Black Mirror’s Bête Noire may not be the bleakest installment of Season 7, yet it could be considered the most mind-boggling. While the narrative largely unfolds as a psychological thriller infused with mystery, the concluding 10 minutes take an abrupt sci-fi twist that is both captivating and perplexing. So what exactly transpires at the conclusion of Bête Noire, and how does the reality-altering mechanism function? Let’s analyze it.

What is Bête Noire about?

The episode focuses on Maria (portrayed by Siena Kelly), who is flourishing in her role at a candy company—until her old classmate Verity (Rosy McEwen) unexpectedly arrives at the workplace. From the very beginning, there’s a palpable tension between them. Maria attempts to undermine Verity’s opportunity for employment and disseminates rumors regarding her past. The twist? It was Maria who originally instigated those rumors during their school days, making Verity’s life unbearable.

As Verity acclimates to her new job, Maria starts experiencing unsettling gaps in her memory. She incorrectly recalls location names and sends emails that seem modified from her initial drafts. Growing increasingly paranoid, Maria becomes convinced that Verity is distorting reality—and that nobody else is aware of it.

What happens at the end of Bête Noire?

After being dismissed from her job, Maria trails Verity to an expansive mansion. Inside, she discovers a room brimming with computers and steals Verity’s necklace, believing it to be the source of her influence. However, Verity quickly corrects her misunderstanding.

“It’s merely a remote,” Verity clarifies. “It connects to the quantum compiler located downstairs. That’s what alters reality.”

Maria, still bewildered, presses for further information. Verity expands: the device doesn’t physically change reality—it shifts them into a parallel universe where the desired circumstances are already established.

“Technically, it’s not actually modifying anything,” Verity explains. “It merely retunes our corporeal frequency to a parallel reality where whatever I assert has always been accurate. There are endless timelines, so I simply select the one where you’re the only person aware of what’s happening. So you feel really… unique.”

In essence, Verity’s device permits her to traverse infinite versions of reality, choosing the one that aligns best with her narrative. And in each new reality, only Maria remembers the transition—leading her to feel alone and powerless.

Why does Maria kill Verity?

Understanding she has no means to combat someone who can reshape reality at will, Maria takes extreme steps. She shoots Verity and seizes the remote, hoping to take command of the quantum compiler herself.

“The pendant works for me, the pendant works for me!” she cries out, before issuing a directive to the compiler: “She shot herself. It was not me. You witnessed the entire event.”

Remarkably, it succeeds. Maria takes on Verity’s position of authority, effectively becoming the new ruler of reality. The concluding scene depicts her standing proudly on a pedestal in what seems to be an alien landscape, surrounded by adoring acolytes chanting, “Hail, Maria!”

So… is it a happy ending?

That hinges on your interpretation. Maria emerges in control, but only after committing murder and seizing power through trickery. It’s a quintessential Black Mirror twist: the protagonist prevails, but at what price?

Black Mirror Season 7, featuring Bête Noire, is currently available for streaming on Netflix.