Did Davis know what his parents did?
In the world of 'Black Mirror', there are often more questions than answers. In the episode 'Loch Henry', one query stands out as particularly haunting: did Davis know about his parents' crimes?
The character of Davis, portrayed by Samuel Blenkin, is a young filmmaker who visits the quiet town of Loch Henry in Scotland with his girlfriend Pia to create a documentary. As the story unravels, a horrifying secret about Davis’ parents, Kenneth and Janet, emerges. They were accomplices to a man named Iain Adair, who was notorious for abducting and killing people.
The question of Davis’ knowledge regarding his parents’ crimes becomes pivotal as the plot unfolds. Throughout the episode, Davis is depicted as naive and somewhat disconnected, focused on his filmmaking and oblivious to the sinister history lurking beneath the surface of his hometown.
The critical moment occurs when Pia discovers a video tape showing Janet, Kenneth, and Iain torturing a missing couple from 1997, Dawn and Simon Challis. The discovery is shocking and leads to a series of tragic events, including Pia's death and Janet's suicide.
Throughout these disturbing revelations, Davis appears genuinely surprised and horrified, indicating he had no prior knowledge of his parents' gruesome past. When confronted by Stuart's father, who says, "I don’t have any proof… I think I’ve always known," Davis doesn't understand the implication. This, coupled with his shocked reaction to his mother's collection of murderous memorabilia, suggests he was entirely oblivious to his parents' criminal activities.
Furthermore, Davis' interactions with his mother, Janet, before the shocking revelations also point towards his innocence. He is shown discussing his documentary with her and seems oblivious to any signs of her nefarious past. Even when Pia and Davis decide to pivot their film to focus on the local murderer, Iain Adair, Davis does not connect the dots to his parents.
This suggests that Davis was kept in the dark about the grim activities of his parents, a choice that likely stemmed from their desire to shield him from their horrid deeds and preserve their outward facade of a normal family. This is further highlighted when Davis and Pia pitch the idea of their documentary to a producer, who urges them to find a more personal angle. Despite this prompting, Davis does not seem to consider his parents' potential involvement in the story.
The implications of this revelation are profound for Davis, as he's forced to reconcile the loving parents he knew with the criminals they truly were. His journey of discovery and the subsequent trauma he undergoes are deeply poignant aspects of the episode.
In the end, Davis appears on the screen as a traumatized shell of his former self, barely present even while receiving an award for his documentary that exposed his parents' sinister past. It’s clear the revelations have left him deeply scarred, raising questions about the devastating effects of family secrets and the impact of such shocking revelations on one's sense of self and personal history.
In conclusion, Davis, a central character in the twisted narrative of 'Loch Henry', seems to have been an innocent player in a macabre game orchestrated by his parents. His journey serves as a chilling exploration of hidden family histories and the destructive potential of buried secrets. This tragic tale of deception, discovery, and personal devastation makes 'Loch Henry' one of the most compelling and thought-provoking episodes in the 'Black Mirror' anthology.
