Behind Her Eyes: a Review of Netflix’s Latest Original

I used to deem Netflix originals as bad. Before even reading a description, I’d assume it would be some cheesy teenage film or TV show where the boy meets the girl, they fall in love, the end — I’ve seen this plot a hundred times.

However over the past few years, Netflix originals have really gained some credibility. Some of my favorite shows are originals — I’m dying for ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Outer Banks’ to release new seasons. So when I saw Netflix’s latest six-episode series “Behind Her Eyes” in the ‘Recently Added’ section on Netflix, I was eager to give it a watch. 

The show takes place in London, and initially follows one main character: Louise. Louise is a young woman with a modest life: living near the city with her son after her ex-husband left her for another women — brutal breakup to say the least. After three years of mourning the divorce, Louise finally decides to go have a night out. If you can’t already guess, she meets a guy. In classic Netflix fashion, the two end up on a walk after a long night of talking and drinks. They share a kiss, only for the man to run away in a panic, without ever giving a name or number.

The next morning Louise goes into her work as a secretary for a psychiatric practice. Her new boss, Dr. David Ferguson, is of course the mystery man, but he’s accompanied by his beautiful wife — huge shocker. I automatically assumed that Louise would continue spending time only with David, but his wife, Adele, asks her to lunch, requesting that she doesn’t tell him they’re spending time together. They grow a strong friendships while Louise and David grow feelings.

As Adele and David’s character’s were built, I found myself trying to figure out which one of them was more crazy, if not both. You start to feel bad for Adele the more it shows the reality of her and David’s marriage, yet it’s still easy to tell something’s really off with her.

I originally thought the show to be more of a sitcom due to the shows bizarre description: a woman having an affair with her boss and also secretly becoming friends with his wife. But it definitely turned out to be more of a dramatic thriller, and each episode left me on the edge of my seat.

The show to focuses heavily on Adele’s past, making it clear that there are many secrets hiding in Adele and David’s past. The flashbacks to their relationship make the story feel more intense, revolving around mental health, addiction and night terrors. The more you learn about her past, the more intriguing yet confusing Adele becomes.

While there’s a lot of chaos going on in the show, Louise’s best friend, Sophie, adds a sense of logic and reason. She constantly advises Louise to cut off ties with the Fergusons, who of course doesn’t listen. In my opinion, Sophie deserved more respect from Louise, but she also felt like a very thrown-in character. 

The acting on the show was less than subpar, with awkward moments and cheesy acting. The tendencies and mannerisms of the characters seem fake and articulated, and not natural in the slightest.

I won’t be one to spoil the entire show, but I have to say the ending of the show left me feeling almost nauseous and uncomfortable — if that was the show’s intention, it did a great job. However, I don’t think I would have watched the show at all had I known the ending would be such a disappointment. 

The show is overall interesting and sometimes a little sick and twisted. With news of a second season, I won’t waste my time watching it. I was happy that the show stopped at six episodes as I was already over it by episode four.