Upamanyu Biswas
The Netflix mystery show, ‘The Perfect Couple,‘ follows Amelia Sacks, a new bride in a wealthy Nantucket family, whose wedding is disrupted when a dead body appears on the beach. As an investigation begins into the death, secrets rise to the surface as the influential Winbury family shows cracks underneath its foundations. The groom’s mother, Greer Garrison Windbury, a novelist, disapproves of Amelia’s marriage to her family. However, she finds her worst nightmares coming to fruition as her son’s luxurious wedding turns into a macabre recreation of her books.
Crafted by Jenna Lamia, the thriller blurs the lines between reality and fiction as aspersions and doubts are cast in every direction, leaving no one under the umbrella of innocence. While it all begins as an idyllic social gathering of the affluent, ‘The Perfect Couple’ quickly spirals into something of a dark blot on everyone’s memory. The story of an island vacation gone horribly wrong may seem elevated at first glance, but digging into its inspirations provides insight into the show’s genesis and whether it is based on a true story.
The Perfect Couple Presents a Wedding-Gone-Wrong Scenario From the Pages of a Thriller Novel
‘The Perfect Couple’ is a fictional story adapted from Elin Hilderbrand’s 2018 eponymous novel. Penned by Jenna Lamia, Alex Berger, Leila Cohan, Courtney Grace, Bryan M. Holdman, and Evelyn Yves, the show delves into the same tension-filled premise present in the murder mystery book, where the mood of a wedding is darkened after the discovery of a dead body. With family dynamics playing a crucial role in the subsequent unraveling of secrets and lies following the death, the Netflix show unearths the truth lurking behind the deception of the wealthy Winbury family. The source material was Hilderbrand’s first murder mystery novel, with most of her previous work centering around romance. As such, the author found herself faintly doubting herself during the writing process.
In an interview, she said, “It is my 21st book and I was looking for some new material and I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to try to write a murder.’ And I do use that word ‘try’ because I wasn’t sure it was going to work.” Despite the shift in genre, she kept several familiar elements from her other works, specifically the food, fashion, beaches, and romance that are hallmarks of her other novels. However, she admitted that writing a story involving a murder filled the narrative with a sense of urgency and page-turning quality. Certain changes were made later during the draft, like the identity of the killer and the victim. It was the right choice to make, according to Hilderbrand.
The novelist’s works are generally set in and around Nantucket, a place she is a resident of and deeply familiar with. During a 2021 Forbes interview about her career, she elaborated further on the importance of Nantucket in her stories, which also features prominently in ‘The Perfect Couple.’ She said, “It is my 28th year here as a resident of Nantucket. This island is my inspiration. I love it here. It is such a gorgeous town with no big signage or neon. It is quaint and beautiful with miles and miles of beach open to the public. Nantucket is a small town too, with a population of people 11,000 in the off-season, and then another 50,000 come visit and live here every summer.” As most mysteries are intrinsically linked to their environment, the island plays a pivotal role in enhancing the dark themes at its heart.
The Show Delves Into the Rough Terrain of a Wealthy Family’s Exploits Set Against a Murder Plot
While the show primarily draws its main inspiration from Elin Hilderbrand’s novel, the chemistry between the family is evoked through the subtle performances of the various cast members. For creator Jenna Lamia, adapting the novel was a labor of love as she is a fan of Hilderbrand and wanted to showcase her respect through a valid adaptation. To that end, she said, “It’s a tall order when you so love and respect the author, which I did. Before this ever came my way, I was a big fan of her books. So my top goal was to get it right and to have her love the series, which thank God she does.” However, minor changes were made during the development process. For instance, the bride’s name, Celeste Otis, is altered to Amelia Sacks in the show.
With regards to most other things, particularly the sight, sound, smell, and overall immersion of the text, Jenna Lamia was certain that having that transportive effect from the book was pivotal to getting the tone and feel right in the show. “She, Ellen Hildebrand, is a master of writing food, textures, smells, colors,” Lamia said. “She really does transport you. I always say her books are like a vacation on the page. And if you can’t afford a plane ticket, just read one of her books. It’s really true. So it was very important to us to get that right, to get where you can almost smell that sand and that sunblock and, you know, feel the beautiful textures of those clothes and taste that incredible food at the rehearsal dinner.”
Elaborating further on the subjects that interest her, Jenna Lamia revealed that she enjoys writing about murder mysteries and families. The notion of internal dynamics within a family drives her exploration into the heart of any narrative, including examining earnest bonds, which are all abundantly present in ‘The Perfect Couple.’ Therefore, the show offers a tapestry of complex emotions and relationships owing to its rich literary source material and the incisive perspective of the showrunner. Moreover, the family drama is fueled further by the presence of a dead body whose secrets get darker and darker with every passing second of the investigation.
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