Quick Links
Netflix’s latest addition to its whodunit repertoire comes in the form of the thrilling murder mysteryThe Perfect Couple.The miniseries, comprising just six episodes, made its Netflix debut on August 07, 2025, and has, since then, become extremely popular. The perfect-for-binging series is based on a novel of the same name, authored by Elin Hilderbrand, and is directed by Susanne Bier.
The murder mysterydelves into the seemingly perfect lives of the Winbury family, helmed by renowned author Greer Garrison Winbury (Nicole Kidman). The series opens on the idyllic and sprawling summer estate of the Winbury family, where Greer’s second son, Benji (Billy Howle), is preparing to marry Amelia (Eve Hewson) in a wedding organized by Greer herself. Everything seems lavish and opulent, although some hostility exists between the bride-to-be and her intended mother-in-law. However, all wedding plans are put on hold when a body is found in the water the morning of the wedding. Ironically, it is the bride herself who discovers the body. In a flip of events,wedding guests and family turn into suspects, and wedding plans turn into a murder investigation.
How Does Merritt Die in The Perfect Couple?
The body that Amelia finds floating in the water is that of her best friend and maid of honor, Merritt Monaco (Meghann Fahy). Merritt is still in the same outfit she wore for the rehearsal dinner the night before. Shaken and traumatized, Amelia starts yelling for help, although it’s quite evident that Merritt is already dead. Questions soon began swirling: was Merritt’s death an accident? Or was there foul play involved?
As the story progresses, it soon becomes clear thatMerritt’s death was not an accident, despite the Winbury family’s efforts to make it seem so. As more and more secrets are unearthed, reputations are destroyed, and relationships are shaken. It is revealed that Merritt was, in fact, having a romantic affair with the intended father-in-law of her best friend. The shock doesn’t end there, with it also being revealed that Merritt was pregnant as aresult of her affair.
The notion that Merritt’s death could have been an accident is firmly chucked out of the window when it is discovered that Merritt had barbiturates in her system, ingested a short while before her death. Someone had killed Merritt. However, withnumerous people having both the motive and the opportunity to kill her, the investigation is off to a rocky start, venturing down a path that ispacked with twists, turns, and shocking revelations.
Who Is the Real Killer in The Perfect Couple?
As the investigation progresses, it appears as though anyone could have murdered Merritt.The most plausible suspect, of course, is Greer herself. It is indicated early on in the series that Greer was well aware of her husband’s affair with Merritt. Putting her sharp eye for detail to good use, Greer identifies the bracelet on Merritt’s hand as one that was purchased by her husband. A wife scorned is one to be reckoned with, and given Greer’s ice-cold and controlling personality, no one would doubt her ability to kill.
Tag is also a possible suspect. Despite his inclinations to begin an extra-marital affair with Merritt, it is highly unlikely that he expected her to become pregnant. Although he receives the news well, hugging Merritt and calling her beautiful, one cannot help but feel something more brewing underneath the surface.With Tag’s weed-smoking and alcoholic tendencies, he seems a highly likely suspect.
The Art of the Murder Mystery: The Best Whodunits, Ranked
The best murder mysteries bring the audience into the story and take them on a ride, here are the best whodunits ever made.
However, although the series explores suspect after suspect, from Greer and Tag to Shooter Dival (Ishaan Khattar) and Isabel Nallet (Isabelle Adjani), and throws curveball after curveball at viewers, the biggest twist comes when the real killer’s identity is revealed. Regardless of the infinite motive and opportunity that other characters had to kill Merritt,Merritt ultimately found her death at the hands of none other than the first Winbury brother’s wife, the pregnant Abby Winbury (Dakota Fanning).Abby drugs Merritt, leads her into the water, and, as she stumbles, forces her head underwater and holds her there until Merritt’s life drains out of her. The expression on Abby’s face as she commits the murder is chilling.
Why Was Merritt Killed in The Perfect Couple?
The revelation that Abby killed Merritt is somewhat unexpected. This is because many other characters had a stronger and more obvious motive than her. However, as with allrich and powerful families, money is truly a driving force, andAbby’s motive in killing Merritt boils down to just that — money.
The Winbury brothers are entitled to a trust fund, which is alluded to consist of quite an amount of wealth. However, the conditions of the trust stipulate that the money will only be released to the brothers when the last sibling turns 18. In the context of the Winbury family, that would have been Will (Sam Nivola), whose birthday was mere months away. It is this trust fund that Abby had her gaze set on. For the sake of money, Abby was willing to overlook her husband, Thomas' (Jack Reynor) cheating ways. Truly embodying the persona of ‘trophy wife’, Abby turned a blind eye to Tom’s relationship with Isabel, although she made it evident to Tom that she was aware of the affair.
34 Best Movies on Netflix to Watch Right Now
Netflix is constantly taking down and adding movies, but based on what’s streaming, these are a few of the best films you can watch right now.
With Abby intent on getting her hands on the money that the trust fund would release to Thomas, Merritt’s pregnancy constituted one of the biggest obstacles in her path. The fact that Merritt was pregnant by Tag would mean that Merritt’s child would technically be the youngest Winbury child. This would reset the conditions of the trust, and Abby would have had to wait another 18 years, rather than a few months, to avail herself of the money. Clearly, for Abby, the easier option was getting rid of Merritt altogether.
The ending of the series also begs the question of how Abby found out that Merritt was pregnant. While the show depicts how other members of the family find out about Merritt’s pregnancy, the series does not lay out how Abby came by the knowledge. However, from the get-go, Abby’s character is established as one who is well aware of the comings and goings of the Winbury family. Hovering around the periphery, Abby is perceptive, gathers tidbits of information, is clever at piecing it together, and is skilled at maneuvering her way throughthe Winbury family drama. Her ability to identify the contents of one of Benji and Amelia’s wedding gifts without even opening the package speaks volumes of her skills. Given this, Abby’s awareness of Merritt’s pregnancy isn’t much of a surprise.The Perfect Coupleis now available to stream onNetflix.
