Photograph: Seacia Pavao/Netflix
Ah, Nantucket in the summertime. Sunbathers are enjoyable on the seashore, the whales are placing on an acrobatic present out within the Atlantic, and lifeless our bodies are washing up on the shores of $40 million greenback “cottages” on the morning of very costly, high-profile weddings. There’s simply nothing prefer it, is there? That’s precisely how we kick off issues on the journey of The Good Couple — we’re closing out the summer time season in fashion … and probably homicide. Enjoyable!
You need to know the precise second I knew The Good Couple was proper for me? That we had been in for a sudsy seashore learn in TV kind? It was the second I noticed these opening credit. A choreographed group dance quantity to Meghan Trainor’s “Criminals”? If you get Nicole Kidman and Liev Schrieber to gleefully carry out a line dance for a present about secrets and techniques and homicide, effectively, we’ve gained, okay? Yeah, Nicole Kidman could be the “we come to this place for magic” girl however she can be a fucking Academy Award winner; The girl commits and it’s clear she is committing to this vibe. A vibe that claims we’re right here to entertain. A vibe that claims, “Sure, somebody is lifeless and everyone seems to be a suspect, however we’re having enjoyable.” And if that’s not your explicit vibe, to not be imply, however it is best to get off this trip.
That is all a praise, by the way in which. The primary episode of The Good Couple, primarily based on the queen of the seashore learn Elin Hilderbrand’s novel of the identical identify, provides me quite a lot of hope that the six-episode restricted collection won’t solely be pleasurable end-of-the-summer fare, however will finally be a satisfying yarn. This primary episode units up all the thriller at hand and introduces us to a truckload of characters with a complete heap of persona — and in underneath 60 minutes, no much less.
We’re gathered right here right now for the nuptials of Amelia Sacks, a normie zoologist, and Benjamin “Benji” Winbury, son of famed writer Greer Garrison Winbury and belief fund DILF (so says his daughter-in-law, sure, for actual) Tag Winbury. The Winburys are extraordinarily loaded and include all of the pretentious fixings. We get a fast have a look at Amelia and Benji’s beachside rehearsal dinner on the Winbury property, Summerland — dearer and elaborate than many individuals’s weddings — the place issues appear to be going alongside swimmingly. We’re joyful! The champers is flowing! The bride and groom-to-be appear excited and in love. However you by no means understand simply how creepy the sentiment “I really like this lady to dying” is till you instantly reduce from that line to blood-curdling screaming and a few sort of water-based wrestle.
“We’ve acquired a floater,” a Nantucket Deputy named Carl tells his boss, Chief of Police Dan Carter, within the wee hours of the next morning. The marriage will likely be known as off — the investigation has begun. The episode makes use of the interrogations of among the characters to dump a complete lot of exposition in a brief period of time. There’s Gosia, the Winbury housekeeper who positively has a factor for Tag; Roger, the marriage planner, who calls the Winburys “kill somebody and get away with it” wealthy; Isabel, a household pal from France who describes Greer as “having a stick up her asshole”; and pregnant spouse of eldest Winbury son Thomas, Abby, who is kind of unbothered about saying issues like “Gosia needs to fuck Tag so unhealthy. I guess she rubs one out to that little child image of his she retains subsequent to her mattress” throughout a police interrogation.
Associates, I didn’t know I wanted Dakota Fanning as a heinous wealthy bitch, however now I can’t imagine I lived so lengthy with out Dakota Fanning as a heinous wealthy bitch. What a present. Fanning performs the boundless entitlement and slicing passive aggressiveness with aplomb. Abby is the scariest of imply ladies — those who do all of it with a smile. Later, we study that Amelia’s mom Karen is dying of most cancers, they usually moved up the marriage to the Fourth of July weekend to ensure she could possibly be there (or, as Gosia places it, “accommodate [her] dying schedule”). When Karen and Amelia’s father Bruce arrive on the Winbury property, Abby greets them with a cheerful “so joyful we might rearrange our plans for the Fourth to be right here.” She is the worst and in addition the very best.
There’s another character at present pulled in for questioning: Amelia, in her wedding ceremony gown and in a state of full shock after discovering the physique within the water. The Good Couple waits till the top of the episode to disclose the sufferer, however primarily based on not solely the characters we see through the brief time we spend on the crime scene, but additionally the truth that actually solely Amelia is beside herself over the dying, it wasn’t a lot of a shock to study that the morning of her wedding ceremony, Amelia discovered her finest pal and maid of honor Merritt Monaco lifeless within the water. Even if you happen to guessed that massive episode one reveal earlier than it occurred, it doesn’t imply there isn’t nonetheless quite a lot of thriller to mull over. We nonetheless don’t know the precise reason behind dying — at this level, it could possibly be some form of accident. If Merritt was murdered, although, there’s multiple motive, and there’s a complete gaggle of suspects.
In the intervening time, two on the prime of the listing are for certain the titular Good Couple — Greer and Tag. As soon as we return to the morning of the rehearsal dinner to get the total story of that day, we watch Greer uncover in actual time that Tag is having an affair. When the jeweler delivers the rings for Benji and Amelia (it says a lot about Greer that she is the one selecting these out, doesn’t it?), the lady asks her concerning the beautiful gold bracelet with the pave diamonds that Tag purchased for her. You instantly see on Greer’s face that not solely did she by no means obtain that bracelet, however she is aware of precisely what it means: Tag purchased it for another person. When Greer finds the receipt — for a cool $18,476 — we get a very good have a look at the bracelet, too. Eagle-eyed viewers, I’m certain, noticed that very same bracelet on Merritt’s wrist when she was giving her toast on the rehearsal. Maybe Greer noticed it, too.
