The Perfect Couple released on Netflix on September 5, 2024. A reworked adaptation of the novel The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand, it consists of six episodes.
The series features the Winbury family, a wealthy family located in Nantucket, whose son Benji is about to get married to a young girl, Amelia. The plot takes place in the family’s lavish summer home right before the wedding, which get halted when a dead body is found on the beach near their summer home.
With the entire family under the police’s suspicion, the facade of the perfect Winbury family crumbles as the investigation unravels.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from The Perfect Couple.
Exploring the major differences between the Netflix show The Perfect Couple and the book
Here are a few differences between the book and the Netflix series
Amelia's Sacks' Character
In the book, Amelia Sacks is Celeste Otis. Her looks have changed too, as in the book she is a blond and in the series she is a brunette. Another change in Amelia’s character can be seen in her relationship with Shooter Dival. In the book, Dival helps Benji propose to Celeste, but confesses his own feelings for her too in case she has doubts about marrying Benji.
In the book, Celeste develops a stutter when stressed, especially when she has to choose between Benji and Shooter. But Amelia doesn't. Finally, in the book, Benji catches their affair after the wedding, but in the series he catches them kissing.
A third brother
In the book, Will Winbury does not exist—the Nantucket family includes the mother Greer Winbury, the father Tag Winbury, and their two sons, Benji and Thomas. Furthermore, the addition of a third brother, Will Winbury, includes a higher involvement of the character Chloe Carter in the show. She is shown to be someone who was aware of the fact that Merritt was going to be the mother of Tag’s baby.
Changes in Benji and Shooter’s character
Benji in the show is a bit more shifty than in the book. The series shows him as an artist and has Merritt’s photographs, which she requested him to paint. Also, Benji’s best man’s character in the book is called Shooter Uxley, but in the series is called Shooter Dival. ("Shooter" is a nickname.)
Shooter’s dynamic with Amelia changes in the series as they end their affair, while in the book they leave room for a future together. His character in the series is portrayed as someone who comes from money, thanks to his rich Indian family. However, in the book, Shooter is a self-made man without any higher education.
Detective Nikki Henry
The book has a detective character called Nick “The Greek," a bald-headed Casanova. While in the series, Detective Nikki Henry is a female character who is strong-headed and cuts right through the wealthy facade of the Winbury family.
A new character, Broderick Graham
In the series, Broderick Graham is Greer’s estranged brother. His relationship with Greer is not disclosed to her children until the finale, where Greer discreetly pays for his gambling problem. He is also revealed to be a part of the murder case as he uses funds from Shooter in the murder case. However, his character is not in the book.
Merritt and Tag’s affair in The Perfect Couple
In the book, readers find a more elaborate background for Merritt, but the series focuses more on her death and affair with Tag. In the book, Merritt meets Tag during Celeste’s bachelorette party before the wedding. Tag instantly becomes infatuated with Merritt and reaches on her front door. Moreover, in the series he buys her an expensive bracelet, while in the book it is shown to be a thumb ring. In the book, he takes her on a romantic trip as a gift for her birthday but quickly cancels it when he spots his son in the same hotel. Upon seeing his son, Tag panics and cuts ties with Merritt, who finds out she is pregnant. In the series, due to a slipup on the jeweler’s part, Greer also finds the bracelet’s receipt in Tag’s drawer.
Thomas’s affair in The Perfect Couple
In the book and Netflix series, Thomas Winbury cheats on his wife Abby. However, while in the book, the woman he cheats with is Featherleigh Dale, in the series, the woman's name is Isabel Adjani. In both the book and series, she is portrayed as a freeloader. Another slight change in their relationship is that in the book Thomas’ mistress is far more infatuated with him, but it's the opposite in the series.
Greer’s background in The Perfect Couple
There are several changes made to Greer’s background. In the book she comes from a rich family, but in the series her origin is a high-profile escort. In the series, her brother is the one who handled her clients, including Tag, who was a frequent visitor of hers. Also, she is an accomplished author, evident from her grand book launch, which is nowhere in Hilderbran's novel. In the book, her character is shown to resort to writing only when she is expecting Thomas. However, when she tries to make it as an author, Merritt’s death forces her to let it go.
The events leading up to Merritt’s death in The Perfect Couple
While the killer remains the same in the book and series, the motive and events behind Merritt’s death are different. In the book, Abby, wanting to get rid of her husband’s mistress, sneaks Greer’s sleeping pills in her drink. However, the drink ends consumed by Merritt. The pills kill her some time later when she goes into the ocean to find the ring given by Tag (which she previously had thrown into the ocean). In the series, Abby suffocates Merritt underwater as she wants the Winbury inheritance all for her unborn child. She uses pills that she obtains from Amelia’s mother’s medicines, as in the book and series, her mother suffers from cancer.
Amelia’s father’s affair
In the book, Amelia/Celeste’s father is shown to have an affair with another man, which her mother finds out about during her daughter’s wedding. Furthermore, viewers don’t see this in the Netflix series.
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