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Black Mirror season 7 dropped on Netflix in April 2025. It features six episodes that explore different versions of our tech-heavy future. The season includes stories about surveillance, identity, memory, and even multiverse theory. One episode, Bête Noire, left me completely shocked. It is already being called one of the most intriguing Black Mirror episodes in recent years.
I was excited to watch it one evening. The story begins with a woman named Maria. She works as a food researcher. Her peaceful life changes when Verity, an old classmate, shows up at her job. Verity brings a strange device that lets her shift realities. Soon, Maria starts to question what is real. A small moment about the name of a fried chicken restaurant made everything spin. That moment later made me realize I wasn’t the only one confused.
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Black Mirror’s Bête Noire Is Gaslighting Us and I’m Not OK
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At first, I thought I had missed something. Maria insisted that the restaurant was called Bernies. Her boyfriend worked there and wore a cap with the logo. But everyone around her said it had always been called Barnies. Even when she searched online, it said Barnies. Her boyfriend’s cap even changed.
As I kept watching, I felt uneasy. Something was off. Then, I spoke to a friend who had just finished the same Black Mirror episode. She said it was definitely called Bernies. But in my version, it was Barnies. That’s when we both started checking online.
To our surprise, we found others had noticed it too. Fans on social media were sharing screenshots. They were showing two versions of the same scene. One had Bernies. The other had Barnies. It wasn’t just us.
After digging deeper, we found articles confirming it. According to Radio Times, in an article published on April 14, 2025, Netflix Black Mirror released two slightly different versions of Bête Noire. Some people got one version. Others got the other. No announcement. No hint. Just pure confusion.
Even Netflix got in on the joke. They tweeted the word “Bernies.” Then the official Black Mirror account replied with “barnies.” That was all. No context. No answers. Just more mystery. That’s when I realized the show was gaslighting its viewers. And I had been part of it.
Black Mirror season 7: Bête Noire’s Recap
The story of Bête Noire is both surreal and deeply unsettling. Maria, a skilled food researcher, is thrown into chaos when her high school classmate Verity joins a product test panel and quickly embeds herself into Maria’s life. She lands a job Maria didn’t even know was open and begins subtly manipulating Maria’s world. Verity uses a strange necklace that shifts their reality to alternate versions of the world, each one reshaped by her own words and will.
Maria notices disturbing changes. She remembers things differently from everyone else. She misses meetings she was never told about. She is accused of things she didn’t do. The most painful moment comes when she is framed for drinking a colleague’s almond milk, even though she has a serious nut allergy. When she tries to explain, no one believes her, and allergies don’t seem to exist in this version of reality. She starts to unravel.
The final act explodes into chaos. Maria confronts Verity at her mansion. Their fight escalates until Verity calls the police using the pendant, simply by saying they’re there. The police storm in and believe Verity’s version of events. But Maria turns the situation around. She grabs an officer’s gun and kills Verity. She then takes the pendant and commands it to make her empress of the universe. The screen cuts to a new reality where Maria stands triumphant.
According to Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker in an interview with Netflix Tudum published on April 10, 2025, this ending was meant to be absurd yet empowering. The original version was darker, with Maria in fascist-like gear. The final version gives her a dramatic, pop-star look, blending satire and sci-fi. Verity’s motives stem from old trauma. Maria started a rumor in school that ruined Verity’s life, and Verity never forgot. The story becomes one of memory, revenge, and the cost of unresolved pain.
By the end, viewers are left questioning what’s real and whether power truly brings peace. It’s a dark comedy that reflects how easily the truth can be rewritten and how fragile our sense of reality really is. This is what makes Bête Noire one of the most mind-bending entries in the Black Mirror anthology.
Bête Noire is more than just a clever Black Mirror episode. It’s a reminder that memory is fragile, and reality can be shaped by technology in ways we don’t fully understand. By turning the viewer into a participant, the show blurs the boundary between fiction and life. Whether you found it funny, terrifying, or both, one thing is clear: Bête Noire will stay with you long after the screen goes dark.
Black Mirror season 7 is now streaming on Netflix. Let us know in the comments below If you saw Barnies or Bernies. And which version of Bête Noire blew your mind?
