Black Mirror has become a little too real as Season 7 appears to be gaslighting Netflix viewers, presenting different cuts of a crucial scene for different households.
Although the shock factor of Black Mirror and its dystopic view of a technologically advanced future may have waned over the years, Season 7 is nonetheless as devastating as ever. Some episodes are more melancholic than others, but one in particular now stands out from the batch for a different reason.
Episode 2, Bête Noire, is all about the effects of being gaslit, or seemingly being gaslit, who’s to know for sure, right? Well, as the episode plays out, we follow Maria as she comes to grips with changes in her memory, and let’s just say it’s all rather sinister.
However, taking the experience of the episode one step further, it appears Netflix is directly gaslighting viewers tuning in. One particular scene has come into question, with viewers reporting different versions from each other.
What’s on the monitor in your version of Black Mirror Season 7?
Black Mirror Season 7’s Bête Noire is gaslighting viewers
Ever experienced the Mandela effect? When you’re absolutely certain something is one way, your memories have you convinced, but in reality, it’s actually a different way. That’s essentially the plot device Episode 2 hinges on.
Maria, a researcher, first experiences it during a heated argument with her colleagues. The crew gets into a debate over the real name of a fast food chain in their area. To Maria, it’s very clearly called Bernies. But to everyone else, they’re convinced she’s crazy as it’s always been Barnies.
Maria even recalls her boyfriend’s hat, clearly presenting the Bernies company logo. Ultimately, she’s proven wrong when her colleagues search it up online and confirm the correct company name to be Barnies. Only, that’s not the case for every viewer around the globe.
As it turns out, the scene appears to have been altered for Netflix viewers, seemingly at random. In some cases, viewers see Barnies on the monitor. In others, they see Bernies.
Furthering the confusion, when Netflix tweeted out Bernies, Black Mirror’s account replied with Barnies. What’s real and what’s false is anyone’s guess, and we won’t spoil the rest of the episode here. But it’s evident Netflix is having a little fun with its viewers, bringing a meta layer of gaslighting to the fold with Season 7.
