A Nantucket wedding of the year quickly turns into a murder mystery. The wedding of Benji Winbury (Billy Howle) and Amelia Sacks (Eve Hewson) ends before it even begins when the corpse of the bridesmaid washes up on the shore. But who killed Merritt? And why? We reveal all the key details of the shocking conclusion.
In Elin Hilderbrand's book “The Perfect Couple”, the death of Merritt (Meghann Fahy) occurs after an accident when she is searching for her ring in the sea and drowns. But director Susanne Bier wanted something more dramatic for the series. So, together with showrunner Jennie Lamia, she decided that it would be a murder. "We needed a killer and a motive," explains Lamia. In the series, viewers are in for a surprising twist: Merritt is deliberately murdered.
Who is the killer?
Surprise! The killer is Abby Stokes Winbury (Dakota Fanning), the pregnant wife of Benji's brother Thomas (Jack Reynor). Fanning, who played Abby, was excited about the idea of turning into a "cold-blooded killer." Director Bier explains that Fanning easily transitions from a kind and gentle person to cold-blooded and terrifying. Abby comes across as understanding and caring throughout the series, but it's all just a cover for her true nature. As Fanning says, "There's a part of me that even admires Abby, even though I hate her for what she did."
Motive: Greed and fear
Why did Abby kill Merritt? The answer lies in greed and fear. The Winbury family has a huge fortune, which is to be divided between the three brothers when the youngest, Will (Sam Nivola), turns 18. But with the discovery that Merritt is pregnant with Tag's (Liev Schreiber) child, the fortune would be split between four people instead of three, reducing the inheritance Abby and Thomas would receive. Even worse, the payout would be delayed by an additional 18 years. Desperate for money due to her husband's debt and an upcoming baby, Abby decides to stop it.
How did Abby kill Merritt?
Abby executed her plan in a cunning and deliberate manner. In the series, we discover that Amelia brought three euthanasia pills hidden by her mother, who had terminal cancer. Thomas took one of these pills and hid it in his nightstand. Abby crushed the pill and put it in a glass of orange juice that Merritt offered as a "night drink". Drugged up, Merritt didn't stand a chance when Abby dragged her into the sea and drowned her. Abby callously left Merritt's body in the water where Amelia found it the next morning.
Clues that led us to the killer
The series is full of clues leading to Abby as the killer. In the first episode, we watch Abby thoroughly wash a glass in the sink - quite unusual for someone who constantly calls the housekeeper Gosia for every little thing. "Why would someone who is constantly calling for help wash the glasses himself?" Lamia wonders. This glass, we learn later, was the one from which Merritt drank the fatal concoction.
Another key clue is the toxicology report seen in episode 4. If you look closely, you'll notice a high level of pentobarbital in Merritt's blood. Also, Abby used an expensive pregnancy cream containing tallow, an ingredient that does not dissolve in water, suggesting that Abby held Merritt underwater during the drowning.
Conclusion: An unexpected twist
The series finale offers much more than just the reveal of the killer. In the end, we see Greer Winbury (Nicole Kidman) confronting her past and Amelia finding herself again after a tragic event. Whether Greer and Amelia will actually go out to dinner as Greer suggested remains an open question. Susanne Bier and Jenna Lamia believe that the meeting between them is a symbol of a new beginning and personal growth.
The story of "The Perfect Couple" takes us through the complicated world of relationships, greed and secrets. The series, which begins as a simple love story, turns into a tragic tale of murder, greed and family secrets. Who is the perfect couple? Maybe it's Amelia and Merritt in the end, because their friendship survives all the ups and downs.
You can watch the story "The Perfect Couple" on Netflix.
