Bête Noire

Episode 2 is named "Bête Noire" - that means a person or thing that you dislike very much or that annoys you. A very accurate title for the story about Maria (Siena Kelly) and Verity (Rosy McEwen) that takes place over a period of 5 working days. The main setting is the office of a food company and you get to know the background of the acquaintance of the two main characters. Maria is a miss know it all and does not approve of her new colleague Verity who seems to be well liked by their colleagues. Ironically, the character is named Verity and soon enough you will find out the truth about what happened in the past. Things quickly escalate and culminate in a b*tch fight.

As a viewer you can decide which side you want to take and who is the bully/villain and who is the victim.

If you like dystopian, more realistic story lines, then this episode might not be of your taste since it's more a fantasy story.

What I find striking is the short scenes/transitions with compelling organ music. In addition, the intentional use of the colors of the clothes of Maria and Verity might give a hint that Verity tries to mimic Maria.

What is the morale of the story: bullying leaves deep emotional scars that never heal.

Personally, I felt entertained and despite some violence it was definitely more fun to watch than prior episode 1 "Common People".

This was almost a complete rip-off of the classic Twilight Zone episode Wordplay, where the meanings of everyday words suddenly change, one at a time, but the main character is the only one who notices.

But, as I watched it, I realized they did such a great job creating a truly modern version of that classic episode.

Siena Kelly and Rosy McEwen both gave top notch acting performances. Totally believable, completely got me into this remake/reimagining. The first little thing that changed had me jumping back in the episode to check and realizing I didn't even notice that little detail.

But, then at the very end, the last minute or two, they just completely botched it. This episode was destined to be a modern classic rivaling the original Twilight episode, then they just cut to the end and threw in a completely predictable ending with zero imagination. Like all that incredibly creative story and build-up, just to say, "Yes, human beings really are just plain stupid." Oh, OK.

This episode still rates a 7/10, even with the incredibly disappointing ending, that's how good 99% of the episode was. Easily a 9/10 or even possibly a 10/10 episode, just completely screwed by impatience, poor writing, or a wish to screw with the audience, give us the middle finger.

Too bad, but still enjoyable...

Started with Common People which immediately made me feel like the pilot episode and I knew I was in. Then came into this episode fully blind and without expectations and left obsessed!!!! So far it has a great level, better than seasons 5 and 6 at least. This one had a particular way to easily build up unbearable tension along with simple scenes, and ended up on a total chaos and a surreal ending sequence. Many people will surely find bad things, but I truly loved this episode. It comes back to that surreal fantasy approach that only Black Mirror could possibly achieve. Hyped for the USS Callister sequel now.

Food developer Maria's nose is put out of joint when her former school pupil Verity takes a role at her place of work. Things start to go wrong for Maria, but is she losing control of reality?

Not just a story of revenge, but a story of out and out loathing, Bête Noire is Black Mirror perhaps not quite at its best, but definitely hitting fourth gear.

I really did enjoy this one, I think it's one that will be better on subsequent viewings.

In these days of deep fakes and altered images, this goes one step further, what if reality itself was altered, the future, though exciting, also adds a few fears.

So dark and twisted, but kind of funny at the same time. We're given something a little different here, I can't quite work out if we're given a happy ending here or not, but it's as close as BM ever gets to one.

I really rated this one, very quirky.

8/10.

There was a real sense of anticipation as I watched this episode-it builds nicely, with believable characters set in a competitive work environment that feels grounded and relatable. While it does lack a bit of subtlety in how the antagonist is introduced, and the plot moves at a rapid pace, there are still enough "ooh" moments to keep you engaged along the way.

Unfortunately, the final act completely unravels. The ending feels rushed, undercooked, and veers dangerously into something almost Benny Hill-esque-if that's even a thing! It was such a jarring tonal shift after the promising set-up.

That said, the acting throughout is solid, and the performances deserved a more thoughtful resolution. It's hard not to wonder if the whole thing was hurried out to meet a deadline, because the climax feels like it skipped a few drafts. A strong start, but ultimately a frustrating finish that left me disappointed.