"Black Mirror" Season 7's Bête Noire Is Messing With Fans' Heads Like Never Before
Since it premiered on Channel 4 more than a decade ago, Black Mirror has become known as a TV show that really gets under viewers' skin.
But with its new season, the dystopian drama is messing with viewers' heads in a way like never before.
The second episode of the Netflix show's seventh season is titled "Bête Noire", and centres around a woman who feels she is being gaslit by a new colleague, who it later emerges is someone she bullied at school.
Slowly, the central character's life begins to unravel as her new colleague continues to make her second-guess herself – by editing CCTV footage of them together, making tweaks to their email exchanges and even changing the name of a chicken shop she was once a patron of.
But as more fans have been sharing their feelings about the show on social media, it's become apparent that Black Mirror is using this episode to have some fun at viewers' expense too.
You see, there are two different versions of the episode that have been randomly distributed to Netflix users, with some seeing the name written on Maria's boyfriend's hat as 'Barnie's', and others 'Bernie's'.
Two versions of the scene when Maria argues with her colleagues about the shop were also filmed.
One outcome sees Maria pointing out the shop couldn't be called 'Barnie's' because that spelling wouldn't make sense, while in the other, she argues that it has to be called 'Barnie's' because chickens 'live in a barn' (although her co-worker quickly points out that's not strictly true, either).
So my friend and I were watching the new Black Mirror episode 'Bête Noire' and we noticed that there was a stark difference between our episodes… even the viewers are getting gaslit at 16:40! #BlackMirrorS7 pic.twitter.com/G2Ne1SuvJV
— Vastolorde | AKIO 🫡💖🇺🇸 (@actualakio) April 10, 2025
My gf and I are watching the black mirror episode Bete Noir on teleparty and we are watching two different versions of the same episode…in my episode Maria is adamant the chicken shop is Bernie's, in hers she's adamant it's Barnie's….the caps are switched in both too… pic.twitter.com/7sTA0wxdYN
— dirac (@quinnswm) April 13, 2025
black mirror filming two versions of the bernie's/barnie's scene and distributing them randomly is next level diabolical
— Ł å ū r å (@sp00kybinch) April 13, 2025
Count your days @netflix it's Barnie's not Bernie's ! I saw what you did there.
It's Barnie's because 'chickens live in a Barn' 'well actually they live in a coop.' pic.twitter.com/q1c1rBbyeX
— G is ☕️✨ (@GottiStylez) April 12, 2025
Wait until you find out they shot two different versions of the episode. Some people watched a reality where Barnies is the name of the restaurant on the hat originally and for others it was Bernies. They created a real life Mandela effect 💀💀💀 https://t.co/UMYCD6S5ox
— Oxtail Pricing Specialist (@simsimmaaz) April 12, 2025
Apparently if you watch Bete Noire episode, there are 2 versions of Barnie's/Bernie's. If you watch on Netflix, Maria believes it's Bernie's when everyone else says it's Barnie's. If you watch the torrent version, the whole thing is the other way round. Holy hell.
— J. (@thefluffybutt) April 11, 2025
so the hat in the beginning of the episode had barnie's on it then the google search later in the episode was bernie's but apparently some people have it the other way around?????? am i being gaslit??? netflix u sneaky bitch
— kayla ✨ (@heykluh) April 13, 2025
Black Mirror has become known for its use of in-universe Easter eggs, of which there are plenty in Bête Noire.
The food company Ditta – where Maria and Verity work – is first mentioned in the preceding season seven episode Common People during one of Rashida Jones character's 'ads'.
It's also been pointed out that 'Barnie's' itself is a Black Mirror reference, calling back to the infamous season three episode "Shut Up And Dance".
The answer to the Black Mirror Bête Noire question is 'BARNIES' as seen in season 3 'shut up and dance' #BlackMirror pic.twitter.com/TDHXkPrIsz
— Andrew McBride (@andrewmcb) April 13, 2025
Just scrolling up on tiktok for some Black Mirror related videos, and came across a video about 'Shut Up and Dance' episode, and someone in the comment section pointed out that Kenny is literally wearing a Barnies hat, a reference on the latest episode of black mirror🙉 whut?? pic.twitter.com/17nXXWgaJD
— Gello (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃ (@MYARTSOULAB) April 14, 2025
Barnies tbm é a empresa onde o Kenny de Shut Up And Dance (3x03) trabalha pic.twitter.com/RfmkZoEaAP
— Muito Black Mirror (@mtblackmirror) April 14, 2025
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