Black Mirror's season 3, episode 4, "San Junipero" features a beautiful story of two women who fall in love in a digital landscape, but the circumstances are relatively bleak, which led to a scene involving children being cut. In a world where the dead's consciousness are imported into a space where they can live out their lives even in death, kids are surprisingly absent. Here's why "San Junipero" cut a scene featuring children.
Charlie Brooker's dystopian television series premiered in 2011 on the British broadcasting station Channel 4 before it was acquired by Netflix following season 2. Once it found a new home on the major streaming platform, there was an increase in production values and A-list talent made appearances in later seasons. Along with the opportunity to expand the series' theme of the destruction of humanity based on technological advancement, showrunners had the ability to introduce a few unexpected - but welcome - episodes with happy endings, including "San Junipero." Starring Mackenzie Davis (Happiest Season) as Yorkie and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Cloverfield Paradox) as Kelly, it follows the two women as their love for each other blooms in the virtual world of San Junipero.
The episode's technology allows for people who aren't entirely ready to die or haven't had the opportunity to fully live to continue to enjoy the thrills of life even after their heart stops beating. Brooker's original script for "San Junipero" featured a scene where Kelly visits a room full of children. There are several implications behind presenting a scene such as this, but the showrunner's choice to remove it was made in order to retain the happier aspects of Kelly and Yorkie's relationship as well as their surroundings.
A scene where Kelly interacts with several children indicates that San Junipero isn't just a place for young adults and lovers. It brings into play the fact that children can die and have their consciousnesses transferred to the location to the forefront of the episode. Brooker chose to cut it from the final edit of "San Junipero" in order to maintain the happier aspects of its plot. Had he left it in, it is entirely possible that it would've added a very upsetting and sad atmosphere to the otherwise joyful location that allows the dead to enjoy life again.
The fact that kids can go to San Junipero forces the audience to recognize that they have yet to live their lives to the fullest, and living in San Junipero is their only hope of getting the opportunity to do so. Furthermore, it takes away from the overall plot. The primary emphasis of "San Junipero" is Yorkie and Kelly's relationship as well as all of the complexities these two women face. In regard to the episode as it is now, there's no real reason to have a scene where children are involved unless Kelly or Yorkie were visiting a family member. And, as of this writing, that has never been stated by Brooker. To date, he has only discussed the fact that he cut the scene to keep the joyful momentum of "San Junipero."
Episodes of Black Mirror rarely features a happy ending and, when it does, the showrunners do their absolute best at keeping the unsettling themes of the series at a minimum. Brooker made the right decision when he chose to cut out the scene where Kelly interacts with a group of children. Had it been included, it would've made the idea that Black Mirror's "San Junipero" is a happy place somewhat dissolve with the prospect that kids of any age have the chance to live in a virtual world after their tragic deaths.