The Perfect Couple Ending Explained: Who Killed Merritt Monaco?
The Perfect Coupleās murder mystery plot is full of twists and turns that keep viewers guessing until the shocking ending, which reveals the killer and their true motivations. The Netflix miniseries, which is based on the book of the same name by New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand, opened with the Winbury and Sacks families coming together at the Winbury estate on Nantucket Island to celebrate Benji and Amelia Sacksā wedding.
But things took a sharp turn when Amelia discovered Merritt, her maid of honor and best friend, dead in the beach water.
It was a difficult case to solve when the police began looking into the murder since they discovered that every major character in The Perfect Couple may have had a reason to kill Merritt. With Merrittās pregnancy and her affair with Tag, they had their most obvious suspects: Merritt and his wife.
A provision in the Winbury childrenās trust funds, however, would have made the pregnancy affect them as well. In the end, the suspenseful denouement clarifies issues such as why Abby killed Merritt while conveying crucial lessons about the discrepancies between peopleās perceptions in public and their true selves.
The Usual Suspects Turn out to be The Red Herrings
Nicole Kidman, Jack Reynor, Billy Howle, and Sam Nivola in The Perfect Couple (2024) | Source: IMDB
Love, money, or retaliation are thought to be the only three main reasons people commit murder. Regardless of the twisted form of all three reasons, the murdererās motivations can always be traced back to one of these factors.
This also applies to Merrittās murder. Though money ultimately proves to be the driving force behind her tragedy, love and retaliation are initially thought to be the main factors.
Merritt and his wife, Greer Winbury, are at the top of the suspect list because of Merrittās affair with Tag and the pregnancy that followed. According to the police, Tag wanted the pregnancy to end because the brief affair turned into something more than he had anticipated. For Greer, it was just an act of pure hatred toward her husbandās mistress.
However, the motive alone cannot establish guilt. When Tag and Greerās alibis are cleared, it is demonstrated that they are both innocent. Tag establishes his presence in his room at the time of the murder by using his watch and the information it records. Greer left the room for a short while that evening, but when her true relationship with Broderick Graham is revealed, it further establishes her innocence.
Even though there are more Winbury family members to take into account, none of them appear to have a compelling reason to want Merritt deadābasically, because none of them had any interaction with her. They all initially believed her affair with Tag to be unimportant.
Merrittās pregnancy was what ultimately led to her demise at the hands of Abby Winbury, not the fact that she was pregnant and threatening to ruin everything. We must comprehend the Winbury familyās history to comprehend why she was killed.
Meghann Fahy in The Perfect Couple (2024) | Source: IMDB
The Perfect Killer keeps viewers guessing by delaying the resolution of Merrittās death until the second part of the last episode. In the end, Merritt was killed by Abby crushing up pills, adding them to her juice glass, submerging her head in the water, and holding her down. Abby had a strong financial motive for wanting Merritt dead, even though others had much more obvious ones.
Since Willās birthday is so close to the 18th birthday, the Winbury children would only get their trust money when the youngest child turned 18. With Thomas owing Isabel money and Abby wanting a new apartment, everyone depends on their trust funds.
Because Tag would be Merrittās father, and they would have to wait an additional 18 years to receive any money, Merrittās pregnancy threatened to throw everything off. Isabel stopped Thomas when he attempted to intimidate Merritt into ending the pregnancy. Abbey thus decided to complete the task herself.
How is Abby Caught
Michael Beach and Donna Lynne Champlin in The Perfect Couple (2024) | Source: IMDB
Following the discovery of the barbiturates in Merrittās system, Thomas is the target of suspicion due to his habit of stealing pills from people. In addition, he took a pill from Ameliaās mother without realizing it was intended for her euthanasia.
He admits that he nearly shot Merritt in an attempt to protect his father from the trouble when the police questioned him. He left the scene with Isabel, spending the rest of the night at the Sand Dollar Hotel, but Isabel stopped him.
Although Thomasā alibi has been verified, the fact that he had one before raises suspicions. He had been with Abby all night; she had told the police. Although it initially appeared that she might have lied to keep her husband safe, it soon became apparent that she was providing an alibi for herself because she never thought Thomas would come clean about his affair with Isabel.
When they question Abbyās testimony, the detectives notice things they havenāt before. Detective Henry, for example, recalls the Winbury familyās maid telling about how Abby told her to wash a glass of juice with hot water. Henry recalls that Abby was washing a glass and appeared extremely anxious the morning she arrived at the house.
Henry asks Abby if Thomas was with her again that night to ensure sheās not dreaming. She answers yes, which the detective knows is a lie. This and the other evidence that comes to light to implicate Abby in Merrittās death suffice, and she is taken into custody.
Itās interesting to note that Greer connects the dots just before the police arrive and discovers that her pregnant daughter-in-lawāwho had slipped everyoneās suspicionsāis the murderās mastermind.
What Happened To Merrittās Killer
Dakota Fanning and Jack Reynor in The Perfect Couple (2024) | Source: IMDB
Abby was handcuffed and taken away from the Winbury estate after the police discovered what she had done. This is a far cry from Elin Hilderbrandās book of the same name, in which the murderer escapes punishment because it was determined that the death was an accident.
