Netflix’s newest mystery: The Perfect Couple
Before I begin, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge that Ruth and I have been on a lengthy, but completely unintentional hiatus. We are both looking forward to getting back up to speed since we have been reading and watching many shows we are both anxious to write about in the coming weeks.
That said, I managed to catch the flu despite recently getting a COVID and flu vaccination a few weeks ago. I intended to write about several things when Netflix suggested that I watch its newest mystery: The Perfect Couple.
This six-episode limited series is a whodunit that centers around a murder that occurs the night before the wedding of Greer Garrison’s (Nicole Kidman) and Tag Winbury’s (Liev Schreiber) middle son, Benji (Billy Howle) to Amelia Sacks (Eve Hewson). It is a perfect series if you want to watch the super-rich self-implode. Nobody is without fault in this series and quite frankly, it kept me guessing until the killer was revealed, which is nearly impossible.
I don’t want to get too much into the plot because that will lead to a series of spoiler alerts. Suffice it to say, you will be entertained. I binged the first three episodes late Saturday night and the rest Sunday night. I even forgot my flu for a while.
While on the surface, it might seem this series is a scathing tale about the lack of morality of anyone who can afford a family compound on Nantucket, this series examines far more than just the corruption of a directionless generation who has money without any goals. It is a scathing indictment of patriarchy that has become inconsequential. Men tend to be the ultimate troublemakers in the narrative, unable to control their desires for sex, money, control, and amusement. Their libido that runs amok is a cautionary tale for the viewer. Basically, please keep it in your pants and in check, or you’re going to destroy everyone around you. While the women are in no way blameless, they are still the ones who have to mop up after their respective spouses and lovers throughout the story. Ultimately, it is the women who need to find out who they are. The men are far too content simply existing as they did before the murder, clearly the inciting incident of the narrative.
If you are a noir/melodrama fan, then you should enjoy the ride. Nicole Kidman does an amazing job as the matriarch of a morally crumbling dynasty. Eve Hewson also deserves kudos as an increasingly emotionally confused bride-to-be. Jenna Lamia developed the series for television. It is based on the book of the same name, part of a series of Nantucket novels, The Summer Books, by writer Elin Hilderbrand.