In Netflix’s gripping drama The Perfect Couple, a murder at the wedding of an influential family reveals a web of hidden secrets. Led by Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber, who play Greer Garrison Winbury and Tag Winbury, respectively, the show takes us into the opulent but troubled world of the Winbury family. The bride-to-be, Amelia, feels out of place among her wealthy, powerful in-laws. As tensions build, a shocking murder disrupts the wedding festivities, setting the stage for a dark and tangled investigation.
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Who Was Murdered?
The mystery begins when Amelia discovers the body of her best friend, Merritt Monaco, on the beach. Merritt had been Amelia’s closest confidante, the only person at the wedding who truly understood her. Despite Merritt’s carefree, flirtatious personality, she had been a loyal friend to Amelia, who was plagued with doubts about her marriage to Benji Winbury, Greer and Tag’s son. Merritt had always promised to support Amelia, even if it meant helping her escape from her own wedding. Amelia was devastated by her friend’s death and was determined to find out what happened, believing that the Winbury family might be involved.
Uncovering the Affair: Was Greer Involved?
As detectives Nikki Henry and Dan Carter begin their investigation, Amelia becomes their unlikely ally, defying Greer’s demand for silence. She reveals that Merritt had been having an affair with Tag and was pregnant with his child. Merritt had confided in Amelia the night before the wedding, seeking understanding but instead facing judgment. Tag had initially seemed excited about the pregnancy, but Merritt soon realized that his reaction was nothing but a facade. Greer, meanwhile, had her own reasons for suspicion.
Greer discovered Tag’s infidelity after spotting a diamond bracelet on Merritt’s wrist, one that Tag had secretly purchased. Instead of confronting her husband, Greer chose to speak directly with Merritt. She coldly informed Merritt that Tag had a long history of affairs but always returned to his wife. Greer’s motive for murder seemed strong, yet she repeatedly claimed that, as always, she was simply “cleaning up” after her husband’s mess.
Did Tag Commit the Murder?
Tag, however, had a strong alibi. He handed over his smartwatch to the detectives, which confirmed he was asleep at the time of Merritt’s death. Before they parted ways that night, Tag and Merritt had argued about her pregnancy. Merritt had sensed that Tag was wavering and unwilling to tell the truth about his feelings. Distraught, she contemplated drowning herself, but Tag had intervened and then left to rest in his room. His alibi shifted the detectives’ focus to other suspects.
The Broderick Graham Connection
The investigation took another twist when detectives noticed an anomaly in the smartwatch data: Greer was not in her room during the murder. Her call logs showed that she had spoken with a man named Broderick Graham just before Merritt’s death. Graham was connected to the Turkish mafia, and detectives suspected that Greer might have ordered him to kill Merritt.
However, when they confronted Greer, she revealed a startling truth—Graham was her brother. She had been paying off his gambling debts for years, including a recent debt to the Turkish gang. While this revelation cleared her of direct involvement, it left the detectives with more questions than answers.
Greer’s Awakening: Why She Decided to Change
Greer’s facade of the “perfect couple” began to crumble under the weight of the murder investigation. Her marriage to Tag had long been a sham; he had squandered his family fortune, while she worked tirelessly as a celebrated novelist to keep them afloat. Her latest book launch had been a disaster, thanks to Tag’s drunken antics.
Greer finally realized that she no longer needed to protect the image of her marriage. She revealed that she had met Tag when she was a sex worker, and he was a client who eventually fell in love with her. For years, she had stayed quiet to hide her past, but the murder investigation pushed her to embrace the truth.
Why Was Thomas a Suspect?
Suspicion also fell on Greer’s son, Thomas, after it was revealed that Merritt had been drugged with barbiturates. When Amelia’s mother noticed one of her cancer pills was missing, Thomas emerged as a suspect. He admitted he had stolen the pill, mistaking it for OxyContin, but claimed he had never used it.
Thomas suggested that Isabel, his father’s former lover, might have taken the pill, but his accusations only made him look more suspicious. Isabel dismissed the idea, laughing off Thomas’s suggestion that she would ever expect him to repay the money he owed her.
Who Was the Real Killer?
The final episode revealed the real murderer: Thomas’s wife, Abby. Abby, who seemed harmless and supportive throughout, turned out to be driven by desperation. Pregnant and determined to secure her future, Abby saw Merritt’s pregnancy as a threat. If Merritt had Tag’s child, the Winbury trust fund would remain locked up until that child turned eighteen.
Thomas had toyed with the idea of scaring Merritt, but Abby decided to act. She drugged Merritt with a pill, lured her into the water, and drowned her. Abby believed she was protecting her family and felt no remorse for her actions. But detectives noticed discrepancies in her story and uncovered enough evidence to arrest her. Justice was finally served for Merritt.
What Happened to Greer, Amelia, and Benji?
Six months later, Greer met with Amelia at the zoo where she worked. Greer, now divorced from Tag, handed Amelia a manuscript for a new book she had written about her. She admitted that she had always envied Amelia for being herself and was finally ready to embrace her own truth.
This encounter hinted at a potential new friendship between the two women, both scarred yet stronger after the traumatic events. Amelia decided to take time to rediscover herself after all that had happened, and while her future with Benji remained uncertain, she was finally at peace with her choices.
Why Did Abby Kill Merritt?
