Mazey Day

Mazey Day
Episode information
Season	6
Episode	4
Air date	June 15, 2023
Length	42:15
Writer	Charlie Brooker
Director	Uta Briesewitz
Episode guide
Previous	Beyond The Sea
Next	Demon 79

Mazey Day is the fourth episode of season six of Black Mirror. It was written by Charlie Brooker and was released on June 15th, 2023.

Short Summary

A troubled Hollywood starlet goes to great lengths to escape packs of invasive paparazzi as she deals with the aftermath of a hit-and-run.

Full Summary

Bo sits in a motel parking lot listening to a radio report on Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' baby. She calls JP and says she's been sitting in the parking lot for two hours and her attempted subject hasn't appeared. She asks if he's sure about who he saw and he reminds her that he's never let her down. She sits up as she sees two men exit one of the rooms. She grabs her camera and starts taking pictures. Then she puts the memory card into her laptop and starts looking at the pictures she just took. Justin Camley knocks on her window and asks to speak with her. She ignores him as she hastily puts her laptop away. He offers to pay her $500 for the pictures. She starts her car and drives away as he begs her not to do this, saying "You're killing me!"

Nick looks through the pictures Bo took and makes up a proposed headline about Justin meeting up with a secret male lover. He offers Bo $250 each for the pictures. She counters with $300, telling Nick that Justin himself offered her $500 for them. He agrees to $300 each and pays her.

Bo is cooking with headphones in when Nathan starts her by tapping her shoulder. She shows off the new iPod Shuffle she bought herself to celebrate getting paid. Nathan tells her he has delicate sinuses and the food she's cooking is irritating him. She tells him she'll open a window.

At a coffee shop, Bo spots someone reading a magazine with Mazey Day on the cover. After ordering, she sees a breaking news report that Justin Camley has died by suicide following his relationship with another man being made public.

Outside a club, Hector tells Bo that the situation is sad, but it's not her fault. She was just doing her job. Whitty has no sympathy for Justin because he wasn't forced to become an actor. He wanted his face out there, so he can't be sad when he gets exposed. Duke echoes that, saying that they shouldn't enter the game if they can't handle the consequences. Plus, a lot of them actually want paparazzi to take their pictures. Duke gets a tip from a limo driver that Sydney Alberti is in the back of his limo. As the limo pulls up, all the paparazzi rush to take pictures, including shots attempting to get a view up her skirt, and shout questions at Sydney as she gets out. Bo stands back from the crowd, watching as Sydney walks through a mob of paparazzi. Whitty calls Sydney names, which gets her to turn around to yell at him. She pushes on his chest and he says that's assault. He tells her she'll hear from his lawyer if she touches him again. Once Sydney's gone, they start to compare the pictures they took. Bo walks away alone.

Czech Republic

Mazey Day films a scene for a movie. The director calls cut and the 1st Assistant Director says that's a wrap for day two, telling everyone to take their sides for tomorrow if they don't already have them. Misty takes part of Mazey's costume and gives her a jacket, which she says has a treat from Stephan in the pocket.

At home, Mazey practices her accent for the next day. She pauses and reaches into the jacket pocket to find a bag of psychotropic mushrooms. She eats one and leans back.

Mazey dances with her wine glass. She drops the glass and breaks it, then starts picking up the pieces, cutting her finger. When she sees that she's out of cigarettes, she grabs her car keys.

As she drives on a dark, rainy, night, Mazey fixates on her fingertip, which is bleeding from where she cut it on the glass. She suddenly hears a loud thud and stops her car. She looks in her rearview mirror and sees a lump in the road. She gets out of her car.

Back at home, Mazey quickly cleans up the glass mess. A car honks outside, so she grabs her jacket and leaves.

On the way to set, Mazey picks at the bandage on her finger. They come to a police blockade. The driver talks to the police in Czech, then tells Mazey the road is closed, so he'll have to go around. When she asks what was said, the driver tells her that they found a man dead in the road. They think it's a hit-and-run.

In her set trailer, Mazey tries to take deep breaths when someone calls out to her that hair and makeup are ready for her. She grabs a bottle of diazepam.

In her kitchen, Bo listens to an entertainment news show that reports that it's been two days since Mazey left the set of the third installment of the EverWish Saga. Nathan comes in. He has cue cards in his hands, because he's not good at confrontation. He flips nervously through the cards, telling Bo that her share of the rent is late and he's noticed groceries disappearing from the refrigerator shelf marked with his name. He values their friendship, but he doesn't feel it's appropriate for him to support her. She interrupts him to say that she'll get the money. He reads "Thank you." from the last card and leaves.

Bo is working at a coffee shop when Hector comes in. He asks if she has a minute.

