You’ve probably seen the dance. It’s hard to miss. A group of wealthy, beautiful people in coordinated outfits performing a synchronized routine on a beach in Nantucket. It’s weird, right? That’s exactly how Netflix’s The Perfect Couple wants you to feel from the jump. It’s a show that wraps itself in the "Old Money" aesthetic of Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling novel but plays out like a fever dream directed by Susanne Bier.
People are obsessed. But they’re also kind of annoyed.
The six-episode limited series dropped on Netflix and immediately shot to the top of the charts. It’s got Nicole Kidman doing her "ice queen with a secret" thing, Liev Schreiber being charmingly suspicious, and a murder mystery that feels like The White Lotus met Knives Out and they both had a few too many drinks. But underneath the gorgeous cinematography and the high-end linen shirts, there’s a lot to unpack about why this specific series hit the zeitgeist so hard in late 2024 and why people are still arguing about that finale.
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What Actually Happens at Summerland?
The plot is basically every Nantucket vacationer's worst nightmare. Celeste Otis (played by Eve Hewson) is about to marry into the Winbury family. They are rich. Like, "we own a compound called Summerland and have a dedicated staff for our secrets" rich. Kidman plays Greer Garrison Winbury, a famous novelist who essentially runs the family like a corporate merger.
Then a body shows up.
It’s Merritt Monaco, the Maid of Honor. She’s face down in the water. Suddenly, everyone has a motive. Was it the groom? The philandering father? The jealous best friend? The show spends most of its runtime tossing red herrings at you like they’re going out of style. Honestly, the mystery is almost secondary to the way these people treat each other. It’s a study in how money doesn't just buy happiness; it buys a very specific kind of insulation from reality.
Greer Winbury is the center of this universe. Kidman plays her with a brittle intensity that makes you wonder if she’s going to shatter or stab someone. Probably both. The show deviates from the book in a few key ways—most notably the ending—which has led to a lot of heated Reddit threads. In the book, the death is much more of a tragic accident. In the show? It’s cold. It’s calculated. It’s about money. It’s always about money.
The Dance That Broke the Internet
We have to talk about the intro. You know the one. The cast does a choreographed dance to "Criminal" by Meghan Trainor.
When the show first aired, people were baffled. Why are they dancing? A woman just died! Apparently, the cast wasn't too keen on it either. Meghann Fahy, who plays Merritt, mentioned in interviews that there was some pushback from the actors. They didn't get it. Susanne Bier, the director, insisted. She wanted something that felt slightly off-kilter, something that signaled to the audience: "Hey, don't take this too seriously."
It worked. Sorta.
It’s a tonal clash. It tells you that while there’s a dead body in the harbor, we’re here for the drama and the outfits. It’s "preppy-core" meets "murder-mystery." If you’re looking for a gritty, realistic police procedural, this isn't it. This is a soap opera with a massive budget and better lighting.
The Winbury Family Tree of Suspects
- Tag Winbury (Liev Schreiber): The dad. He’s high most of the time, drinking expensive scotch, and having an affair with the victim. He’s the obvious choice, which usually means he didn't do it.
- Benji Winbury (Billy Howle): The groom. He’s "nice," but in that way that feels like he might snap if his steak isn't cooked right.
- Thomas Winbury (Jack Reynor): The older brother. He’s the worst. He’s arrogant, owes money to the wrong people, and treats his pregnant wife like an accessory.
- Abby Winbury (Dakota Fanning): Thomas’s wife. She’s the one to watch. Fanning plays her with this terrifyingly calm demeanor.
The casting is actually the show’s strongest suit. Having Dakota Fanning and Nicole Kidman in the same room is a power move. But it also creates a weird tension where you’re waiting for a "big" moment that sometimes feels buried under the weight of the subplots.
The Problem with the Ending (Spoilers, Obviously)
Let's get real. The finale of The Perfect Couple left a lot of people scratching their heads.
