This article contains spoilers for Black Mirror season seven episode two, Bete Noire.
Summary
Black Mirror is back for its seventh season, and you can watch the whole thing right now onNetflix. The series is, once again, messing with viewers' heads, sometimes forcing them to question their reality, and there’s one trick, in particular, the show has played in the new season that’s especially mean, even for Black Mirror.
The episode in question is the second in the new season called Bete Noire. Its lead character, Maria, is joined at her job by an old school friend called Verity. Maria is alarmed when she discovers Verity seems to be able to alter reality on a whim, particularly when she realizes no one else has picked up on it.
It’s when Verity starts messing with Maria’s personal reality that things start to get really dark. The two of them debate the name of a defunct fast food chain. One of them claims it was called Barnies, while the other is convinced it was Bernies. Maria notes that her husband used to work for the chain, so she knows she’s right. However, when she checks to confirm, she discovers that Verity was the one who remembered correctly.
One Of Black Mirror Season Seven’s Episodes Has Two Versions
A Manufactured Mandela Effect In Full Effect
The episode is a play on the Mandela Effect, a real-life phenomenon where people are convinced they’ve remembered something a certain way only to discover they’re wrong, convincing them that their reality has changed. Not only are the creators of Black Mirror using that concept to tell a story in the show’s latest season, but they’ve put two versions of the episode out there to mess with the viewers too.
GamesRadarappears to have been the first to spot what Black Mirror is doing, reporting on the subtle difference that has likely had friends dissecting the latest season, arguing in the same way as Verity and Maria. In one version of the episode, Maria argues the chain was called Bernies while Verity claims it was Barnies. In the other version of the episode, the roles are reversed.
As far as we can tell, there’s no way of knowing how each version of the episode has been assigned, or if it’s even possible to watch both versions on the same Netflix account. You may have a Barnies account, meaning you’ll have to watch the Bernies version elsewhere. It would be more amusing if the episode changes after the first time you watch it though as, had you not read this article, you really would think you’re experiencing the Mandela Effect.
