Reverie recap: Mara fights to save a boy from mental torture

Mara finds herself in someone’s reverie accidentally in Reverie Season 1, Episode 7. It soon turns out that she’s tasked to save a boy from unlawful mental torture.

There have been a number of moral dilemmas and questions in Reverie Season 1. This week continues that theme, after already having it foreshadowed for a while. With the government’s access to the technology, we knew what it could mean for unsuspecting victims and now we get a chance to find out what people can really do.

Just how legal is mental torture. Not the type of mental torture that does going on, but actually going into someone subconscious to physically torture them over and over again? It’s a scary thought, but it’s exactly what Mara finds herself in during “The Black Mandala.”

Mara is one-in-a-million

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We all knew Mara was special, but this week really took the biscuit. After being in Paul’s reverie to see what he’s been working on and for training, Mara finds herself accidentally crossed into someone else’s reverie. A boy is trapped inside an abandoned room, chained to a chair. He’s being tortured and can’t get out using the normal commands. And this boy has no idea where he is or how he’s got there. He’s not chosen to be in reverie.

It turns out that accidentally finding yourself in someone else’s reverie is possible but it’s a one-in-a-million chance. We’ll get onto why it happened at the end.

All Mara and co. know is they need to help this boy. To do that, they need to figure out his reverie. With a little digging thanks to Dylan, they find out the boy was reported missing a week ago. A refugee, he was detained at the American border and hasn’t been seen since. His brother is naturally worried.

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REVERIE — “The Black Mandala” — Photo by: Greg Gayne/NBC — Acquired via NBC Media Village /

Torture in Reverie is not okay

The boy had been taken as a suspected terrorist. Now it’s up to Paul, Alexis, and Charlie to prove that he’s not the terrorist they think he is, while Mara finds a way to help him inside the reverie. Of course, there’s a catch. She can only go in when someone else isn’t in there. If another user has gone in, she’s locked out and vice versa. It doesn’t take long for the private contractor hired for the torture realizes that he’s been locked out.

While he’s been in there, he’s also managed to find out who Mara is and tell the boy that everything happening to him is real. When Mara is able to get in, the boy tries to run away but she’s able to talk him down and arrange to get out through the exit Paul has created. However, the reverie, which is a dark reverie, is stopping them from getting out.

During a chase, Mara is shot by an avatar in the technology. This shouldn’t be real, but she’s bleeding and it hurts. After some planning by Mara and a leap of faith by the boy, they’re able to get out. Of course, Paul and co. have found a way to prove this boy wasn’t anywhere near a place he’s suspected of bombing. It’s a win for everyone, except the private security guy who just wants to hurt innocent people. There’s always one out there who thinks he’s better than everyone else!

REVERIE — “The Black Mandala” — Photo by: Greg Gayne/NBC — Acquired via NBC Media Village /

How did Mara end up in the reverie?

Of course, there’s a burning question for viewers. Isn’t it a little coincidental that Mara ended up in this one? Well, it turns out that it wasn’t all by accident and Charlie figures out the truth. He doesn’t tell anyone, except Monica.

Considering Monica knows all about the technology and knew about how it was being used, it’s clear she had something to do with it. Charlie notes she has a background in computer science, so would know enough to help put Mara where Monica wanted her to be. Monica doesn’t agree with the way this technology could be used either.

It was smart and thankfully it worked out. Except there is a problem: that gunshot wound left a very real bruise on Mara’s side. Just what does happen if you’re injured or you die in a dark reverie?

Next: Reverie Season 1, Episode 6 recap: Pas De Deux

What did you think of the episode? What did you think of the way the tech could be used? Is Mara safe in others’ worlds? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Reverie Season 1 continues on Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.

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