Crocodile Tears

Black Mirror’s episode called “Crocodile” tells the story of a woman named Mia, who is involved in a hit-and-run, in which she is the passenger of the car that hits and kills a cyclist. Because both Mia and the driver, Rob, were under the influence of alcohol when it happened, they decide to dispose of the body rather than report the incident. Fifteen years pass and Mia, now a very successful architect, is confronted by Rob. He tells her that he wants to come forward about what they did. But Mia, fearing the consequences that will affect her career, decides to silence Rob by killing him. When Mia then witnesses an accident, a memory recalling device is used on her in order to see what really happened. Mia is unable to repress her recollections of Rob’s murder, so she goes on a killing spree to try and cover her tracks.

The mention of a crocodile is not found in this episode which leaves viewers questioning where the title comes from. This has caused many different theories about the meaning of this episode’s title. In my opinion, the title is a sort of metaphor that describes Mia’s underlying evil personality or is used to illustrate her insincerity.

Much like a crocodile, Mia quietly waited to attack her prey by pretending to be an architect and a family woman. She did not attack until she was threatened, which caused her to come out of the dark, murky water with vigilance. Her kills do not come from passion or heartache, rather they come from her dispassion and ruthlessness. Also, crocodiles are known for their very distinct memories. Since this episode deals with a device that can retrieve memories, this could be another reason why the episode was named after such an intelligent creature. When someone is considered to be thick skinned, it means they are capable of handling tough times while having little to no emotion. The skin of crocodiles is often referred to as armor because of its thickness. Mia obviously has thick skin, like a crocodile, if she can murder multiple people without it affecting her psychologically. Crocodiles are also cold-blooded animals, which describes Mia’s actions completely.

The term “crocodile tears” is used to describe tears or expression of sorrow that are insincere. The promotional image of Mia where her face is covered with tears suggests that while she may be crying, it is not because she is sorry, but most likely because she is exhausted from all the killings she administered. Initially, when the biker is killed, Mia seems to be more emotional than Rob when they decide to dispose of the body rather than tell anyone about what happened. The viewer later finds out that she is far more capable of merciless acts of violence. After her killing spree, Mia is seen at her son’s school play where she is crying “crocodile tears”. This false display of emotion shows that Mia is only crying for herself, not for the ones she had killed.

The title of the episode called “Crocodile” in Black Mirror’s fourth season most likely stems from the actions and emotions, or lack thereof, of the main character, Mia. In many ways, Mia is the embodiment of a crocodile.