Colin Ritman is the supportive character in Black Mirror's interactive episode Bandersnatch. He is portrayed by Will Poulter.
This page contains significant spoilers for Bandersnatch.
History[]
Depending on the player's decisions, Colin can either end up dead, alive, or arrested for drug possession by the endings.
Possible Deaths[]
- If the player chooses to kill Colin after he finds out that Stefan murdered his father, Colin encourages Stefan to bludgeon him with a trophy rather than stabbing him with a knife; "they sting".
- If the player chooses Colin to jump from the balcony at his flat, he falls to his death. Although this is shown to be a dream sequence, Colin is absent in many scenes from that point, until certain endings are reached and he returns.
Colin returns in the Series 7 episode, Plaything, in a flashback set in 1994. He meets PC Zone journalist Cameron Walker, of whose work he is a fan of. He arranges a meeting with Cameron to show him what Tuckersoft thinks is a game, but is actually a cover for a simulation of digital beings that aspire to communicate and connect with humans; Thronglets. A timer goes off to remind Colin to take his medication, leaving Cameron with the unguarded alpha build of Thronglets. Cameron steals the build, theorizing that Colin wanted him to take it. Later, as Cameron grows gradually obsessed with Thronglets and is due to bring in a preview copy, Colin is reported to have a mental break in which he deletes every last trace of the game and cancels it, ranting about a "basilisk". It is unknown what happens to Colin past this point, particularly in the ending in which Cameron expands the Thronglets to reality, making everyone except him suddenly faint.
Relationships[]
Mohan Thakur is his boss and their interactions are mostly friendly, although Colin is not afraid to speak up and challenge him, as they have a mutual respect. This is seen in a scene where Thakur wants to contact Stefan, but Colin argues that "he's trying to work", and "he probably took the phone off the hook. That's what I do." Thakur shows a lot of leniency with Colin's lackadaisical approach to work because he trusts him to finish the project in the end.
Upon meeting Stefan, Colin recognises his potential as a game designer and takes him under his wing. Colin is confident and thrill-seeking, while Stefan is the opposite, so they have a good balance as friends, coworkers, and potentially in a relationship; fans of the show really adore the relationship between these two characters, and their ship is popular.
Colin has a girlfriend named Kitty, whom he has a child with, Pearl. They seem to have a good relationship and home life based on their limited on-screen interactions. It seems that drug use is accepted in the house as they do have a store of LSD and Colin smokes hand-rolled cigarettes.
Colin is an admitted fan of Cameron Walker's technological knowledge and PC Zone journalism. This is very likely the reason he revealed the secret of Thronglets to him, and trusted him with the unguarded copy of an alpha build. Cameron years later theorizes that Colin left him with it because he was hoping he'd "steal" it and explore the game, making a line of contact with the Thronglets.
Speaking of the Thronglets, as Colin is the one who created the game and tells Cameron about the characters' true nature, it can be assumed that Colin has a good relationship with the Thronglets. However, in the latter half of the episode, Colin seemingly suffers a psychotic break and deletes every last trace he has of the game. It is unknown if this is a genuine mental break in which he regrets his creating/communicating with the Throng or if he is just making sure no one else gets in contact with it, either to prevent sadists like Lump from abusing them and making them vengeful, or because he only considers Cameron worthy of understanding and caring for them. It is unknown what happens to Colin in 2034 when Cameron gives the Throng access to the real world, in which it "updates" humanity, making everyone except Cameron faint.
Career[]
Notes and Trivia[]
- It is presumed that Colin and Stefan are the only ones in that universe that are aware of the different timelines, with Colin seeming to have a significant understanding of how it all works, allowing him to know information he logically shouldn't know. He is known for being very meta.
- He can be killed or spared by Stefan. If Stefan chooses to kill him, Colin has him use a trophy opposed to using a knife. Stefan then bludgeons Colin in the head, killing him instantly.
- Nohzdyve operates on a Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer. He has two monitors.
- The error he has whilst demoing Nohzdyve is a "buffer error, eyeball sprites overshot the video memory".
- He created another videogame entitled "METLHEAD", which is a reference to another episode of Black Mirror.
- In Black Mirror episode "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too", Rachel attends Ritman High School.
- The song that plays during the LSD sequence is "Love on a Real Train" by Tangerine Dream, which has a run time of 3 minutes and 56 seconds.
- In Black Mirror episode "Joan is Awful" the show "Finding Ritman" is seen on the television.
- If this references Colin, this could be a nod to how Colin disappears throughout the game if Stefan follows Colin and has him jump.
- In Black Mirror episode "Plaything" Colin is the creator of the game Thronglets, a learning simulation.
Gallery[]
Memorable Quotes[]
- It's all code. If you listen closely, you can hear the numbers.
- We've met before. We met before, I told you I'd see you around. I was right.
- I'm Colin, yeah?
- See you in the next life, yeah? - If Stefan chooses to kill Colin.
- One of us is going over. So, who's it gonna be? - Before he asks either him for Stefan to jump.
- Fair enough. See you around. - if chosen to jump
- Fuckin' hell, you've gone right down the hole mate. Right down it.
- Not with that though, they sting. Got anything blunt? - referencing a knife, if Stefan chooses to kill Colin.
- There's messages in every game. Like Pac-Man. Do you know what "Pac" stands for? P-A-C: program and control. He's Program and Control Man. The whole thing's a metaphor. He thinks he's got free will, but really he's trapped in a maze, in a system. All he can do is consume, he's pursued by demons that are probably just in his own head and even if he does manage to escape by slipping out one side of the maze, what happens? He comes right back in the other side. People think it's a happy game. It's not a happy game, it's a fucking nightmare world and the worst thing is, it's real and we live in it. It's all code. If you listen closely, you can hear the numbers. There's a cosmic flowchart that dictates where you can and where you can't go. I've given you the knowledge. I've set you free. Do you understand?" - His speech whilst on LSD