The Netflix seriesā portrayal of Abbyās arrest is a clear example of how everyone is subject to the law when they commit murder, even those from extremely wealthy families. Legally speaking, both Karen and Thomas could have been charged with crimes, but fortunately, they were not charged for their unintentional involvement in Merrittās death.
Will Amelia and Benji Remain Together
Eve Hewson and Billy Howle in The Perfect Couple (2024) | Source: IMDB
Amelia had reservations about marrying Benji, even though the main plot point of The Perfect Couple was their wedding. Feeling that Benji was too perfect, she was not passionate about him. Though she didnāt feel like she should, she wanted to love Benji.
She received taunts and insults from the other Winbury family members, which probably didnāt help. She never seemed to fit in with them. Reminding everyone of the disparities in Benji and Ameliaās upbringing was the gap separating Amelia from the Winbury family. It wasnāt until the Netflix miniseriesā conclusion that Amelia and Benji called it quits.
Ameliaās reunion with Benjiās best friend, Shooter, served as a trigger for their breakup. From their past interactions, she already felt something for him. They tried to suppress their feelings for one another throughout the show, but they couldnāt help but notice how it would sometimes resurface.
Amelia also realized that the reason for her and Benjiās distance wasnāt their different socioeconomic backgrounds when she discovered that Shooter was wealthy. Shooter and Amelia shared similar values and had a mental and emotional connection despite their disparate wealth levels. At the end of the final episode, she and Benji part ways.
Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber in The Perfect Couple (2024) | Source: IMDB
The Perfect Coupleās propensity for extramarital affairs raises significant questions concerning appearances and reality. Greer and Tag portrayed themselves as the ideal couple and, consequently, their family as the ideal family, thanks to Greerās book series. But behind closed doors, there was a lot of fighting, infidelity, and judgment within the Winbury family.
They were unable to stop having affairs despite their wealth. Indeed, it could be contended that their privilege encouraged them to believe there wouldnāt be consequences, and their boredom from the lack of responsibilities drove them to cheat. Ultimately, the Winburys demonstrate that even the most idyllic family may have secrets the public may never learn.
The Reasons Greer Dislikes Amelia in The Perfect Couple
Nicole Kidman in The Perfect Couple (2024) | Source: IMDB
Throughout āThe Perfect Couple,ā Greer harbored intense animosity towards Amelia, refusing to accept her as a part of the family. Greerās resentment was driven by her determination to maintain the status quo and preserve the esteemed reputation of the Winbury family. As the head of the household, her professional success hinged on the belief that her family was flawless, making it impossible for her to leave without completely disrupting her life.
Amelia and Benji were unmarried and childless, allowing Amelia to pursue her career as a zoologist without the pressure of maintaining a perfect public image. Despite Greerās initial pressure to call off the wedding, her attitude towards Amelia eventually changed after the book author decided to no longer uphold the familyās reputation.
What The Perfect Coupleās Final Scene Really Means
Despite their public persona, the Winburys in The Perfect Couple was anything but a happy, healthy family. They shared everyone elseās dysfunctionality. Nevertheless, they were idolized by everyone outside them and were seen as the ideal to aspire to. The Netflix miniseries demonstrated no ideal family, pair, or life by the end.
The Winburys, like many, choose what to reveal, so whatās shown may not be reality. Itās hard to truly know someone online, especially in the era of influencers. The Perfect Couple challenges audiences to rethink their parasocial relationships and romanticized views of strangers.
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About The Perfect Couple
The Perfect Couple is an American mystery drama series starring Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Dakota Fanning, and Eve Hewson. It is an adaptation of the 2018 novel of the same name by Elin Hilderbrand, premiered on September 5, 2024, on Netflix. An adaptation of The Perfect Couple was in the works at Fox Entertainment in 2019. Jenna Lamia was announced to be adapting the book for the project in December 2019.Lamia was revealed to be serving as showrunner and Susanne Bier as director for the adaptation which was greenlit as a six-part series by Netflix in August 2022. Lamia, Bier and the bookās author Elin Hilderbrand served as executive producers along with Nicole Kidman and Per Saari for Blossom Films, Shawn Levy and Josh Barry of 21 Laps Entertainment, and Gail Berman and Hend Baghdady for The Jackal Group.Changes from the novel include changing the brideās name from Celeste Otis to Amelia Sacks. Lamia later disclosed that adjustments were made to the series specifically to steer clear of any parallels with Big Little Lies.These changes were made after Kidman joined the project.Bier revealed that she declined the opportunity to direct season 2 of The Night Manager to direct the series. In March 2023, reports surfaced that Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Dakota Fanning, and several other potential cast members were set to star in the series. Later, Kidman, Schreiber, and Fanning were confirmed, along with Eve Hewson and Billy Howle joining the cast.The remaining cast included Ishaan Khattar, Jack Reynor, Sam Nivola, Mia Isaac, Donna Lynne Champlin, and Isabelle Adjani.Later that same month, Omar Epps joined the cast.
