Author Spotlight
Luciana Mendy
The coastal oasis of Nantucket, Massachusetts is a charming island full of cobblestone streets, quaint lighthouses and classic shingle-style homes. Oh, and murder.
The Netflix series “The Perfect Couple” is a gripping blend of romance, mystery and suspense. Based on Elin Hilderbrand’s best-selling novel, the show revolves around an upcoming high-society wedding in Nantucket that takes a deadly turn when the maid of honor, Marrit Monaco, played by Meghann Fahy, is murdered.
The beginning was quite boring with the bride, Amelia Sacks, played by Eve Hewson, her groom, Benji Winbury, played by Billy Howle and his extremely wealthy family, being painted as the typical loving family, just absolutely rolling in cash.
But I was hooked by the end of the first episode when Monaco is discovered dead on the beach. Soon, the investigation progresses and the flawless characters are peeled away. Raw traits of motive, jealousy, addiction, infidelity and greed are revealed, forcing me to stay up an extra hour to watch the next episode.
The series does share similarities with the typical murder mystery plot like a murder in an isolated town, with two detectives solving the case and a bloody knife found at the scene, but its flashbacks, pacing and humor set it apart.
One of these is the unique transitions in the show from before the murder to after the body was discovered. It allows you to follow along with detectives Dan Carter and Nikki Henry as they try to solve the case, while also flashing back to the events that led up to the murder.
The plot also differs from the immediate reveal of possible suspects found in most murder mysteries. Instead of narrowing down suspects, new suspects emerge in each episode — all of whom have motives to kill.
Another one of the show’s standout aspects is how skillfully it balances suspense with comedy. The tension built around the murder investigation could easily lend itself to sheer darkness; however, it cleverly injects humor into the dialogue, with satirical comments about the ultrawealthy executed with impeccable comedic timing.
The blend of humor and drama strikes a balance, ensuring that while the stakes are high, there are still moments that allow audiences to breathe. It’s hard to keep a straight face with Detective Henry’s dramatic side-eyes, Tag Winbury’s blunt, no-filter comments and the gossiping maid, Gosia, constantly spilling the tea during the investigation.
You would think the investigation of a murder strung out for six 50-minute episodes would be a bore, but the series’ pacing is excellent.
The writers did a great job of laying breadcrumbs throughout the episodes, with cliffhangers and revelations leading viewers to piece together clues while also providing red herrings that practically forced me to click “Next Episode.”
After binging the six episodes in one sitting, I didn’t even know who the murderer was until the last 21 minutes of the show when it was finally revealed.
However, to provide these motives and secret reveals a lot of more in-depth explanations and follow-ups on the characters’ secrets were sacrificed. Once it was shown that the secret didn’t lead a character to cause the murder, it was never really touched on again. It left me with a lot of questions that were never answered.
Despite the occasional lack of explanation, the writers created an incredibly intricate plot. In typical murder mysteries, there’s always one detail mentioned in the beginning that ends up solving the mystery at the end, however, looking back now, “The Perfect Couple” had multiple. The writers included hidden gems within the first two episodes that were monumental by the end.
The acting was certainly nothing Oscar-worthy, but it got the job done. The cast was able to authentically represent the tension between family dynamics and personal ambitions, while also always creating the underlying feeling of uneasiness for the viewer.
There were, however, a few standout performances from Nicole Kidman, embodying the icy perfectionist that Greer Winbury is, and Hewson portraying Sacks’ grief for her best friend that was executed in a way that got me personally invested.
So for those who love a good whodunit, make sure to set aside a good six hours for this show because you won’t be able to stop watching the twists and turns of love, betrayal and jaw-dropping surprises that come with “The Perfect Couple.”
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