The highly anticipated adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand's best-selling novel, "The Perfect Couple," finally arrived on Netflix Sept. 5. With Nicole Kidman as Greer and Eve Hewson as Amelia, this show keeps the audience hooked with every episode.
Eve Hewson's character, Amelia, is set to marry into one of Nantucket's wealthiest families. Nevertheless, her maid of honor is discovered deceased the night before her special day, and all of the wedding party members are now under suspicion. This turns the whole Winbury family into a distressed disaster.
Highs
The series' high point is the captivating plot about the death of Amelia's best friend, Merritt. This kept the audience intrigued and the mystery of her death was building with suspense. Hewson's acting as Amelia discovers her best friend's body in the ocean showed emotions of heartbreak and shock. This death changed her life forever. She doesn't give up on finding the truth about what happened to Merritt. Every time she found a piece of evidence, she turned it in regardless of the consequences. Her character is the most truthful when it comes to the others.
Kindman's acting as Greer was flawless, she played the mystery wife perfectly. Greer seems to be a perfect wife with her husband, Tag, but underneath is pain. She is depicted as untouchable and people fear her, especially her sons. The character growth she presents is amazing. The audience may dislike her at first, but by the end that all changes.
Another high is the setting of Nantucket, it is a beautiful beach house that shows how wealthy the Wilbury's are and it presents their family perfectly. The death happening on the beach was the kicker, it was hard to discover how Merritt was killed. The detectives on the case were persistent and determined to find the killer regardless of how wealthy the family was. Detective Henry and Chief Sergeant Carter interrogated every one of the snobs. No one could be trusted.
How the series captured the sequences of the murder was amazing, it showed flashbacks that helped the audience keep up with what the detectives were discovering. It was brought together beautifully. Another high was the ending of how shocking it was, it was the person the audience least expected.
Lows
There were minimal lows within the film. However, the sons, and how each one of them had terrible flaws. In particular, Thomas was the most irritating as his character was oblivious and did not help any situation. He was against his brother, Benji, all the time and didn't care for the pain he caused people.
When it came to Benji, he never stood up for Amelia when it came to his mother. He obeyed his mother at all times even when Amelia was going through the worst time of her life. His character could have been more of the strong man who would stand up for the woman he loved. The secrets that he kept destroyed the trust between him and Amelia.
Another low was Tag as a character, he was a playboy father who used his wife's money. His wife was the breadwinner and he would cheat on his wife and make situations worse. He had been causing trouble throughout her career and didn't think of the consequences.
Verdict
Given how captivating the story is and how unexpected the conclusion is, "The Perfect Couple" is worth the watch. The outstanding acting helped to shape the series into what it was. This is for a mature audience only.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
Mariam Fakhreddine is a film and theater reviewer for The Eastern Echo. She has worked as a news and features reporter for The Echo for two years.
