Is Maria’s Mind Playing Tricks? Shocking Twist Explained in Black Mirror’s Bête Noire!

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*Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Black Mirror season 7 episode 2, Bête Noire.*

In full swing as a developer at a delightful chocolate company, I, Maria (Siena Kelly), found my world spinning like melted cocoa butter when an old acquaintance, Verity (Rosy McEwen), unexpectedly re-entered my life and seemingly integrated herself into it.

Following the style of Black Mirror, the series Bête Noire initially seems straightforward, but it quickly unfolds into a thought-provoking tale. Maria senses that something is profoundly amiss, yet those around her continue to reassure her of the opposite.

When planting seeds, one might question their sanity, and if I were in your shoes, I’d be feeling exactly the same way. The characters, particularly Maria, resonate so deeply with me, and it’s the minor nuances that make me feel slightly disoriented.

In my opinion, those closing scenes were truly memorable parts of that entire episode. I must confess, though, I can’t help but wonder, what transpired in the end of Bête Noire?

Later on, they discovered during post-production which elements truly resonated for the episode. On set, it felt incredibly freeing, almost as if we were kids in a massive playground. The atmosphere on set was warm and inviting, much like a close-knit family.

McEwan terms the ending as “kitschy,” whereas Kelly expresses about certain edits as, “It seems quite peculiar to us! They reined it in since we overstepped the boundaries.

Continue reading to uncover an in-depth analysis of the show, featuring additional insights straight from the cast members themselves.

Black Mirror: Bête Noire ending explained – Was Maria right about Verity?

Following Verity’s visit to Ditta offices for a team tasting event, she quickly establishes connections within the company and forms a close bond with Maria.

Upon her return after many years, Maria was puzzled, as she recalled the gossips circulating about her and their former teacher allegedly engaging in inappropriate relationships.

Verity gets a job offer as a research assistant from Gabe (Ben Bailey Smith) following a single interview, surprising Maria. The next day, Gabe informs Maria that he’s set up Verity to act as a liaison between her and Chef Yudy (Amber Grappy).

In our conversation about the new marshmallow concept, Doubloon, Maria found it challenging to spell out ‘carrageenan’. She decided to simplify things by promising Verity that she would share the full ingredient list through an email instead.

While Maria is jotting down the ingredients, she catches a snippet of conversation among her coworkers discussing various fast-food restaurants, and one of them brings up Bernie’s.

As a dedicated fan, I’m absolutely convinced that Barnie’s was the place where the item originated. You see, my partner Michael Workéyè once worked there, and he’s been sporting his daily cap from that very establishment for years now.

I was convinced it belonged to Barnie, but upon a quick online search, the findings suggested it was Bernie’s all along. When I got back home, my partner confirmed that it was indeed Bernie’s, leaving me feeling like I might be losing my grip on reality.

In my critique, I found the narrative to be a delicate dance between the soft, sweet, and lovely elements, which made up about 60% of the episode’s fabric, and the gradual unfurling of the underlying complexities that were artfully scattered throughout.

It might become clear that she’s not as we perceive her. However, since it’s crucial to establish from the start that it’s Maria, I’m working on making everyone, including the audience and my colleagues, believe that everything taking place is just a product of Maria’s imagination.

Maria is positive that Verity’s arrival has put her own position in her office at risk, so she spends her evening scrolling through social media to review old photos from school. She finds Verity in the background of one of the pictures and recalls another old friend, Natalie Caine, whom she decides to reach out to and reconnect with.

The following day, it is Mr. Ditta, our company leader, who visits the office to taste Maria’s newest invention, the Hucklebuck miso jam. Additionally, he tries out the Doubloon, a novel mallow idea that Maria had been developing together with Yudy and Verity the day before.

Mr. Ditta attempts to figure out its contents and inquires about its texture, to which Maria reveals that it is a vegan jelly made from seaweed. This leaves Yudy puzzled.

It appeared as though Maria’s meeting was a resounding triumph, but her joy was short-lived when Yudy informed Maria and Gabe that the gelatin in the Doubloon candy was derived from beef.

1) Gabe claims that Mr. Ditta is of Hindu faith, which seems to be a significant error. Maria is enraged, informing Yudy that she explicitly specified the exclusion of carrageenan, but according to Yudy, it was never included in the list.

Verity acted as a go-between for the duo, and when Gabe inquired about this role, Verity explained that Maria hadn’t mentioned the term “carrageenan” at all. Instead, it seemed to Verity that Maria might have been preoccupied by Luisa’s discussion regarding her almond milk.

According to Maria, she acknowledges that she understands what she wrote in the email. However, Gabe and Verity have pointed out that she seems agitated and should keep her cool. Maria insists that Verity must be wrong about her tone, and the only way to confirm it is by checking the email. When Maria opens the email, she’s shocked to discover that she had indeed written ‘non-pork gelatine’, as Verity claimed.

Gabe initially asks Maria to apologize, yet later suggests she might benefit from a break. He hints that Maria’s repeated criticism of Verity seems increasingly vengeful. Even Kae expresses doubts about Maria upon hearing her version of events at home.

Last night, I got a text from someone claiming to be Natalie, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t her at all – it was her husband instead. He broke the news that Natalie had tragically passed away only a few days ago, causing me to immediately call him back in shock. He explained that she had suffered a mental breakdown, displaying irrational and paranoid behaviors in the weeks leading up to her death. As a film enthusiast, this revelation felt like a plot twist straight out of a movie.

