Behind Her Eyes is the latest Netflix series to take social media by storm. This often happens with streaming content, but it’s now got to the point where hyping up a show leads to an unsatisfying feeling of, “is that it?” once finished. I felt this with Behind Her Eyes thanks to TikToks and tweets telling me how ‘mindblowing’ the ending was. It had a difficult reputation to live up to – so, think of a door, step through it with me and I’ll explore what worked and what didn’t about the series.
Based on Sarah Pinborough’s novel, Behind Her Eyes follows Louise (Simona Brown), a single mother navigating life in London. This is where her boss David (Tom Bateman) and his wife Adele (Eve Hewson- yes, that Hewson) come in. The series starts off like many before; Louise has a chance encounter with a stranger after being stood up and they get to know each other. After their night comes to an abrupt end, she goes to work the next day and is met with the realisation that her new boss is in fact the stranger she kissed last night . Previous shows have followed this route and proved to be a success. The likes of Doctor Foster (2015) and The Undoing (2020) are cliched and often predictable, so this narrative provides a familiar genre to viewers of Behind Her Eyes at first. Unfaithful husband aside, the series gets off to a slow start and personally, if it hadn’t been for the hype surrounding it, I might not have stuck around for the finale. The main cast are captivating but it’s supporting characters such as Louise’s son (Tyler Howitt) and their Neighbour (Charlotte Mills) that provide a realistic portrayal of a single mother’s life. We mostly just see the neighbour when Louise needs a babysitter, much like in real life where you only see them when you need them! This sense of normality is sometimes taken too far, making the series frustratingly slow at times despite the sense of uneasiness. That is until we meet Rob (Robert Aramayo).
In the first episode, the viewer is introduced to Adele’s close friend via a flashback to her stint in rehab. Rob is a walking-talking ode to Trainspotting; shaven head, heroin-issues and all. He is charismatic, surprising and of course Scottish. As Adele’s confidante, he provides comedic relief, adding depth to the series that brings a refreshing change from the lackluster periods spent in the current timeline. Adele also contributes to this feeling as in the flashbacks, she is different. There’s life behind her eyes rather than jealousy, and she still seems hopeful for the future. Upon a visit to Adele’s family home via flashback, she continues to be unrecognisable from her current-day self and Rob is joyous- it’s easy to understand why he says, “I’d stay forever if I could”.
Adele’s character is emotionally confusing for the viewer throughout as you never quite know where you stand with her. Is she telling the truth about her husband? Can we trust her? Can we trust him? Are they even who they say they are? This mindset reflects that of Louise who, as she grows closer to both halves of the couple, can’t figure them out entirely either. As a viewer, we don’t know who the reliable narrator is, a clever tactic considering Louise doesn’t either.
Episode 4, aptly titled ‘Rob’, is where the plot finally kicks in. Instead of hinting at nightmares and sleep issues we actually get to witness astral projection and its key role in the show. The episode opens with an example of one of the strengths of this series- a dream sequence. The use of vivid imagery and colour palettes in these idyllic sequences compared to the dull hue of reality, provides an effective juxtaposition that demonstrates how bland their lives are compared to their ideals- or so we thought!
Behind her eyes is genre-bending, and whilst this may put some people off, it’s what convinced me to stay. The camerawork for example appears to have been meticulously planned to infer the sci-fi element of the story before we’ve even been introduced to it. It’s so effective that it may actually make the show better the second time round. Once you know the plot-twist, you won’t be able to unsee it, and you’ll realise just how obvious the slow-burn surprise is upon rewatching. It’s exactly that: slow, but worth it once you get there.
3 stars