The latest season of Black Mirror offers one of the craziest plot twists of all time in its second episode titled “Loch Henry”. Premiering on June 15, 2023 on Netflix, the season consists of five new episodes, all written by the showrunner Charlie Brooker with direction by Ally Pankiw, Sam Miller, John Crowley and more. 

“Loch Henry”, a dark tale about true crime, family secrets, and ruthless murders, follows two documentarians, Davis (Samuel Blenkin) and Pia (Myha’la Herrold), as they pivot from investigating an egg collector to a series of local murders committed by a serial killer named Iain Adair. Davis is hesitant to dig up the murder case given that his own father was a victim of the killer, but with Pia’s encouragement, he eventually gets on board. The two are also egged on by Davis’s friend and local bartender Stuart (Daniel Portman), who is convinced that the true crime story could bring tourists back to the area. 

In addition to Blenkin, Herrold, and Portman, John Hannah, Monica Dolan, and Ellie White also star. The episode came close to the top of our ranking of Black Mirror Season 6 episodes, occupying the #2 spot. 

“Loch Henry” has a twisty and rather ambiguous ending, one that may leave viewers confused. Did the episode leave you with some questions? Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of the dark episode. 

After a rocky beginning, Davis and Pia set out to make a documentary about local killer Iain Adair while staying with Davis’s mom, Janet, who is supportive of their new endeavor. She offers her assistance and eventually finds herself on camera, recounting her experience. Janet also gives the two filmmakers her old tapes of the British crime drama Bergerac to film over.

Davis and Pia pitch their idea to producer Kate Cezar and she encourages them to bring something new to the story. Thus the two, with Stuart in tow, decide to break into Adair’s abandoned home and film his basement “death dungeon,” which is where he tortured his victims. Using black lights, the group discovers blood splatters all over the room. While driving back, they make dark jokes to cope with their findings, and Davis accidentally crashes the car into another person’s truck. While the trio is mostly unscathed, Davis has to stay overnight in the hospital along with Stuart’s father, Richard (Hannah), who was the driver of the other car.

Pia returns to Janet’s home and decides to look at their footage which eventually plays into an old Bergerac episode. She steps away to stretch while the tape glitches and begins playing a recording of one of Iain’s murders, which were committed with the help of Davis’s parents. Meanwhile, at the hospital, Davis is approached by Richard, who urges him to stop making the film. The elderly man tells Davis that he “thinks he’s always known” that his parents were involved with the murders. 

Back home, the video shows Davis’s father, wearing his police uniform, roughhousing two victims, who are tied up on the couch. He says, “Come on in, Janet,” and Davis’s mother arrives in a latex nurse costume with a red mask and a motorized torture device. Pia returns to the desk to watch the footage in horror before Janet interrupts her viewing to let her know that dinner is ready. Pia slams the laptop shut and joins Janet for dinner. She excuses herself to the bathroom where she tries to call Davis but is unable to reach him. Eventually, she tells Janet that she needs to take a walk to “clear [her] head.”

Janet goes upstairs to Davis’s room where she sees the Bergerac tape eject from the player. She gets in her car and follows Pia, who is walking in the dark down the main road. Janet tells Pia to “get in the car” because she’s in shock. After asking again, more aggressively, Pia turns around to run off and seeks refuge near a stream. As she attempts to cross the water, she falls and hits her head on a rock, seemingly dying. Janet returns home and gathers the tapes and a box of images of the murders. She prepares a note for her son before slipping on her red mask from the killings and hanging herself.

Then, the episode has a time jump where Davis receives a BAFTA for his documentary Loch Henry: Truth Will Out, which was produced by Cezar for the fictional streaming service Streamberry, introduced by Black Mirror in the first episode of the new season, “Joan is Awful.” Davis appears reluctant and sad throughout the ceremony and Cezar, who makes the acceptance speech, dedicates the award to him and “his late girlfriend Pia.” At an afterparty, she pitches a dramatized version of the documentary, telling a famous actor that she should audition for the role of Pia.

Davis returns to his hotel room and drinks a glass of wine. He picks up a call from Stuart who is relishing in the success of the true-crime project with his full bar. Stuart congratulates Davis on his win and tells him, “Seriously, I just want to say…” before the other man hands up the phone. Davis then sits back and opens his mother’s suicide note, which reads, “For your film. Mum.”

So, did Janet kill Pia? Not exactly, but in a way, yes. Is Janet a killer? Yes, she was an accomplice during the Iain Adiar murders, along with Davis’s late father. Is Pia dead? It’s safe to assume so.

If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988.