Maria believes there might be a connection to Verity, yet due to Natalie’s husband ending the conversation abruptly and Kae being displeased with Maria’s inquiries, she now finds herself at a dead end regarding Verity.

The following morning, Maria enters the office only to discover it’s already filled for a scheduled team meeting, which Verity promptly informs her has already begun.

In an office with only the two of them present, Verity inquires of Maria if there’s any issue between them. She then brings up the gossip circulated during their school days regarding her and Mr. Kendrick.

It seems evident that Verity has carried some lingering anger regarding the past events, as Maria mentioned she never held any issues against Verity, eventually expressing regret for how Verity was treated back then.

However, the situation becomes increasingly unsettling as Verity moves towards the refrigerator in the kitchen, taking out Luisa’s almond milk that she had been doubting was being used by the office all week, and then drinking directly from the container.

After our latest gathering, I found myself questioning once more about certain matters, and then, upon witnessing something intriguing, Maria couldn’t resist sharing the revelation: it was Verity all along. As a movie buff, I can’t help but feel like we’re in the midst of an unexpected plot twist!

Later on, Verity admits it was indeed Maria who claimed that it couldn’t have been her since she’s allergic to almonds. Gabe proposes they resolve this by reviewing the security camera footage, and upon doing so, the video evidence reveals Maria drinking Luisa’s almond milk.

When Maria attempts to clarify her nut allergy, Gabe, along with Verity, express confusion when she uses the term. Upon searching for the term online, nothing relevant comes up. Perplexed, Maria inquires from Verity as to how she’s managing this, noticing that Verity often grasps a pendant on her necklace.

Attempting to rush towards Verity, Gabe alerts Maria that he’s releasing her from his care. Later on, in the evening, Maria lingers in the parking lot and tracks Verity home – to an imposing mansion – in search of explanations. Forcing entry, Maria steps into a hallway adorned with hard drives and various high-tech gadgets.

In the moment when Verity steps into the shower, Maria sneaks into her bedroom and discovers a painting depicting her as a divine figure with men offering her food. Upon further exploration, Maria notices various images of Verity on Vogue magazine covers – with Harry Styles, in space as an astronaut, and as an Olympian. Maria locates the pendant but quickly ducks beneath the bed when she hears Verity returning.

Verity clarifies that the object under the bed is merely a remote control for the quantum compiler in the basement, which alters reality as we know it. Maria then challenges her about the pendant.

Verity clarifies that what she’s about to do doesn’t alter anything in a traditional sense, but rather adjusts our physical vibrations to align with an alternate reality where whatever I’ve said has always been true. She reaches for another of her collection of remote devices.

According to Verity, she chooses a particular sequence of events across all possibilities in which Maria is the sole person aware of the truth, causing Verity to question her sanity.

Why was Verity messing with Maria’s reality?

Verity openly confesses that she single-handedly constructed the whole system, reminiscent of her geeky computer phase in high school. She candidly acknowledges her actions are intended to cause distress to Maria.

Verity reveals that it was Maria who initiated the gossip concerning her and Mr. Kendrick at school, with Natalie disclosing this information to her right before Maria leaped off a building.

Eventually, Maria confesses that she initiated the rumor, but suggests that Verity doesn’t have to dwell on the past since she can manipulate her circumstances to become an empress. However, it is revealed that this is something Verity has already achieved, as indicated by the painting of herself being revered, which was the first step she took.

Despite achieving much in her life, she remains haunted by her past, particularly the prolonged bullying she experienced during school. Regrettably, she wishes for Maria to face a similar fate as Natalie, having succumbed to life’s pressures. Verity claims it took five weeks to break Natalie, contrasting with Maria who gave in after just five days.

In a heated moment, Maria charges towards Verity, leading to a rather intense physical altercation. Verity quickly grabs her remote and commands it, informing the device that armed police have been summoned due to Kae alerting the authorities about Maria who had forcibly entered Verity’s home, brandishing a knife.

In an instant, I found myself in a chilling predicament, as the raw reality set in and uniformed police officers barged into the room. One of them demanded that I relinquish the knife I held and turn around with my hands on my head – which I did obligingly. However, just as the officer approached to make an arrest, a swift reflex took over, and I seized his weapon, firing it fatally at Verity.

With an officer firing at her, Maria successfully retrieves the pendant from Verity’s grasp and orders it to function under her command instead. She communicates to the pendant that she now holds authority over it, as the policemen witnessed Verity taking her own life but suggested they escort her to the station for interrogation. Maria, in turn, informs both the officers and the pendant that they must comply with her orders from this moment forward.

In short order, they began idolizing her as a cosmic empress, and it felt like we were immersed in a tale reminiscent of Greek deities. There, Maria was greeted by a vast throng of admirers, validating her lifelong pursuit: adoration and popularity.

There’s something captivating about ambiguity and unfairness in real-life scenarios, as we’re all multifaceted individuals with a wide range of abilities. The climactic choice in that episode particularly resonated with me; it was the aspect I appreciated most.

McEwen also added of Maria’s final decision to become Verity in a way: “She’s exactly the same!”

During our rehearsals, Siena and I found ourselves puzzled as to why these characters were going to such great lengths. That’s when Charlie [Brooker] enlightened us with his insight: “They’re both just extraordinarily petty.” And, well, that explanation clicked for us instantly!

Kelly commented: “We had been working on a comprehensive background, but he simply said, ‘Folks, they’re merely trivial.’ After that, he didn’t have to take any further action. I immediately understood.

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2025-04-10 12:17