anthony Mackie) and Karl Houghton ( Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), reconnecting over a virtual reality fighting game. The episode was released on Netflix, along with the rest of series five, on 5 June 2019. It was written by series creator Charlie Brooker and directed by Owen Harris. ' Striking Vipers' is the first episode of the fifth series of the anthology series Black Mirror.

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