Outside, Bo tells Hector she's out of the paparazzi game. He says he's not trying to tempt her back in, but he needs her help with something. He tells her about Mazey's unusual behavior and then sudden disappearance. Nick is offering $30,000 for the first picture of her, $40,000 if you catch her looking like a junkie. Hector has no leads and asks if Bo still keeps in touch with her snitch. She says she took his number off her phone. Hector asks her to reach out if she happens to find where she wrote it down.

At home, Bo nervously calls JP and asks if he's heard anything about Mazey Day. He's surprised because he thought she got out of the game, but she says that she really needs this payday. JP says that he only knows what everyone else knows, that she's not at home. She asks him to let her know if that changes.

Luisa, a housekeeper, gives delivery food to Mazey Day. Mazey says she has some money in her purse, but Luisa says that "Mr. G" left money to cover everything for as long as she's a guest. As Luisa pays Ji-Hoon, who is standing on the porch, for the delivery, Ji-Hoon and Mazey lock eyes for a moment.

Bo connects to the internet. She looks through old pictures of Mazey and starts making calls to see if she can find her. She only finds dead ends. She looks at an old magazine article that claims Mazey eats the hand-cut noodles from a restaurant called Master Tai's at least once a week.

At Master Tai's, Bo sees that they have the article hanging on the wall and asks about it. Overhearing Bo asking about Mazey, Ji-Hoon says that she still orders every week and that she saw her yesterday. She's staying at some producer's house.

Bo stakes out the house where Mazey is supposed to be staying. She sees a light turn off in an upstairs window.

Mazey lies awake in bed. She relives the night of the accident.

Bo sleeps in her car as Luisa enters the house.

When Luisa arrives, she looks around the house and calls out to Mazey. The living room has been destroyed.

Bo wakes up just in time to see a black SUV hurriedly enter the gated driveway. She takes pictures as the SUV drives onto the property.

Dmitri Babich tells Mazey that the first step is realizing she's become powerless. She must be humble in the face of it. He's arranged a private place out of town for her to go for a few days. She needs to be isolated away from everyone and everything. She asks if he can get her better. He says they'll focus on getting her through one night at a time.

Bo takes pictures of the SUV as it departs and says to herself that it better be Mazey; she starts following them. After a long drive into the mountains, she starts to wonder where they're going. The SUV pulls into Emerald Pines Diner and Bo parks elsewhere in the lot. She watches through her mirror as the back side window rolls down. By the time she gets her camera ready, the window is already closed. The driver gets out, opens the liftgate, then comes over to Bo's car and punctures all four of her tires with a screwdriver. She gives him the finger as he walks back to the SUV and drives off.

Bo enters the diner and sits down, dejected. Terry offers her some coffee, which she accepts. She asks if he knows anyone with a tow truck nearby. He says Mitch, but Mitch is gone for the day, meaning drunk, so she asks about a motel instead. The only place nearby is Cedarwood Retreat, but that's more of a rehab for rich people. That piques Bo's interest. She has no chance of getting a bed there, Terry says. His uncle Kyle is a masseuse there and someone rented-out the entire place for the weekend. Even the staff was sent home. He doesn't know who the person is.

In her car, Bo pulls out her Thomas Guide map book and finds Cedarwood Retreat on a map. She pulls out her phone to make a call.

Back in the diner, Bo enjoys her slice of pecan pie and compliments the cook. When she sees Hector arrive on his motorcycle, she races outside and tells him they need to go. He asks if she knows where they're going, but she asks him to trust her.

Terry watches Bo and Hector leave.

Bo spots a sign for Cedarwood. Soon, they're at a tall gate. Bo approaches the gate while Hector tries to use the keypad to open it, with no success. The fence is too high to go over. When Hector asks, Bo says that she's 85% sure Mazey Day is in there, maybe 80%. They hear a car coming and rush to hide Hector's motorcycle until they recognize Whitty's car. As Whitty and Duke get out, Hector realizes they must have put a tracker on his motorcycle. Whitty doesn't deny it, telling him that it's under the gas tank. Hector pulls it off, throws it at Whitty and yells at him, but Duke reminds him that he's placed trackers on limousines himself. Hector claims what he's doing is legitimate journalism. They realize he's out there for Mazey Day and set off to find a way in. Whitty takes the privacy screen as proof that what's inside is worth seeing. They dig at the bottom of the fence where there's a gap and Duke slides underneath, followed by Whitty. After a moment, Bo and Hector follow.

Back at the diner, Sheriff's Deputy Clay Ritman comes in and orders.

Bo, Hector, Whitty, and Duke look around the property. They hear something. On a balcony high above them, a door opens and the man who slashed Bo's tires exits. Dr. Babich comes out behind him. Whitty recognizes him. They speculate on what drugs Mazey is using to need his services. Bo knows Mazey must have been desperate to call him in, because he's not even a real doctor. Once the driver and Dr. Babich have left, they approach the building.

