Reading the queer in Black Mirror's "San Junipero".

The present paper seeks to analyze the queer aspects that are present and at times coded in "San Junipero," an episode of Black Mirror, through the lens of queer theory. The episode is subversive in the sense that it imagines a somewhat optimistic future for queer individuals, where even though its principal characters die at the end, they are given an alternate afterlife within the simulated reality of San Junipero. The present paper looks at some of the recent scholarships on queer television and attempts to situate "San Junipero" as a queer televisual representation within that framework, in order to enquire whether or not the episode subverts conventional narratives that support heteronormative politics. By drawing upon Gilad Padva's theorization of queer nostalgia, the paper examines how the episode queers the concept of nostalgia by reimagining the 1980s as a time when same-sex couples could get married. It also attempts to read Yorkie's closeted lesbianism with Adrienne Rich's concept of "compulsory heterosexuality". The article further looks at how the episode offers a moderately alternative vision to the "Bury your gays" trope. Finally, the paper presents another reading of the episode where queer union is possible only in realms distinct from everyday reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]