Simply the thought of Tag having an affair critical sufficient to warrant such a purchase order, even when she has but to determine who he’s dishonest with, is sufficient to throw Greer off her axis a bit. Benji walks in proper after Greer finds the receipt. He’s there to speak to his mom about being nicer to Amelia. Like, if you happen to’re questioning whether or not or not Greer might kill an individual, simply watch that second within the kitchen when Amelia takes a chew of a croissant and Greer says, “Marriage ceremony gown be damned, huh?” You can’ve simply tipped me over right into a coffin at that time. So, sure, Benji is true that Greer isn’t a fan of Amelia, almost certainly as a result of Amelia doesn’t care about maintaining appearances or performing the a part of a Winbury. Greer doesn’t take the accusations effectively, attempting to elucidate that she’s simply watching out for her son — she doesn’t purchase that Amelia has emotions for him the way in which he does for her, and he or she needs she would present somewhat extra curiosity in being a part of the household. Greer is, clearly, a girl obsessive about maintaining appearances, however her anger is kicked up a number of ranges on account of Tag’s extracurriculars. She tells Benji that marriage doesn’t essentially imply devotion — one thing we all know she’s coping with at that very second. And if you happen to don’t assume Greer could possibly be misleading sufficient to cowl up a homicide, it’s price noting that Benji walks into that room demanding his mom attempt tougher to be nicer to his fiancée and walks out of it telling Greer that he’ll get Amelia to attempt tougher to be part of the household.
Greer additionally lets her feelings come to the floor a bit when she’s on the cellphone along with her editor, Enid. Greer has a brand new novel popping out — she’s made her identify along with her Sprint & Dolly collection of novels — and Individuals journal is doing a giant interview along with her and Tag this week. The headline will apparently be, ahem “The Good Couple,” enjoying up Greer and Tag’s 29 years of marriage and enviable love — they’re the inspiration for Sprint & Dolly, in spite of everything. Greer needs to lean away from that angle, however she’s too deep into this idyllic image she’s painted for her adoring readers to get out of it now. All of this anger and frustration would possibly boil over on the precise unsuitable time for Merritt.
And talking of Merritt, she’s type of the alternative of Greer in most methods. She’s heat and open and free. Certain, each Abby and Isabel point out she “likes to have a very good time,” which is unquestionably their code for “slutty,” and Abby has a heart-warming story about Merritt being a gold digger prior to now, however principally she looks like a fairly nice pal. We get a poolside dialog between Amelia and Merritt the day of the rehearsal through which Amelia worries that she isn’t head over heels for Benji (nobody inform Greer she’s proper). Merritt assures her that it’s simply chilly ft but additionally tells her that if she needs to name this wedding ceremony off she has each proper to — Merritt will again her pal up it doesn’t matter what she decides. She additionally instantly decides that Abby is a big bitch (true) and the gals even have a pleasant dialog about how Greer’s butthole is unquestionably bleached and waxed and that’s simply actual friendship proper there.
Merritt is nice to Will, who simply acquired dumped and positively has a crush on Merritt. Is it a robust sufficient crush to get overwhelmingly jealous? She additionally appears fairly connected to Amelia. Might their closeness trouble Benji? After which there’s the mysterious finest man, Shooter Dival. Amelia’s positively lusting over him, however does he have something to do with what occurs to Merritt? Like I mentioned, the suspect listing is a protracted one in the meanwhile — it’s time for The Good Couple to start out whittling it down.
• Different crime scene particulars: There’s a path of blood resulting in the water from two Adirondack chairs. There’s one damaged glass within the sand and one with a lipstick stain nonetheless sitting on one of many chairs.
• Okay, hello, whats up, I’m already obsessive about our police duo. Chief Carter is a person born and bred in Nantucket, and though he isn’t one in every of them, you possibly can inform he has expertise dealing with the uber-wealthy lot. He definitely doesn’t love the detective from out of city the DA sends in to “babysit” — Detective Nikki Henry. She is tough across the edges and doesn’t give a shit. She’s right here to get the job completed. Though, she is going to admit when a donut is out of this world, she’s not a monster. They’ve a tough begin however I can’t wait till these two grow to be an actual staff.
• When Chief Carter informs his teen daughter Chloe that her wedding ceremony catering gig will likely be canceled as a result of somebody died, she begins to freak out. It might need one thing to do with the bloody shirt she’s hiding in her room.
• Um, couldn’t Amelia have discovered a window to free that ladybug? Would’ve saved us all quite a lot of hassle.
• Individuals getting unusual cellphone calls and ignoring them: Greer dismisses a name from a Broderick Graham and appears quite vexed about it; Merritt will get a name from a DL and explains that it’s a codename for a man she used to hook up with.
• One among my favourite particulars from the interrogations is when Gosia tells the police that Greer has a gift-wrapping room in her home however it’s Gosia who really does all of the present wrapping, and all from her bed room. So not solely does Greer power another person to try this job, however she nonetheless needs individuals to assume she does it for herself.
• I don’t assume it may be a coincidence that we find out about Tom’s favourite pastime, capsule roulette, through which you toss a bunch of random prescription capsules collectively and take one at random and get an prolonged scene through which Karen tucks away three capsules from a baggie with a warning signal on it. Let’s count on that to come back into play sooner or later, proper?