Following the release of Black Mirror's “Bête Noire” episode as part of season seven last week, we've been wracking our brains about the potential message the episode is meant to convey. Is it meant to be a reminder of the impact bullying can have on someone? Was it supposed to be an examination of gaslighting and its consequences? Well, according to the episodes lead cast members Rosy McEwen and Siena Kelly, it turns out we've got the meaning of Black Mirror's “Bête Noire” very wrong.
In the episode we watch food researcher Maria (Kelly) slowly watching her world collapse around her after a new worker joins her team. The employee in question is Verity (McEwen), a girl Maria went to school with that no one liked. Once Verity joins the team things start to go weird, with Maria being ignored and questioned by those around.
By the end of the episode it's revealed Verity has been twisting reality to suit her agenda, influencing everything in multiple timelines, thanks to a handy pendant around her neck. “Bête Noire” ends in a tense physical fight between the women, after Verity confesses she was trying to get revenge on Maria, who was responsible for the horrible nickname Verity was bullied with at school.
However, despite the dark topics brought up in the episode, McEwen shares that the episode actually isn't meant to been seen in this serious tone.
“It’s meant to be fun and silly! It’s a romp,” she told Cosmopolitan UK. “Especially in a show where the themes can feel daunting.”
She did go on to add that the episode highlights that as humans, we shouldn't always strive for perfection: “It's a reminder that we are humans who feel an array of emotions, not all of them beautiful and that’s ok. We feel angry, petty, and annoyed—because sometimes things are annoying and aggravating! We are not perfect nor should strive to be.”
As for Kelly, she thinks the meaning can be left mainly “open for audience interpretation,” but that one thing the episode does convey is the prevalence of gaslighting and misinformation.
“Our current society is full of misinformation & disinformation which feels very, very relevant to the episode,” she told Cosmopolitan UK. “I, personally, am really struggling to know what to believe and to feel 100 per cent sure on anything.”
The episode ends quite surprisingly, with Maria killing Verity and making herself “Empress of The Universe,” something Kelly loved about the episode.
“It is so absurd but I think completely true to Maria. I think that's exactly what she would do. She loves being top dog,” she reveals. As for the revelation that Maria was in fact the person responsible for Verity's cruel nickname, McEwan said she was, in some ways, surprised by Maria's actions.
“There had to be some truth in it for Verity to have been pushed to such an extreme, whether Maria was part of it or not,” she explained. “But also, who really knows what the layers are of what happens when we are teenagers—all learning, growing and insecure. It’s a messy time, best to be forgotten or laughed at. Wouldn’t have made for good telly though.”
And she's not wrong, it's easily one of our most favorite Black Mirror episodes yet.
