If you and your friends have been arguing over whether the restaurant in the new Black Mirror episode is called “Barnies” or “Bernies”: Turns out you both might be right.
What was the name of that fast food chain in the Black Mirror episode “Bête Noire” again? Don’t worry – this article won’t spoil the actual plot.
Black Mirror Season 7
Black Mirror just made its comeback with a brand new season, and things are getting wild again. Six new episodes dive back into dystopian futures and explore how our obsession with technology could be our downfall.
The marketing machine’s in full swing, too. Eagle-eyed fans spotted a hidden QR code in the poster for the episode Plaything, which leads to an app. It wasn’t available to download until two days after the season dropped – and turns out, it’s a two-hour game that ties directly into the episode’s story.
This is probably a welcome promotion for Netflix Gaming after their Gaming Chief recently quit, and they scaled back on content, cancelling multiple upcoming releases.
But another episode has people talking for a different reason – it’s messing with the audience’s memory.
Bête Noire – Barnies? Or Was It Bernies?
barnies https://t.co/TaS4MzrXam
— Black Mirror (@blackmirror) April 11, 2025
The second episode of the new season, Bête Noire, centers around gaslighting. If you’re not familiar with the term (even though the internet has been throwing it around so much for years that it’s almost lost all meaning), here’s a quick definition:
psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator - Merriam-Webster
So, gaslighting messes with people’s sense of reality. But how does Bête Noire do this – especially to the audience?
There are a few moments in the episode where this phenomenon is shown. One of them happens when Maria, the protagonist, gets into a debate with her coworkers about whether a fast food chain is called “Barnies” or “Bernies.” Maria’s convinced it’s “Bernies,” but everyone else insists it’s “Barnies.”
Eventually, the characters look it up online. So, what’s the answer? Well… that depends on who you ask. Turns out, there are actually two different versions of the episode – and which one you get is totally random:
So my friend and I were watching the new Black Mirror episode "Bete Noire" and we noticed that there was a stark difference between our episodes... even the viewers are getting gaslit at 16:40! #BlackMirrorS7 pic.twitter.com/G2Ne1SuvJV
— Vastolorde | AKIO (@actualakio) April 10, 2025
But if you don’t know that the “correct” name is chosen at random, you might actually start doubting your own memory when you talk about the episode with friends later on – pretty sneaky, right? But also kind of perfect for the theme…
Have you watched the episode yet? Which version did you get? And what’s your favorite episode overall?
