Black Mirror actor shares hidden meaning behind ending of new episode that makes it even darker

The seventh series of Black Mirror dropped on Netflix last week, and one of the most talked-about episode is actually even darker than we thought.

Ever since the science fiction anthology series aired on Channel 4 in 2011, the show has been a hit, with fans eagerly waiting for new episodes.

In case you weren't clued up on the series, Black Mirror explores technology and its (usually negative) side-effects in futuristic settings, in a Twilight Zone-inspired way.

Some episodes are spookier than others, while some hit a bit too close to home, with one of season seven's instalments in particular making viewers feel that bit more uncomfortable.

The episode is called 'Common People', starring Rashida Jones, Chris O'Dowd, Tracee Ellis Ross, and it also happens to be the opening episode of the season.

Warning: spoilers ahead

Black Mirror's seventh season has already been praised by critics, with fans quick to binge the series following its release on Thursday (10 April) on Netflix.

'Common People' in particular made headlines for its relatable subject matter, all to do with subscription services, and particularly, how the corporations behind them continue to increase the costs with the promise of more.

It's also quite ironic, given that the series is aired on a streaming platform that came under fire for doing the same thing in 2024, and again earlier this year.

In this episode, we are introduced to Amanda (Jones) and Mike (O'Dowd), a happily married couple who are looking to have a baby.

Amanda is given the sad news that she has a brain tumour, with a doctor offering Mike the option to let her die, or sign up for an experimental procedure which would allow a part of her brain to be run by a subscription service called Rivermind.

The episode has caused a stir (Netflix)

After choosing the latter, we can see that it was the wrong choice, as Amanda has to sleep most of the day, and even deliver advertisements without knowing it - a feature that you must pay extra to remove.

Sound familiar?

As the episode goes on, Gaynor (Ellis Ross) pushes the couple to upgrade their subscription to the point where they are in financial trouble, forcing Mike to join a NSFW platform to perform humiliating acts like drinking pee for money.

By the end of the episode, Amanda asks her husband to smother her with a pillow, before he takes a box cutter to the next room where he filmed the humiliation videos.

However, the ending may be darker than we thought, as Jones told TV Insider that it may not have been Amanda's choice to die, saying: “She makes this decision under the influence of Rivermind Luxe. So I bet it’ll be debated whether or not she actually had the agency to make that decision and how much of it was her.”

Amanda may not have wanted to die after all (Netflix)

Jones did think that Amanda did ultimately choose her fate, as she added: “I chose that it was the best version of herself because [as the character,] I push up my serenity button at the end, and I think it’s still me, [just] a clearer mindset where I wasn’t distraught with pain and fatigue...

“It’s extremely sad, but I think, for me performing that, I had to kind of accept that it wasn’t sad, it was actually a relief and actually the right thing to do.”

The American actor also believed that Mike did then take his own life and livestream it, saying: “That is what he did. He says, ‘I’m doing a specialty thing later,’ which is pretty dark.”

Ross also highlighted the subject matter of the episode, stating: “That is sort of the trajectory of capitalism.”

She said that things that would be 'out of reach' would then be 'made accessible'.

“You can imagine a sort of future of Rivermind where there is this massive accessibility, and they still have tiers, and there’s all of these things that are possible,” as she gave examples of choosing to live forever, or keeping people alive at any cost.

Ross added: “That’s probably where they’re headed.”