Rashida Jones reacts to the ‘brutal’ ending of her Black Mirror episode Common People

The first episode of Black Mirror proved that with season seven, Netflix certainly wasn’t playing around. After a few years of mid seasons that have never quite lived up to how good the show was in its hey day – it’s been so refreshing having a batch of episodes that have been so well received. The show finally has some oomph again, and Black Mirror kicked off the 2025 proceedings with the devastating episode Common People – starring Rashida Jones and Chris O’Dowd. Now, Rashida Jones herself has spoken out about the ‘brutal’ ending of her Black Mirror ep Common People.

One of the bleakest episodes ever

In Common People, Rashida Jones stars as Amanda, a woman whose life is upended by a sudden, life-threatening health crisis. Her husband Mike, portrayed by Chris O’Dowd, turns to an experimental procedure offered by a cutting-edge tech company called Rivermind in a desperate attempt to save her.

The procedure brings Amanda back, but there’s a catch: her continued survival depends on a subscription-based service controlled by Rivermind. What begins as a lifeline quickly morphs into a financial nightmare, as the fees escalate and the company’s grip on their lives tightens in increasingly dystopian fashion.

As the burden becomes unbearable and Amanda’s existence deteriorates under the weight of this corporate control, Mike is pushed to a heartbreaking decision. In a devastating finale, he ends Amanda’s life to spare her further suffering, then quietly retreats to another room, the door closing behind him and leaving a haunting silence that suggests his own tragic fate.

Rashida Jones opened up about the brutal ending

via Netflix

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Speaking to Radio Times about Common People, Rashida Jones opened up about how her Black Mirror episode hit her hard with its brutal ending.

“I was gut punched when I read it,” she said. “I was like, ‘What? Why? That’s so mean!’ But I think, in order to make the point, it sort of had to be that way. And I felt like the challenge was just making sure it felt like the only choice. Do you know what I mean?

“Like, where we just were crashing towards that moment. And I think, ultimately, we were just discussing, it is kind of a love story, and it’s an act of love. I know it feels really brutal, but both the parallel endings are acts of love.

“This one was funny, because I have to be okay with my death, because I ramp up my serenity. So, in fact, the choice comes out of feeling really good about this being the moment. And so the grief of it is not on my side. It’s really on Chris’s performance, and the audience. So to stay in the mode where it feels like a really good choice – I like that, because I think there’s so much fear around death.

“It just feels like it’s the ultimate worst thing that can happen to anybody, and I feel like, culturally, we deserve to explore it in ways where there are people who are happy to die because it feels like the better version of where they are, where they’re in pain. You know, death with dignity is a real thing, and I like the idea that she chooses this thing for herself in a way that feels good.”

Black Mirror season seven is now available on Netflix. For all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.