Netflix is going on the path of HBO by making a murder mystery series which comments on the rich, side characters narrating the events adding the spice which led to the killing and from director Susanne Bier who has previously worked with Nicole Kidman as a director in The Undoing. The series has been adapted from the 2018 novel by Elin Hidebrand.
It can be compared to The White Lotus and Big Littel Lies. Although the show might differ from what HBO makes, it is an exciting page-turner that wastes less time. The story revolves around Meghan Fahy who is murdered while swimming near a high-profile and isolated island.
The marriage of Nicole Greer, played by Nicole Kidman, is very complicated. She and her husband Tag, played by Liev Schreiber, cannot leave each other despite their unstable relationship. Greer also thinks that she will not come clean out of all the troubles in her marriage if she leaves her husband.
Greer is a popular public figure she is a famous crime writer who writes books based on her life experiences. She has a successful franchise in her name which is inspired by her marriage. The reel and real life start colliding and Greer wants to make sure that Winsbury remains the perfect family just like the American dream.
To make matters worse, her son Benji falls in love with Amelia played by Eve Hewson who is a modern zoologist and decides to marry her despite his mother's rejection. The best man, families and bridesmaids come together at The holiday home in Nantucket before the murder takes place.
The secrets come out as the murder investigation takes place. The Winsbury are not what they show themselves to be. As the investigation proceeds, the staff starts revealing the secrets of the house as if they are fictional crime writers instead of their employers. Greer is an observer wherein she sees who is wearing what and who is reacting to whom like a true writer.
The narrative that she is controlling is of her PR by hiring fancy people to cover up her family's dark past. A murder might have happened in the morning, but she makes sure that everybody gets ready for the family portrait with the press in the afternoon. The maid Grotia has been given the best lines in the show.
She has a symptom of hatred which Winsbury holds for the less privileged. She has no trust in family friends who make their beds or clean their dishes like poor people. These lines are used to mislead the murder motive. The rich become easy suspects in the murder as they are cruel, exploitative and self-centred but is that true?
There are many questions in the reader's mind after watching the show. This is because during the show the viewers do not get time to waste on thinking. The pace is quick and the twists are quick. There is no breathing space. Nicole Kidman who is known as the queen of breakdown on the big screen gets only one scene where she becomes teary.
She always keeps her guard up by applying lip balm while receiving consolation messages over the phone. She also tries to fasten her bow tie in a scene as if she is tying a loose end to her next novel. She is sharp in sensitive moments as if she does not want to show her delicate side.
Ishaan Khatter is in the role of best man at Greer's son's wedding. He is Shooter Dival who is a charmer and a wonderful talker who shakes up everything when he enters the Winsbury house. Ishaan's economic gestures keep the mystery of his character going but his relations with Nicole Kidman's character should have been explored more.
The cast is interesting but it is the cast which reveals the murderer. The culprit is hiding plainly, but his motive is not. The motive, although unclear makes The Perfect Couple a good series to watch out for.
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