The Perfect Couple viewers rage the book’s ending was ‘way better’ and admit the Netflix show was ‘too rushed’

THE Perfect Couple viewers have complained that the book’s ending was better as they claimed that the Netflix show felt rushed.

Netflix’s The Perfect Couple is an adaptation of the 2018 novel of the same name by writer Elin Hilderbrand.

Courtesy of Netflix

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

The Perfect Couple stars Nicole Kidman as famous novelist Greer Garrison Winbury and Liev Schreiber as her husband, Tag Winbury.

In the limited series, Amelia Sacks, played by Eve Hewson , is about to marry Benji Winbury (Billy Howle), the son of Greer and Tag and part of one of the wealthiest families on Nantucket.

Her disapproving future mother-in-law Greer has spared no expense in planning what promises to be the premiere wedding of the season, that is until a body washes up on the beach the morning of the ceremony.

As secrets come to light, the stage is set for a murder investigation that feels plucked from the pages of one of Greer’s novels and everyone staying at the house for the wedding weekend is a suspect.

The series, directed by Susanne Bier, also stars Dakota Fanning , Jack Reynor , Meghann Fahy , Ishaan Khattar , Sam Nivola , Michael Beach, and Donna Lynne Champlin.

The show’s September 5 release on Netflix marks the culmination of five years of development.

Numerous changes were made to Hilderbrand’s original novel, including the series’ new, controversial ending.

SPOILER ALERT

In the final episode of The Perfect Couple, it’s revealed that Jack Reynor’s Thomas’ pregnant wife Abigail, played by Dakota Fanning, intentionally slips one a barbiturate pill into a glass of orange juice, and delivers it to a heartbroken Merritt (Meghann Fahy) sitting on the beach.

Barbiturates are a group of drugs in the class of drugs known as sedative-hypnotics, which generally describe their sleep-inducing and anxiety-decreasing effects, per WebMD.

Per the site, “Barbiturates can be extremely dangerous because the correct dose is difficult to predict. Even a slight overdose can cause coma or death. Barbiturates are also addictive and can cause a life-threatening withdrawal syndrome.”

After Merritt drinks the spiked juice, Abigail suggests that the two go into the water – there she holds Merritt’s head under the surface until she drowns.

Money is Abigail’s motive.

She and Thomas are in debt, and the couple would have had access to the latter’s trust once his brother, Will Winbury (Sam Nivola), turned 18.

Merritt’s affair with Tag, and her subsequent pregnancy, screwed up her plan as the clock on Thomas’ trust fund would start over when the baby was born.

Now Streaming: Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman is no stranger to streaming services, and has appeared – or will appear – in films and movies produced by Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV+, and other streamers, including:

• Big Little Lies – HBO (2017 – present)
• The Undoing – HBO (2020)
• Being the Ricardos – Amazon Prime Video (2021)
• Nine Perfect Strangers – Hulu (2021 – present)
• Roar – Apple TV+ (2022)
• Special Ops: Lioness – Paramount Plus (2023 – present)
• Expats – Amazon Prime Video (2024)
• A Family Affair – Netflix (2024)
• The Perfect Couple – Netflix (2024)
• Spellbound – Netflix (2024)
• Kay Scarpetta – Amazon Prime Video (TBD)

They’d have to wait until the child was 18 to gain access to the money, a wait Abigail could not and would not afford.

THE BOOK’S ENDING

In the book, however, the drowning is ruled an accident by authorities, and there’s no direct killer.

Greer is the only one who solves the mystery, and she decides to keep it to herself.

Abigail discovers her husband Thomas’ infidelity and drops a pill in Featherleigh Dale’s drink, hoping to put her to sleep so she doesn’t fool around with her husband.

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Featherleigh is not included in the Netflix series and is instead replaced by Isabel Nallet, a family friend of the Winburys.

The character, played by two-time Oscar nominee Isabelle Adjani , is still Thomas’ paramour.

In the novel, instead of consuming the tapered drink, Featherleigh carries it to Merritt.

She drinks then leaves her to go inside.

The maid of honor wanders the beach, reminiscing about her affair with Tag, before accidentally cutting her foot on some glass.

Merritt wanders into the water to wash it off, spots the ring Tag gave her under the water, and dives in to retrieve it.

Due to the pills, she grows tired while attempting to fish it out and drowns.

FAN REACTIONS

Fans of the 2018 novel appeared frustrated with the liberties show creators took with The Perfect Couple’s original ending.

“Just finished The Perfect Couple… Even when it was more exciting and mysterious than the book… I would’ve loved they would have kept the book ending… It was way better,” one person wrote on X , formally Twitter.

Another tweeted, “The perfect couple was soo close to be amazing, why did they rush the ending like that?”

Other fans seemed unbothered by the “rushed” ending, with one viewer writing, “The Perfect Couple is an absolute banger from Netflix!

“It’s so bingeable and a perfect Nicole Kidman-run series. Fun, a vibe, got to figure out a whole seaside murder with a f**ked up family vibe.”

“Even the intro is a fun vibe we haven’t seen in a minute! A+ for Netflix,” they concluded.

“I enjoyed this show the cast is great!” commented another.

HILARY BRONWYN GAYLE/NETFLIX

Seacia Pavao/Netflix

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