Warning: This article features spoilers for Behind Her Eyes.
Behind Her Eyes: Is it good, or is it bad?
On February 17, Netflix released its new psychological thriller starring Eve Hewson, Tom Bateman and Simona Brown. With only six episodes in its first season, the show was a relatively easy binge. In fact, determined viewers could consume the entire season in one sitting. And, after doing just that, we here at E! News are split on whether or not Behind Her Eyes deserved six hours of our time.
The series, which is based on Sarah Pinborough's 2017 novel, follows single mom Louise (Brown) as she begins an affair with her boss, David (Bateman) and befriends his mysterious wife, Adele (Hewson). As secrets begin to unravel, the truth about Adele shocks both the characters on-screen and viewers at home.
We're talking an unexpected double twist we never saw coming!
Some might argue that by blending the psychological thriller genre with supernatural elements made Behind Her Eyes one of the most unexpected TV experiences of 2021. Yet, others may say the series' double twist over complicated things and ruined the show's chance of becoming a cult classic.
So, we here at E! News felt it was only right that we add our two cents into the mix and share two very different stances on Behind Her Eyes.
It's Good – Alyssa Ray
I was so surprised by Behind Her Eyes—in a good way. When I turned on Netflix's latest drama, I was expecting a thriller that broke down the complexities of marriage. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect there to be a supernatural theme and a murder mystery all wrapped in a deliciously sexy bow.
For starters, the chemistry between Louise and David was unbelievable. I'm not typically one to root for adultery and yet, even I found myself shouting, "make out," to the screen. Still, as the show progressed, I felt conflicted over whether Adele was the victim or villain.
Come to find out, she's both! In reality, the Adele we first met, who later manipulated Louise and David, is not the same Adele that viewers saw in flashbacks. Kindhearted, romantic and trusting Adele befriended drug addict Rob (Robert Aramayo) in rehab. After they're both released, she invited him to visit her at her countryside manor, which was partially destroyed due to the fire that killed her parents.
During this very visit, Adele went on to reveal that she slept through the fatal fire as she was astral projecting at the time. She then taught Rob how to astral project, not realizing he'd abuse the ability. Rob, who had fallen in love with Adele's life, including her relationship with David, used his newfound power to switch bodies with her. So, in actuality, it was really Rob behind Adele's eyes.
The twist was in the title of the show, folks!
As for the shocking double twist? Let's just say Rob did something very similar to Louise. Although, Rob may not get away with the switch this time around as Louise's son Adam (Tyler Howitt) seemed very suspicious at the end. In fact, the ending was reminiscent of the final scene in Jordan Peele's Us—if you know, you know.
Was Behind Her Eyes a perfect show? No. Namely, Rob's obsession with David highlighted a problematic trope in television that could've been avoided.
Nonetheless, I don't regret binging Behind Her Eyes as it was surprising, different and captivating. In a time where TV is king, it's hard to stand out and, well, Behind Her Eyes stood out.
It's Bad – Cydney Contreras
I truly don't know what I expected when I began watching Behind Her Eyes, but I can tell you I certainly didn't anticipate that astral projection would be the big plot twist.
When I settled down on my couch to binge-watch the thriller, I hoped for a series along the lines of Harlan Coben's Safe, Derek Simonds' The Sinner or any other show that's popped up on my Suggestions For You page—Netflix has never done me wrong in the procedurals department.
So, when Behind Her Eyes appeared in the queue, it seemed like my next great binge. It appeared to have all the elements my past favorites had, in the sense that there is a major act of deception, a splash of romance and a dark secret that's begging to be revealed.
And in the beginning, I got all of that.
Louise was this charming single mom that seemed to be deserving of a passionate love affair, albeit with her psychiatrist boss, David, who's an equally enticing character, but for totally different reasons. He was mysterious, handsome and tortured enough that I was willing to overlook the fact that he was cheating on his wife, Adele.
With Adele, there's not a lot to be said. She has a great bob and nice clothes, but you can't tell until the fifth episode whether or not she's the villain, so, I was kind of whatever on her.
Overall, the acting was top-notch, but the plot didn't match the same standards set by the actors.
For starters, it's revealed Adele went to a mental hospital for… nightmares? Yes, she was the sole survivor of a house fire that killed her parents, but someone of her wealth and stature could afford outpatient therapy. There was more to unpack there, and yet, we're never given the opportunity to understand how she landed in the facility in the first place.
There was also the insinuation that she and David started the fire. Of course, we later find out she was "traveling" when the fire started, preventing her from saving her parents, but where was David? This was one of those questions I kept coming back to, especially towards the end, when we're supposed to believe that he's somehow the victim in this story.
With Louise, I was genuinely baffled by the idea that she only worked three days a week, yet she's still able to afford a two bedroom apartment in London and support herself and her son. Plus, there's this whole thing going on with her night terrors, which is never really explained. All I was able to glean from those scenes was that her mother died and, similar to Adele, she regrets that she couldn't have done more to prevent it, similar to Adele.
As for the astral projection of it all, I was disappointed that this was the huge plot twist they were building up to.
Somehow, after four episodes, we're meant to believe that Adele is not, in fact, Adele. She's Rob, who astral projected himself into her body after she taught him how to "travel" in his dreams.
I was frustrated with this plot twist for many reasons, the first being that I don't believe in astral projection. You're trying to tell me that these orb-like spirits come out of their bodies, are different colors and travel like drones? Also, what even happens to the orb if it can't return to its body? Does it just become a ghost?
The second and biggest reason for my frustration, is that if Rob is in Adele's body, then why didn't we learn more about how he found himself in the mental hospital in the first place? Was it just his drug addiction that got him there, or was there a bigger reason behind him being institutionalized?
All we know is that he's supported by his older sister, who, frankly, isn't very supportive, he's addicted to drugs and he meets Adele, this beautiful, wealthy girl who he wishes he could be. Those details explain why he's so willing to trade places with her, but it doesn't explain his fascination with David, who he knew for like two seconds.
In the end, he becomes the main character of the show, and yet we know so little about him. This left me scratching my head as to why I even watched all six episodes when the person who gets their happy ending is Rob, who we know nothing about and have no real attachment to.
Behind Her Eyes is streaming now on Netflix.