The Perfect Couple - Netflix
It doesn’t take long to figure out in this Netflix whodunit that the perfect couple are anything but.
Nicole Kidman is the matriarch of a rich, waspish family based on the exclusive island of Nantucket, between New York and Boston.
With her husband Tag, the Winburys are known locally as the ‘perfect couple’ for their old money cool, happy family and long marriage.
But through a series of perfectly dramatised events, the true nature of their transactional relationship is revealed.
It’s a classic murder mystery in the style of Agatha Christie.
The protagonists are all gathered in one location, for one event, when the killing takes place.
There are a range of suspects with various possible motivations, and they move up and down the leaderboard of likely killer as the viewer moves through the episodes.
The event is the grand wedding of one of the Winburys’ sons at the big family home on the island.
Benji is getting married to Amelia (Eve Hewson), an interloper from less refined stock who’s condescended to by much of the family for this reason.
Following the rehearsal dinner, Amelia’s maid of honour, Merritt, is found dead in the water off the nearby shore.
Half the party had gone to bed early, but the other half continued the festivities into the early hours and some through the night.
The Winburys want to release a statement suggesting suicide, but an autopsy shows bruising to her wrists and a cut to her foot.
They are also brutal enough to insist that Amelia signs a non-disclosure agreement while she grieves the death of her best friend.
Husband-to-be Benji is dispatched to make the case for the “boiler plate NDA” to protect his mother, a famous author. “My mom’s been burned in the past and this is just something she does now,” he says unconvincingly.
The principal story unfolds through two devices – flashbacks and police interviews.
Many of the events of the night of the death are delivered to the viewer in piecemeal flashbacks.
And as the scenes are replayed, each time an extra detail is revealed.
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For instance, we see Amelia and Merritt argue shortly before her death. We don’t know what they are rowing about, but Amelia joins the leaderboard of suspicion.
When we next get a flashback we see more of this scene and learn – spoiler alert – that they are arguing about Merritt’s affair with Tag Winbury (Amelia’s soon to be father-in-law) and Amelia drops off the leaderboard of suspicion while Tag joins.
Later on, we revisit an even longer version of the same flashback and learn further details about the relationship, which again shifts our view of the likely culprit.
Through police interviews with the many acerbic characters – wedding planner Roger and the housemaid Gosia are particular fun – we discover what the community really thinks about the Winburys, their children and their money
Kidman, however, is not the star of her own show. That falls to lead detective and Columbo tribute act, Nikki Henry (Donna Lynne Champlin).
She’s got the best lines and plays it beautifully as the smart, no-nonsense cop who’s not going to be fooled by faux sophistication and will not kowtow to money and privilege.
She disagrees with the local police chief who believes that stroking the egos of the Winburys is more likely to get results.
“You catch more flies with honey,” he argues.
The Perfect Couple is number one on Netflix’s UK charts for a reason. It’s expertly put together and eminently watchable - and there’s nothing wrong with a tribute to Agatha Christie and Columbo.
