Black Mirror Recap: Mandela Effect

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Occasionally, a stellar lead performance can make an episode of Black Mirror seem believable amidst its outlandish elements. While “Bête Noire” may not surpass “Common People”, it certainly veers off course in a more extravagant manner. However, it does have the advantage of Siena Kelly’s complex yet endearing character, Maria, who keeps it grounded.

On a typical Monday at Ditta, a popular confectionary company, an energetic young woman named Maria, who works in research and development, was testing a new twist on their classic Hucklebuck candy – this time infused with miso jam. During the focus group, she unexpectedly encountered Verity Greene (Rosy McEwen), a familiar face from her high school days. Verity’s positive feedback during the focus group significantly changed the other participants’ initial skepticism towards the new flavor. Later in the restroom, they reconnected and Verity casually mentioned that she had applied for a research assistant position at Ditta, which Maria was previously unaware of.

On that particular evening, Maria shares with her partner Kae her long-held suspicion about Verity, who often spent hours in the computer lab. At some point, it was whispered that she had inappropriately engaged with Mr. Kendrick within the lab, and a young woman named Natalie Caine began derisively referring to her as Milkmaid, which eventually became a popular moniker.

In my opinion, the following day’s interview between Verity and Maria’s supervisor Gabe goes smoothly, landing Verity the position instantly. This turn of events feels off-kilter to Maria, and Gabe’s unsettling demeanor only fuels her suspicion, even without a concrete reason to doubt him. Strangely, it’s as if this situation holds some personal weight for Maria, who adamantly denies any animosity towards Verity, yet finds herself fixated on her. Notably, Kae later makes an uncouth remark about his girlfriend’s penchant for dominance, a detail worth keeping in mind as we delve deeper into the story.

On Wednesdays, the main plot of the episode begins to crystalize. Maria finds herself embroiled in a disagreement with Verity and their colleague Nick over a chicken restaurant called Bernie’s (or Barnie’s, as Maria remembers). Her boyfriend used to work there and often wears the hat, so she sees the name frequently – yet online searches support Nick and Verity’s version. Upon returning home, the hat bears the new name. If you hadn’t already been considering the Mandela Effect (with the Berenstain Bears being a common reference), Kae brings it up, and it becomes increasingly evident that this is building towards larger inconsistencies in reality.

On Thursday, Mr. Ditta goes to the office and tests Maria’s newest items, extending an invitation for her to attend the global unveiling of her new candy, the Doubloon, made from mallow. However, it is discovered that the mallow contains beef gelatine instead of seaweed-derived carrageenan, which creates a problem since Mr. Ditta practices Hinduism. Earlier, Maria had stated in an email to Verity that she used carrageenan, but upon examination by Gabe and others, it only mentions “non-pork.” The situation is growing more tense as people tend to support Verity over Maria, including Kae. Matters become even more critical when Maria receives a text from the husband of her old friend Natalie, who used to bully Verity. It appears that Nat took her own life a few days ago after suffering from severe paranoia and instability for weeks.

In this production, casting a Black actress as Maria and a fair-haired white actress as Verity seems deliberate, particularly in scenes where Maria’s viewpoint is least valued during office disputes. This intentionality becomes more apparent on Friday, when Verity emotionally shares her memories of the compassionate Mr. Kendrick and the pain of his transfer to another school. It’s a touching moment, and Maria demonstrates genuine empathy. However, the tension escalates when Verity, in a bold move, drinks Luisa’s almond milk from the fridge, gazes directly at everyone, carelessly discards the empty carton on the floor, and falsely accuses Maria of the act when they all return from the meeting. Even the security camera captures Maria committing the deed, leading to her eventual termination.

In the face of Verity’s powerful ability to manipulate reality, Maria finds herself in a predicament. With few alternatives, she decides to secretly enter Verity’s home and grab her magical pendant when Verity is in the shower. Unfortunately, the pendant uses fingerprint recognition, as Verity reveals upon discovering Maria hidden under the bed. Moreover, it turns out that the pendant serves as a remote for Verity’s “quantum compiler,” a device akin to the “quamputer” from “Joan Is Afraid.” It seems that Verity possesses an extraordinary level of computer genius, enabling her to change reality at will or adjust our physical frequency to a parallel universe where whatever she desires becomes true. She illustrates this by instantly changing Maria’s shirt color and language without warning.

Essentially, Verity is retaliating against Maria because Maria made the initial joke about Mr. Kendrick, which Natalie later expanded upon. It’s not that Verity is merely misusing the quantum compiler in every dispute, but she certainly maximized its potential by temporarily ruling as the universe’s empress, enjoying unquestioned authority. However, it’s important to note that all her grandiose accomplishments are essentially illusory. In truth, Verity can’t seem to move past her high school traumas and desires nothing more than for Maria to experience the same pain Natalie did.

Thankfully, Maria exhibits great tenacity. It’s exhilarating to observe her defiantly confront a seemingly omnipotent adversary. Initially, she uses brute force, followed by a chokehold. Later, Verity summons the authorities using a locket, creating a situation where the officers perceive Maria as an intruder armed with a knife. This leads to a tense standoff which concludes when Maria disarms one of the officers and shoots Verity in self-defense before she can manipulate reality again. However, Maria’s troubles are not over yet, but she eventually seizes control of the locket using Verity’s finger, thereby commandeering the police force as her devoted followers and proclaiming herself the queen of the universe.

Hang on a minute! I’m thrilled about Maria’s victory, as I’ve said before, Siena Kelly did an outstanding job in portraying the character’s growing tension while maintaining her knack for office camaraderie and corporate politics. I applauded when she outsmarted her rival. If you look closely, this climax seems to echo Maria’s high school popularity and Kae’s previous remarks about her enjoying admiration. However, I can’t shake off the feeling that this much power might be too much for her. If this ending aims to express some cynicism, I wish there had been more scenes showcasing Maria’s ego and potential for cruelty, perhaps alongside Kae. Instead, most of those moments just made me resent him for always undermining her.

Perhaps the issue lies in the technology being overly advanced and seemingly unsuitable for a straightforward narrative, much like “Common People.” It’s challenging not to feel a sense of unexploited potential or lack of clear thematic focus in this piece, especially when considering its shallow critique of office culture. Initially, “Bête Noire” offers an engaging little thriller with a good understanding of atmosphere. However, I can’t help but hope that Charlie Brooker will soon delve into more thought-provoking themes.

Final Reflections

• “She can conduit? Conduit’s not a verb.”

One instance of Mandela-effect I find amusing is when people can’t comprehend the term ‘nut allergy.’ When Maria searches it online, the closest results she gets are ‘not allegory,’ which adds a humorous twist.

Once more, similar to the police officer forcefully restraining a Black woman during “Mazey Day” in the previous season, the script appears to forego exploring the heavy symbolism of Verity summoning the police against Maria.

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2025-04-10 17:57