Dakota Fanning shines as Abby, a wealthy, pregnant woman with a cheating husband, in The Perfect Couple. Abby is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Winbury family, married to Thomas, a man who doesn’t care about much beyond his own sleazy affairs. Abby likes to take control of everything, and she isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Her motivation for murdering Merritt is simple: money.
Thomas has a trust fund he can access once his youngest brother, Will, turns 18. However, if Merritt has her child with Tag, the fund is delayed by another 18 years. This delay poses a massive problem for Abby and Thomas, especially since Thomas owes Isabelle $2 million, and Abby would need to cover that debt too.
With the trust fund money, things would be much easier for Abby. She likely married Thomas for financial reasons, and even though she is carrying his child, she is not getting the money she anticipated. Merritt thinks Thomas is useless, and Abby seems to be the brains behind the operation.
What Happened to Shooter Dival?
Shooter Dival, the best man caught in the middle of all the drama, lends Greer $300,000, not knowing what it’s for. In the final episode, we find out that Greer’s brother has a gambling problem, and she used the money to pay off some Turkish mobsters for him. Greer’s motivations appear genuine; she is mostly concerned with her family’s reputation because her career is at stake.
After the truth about her brother, Bernard, comes out at the police station, Greer bravely decides to tell her family that she was once an escort, and Bernard was her pimp. Tag, one of her clients, eventually married her, and she took care of the family from then on.
As for Shooter, the last we hear of him is that he’s at the police station with his lawyer, and after that, nothing more is revealed. We can assume Shooter returns to his wealthy life in Mumbai but stays close to the Winbury family. There is a chance he stays in touch with Amelia, and their relationship could rekindle in the future. Between Benji and Shooter, Amelia might prefer Shooter because he doesn’t flaunt his wealth, unlike Benji. Shooter is just a guy she met on the B-train, and they seem to connect on a deeper level.
Do Amelia and Benji Get Married?
No, Amelia and Benji don’t end up getting married. In the ending of The Perfect Couple, Greer visits Amelia in London and tells her that she’s hard to find, confirming that Amelia and Benji have split. This separation seems for the best, given that Amelia rushed into marriage because of her mother’s cancer diagnosis.
Amelia was originally in love with Shooter, but she appears to have left that life behind to focus on herself, going back to working with animals at the zoo. At the end of the series, she tells Shooter she wants to go back to being the girl on the B-train, suggesting she doesn’t want to live the wealthy lifestyle or change herself for “love.” It’s likely she and Shooter might end up together if that’s what she wants.
Why Is Greer’s Book Titled “Your Move?”
The book Greer gives to Amelia, titled “Your Move,” is based on Amelia’s story, and Greer wants her to read it before getting it published. The title seems to reflect how Amelia inspired Greer to be her authentic self and stop hiding behind a public persona. Amelia’s authenticity appears to make Greer envious, as she admits when she hands her the book.
The title, “Your Move,” might symbolize how Amelia chose her own path, and Greer decided to follow in her footsteps after years of pretending to be someone she wasn’t. The book could very well be about Merritt’s murder and the many secrets of the Winbury family, written from Amelia’s perspective.
Why Did Greer Leave Tag?
Greer likely left Tag to do what was best for herself, finally. Throughout the series, Greer is the one who takes care of everyone, including her children, whom she raises to be more responsible than Tag, who is portrayed as a jobless junkie.
If they divorce, Greer’s other two kids might grow to be better people under these new circumstances. It’s likely that Greer left Tag during the year between Merritt’s death and her meeting with Amelia in London. She has known about Tag’s infidelities for years and probably had enough. Ironically, Isabelle, who appears to be a family friend, could be one of Tag’s mistresses.
If Merritt had lived and had her baby, Tag and Merritt might have had to live a much simpler life because Greer would have taken everything for herself. After all, Tag is depicted as someone who doesn’t know how to do anything but be an addict, and it’s Greer who funds their lavish lifestyle.
What Will Happen to Abby?
Abby’s future doesn’t look bright. With her arrest, she probably won’t get her hands on the money she wanted so badly. Whether Thomas will leave her remains unclear, as he is quite similar to his father and seems dependent on Abby, who has always managed things for him. However, prison will undoubtedly change Abby, and she may decide to leave Thomas. There’s also concern about her child’s future, as a lot of questions are left unanswered at the end of The Perfect Couple.
Why Is the Show Called “The Perfect Couple”?
So, why is the show named The Perfect Couple? Perhaps the title is a distraction, meant to make us believe everything is fine when, in fact, nothing is. There’s no perfect couple here, and there never has been.
Will There Be a Second Season?
Fans of the show will have to accept that there won’t be a second season of The Perfect Couple, as it is a limited series that wraps up its central mystery, albeit with many loose ends.
The Perfect Couple dives deep into the world of the rich and restless, where money, secrets, and lies intertwine. It leaves us questioning motivations, relationships, and what it truly means to be the “perfect couple.”
Conclusion
The Perfect Couple ended with a powerful message: that perfection is often an illusion, hiding dark secrets and complex truths. As the show unraveled the mystery of Merritt’s death, it also revealed the human flaws behind the Winbury family’s facade. Greer’s decision to own her past, Amelia’s quest for self-discovery, and the ultimate unveiling of the killer demonstrated that truth and authenticity always come with a price but are worth pursuing nonetheless.
