‘The Perfect Couple’ Episode 3 Recap: “The Perfect Family”

These Winbury men just couldn’t get enough of Merritt Monaco. A bunch of bombs dropped in Episode 2 of The Perfect Couple, when flashbacks revealed that Merritt was the recipient of Tag’s secret bracelet gift, she’d been sleeping with the father of her best friend Amelia’s fiancé, and that she was also pregnant, seemingly with Tag’s love child. But here in Episode 3, even after her death, the supersonic Merritt blast wave continues to expand. At the Winbury house, Amelia discovers sketches and personal photos of her bestie in Benji’s things. At Nantucket police HQ, Detective Henry and Chief Carter recover Merritt’s voicemails, where a message from Benji urges her to hide a secret from Amelia until after the wedding. And in younger brother Will Winbury’s flurry of fire emojis on Merritt’s Instagram, the cops see a troubled kid obsessed with Merritt, who in yet another flashback is seen on the beach with Will the night she died. Maybe the whole Winbury man-to-Merritt Monaco fixation started the way it usually does when Tag’s around, with the society money wasteoid proffering one of his ever present spliffs. “Nice to meet you, Benji’s dad.” 

“The perfect family.” Yeah right! Exactly none of the Winburys believe it, but it’s time to keep up appearances, because People Magazine is at the mansion for a feature interview tied to Greer’s newest Dash & Dolly novel. Death in Dubai, the 29th title in the series, is bound to be another big success. And isn’t it interesting that 30% of Greer’s sales come from those spindles of trashy airport paperbacks, because in our world, Perfect Couple is the small screen equivalent of just that type of book – escapist, pretty on the outside, and oh so satisfyingly trashy. For the accompanying photo shoot, Greer makes a big deal about including everyone in the shot – the Winburys, Amelia, her parents; even Isabel Nallet. She wanted to include Shooter Dival, too, but he was too busy getting his lawyer to spring him from police custody. And in another satisfying little tidbit, when he does return to the house, Shooter tells Greer in confidence that “I didn’t tell them anything about the money.” What money?! And why do both Abby and Gosia the maid raise an eyebrow at Greer’s “weirdly close” relationship with Benji’s bff? 

The fawning interview with People is full of the popular murder mystery novelist name dropping Agatha Christie, and the perfect couple being charming in a manner we know to be an utter facade. But damn are they convincing, and the layers Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber are building into Greer and Tag’s relationship are just as fascinating. Behind closed doors, they immediately argue. She makes oblique references to his infidelity; he says she’s all he’s really ever wanted, “and that’s my fucking sickness.” Greer told People that Tag, “this beautiful man,” was her inspiration for the Dash Hardaway character. But in their bedroom, with its gorgeous artwork on the walls, she throws a line at him that feels transmitted straight from a Dash & Dolly paperback. “The interesting thing about guilt, Tag, is that it’s not transferable.” And they share a sudden embrace and kiss that’s as hard-edged as it is hot. These two! This show!

“Don’t get caught in Greer’s crosshairs. It’s not worth it.” That’s Abby Winbury’s sage, calculated advice to Amelia, who is reprimanded by her potential mother-in-law for house snooping the way a shitty boss would threaten an employee. But there is just so much to snoop about, and Amelia is done with being quiet about it, NDA or not. Like Mae Pratt, for example. The acquaintance of Benji – who he never told Amelia about – was once hired to tutor Will, and the kid was devastated when his schoolboy crush left without saying goodbye. But he’s even more devastated in the present, when a forced but functional family dinner derails under withering questioning from Amelia. Why does Greer make everyone sign non disclosure agreements? Who was Mae Pratt really? And of course she was the French tutor Tag began sleeping with, who attempted suicide when he broke it off, and who the Winburys paid to stay quiet and go away. Wonder if Tag offered her some of his weed before she went.

When Will storms off, it’s Chloe Carter who he calls to vent. The Nantucket police chief’s daughter was working catering at the rehearsal dinner, and connected with Will when he brought her out to his secret place, an upturned old row boat down by the water. But while they were down there, Merritt Monaco was, too. Chloe fell asleep. And when she awoke, it was to Will bleeding from a gash in his hand. Remember in Episode 1, when she was hiding her bloodied shirt from her dad? Anyway, after the family dinner squabble over NDAs, Mae Pratt, and his father’s lies, Will rigs his sailboat to make some kind of escape from his perfect family. It’s a stormy night, but it’s all Chloe can do to not let him sail alone, and when the house spreads out to look for Will, it’s Amelia who finds evidence of the Winbury men’s collective obsession. Down at his secret spot lies the gold bracelet Tag gave to Merritt. 

“Will had it. He was hiding it.” Amelia, increasingly aligned against her soon-to-be in-laws’ growing amounts of bullshit, has turned in the bracelet to Nikki Henry down at the station. But the detective was already growing more suspicious of the youngest Winbury man, because besides his overdoing it with the fire emojis, forensics has revealed that it’s also Will’s blood on an oyster shucking knife found by Merritt’s body. Some obsessions never die.    

Johnny Loftus (@glennganges) is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.