Telly 10th September 2024 by Olivia O'Dwyer

Why Everyone Is Loving The Perfect Couple So Much

That dance scene, tho

Netflix

A disgustingly rich family, an idyllic location, eccentric personalities, and a humongous secret is the precise recipe for the ever-so-popular whodunnit genre.

And it is safe to say Netflix’s The Perfect Couple has incorporated all these ingredients and more to serve the perfect cocktail of hilarious narratives and bitter truths.

The six-part murder mystery series was released on the streaming platform earlier this month and has garnered much attention from whodunnit lovers and Nicole Kidman stans alike.

If you are a fan of the Knives Out franchise, then the Perfect Couple should be on the radar for your next Friday night binge watch session.

The limited series directed by Susanne Bier is based on the novel by Elin Hilderbrand. The plot surrounds a well-to-do and influential family who reside on the charming Island of Nantucket, off the coast of Massachusetts.

The Wilbury’s beloved middle child Benji (Billy Howel) is due to marry Amelia Sacks (Eve Hewson) in the perfect ceremony all organised by the formidable matriarch Greer Wilbury (Kidman). Tragedy strikes when the maid of honour, AKA Amelia’s bff and wannabe social media influencer Merrit Monaco, (Meghann Fahy) is found washed up on the beach the morning of the highly anticipated nuptials.

Introduce a police investigation with a small-town cop and a state detective on the most affluent family on the island – and you can imagine the drama. Between a dangerous game of prescription roulette and a splash of infidelity, the cracks begin to show in the tight-knit clan.

Netflix

The series puts some serious emphasis on gender roles with Greer appearing to be the family’s breadwinner with her slew of successful novels, whilst her husband, Tag (Liev Schreiber) serenades viewers with his romantic gestures and pot addiction. Greer’s efforts to maintain the elusive title of the perfect couple are constantly put into jeopardy by her husband’s actions.

The strong female lead is also portrayed by Dakota Fanning’s character, Abbie, who is married to the eldest Wilbury boy, Thomas. The pregnant daughter in law’s extreme efforts to receive the Wilbury trust fund money on time are truly applaudable.

The constant shifts between the night of the victim’s untimely death and the present day give us insight into which family members had a motive to commit murder (spoiler, nearly all of them). As per any good murder mystery the culprit is staring us in the face the whole time. Although the answer seems to be obvious when it is revealed you would be forgiven for getting too swept up in the other dramatic subplots to notice.

Perhaps one of the most standout parts of this series is the intro to each episode. Towards the beginning, we see all the cast members partaking in a perfectly choreographed dance routine down on the beach. In an interview with the Radio Times, Hewson describes the dance as “our own Mamma Mia! Moment”.

It becomes clear quite early on that Greer isn’t the biggest fan of her nearly daughter in law however, following a six-month time jump after the uncovering of the murderer we see Kidman’s character broaching Hewson’s Amelia for her blessing on a book she wrote about her – an olive branch if we ever did see one. Is there potential for another story here? who knows.

The Perfect Couple isn’t the only one of Hilderbrand’s books based on the island of Nantucket, in fact the American author has a whole series set on the Massachusetts island, including: Hotel Nantucket, A Summer Affair and many more. So, who knows, maybe we will find out what happens to these engaging characters in another adaptation.

In the meantime, if you are craving some more whodunnit entertainment we advise checking out the Knives Out franchise. These films will be sure to fill in any The Perfect Couple shaped holes in your life.

Better yet the newest instalment to the series, Wake Up Dead Man, is due for release in 2025.

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