Released last month, Behind Her Eyes is Netflix’s latest psychological thriller. The six-part series is centred around three main characters: Simona Brown stars as secretary and single mum Louise Barnsley, who quite literally stumbles across Scottish psychiatrist David Ferguson (Tom Bateman) on a night out then discovering the following week that he is her new boss. However, on her day off, Louise happens to, again literally, bump into David’s *unmentioned* wife Adele (Eve Hewson), and the two women form their own bond of friendship, resulting in a twisted, secret love triangle.
Had this been where the story ended, I probably wouldn’t have continued watching. However, it is evident from the start that David and Adele are not your stereotypical loving married couple, and frequent flashbacks suggest a turbulent past, which intrigued me more than their present-day relationship. From a suspicious fire that killed Adele’s parents to the reason for the couple’s move to London, Louise soon discovers that she is involved in way more than she bargained for.
Even though she is involved with both David and Adele, you can’t help but feel some fondness for Louise. She carries her own emotional baggage from a recent divorce and struggles with night terrors, although the reason why is not clear. However, neither David nor Adele is particularly likeable – instead somewhat suspicious – from the beginning. It is unclear which one of them is the real ‘bad guy’ in their strange relationship, though. David initially appears very much the controlling husband, using his psychiatrist status to prescribe strong sedatives and anti-psychotic drugs for Adele. For much of the series we as viewers are led to think that he not only married Adele for her money, but also was involved in the disappearance, and subsequent death, of Adele’s best friend Rob back in their teenage years.
However, as the series continues, it becomes apparent that Adele has her own secrets and is far from the lonely, innocent wife controlled by her husband. It is here where the series moves from psychological thriller to supernatural and, in my opinion, slightly too far-fetched. Adele shows Louise how to achieve an out-of-body experience where her soul can travel to see and discover things that she would otherwise not know. This even involves swapping souls with others, resulting in a surprise twist of an ending. Although an interesting concept, I think the series producers could have depicted this better. There was virtually no mention of this for the first three episodes, and then there seemed to be a sudden switch from centring around the natural to the supernatural. And at times, this was a bit confusing.
Overall, I wouldn’t say that Behind Her Eyes is the best thing I’ve watched this year, but it was by no means a waste of six evenings. If you’re looking for something pretty intense and with a few exciting (albeit slightly bizarre) plot twists and turns, I’d definitely recommend it.