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In the TV version, it’s revealed that Abby Winbury (Dakota Fanning) is the one who killed Merritt. Her motive? Money. A lot of it. The Winbury trust fund was set to be distributed when the youngest son, Will, turned 18. But because Merritt was pregnant with Tag’s baby, the "clock" on the trust fund would have been reset, delaying the payout for another 18 years.
Abby couldn't wait. She needed the money to maintain her lifestyle and deal with Thomas’s debts.
She crushes up a "euthanasia pill" (which Tag kept for his own reasons) and puts it in Merritt’s drink, then holds her underwater. It’s brutal. It’s also a massive departure from Elin Hilderbrand’s original ending. In the book, Merritt's death is a tragic fluke involving a lost ring and a heavy tide. By turning it into a cold-blooded murder, the show changes the entire vibe of the story.
Some fans loved the twist. Others felt it was a bit "Scooby-Doo."
There’s a logic to it, sure. But it feels a bit rushed in the final twenty minutes. We spend five episodes learning about Greer’s secret brother and her past as a call girl—which, by the way, feels like a whole different show—only for the killer to be the person who spent most of the series talking about morning sickness and expensive wallpaper.
Why We Can't Stop Watching "Rich People in Trouble"
There’s a reason shows like The Perfect Couple, Big Little Lies, and The Undoing are so popular. We love seeing people with perfect lives fall apart. It’s a specific kind of escapism. We want to see the $12 million house, but we also want to see the blood on the floor.
The show leans heavily into the Nantucket lifestyle. The hydrangeas are huge. The wine is always chilled. The knitwear is impeccable. It sells a dream while simultaneously telling you the dream is a nightmare.
But does it actually say anything new? Honestly, not really. It’s not as biting as The White Lotus. It’s not as tightly plotted as a Christie novel. It’s basically a beach read that you can watch in one sitting. And maybe that’s all it needs to be. We live in an era of "background TV"—shows that look great while you’re scrolling on your phone but have enough "wait, what?" moments to keep you coming back for the next episode.
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Real Talk: Is It Worth the Hype?
If you like Nicole Kidman’s recent career trajectory of "Wealthy Woman with a Secret," you’ll love this. She’s mastered the art of the micro-expression. The way she looks at her "perfect" family with a mix of love and pure exhaustion is the most relatable part of the show.
If you’re a die-hard fan of the book, you might be annoyed. The changes are significant. The tone is much darker. The ending is cynical.
But if you want a six-hour distraction where everyone is beautiful and someone gets murdered in a very expensive setting? It’s top-tier.
The Final Verdict on the Winbury Legacy
The Perfect Couple is a glossy, high-stakes drama that knows exactly what it is. It’s not trying to be prestige TV that wins every Emmy; it’s trying to be the show everyone talks about on Monday morning. It succeeds because it leans into the absurdity of its own premise.
The investigation is handled by local police who feel like they stepped out of a different, more grounded show. This creates a funny contrast. You have the Winburys acting like they’re in a Shakespearean tragedy, and then you have the cops just trying to figure out why no one in this house can tell a straight story.
Ultimately, it’s a story about the lies we tell to keep the "perfect" image intact. Greer Winbury literally writes fiction for a living, but her biggest masterpiece is her own family. When that starts to crumble, she doesn't cry; she edits.
What To Do After You Finish the Binge
If you've just finished the show and you're feeling that "post-series void," here are a few ways to keep the vibe going without just rewatching the dance scene for the tenth time.
- Read the book: Elin Hilderbrand’s novel is actually quite different. It’s more of a character study and less of a "who-done-it" thriller. It gives Merritt much more depth than the show does.
- Watch 'The Undoing': If you haven't seen it, it’s also on Netflix (depending on your region) or Max, and features Kidman in a very similar "my life is a lie" role.
- Look up the filming locations: Interestingly, while the show is set in Nantucket, a lot of it was filmed in Chatham, Massachusetts. It’s a fun rabbit hole if you’re into New England architecture.
- Check out the soundtrack: Beyond the Trainor song, the score is actually quite good at building that specific sense of "expensive dread."
The Winburys might be a mess, but they sure are fun to watch from a safe distance. Just don't accept any drinks from Abby.