Mazey lies awake, sweating and reliving the night of the accident.

Hector, Whitty, and Duke snap photos through a wall-mounted ventilation fan. When they look at the photos, Bo thinks that she sees a chain around her neck. They think Dr. Babich chained her up so she could go cold turkey but Bo says that's illegal and tries to get inside. She uses a rock to break the lock.

Inside, Hector, Whitty, and Duke rush to take more pictures as Mazey shivers in bed. Bo checks on her and realizes she has a fever. Mazey gets flashes of the accident and tells them all to leave. Bo tries to get them to stop taking pictures; the strobing lights from their camera flashes are disorienting. Mazey's chain is anchored to the floor. As Bo works to break the lock, Mazey says they told her she had to be alone. Hector notices two goats in the room and takes photos of that too. Bo releases Mazey's chain as Mazey tells them to get away from her. Mazey crouches on the bed, but they continue to photograph her as she tells them to run away. She looks up to see a full moon through the skylight; they all follow her gaze. Mazey remembers leaving her car after the accident and getting bit by a wolf. Mazey writhes in bed and tries again to get them to go. They watch as she starts to transform into a wolf. Hector pulls Bo out of the room before the transformation is complete. Duke and Whitty stay to take more pictures, but Mazey lunges as them.

Outside, Bo and Hector hear screaming.

Mazey bites Whitty as Duke runs out. Duke gets stuck as they try to go back under the fence. Bo and Hector try to pull him through, but they hear Mazey on the other side. Duke gives Hector his camera, saying his shots are worth $1 million each. As Hector gets the camera, Duke is pulled back to the other side. Bo and Hector hop on the motorcycle and leave, but collide with an approaching car. They take off on foot as the driver of the car gets attacked. Mazey chases them as they run through the woods.

Clay finishes his meal and compliments the cook. Terry gets distracted he sees Bo and Hector run by the windows. They come inside and lock the door, then try to barricade it with furniture. Terry asks them what happened and Clay tries to get Bo to calm down as she frantically begs him to call for help. Hector sees Mazey run by outside as Clay grabs a distracted Bo and handcuffs her. Suddenly, they hear Jesse yell from the kitchen. Everyone reacts in horror when Mazey comes out from the kitchen. As she mauls Hector, Clay starts shooting at her. She then mauls Clay, who fires his gun and hits Terry. His gun slides near Bo, who is hiding under a table, and she grabs it. As Mazey jumps toward her, she fires the gun, subduing Mazey. Bo checks on Hector, who is dying. He hands her his camera and dies. Mazey, laying on her side, asks Bo to "shoot me." Bo sees that Mazey is human again and bleeding. She asks Mazey to kill her. Bo holds up the gun, then puts it in Mazey's hand. As Mazey presses the gun against her own head, Bo holds up Hector's camera to take pictures.

From outside the diner, there's a flash of light as Mazey fires the gun.

Cast

• Zazie Beetz as Bo
• Clara Rugaard as Mazey Day
• Danny Ramirez as Hector
• Robbie Tann as Whitty
• James P Rees as Duke
• David Rysdahl as Nathan
• Jack Bandeira as Terry
• Corey Johnson as Sergeant Clay Ritman
• Kenneth Collard as Doctor Dmitri Babich
• Charles Hagerty as Justin Camley
• Patrick Toomey as Nick
• Marieta Sánchez as Luisa
• Yoojin Lee as Ji-Hoon
• Lucía Pemán as Sydney Alberti
• Marta Castellvi as Misty
• Alex Britt as Edwin
• Julio Perillan as Mazey's Director
• Gary Stennette as Mazey's 1st AD

Notes and Trivia

• A USN news report states that actor Justin Camley previously acted in Sea of Tranquility, a show first mentioned in The National Anthem and subsequently referenced in various other episodes. Given the 2006 setting of the episode, it is likely this version of the show was different to other iterations (an HBO sci-fi western and an anime).
• The nightclub several paparazzi gather outside is called Quagmire, a reference to The Quagmire club first featured in San Junipero.
• Bo is seen working in a coffeeshop called Yorkie's Coffee House, another San Junipero reference to the character Yorkie. A takeaway cup from Yorkie's Coffee House is also seen in Joan Is Awful.
• Clay, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department sergeant who visits the Emerald Pines Diner, has the same surname as Colin Ritman from Bandersnatch.
• When Mazey asks Bo to "shoot me," it has the double meaning of shooting her with the gun to kill her and shooting her with the camera.
• The song playing in the kitchen scene is 1 Thing by Amerie.
• The music Mazey is listening to when she causes the accident is Supermassive Black Hole by Muse.

Gallery

Episode Stills

Behind the Scenes