Black Mirror Season 6 has arrived with five twisted new tales, including Episode 2, titled ‘Loch Henry’. After watching the true crime deep-dive, you might be wondering: what is The Waltonville Claw, and what does Netflix have to do with it? Read on to find out.
It’s been four long years since Season 5 of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror, but it was well worth the wait. As we said in our review, the sixth chapter is “delightfully bleak, and another triumphant entry to the dystopian saga.”
The second episode, Loch Henry, delivers a gritty dissection of true crime mania, following Davis (Samuel Blenkin) as he takes his partner Pia (Myha’la Herrold) to his sleepy hometown in Scotland to make a nature documentary. However, when they switch their focus to a local juicy case, things take a turn for the twisted.
As the filmmaking couple chat to one of Davis’ friends, the topic of “The Waltonville Claw” comes up – so, what does it mean, and why is it related to Netflix? Warning: Minor spoilers ahead for Loch Henry.
What is The Waltonville Claw in Black Mirror’s Loch Henry?
In the Black Mirror universe, The Waltonville Claw is a fictional Netflix documentary series about a serial killer who targeted women – and he even ate one of his victim’s eyes in front of her.
It is mentioned in Black Mirror Season 6 Episode 2, Loch Henry, after Pia learns more about Davis’ hometown and its dark history while having a pint at the pub with Davis’ childhood mate Stuart (Daniel Portman).
Pia convinces Davis to switch their focus from making a nature documentary to a true crime one based on the case which involves Davis’ dad. They decide to discuss the idea with Stuart, who is fully on board as he believes the publicity will help to restore the town’s economy after tourists were put off years before by the crime case.
“It’s a brilliant idea. Visual showcase. Bring the tourists back,” says Stuart, before asking: “What was the name of that Netflix thing? About the guy that killed women?”
Pia asks him to be more specific, to which he says: “One of them, he ate her own eye in front of her.”
“The Waltonville Claw,” says Pia.
Stuart goes on to explain that half of the series was “amazing, constant footage of Waltonville,” with stunning visuals of mountains and forests.
Is Waltonville a real place?
Although it sounds lovely, Waltonville is a fictional town in Scotland, and so you can’t visit it – however, you can visit the place where Loch Henry was filmed.
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Sure, you can’t grab a pint with Stuart, but the Black Mirror episode was filmed in Loch Lomond, a freshwater loch just 45 minutes away from Glasgow.
Speaking to Tudum, Blenkin said: “We shot the episode by Loch Long in a village called Arrochar, near the Argyll Forest. We’ve shot in some amazing locations, and it’s been a visually stunning environment to work in.”
What does Netflix have to do with The Waltonville Claw?
Now, normally people wouldn’t bat an eyelid to see a Black Mirror episode discussing a “Netflix documentary” – after all, the streaming platform is its home. However, the first two episodes feature Streamberry – which is a fictional Netflix.
As such, it’s a tad confusing as to why The Waltonville Claw isn’t a Streamberry documentary rather than a Netflix one.
It’s unclear why Brooker added this in, but fans seem to be enjoying the meta reference, with one writing on Reddit: “I LOVE a good meta moment. This is what Black Mirror is here for.”
Others debated the decision. “Right so this has bugged me because here he says Netflix yet at the end it’s Streamberry for some reason,” said one, to which another replied: “Yeah same. It was so weird. Kinda like they had to change the name last minute.”
A third added: “I guess Charlie Brooker wanted to very directly reference Dahmer, which is a Netflix show. Fourth wall break.”
While another theorized: “In the Black Mirror universe, Netflix is a sh*tty streaming service that pumps out bland forgettable true crime and murder mystery shows. Streamberry is a sh*tty streaming service that puts out Joan is Awful, has the S logo, but feels exactly like our real world Netflix.
“Basically, this specific joke wouldn’t have landed properly if they used ‘Streamberry’ in this one line. This line is a direct swipe at Netflix.” Of course, this is just speculation at this point – which is all part of the Black Mirror experience.
Black Mirror Season 6 is streaming on Netflix now. Check out our other coverage below:
