Seven years after its release, Bandersnatch has been removed from Netflix.
As part of its removal of interactive content, the streamer wiped this beloved Black Mirror from its platform.
And, quite frankly, we won’t stand for it.
Netflix stated that interactive content limits its technological capabilities.
The streamer wants to focus on gaming instead.
It is a highly unwise move to prevent loyal viewers from watching something they love.
Fans have been in dismay. Some have even started a petition to put Bandersnatch back.
So far, Netflix hasn’t changed its mind. They announced this decision and barely gave people time to rewatch before it was gone.
There are a few good reasons why viewers are so upset. Bandersnatch holds a lot of significance in the world of television.
Bandersnatch Contributes to the Black Mirror Universe
Although Black Mirror is an anthology series, many episodes have connections to one another.
For example, in Black Mirror Season 7, there’s a sequel to the USS Callister episode from Season 4.
Season 7 also features an episode titled Plaything. It connects directly to Bandersnatch.
Even though it isn’t a direct sequel, Bandersnatch characters like Colin Ritman and Mohan Thakur appear. This seemed to suggest that the plot of this movie may have implications for the greater Black Mirror Universe.
Additionally, Netflix released the game from Plaything that connects to Bandersnatch. It’s a playable game that anyone can download.
However, now that Netflix has removed Bandersnatch, the greater context of Plaything is gone.
This is a massive loss for viewers who tune into the show in the future. They will see Bandersnatch characters but not know who they are.
Netflix hasn’t confirmed Season 8 for Black Mirror, but this show has already become one of the streamer’s most well-known series.
Therefore, it doesn’t make sense for Netflix to remove an essential part of this franchise.
This is especially true since Bandersnatch has been a beloved part of Black Mirror for years.
Bandersnatch Is Uniquely Interactive
In recent years, Black Mirror has been criticized for failing to introduce innovative stories like it did in earlier seasons.
Bandersnatch is one of the examples of how the show pushed the boundaries of storytelling.
Netflix has gained a reputation as one of the earliest streaming services. The digital streaming format opened up plenty of possibilities for TV shows.
Bandersnatch took advantage of this by using a new storytelling format.
Instead of having the film play out chronologically, viewers could play a “choose your own adventure” story.
The ability to make choices and replay the film to figure out possible stories was an extremely creative move.
The “choose your own adventure” format allowed the audience to engage with the film directly. They uniquely became an active participant in the plot.
Additionally, the interactive feature made it so only those watching directly on Netflix could play it.
This motivated people to subscribe to the streamer to try it out. Other streaming platforms didn’t have interactive movies. So, Bandersnatch made Netflix a better option compared to its competitors.
There were so many possible branches of the story that Bandersnatch had over five hours of material.
Unfortunately, the large amount of content and the interactive nature were also why this movie was erased from the platform.
Especially since Black Mirror is a show about technology, this movie helped the show deliver new ideas about the future of media.
Bandersnatch’s removal was a tragedy. Hopefully, they realize that the benefit of freeing up their capacity doesn’t outweigh the advantage of having this unique film on their platform.
What do you think about Netflix’s decision? Do you think they should have kept Bandersnatch on the platform?
Let us know in the comments, and let’s keep this conversation going. Share on social media and with your friends! You’re the key to our success.
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