With a show like "Black Mirror", you always have to take what you see with a pinch of salt.
Not that it’s bad — “Black Mirror” season 7 is arguably one of my favorite seasons since its debut way back in 2011. But you need to price in some skepticism, as creator Charlie Brooker always finds some way to mess with you.
But what I wasn’t ready for was an episode about gaslighting actually leaving my fiancée and me questioning reality. Even more hilarious is that it is based on the silliest question: did that hat say “Barnies” or “Bernies?”
Well, to save you and your partner the same argument we went through, you’re not having a Mandela effect moment. This is all by design, and “Bête Noire” is probably the greatest psyop Brooker and Netflix have ever cooked up. Let me tell you about it.
Binge watching in a long-distance relationship
First, the context. Given we live on opposite sides of the Atlantic, we use a Chrome extension called Teleparty to sync streams and binge-watch.
You can stream most of the best streaming services — including Netflix, Max, Hulu, Disney Plus, YouTube, Prime Video, Tubi, Pluto TV and Spotify — for free, with more being available on the premium package for $3.99 a month.
Just visit the site, download the extension, set up an account and share a Teleparty link any time you want to watch together. It’s not as cosy as getting comfy on the couch with your significant other, but it’s close enough!
Now, normally, you both expect to watch the same thing. But Brooker chose chaos and had other plans…
Two versions of the same episode
@thalialeblanc ♬ original sound - Thalia 🎥💻💅🏽🇩🇴
The plot remains unchanged between the two. Without spoiling it, it’s all about gaslighting — that annoying feeling that you swear you did the thing you said you did, but only to be shown that you didn’t.
How this is done, I won’t say. But those same creepy tech dystopian vibes start to ramp up fast and, in classic “Black Mirror” fashion, things go from 0 to 100 in record time once the antagonist you’re not sure is actually the foe of the piece shows up. After the overtly bleak “Common People,” this was a brutal, darkly funny breath of fresh air.
But to stay on the theme of gaslighting, Netflix is randomly distributing one of two different versions of the episode to each user — a choice that cannot be changed, even if you log in on another device (yes, I tried).
It all surrounds the fried chicken chain that the protagonist’s (Maria) boyfriend used to work at, which is made clear by a cap on the kitchen unit.
The version I watched
The trucker cap said “Bernies.” In this episode, Maria is baffled in the office when all of her colleagues believe the chain’s name is “Barnies.” Her reasoning being that if it was Barnies, it would be spelled with an “ey” like “Barneys.”
Tensions rise as she gets more passionate in her defence of the name, but once the Google search happens, her colleagues are more than happy to gloat about their victory.
The version she watched
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/G2Ne1SuvJVApril 10, 2025
In this one, the hat says “Barnies.” If we are to believe "Black Mirror" canon (if there’s such a thing, given how much Brooker messes with us), it seems as if this is probably the correct version, judging by the hat that appeared in 2016's “Shut Up and Dance”
But I digress, in this one, Maria’s argument is that chickens live in a barn, hence “Barnies.” Once her colleague corrects her by saying they live in a coop, we go to the Google search, and they discover it’s “Bernies.”
Stream “Bête Noire” if your relationship can handle it!
The episode’s theme of changing reality to mess with someone is already a rather clever concept, but to take it literally and alter viewers' reality is downright devious.
This elaborate troll in “Bête Noire” is a master stroke that really leaves an impact, one that goes beyond “Black Mirror” season 7's more human, emotional storytelling.
My fiancée was left thinking I was losing my marbles, and I just know Brooker is happily eating popcorn and reveling in the chaos he’s reigned upon unsuspecting viewers. A small part of me hates that I was gaslit by this episode, but a larger part of me has to respect the audacity.
