In the Netflix miniseries The Perfect Couple, a rather massive surprise dangled over the viewers' heads until the final episode: the mystery of the death of Merritt, the bride's best friend.
The Winbury and Sacks families came together for what could have been the ideal wedding, but they were faced with tragedy and murder. As the story unfolds, every major character is shown to have a motive, making this perhaps the most complex murder mystery on screen this year.
For example, the affair, pregnancy, and en masse payouts of trust funds all serve as triggers for potential suspects in her murder on The Perfect Couple.
Disclaimer: This piece reflects the author's opinions and contains spoilers for The Perfect Couple.
Reasons why each suspect may have killed Merritt in The Perfect Couple
1) Abby Winbury (Played by Dakota Fanning)
Abby, the wife of Thomas Winbury, was the killer, as you may already know. She had the most direct motive for killing Merritt. Merritt’s affair with Abby’s father-in-law, Tag, resulted in a pregnancy. This threatened Abby’s marriage and delayed the Winbury children's trust fund distribution by 18 more years.
The youngest son, Will, was about to turn 18 in less than a month, making Abby's husband get his trust fund. But, if Merritt ended up giving birth, it would take an additional 18 years for anyone to access the Winbury funds that they so desperately needed.
Financially strained and pregnant herself, Abby saw Merritt's child as a direct threat to her future and security. Desperation mixed with abandonment by her husband was something Abby wasn't able to withstand.
Thus, Abby resorted to extreme measures: she doped Merritt, letting her drown in the ocean so that the pregnancy would not destabilize her means toward financial stability that would come later had she not been arrested on The Perfect Couple.
2) Thomas Winbury (Played by Jack Reynor)
Thomas, Abby’s husband and the middle Winbury son on The Perfect Couple, was a prime suspect due to his deep involvement in the family’s financial troubles.
Thomas owed his lover, Isabel, a substantial amount of money, which he intended to pay off with his share of the trust fund. Merritt’s pregnancy jeopardized this plan, making her a significant obstacle.
Though Thomas didn't physically kill Merritt, he indirectly contributed to her death. He provided the drugs used in her murder, stolen from Karen’s euthanasia pills. His emotional instability and role in the financial mess made him central to The Perfect Couple's tragedy.
3) Tag Winbury (Played by Liev Schreiber)
Tag, the patriarch of the Winbury family, was having an affair with Merritt, which complicated his life in many ways. As the father of Merritt’s unborn child, his reputation, marriage, and financial situation were at risk.
Merritt's pregnancy would have destroyed his public image and relationship with his wife, Greer. Although Tag had not carried out the murder personally, his adultery started the chain of events that led to Merritt's death.
The infidelity and inability to handle the situation made him a prime suspect to both his family and the police on The Perfect Couple.
4) Greer Winbury (Played by Nicole Kidman)
Greer, Tag’s wife, was another suspect in The Perfect Couple. She built her public identity around the idea of a "perfect couple," and Merritt’s pregnancy threatened that façade.
Greer’s career as a successful author was based on her portrayal of the ideal family, and Merritt’s affair with Tag could have unraveled everything she worked for. Her motivation, of course, was to protect her reputation and to maintain her family.
While Greer may not have bloodied her hands during the murder, Merritt's dislike of her and the determination to keep her family's name unblemished put her at the center of investigators' suspicions.
5) Karen Sacks (Played by Dendrie Taylor)
Karen, Abby’s terminally ill mother, was indirectly involved in Merritt’s death in The Perfect Couple. She illegally obtained euthanasia pills in case her cancer worsened, but these pills ended up being used by Abby to drug Merritt.
Although Karen didn’t know her pills would be used for murder, her actions contributed to the crime. Her motive, if any, would stem from her protective instincts toward her daughter, Abby.
Despite her illness, Karen's involvement made the case for The Perfect Couple complex. It makes her a suspect, albeit unwillingly.
6) Amelia Sacks (Played by Eve Hewson)
Amelia, the bride and Merritt's best friend, was initially devastated by her friend’s death, but she, too, had a possible motive. As Merritt’s pregnancy threatened to destroy the Winbury family, Amelia found herself caught between her fiancé, Benji, and the dysfunctional dynamics of his family.
Although she wasn’t directly involved in the murder, Amelia’s proximity to the Winburys’ financial and emotional drama made her a suspect. She was under intense scrutiny, especially as someone who could have benefited from the demise of her future in-laws’ empire.
7) Isabel Nallet (Played by Isabelle Adjani)
Isabel, who was having an affair with Thomas, had reasons to dislike Merritt. Thomas owed her over $2 million, so the delay in the trust fund payout due to Merritt’s pregnancy would have affected her as well.
Isabel’s relationship with Thomas complicated her position, making her another suspect. She was spotted with Merritt, sharing a drink at the beach hours before the murder. But it wasn't her who had killed the young lady.
Though she didn’t directly partake in Merritt’s death, her connection to Thomas (and even his dad in the past) and the financial stakes involved made her involvement questionable.
8) Benji Winbury (Played by Billy Howle)
Benji, the groom, and Winbury's middle son was arguably the least suspicious of the family members, but he wasn’t entirely in the clear. Merritt’s pregnancy indirectly affected his financial future as someone poised to inherit a fortune.
Though he loved Amelia, the family’s financial troubles and Merritt’s untimely death cast doubt on his role in the murder. Conversely, his character in The Perfect Couple was portrayed as a victim rather than a perpetrator.
At the end of The Perfect Couple, he still had feelings for Amelia and wished to marry her to make his life better than his parents, in vain.
9) Shooter Dival (Played by Ishaan Khatter)
Shooter is depicted as Benji Winbury's best friend and roommate from Deerfield, where he even had bodyguards, per what was reported to Amelia, Benji's to-be wife. This points to the affluence he downplays throughout the series.
After Shooter and Amelia kissed in a moment of vulnerability, it could be supposed that he would now want to stop the wedding. Murdering Merritt to throw everyone off would be a step in that direction.
What added to the suspicion around him was that he was attempting to escape the island on a ferry after the police clearly instructed him against doing so. This, coupled with his ignoring Amelia's calls (even if on his father's instructions) and the mysterious transaction with Greer's brother, made him one of the top suspects.
10) Will Winbury (Played by Sam Nivola)
Being the youngest Winbury, Will was constantly teased by Thomas. His general dislike for his brother and the pretenses of the rest of the family made it probable that he may have committed the treacherous murder.
He also hung out at the beach with the police chief's daughter. Not only was this close to Tag and Merritt, but also, on the day that the murder was committed, the bracelet that Tag gifted Merritt was found in his belongings.
He may have wanted to kill Merritt, the influencer on The Perfect Couple, as he didn't want more drama and chaos to rip the family apart.
The Perfect Couple is available exclusively on Netflix.
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