Netflix Psychological Mystery Thriller Series Twists Your Mind At Every Turn

A few years ago, my sister, who loves thrillers, insisted I watch Behind Her Eyes. She said, “It’s a total headtrip, and I need you to watch it right now.” How could I refuse? Especially considering the series is only six episodes, and it’s on Netflix. I cued it up, and I’m pretty sure I binged it over the span of two days (after my kids were in bed, of course). 

Behind Her Eyes opens simply enough. A single mother, Louise (Simona Brown), is fiddling with her makeup as she prepares to go out for a girl’s night with her friend. Her dowdy neighbor is going to watch her young son, and she waves goodbye as she heads to the bar somewhere in London. Sadly, she’s stood up by her girlfriend, and she prepares to go home bereft. Instead, she bumps into the oh-so-handsome and charming David (Tom Bateman). 

The chemistry between Louise and David in Behind Her Eyes is electric as they bond over a drink, stumble into an alley, and begin some heavy petting. However, David stops the make out session to reveal that he is not only her future boss (Louise starts a new job tomorrow), but also married. Oops. The two go their separate ways, and the audience enters Louise’s nightmares as she tosses and turns in her sleep. 

In his own home, David encounters his wife, Adele (Eve Hawson), who is everything Louise is not, in the best possible ways. Adele seems removed, cold, and untouchable. She’s posh and princess-like, while Louise is down-to-earth, fun, and lively. Even the two women’s skin tones in Behind Her Eyes are contrasted as Adele’s skin is pale to the point of sickly, and Louise’s complexion is a warm brown that reflects light gloriously. 

David and Adele exchange a few weird moments, with David seeming a much colder, harsher version of himself with this wife. Adele takes a pill in front of David, almost performatively. The couple make love later that night, but it’s formulaic, and David won’t even look at his wife.

The next morning, David tells Adele, “I can’t do this again.” And Adele chirps up a bit with a comment about how this is an opportunity for a fresh start. 

REVIEW SCORE

By the end of the first episode of Behind Her Eyes, David and Louise have completed their first day in the office together, and Louise bumps into Adele outside of a coffee shop, sitting down to become fast friends. We also get a flashback of Adele in a psychiatric ward after her parents were killed (murdered?) in a fire. And now we have a love triangle, serious tensions, and mysteries upon mysteries. 

Behind Her Eyes takes us on a roller coaster ride that manages to stay on the rails, even with the supernatural elements introduced as the drama unfolds. The series is a beautifully horrifying combination of A Simple Favor and The Skeleton Key. It will keep you guessing and staying up way too late to find out what happens. And you’ll be sitting in shock as the credits roll at the end. At least, I was. I think I still am.