One of the most popular episodes of science fiction anthology series Black Mirror was oddly predicted by David Schwimmer’s iconic Ross Geller back in a 1999 episode of Friends. Despite being a hugely valued member of the core group of Friends, Ross was often the butt of the joke in Friends, and his intelligence usually set up some of his best awkward and uncomfortable moments. One of these was featured in Friends season 6, episode 7, “The One Where Phoebe Runs,” but Ross’ comments here could have proved just how forward-thinking he was.
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“The One Where Phoebe Runs” not only focused on Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) and Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) silly running, or Chandler’s (the late Matthew Perry) cleaning the apartment in Monica’s (Courteney Cox) absence. The episode also saw Joey (Matt LeBlanc) get a new roommate whom Ross tried to impress with a story. “By the year 2030, there will be computers that can carry out the same amount of functions as an actual human brain,” explains Ross to Janine (Elle Macpherson). “So, theoretically, you could download your thoughts and memories into this computer, and live forever as a machine.”
Unbeknownst to Ross, this anecdote accurately predicted the storyline of Black Mirror season 3, episode 4, “San Junipero.” Lauded as one of the best episodes of the anthology series, “San Junipero” saw Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis) meet and fall in love in a simulated reality that the elderly can inhabit and become young again, even after death – living forever as part of a machine. Written by Charlie Brooker and directed by Owen Harris, it’s striking how similar “San Junipero’s” story is to Ross Geller’s tale, but the two, interestingly, aren’t actually linked.
“I don’t think the notion of consciousnesses being uploaded to a computer – I don’t think that concept came from Ross from Friends,” noted Brooker during an interview with NME in 2018. “I’d certainly heard that concept before so I must have stolen it from elsewhere.” Black Mirror’s co-creator Annabel Jones joked that “Most of our episodes are inspired by Friends,” as everyone is upbeat and happy all the time, which clearly is not the case. Despite Brooker’s comments, it’s uncanny how correct Ross Geller’s prediction was, and it was great to see it beautifully brought to life in “San Junipero.”
Brooker has denied the creation of a sequel to “San Junipero” a number of times over the years, despite the episode receiving critical acclaim. Several subsequent Black Mirror episodes have included references and Easter eggs to “San Junipero,” however, including Kelly and Yorkie’s dresses in the Black Museum and the Saint Juniper’s Hospital in “Black Museum,” the Juniper Hotel in “Common People,” the simulated reality and reference to 3049 Junipero Drive in “Hotel Reverie.” Black Mirror’s seventh season released on Netflix on April 10, 2025. Although it hasn’t yet been officially announced, it’s likely the series will continue.
What are your favorite Black Mirror episodes? Let us know in the comments!
