In the first episode of Black Mirror season 6, the main character is not quite who she seems to be, and in this way, sets off a series of strange happenings and even stranger questions. "Joan Is Awful" stars Schitt's Creek's Annie Murphy as Joan, a woman with a put-together life that no longer excites her. However, one night everything turns upside down as she discovers that a streaming service has created a new show entitled "Joan Is Awful," and it's unmistakably about her life, yet worse. With just one episode sending her into a spiral, Joan goes on a mission to get this show taken down at whatever cost.
In true Black Mirror fashion, "Joan Is Awful" presents one unlikely scenario: a woman whose life is being depicted day-by-day on television, and adds even more technological twists and turns after the fact. For example, in the TV series "Joan Is Awful" that Annie Murphy watches, Joan is played by Salma Hayek, whereas in Hayek's world, her Joan actress is Cate Blanchett. It is later revealed that this scenario of Joans with their lives on display is seemingly never-ending and there is almost nothing they can do about it. That is, except for the original Joan.
Who Plays The Real Source Joan In Black Mirror Season 6
"Joan Is Awful's" source Joan is played by Kayla Lorette. While Annie Murphy's Joan is assumed to be the source Joan throughout the episode, meaning she is the first iteration of Joan and Salma Hayek and Cate Blanchett are versions of her, this turns out to be untrue. As Murphy's Joan breaks into Streamberry, intent on destroying their quantum computer, Michael Cera's character Beppe reveals that she's actually Fictive Level One, or the first Joan based off the source. From there, it becomes clear how source Joan's actions affect Murphy's Joan, showing how each Joan is on the same trajectory.
Lorette's source Joan gets her true time to shine at the very end of Black Mirror's "Joan Is Awful." After Murphy's Joan smashes the quantum computer, the Joan continuum is destroyed, leaving only Lorette's source Joan and Annie Murphy as herself where Salma Hayek previously was. From there, Lorette's Joan is seen returning to therapy and starting her own coffee shop like she always dreamed, all with a house arrest cuff on her ankle. Annie Murphy also reappears, as the two are now bonded due to the Joan continuum.
How Joan Is Awful's AI TV Shows Work
When Murphy's Joan realizes that her entire life, moment by moment, is being played out by Streamberry, she tries to understand how this could be happening. She wants to know how the streaming service knows exactly what happens in her life and how they quickly get Salma Hayek to depict it on-screen. In a conversation with her lawyer, Murphy's Joan learns that through cellphones, CGI, and other technology, her life is being recorded and then recreated completely digitally.
Essentially, Streamberry watches Joan's life through devices. Her lawyer explains it by describing how a person might talk about a certain product around their phone, and later, find ads for that exact product on their phone and computer. In this way, Streamberry observes Joan's life by watching and listening to her through her devices and those of others, including phones, tablets, and computers. Then, rather than actually employing Salma Hayek, Streamberry uses CGI to recreate each scene of Joan's life, only with Salma Hayek superimposed over it.
Joan Is Awful's Fictive Levels & Celebrity Casts Explained (Is There An Infinite Number?)
As previously mentioned, the major twist of "Joan Is Awful" is that there is a long line of Joans now in existence based off of the source. So, while Kayla Lorette's Joan was the original Joan, Annie Murphy was her TV Joan, Salma Hayek was her TV Joan, and Cate Blanchett was her TV Joan. Michael Cera's Beppe describes the Joans that come after the source as "Fictive Levels." Therefore, Murphy is Fictive Level One, Hayek is Fictive Level Two, and so on. In this way, it seems likely that the Joan continuum could continue infinitely. Cate Blanchett must have a TV Joan, and from there, the levels continue.
Related: Astonishing New Black Mirror Episode Is A Massive Insult To Netflix (How'd It Get Made?)
Additionally, the Joans aren't the only characters who get TV counterparts. Joan's boyfriend Krish, her ex-boyfriend Mac, her lawyer, and her therapist all get TV versions of themselves. In Annie Murphy's reality, Krish is played by Avi Nash, but in Hayek's reality, he is played by Himesh Patel. Murphy's Mac is played by Rob Delaney while Hayek's Mac is played by Ben Barnes. Presumably, these distinct castings mean that Krish, Mac, and the other recurring characters may also have Fictive Levels that continue up past Cate Blanchett's Joan.
Black Mirror's "Quamputer" Explained
In Black Mirror season 6 "Joan Is Awful," Murphy's Joan realizes that the only way she can make her television series stop is if she destroys Streamberry's quantum computer, or quamputer. Basically, the quamputer holds the entire Joan simulation together, and if it is destroyed, the Joan continuum ends. As Murphy's Joan prepares to break the quamputer, Streamberry's head Mona Javadi argues that if she does, she will be killing endless amounts of people. Despite this, and due to the will of source Joan, Murphy's Joan destroys the quamputer anyway.
Although Javadi's claim seems dangerous, it isn't actually realistic. Although the quamputer holds a potentially infinite amount of realities that would be eradicated with the computer, those people and lives are just copies. The Joan continuum does not create new life; it simply adds a new reality onto the old one. Therefore, when Joan breaks the quamputer, she is actually setting everyone back into their original timeline. In this way, there is no death, only an end to the cruel Joan continuum and a return to regular life.
Cate Blanchett's Joan Creates Several More Mind-Bending Questions
"Joan Is Awful" offers four different versions of Joan and the Cate Blanchett version continues to raise questions about the Joan continuum. While the episode showed Kayla Lorette, Annie Murphy, and Salma Hayek, Blanchett never actually appeared beyond the Streamberry title card, creating a curiosity about what her show, and her reality looked like. Furthermore, there is the question of who Blanchett's TV Joan was and so on. If "Joan Is Awful" started with Blanchett rather than Murphy, who would audiences see, and how would things be different?
All in all, "Joan Is Awful" stands out among Black Mirror for its unique concept and the many questions it raises. Although the Joan continuum was clearly harmful, it's hard not to be curious about how far the Joans went and who portrayed them. Perhaps there will be "Joan Is Awful" references beyond Black Mirror season 6, providing answers to these questions. However, either way, the episode was a hit for Black Mirror and encapsulates the creepy, quirky essence of the series.
