As the opening episode of The Couple Next Door begins, viewers hear a gunshot and a woman scream. A woman flees from a cabin. Evie (Eleanor Tomlinson) runs through the woods. Danny (Sam Heughan) and Becka (Jessica De Gouw) run together. Pete (Alfred Enoch) approaches Danny and Becka with a handgun before we hear a gunshot. The show jumps back as Pete and Evie arrive at their new residence. Becka is the first neighbor to welcome them to the neighborhood. She makes Danny come out to help Pete unload stuff from the truck. Danny picks up the appliance and carries it without Pete’s help. They go inside and drink to their new home. Pete and Evie talk about how they’re stoked about becoming parents.

Once Danny and Becka leave, Evie tells Pete that they were nice. Pete thinks Danny was a bit much. He argues they’re not their type. Evie tells Pete that the baby is as much his as it is hers. She insists no one needs to know how they get there. Danny and Becka have dinner with Olly (Daniel Bell) who is sent to bed. Becky believes the neighbors could be their friends. Danny doesn’t think Pete liked him. Becky argues they’re exactly what has been missing from this godforsaken street. A neighbor, Alan (Hugh Dennis), spies on Evie and Pete using a telescope until his wife interrupts. Evie looks through the window in the morning and asks Pete if Danny told him what he does for a living.

They watch him put on an outfit and wonder if he is a cop. Evie says he looks like Terminator. Pete asks her not to sound so aroused. Evie goes to the school where she is introduced as the new teacher, Miss Greenwood. Evie thanks Miss Atha before she begins answering questions from the students. She talks to Molly about being pregnant. Pete works with Sophie (Ioanna Kimbook). Sophie says it is a compelling story because the man is obviously corrupt and the council keeps giving him contracts. The boss tells Pete he doesn’t have the resources to investigate Robbie Spencer (Mark Frost). The boss would rather him focus on the opening of the new city library.

Danny agrees to transport a donor heart from LRH to Bradford Hospital. Becka teaches a yoga class that Alan attends. After class, Becka tells Alan it’d be best for him to start with the beginner’s class. She doesn’t teach it though. She is fully booked for one-to-one classes too. Becka urges him to take the beginner’s class. Evie leaves Pete a message saying she is going in for a check-up because the baby has been quiet. Once the doctor checks on her, she says she is going to ask a colleague to come have a look. Evie gets emotional. Becka checks on Evie when she finds her crying in the car. Evie tells her that her baby’s heartbeat has stopped. Becka takes her inside where she tries to comfort her. Evie pleads with her to stay.

Danny practices shooting with Gary (Joel Morris). Danny tells him he is having money issues and has been forced to dip into his savings. Gary says he can help him make some serious money on the side. They’d just escort vehicles from point A to point B. Gary admits he has been doing it for ages. He has a job coming up in a bit. It’ll run him five grand for 30 minutes of work. Gary tells him to think about it. Pete returns home where he finds out what has happened. Later, Danny brings him a beer and insists they’ll get through this. Pete says they’ve already been through more than he can imagine. They talk about the koi and how they’re sensitive. Pete reveals they’ve had two failed IVF attempts. They had to use a sperm donor and it still hasn’t worked.

Danny leaves with Becka a bit later. After that, Evie and Pete go back to the hospital for induction. Alan spies on Becka when she teaches a class outdoors. He looks at pictures of Becka on his computer before accessing a protected folder. His wife interrupts to ask if he booked the man to fit the stair lift. She asks how much her mobility is worth. Moments later, Alan opens an Amazon box that contains a book about yoga. Becka tells Danny she likes spending time with Pete and Evie. She suggests they could look up the couple they met in Marbella. Later, Pete sees the couple arrive and Becka appears to be wearing a skimpy outfit so they could be swingers. Two months later, Evie tells Pete she is fine before leaving. She goes to work where she tells Miss Atha that her GP has cleared her.

When she enters her classroom, Molly walks over and hugs her. Later, Pete tells Evie they should probably get up, but she doesn’t want to go. Pete says they care about her and want to see her. They talk about going to Becka’s for a barbecue later that night. After church, Brian (Andrew Woodall) and Susan (Anastasia Hille) meet their daughter Evie and Pete. While they eat, Brian says he is sorry. Evie questions whether her mom made him say that since she thought he’d believe it was God’s punishment. She asks if he believes losing the baby was God’s punishment because they used IVF. Brian reminds her what the Bible says. He says it can’t be a gift from God if it’s not natural. Evie gets upset and admits she never felt welcome there. Later that night, Evie tells Becka what happened with her father.

Danny lights a joint and asks Pete to smoke it with him. Evie asks Danny how he’d feel about showing her his sexy motorbike. When they check it out, Danny offers to take her around the block. Once she gets back, Evie tells Pete she loved it. Gary calls Danny and tells him now is his chance to get in. He needs to get his police bike and get to the airport within the next hour. Danny tells Becka he has to go. Before long, Danny helps escort a man with a briefcase. After they get paid, Danny sees the boss, Mr. Spencer. Evie surprises Pete with a kiss before they have sex. Danny returns home where he tells Becka it was a stressful ride. Becka says she is proud of him every day. Pete tells Evie that was different although it was fun. She takes the trash out and ends up staring at Danny who is across the street.

 

The Couple Next Door Review

The opening episode of The Couple Next Door sets up a familiar premise that most viewers have seen many times before. Then, it takes that simple idea and combines it with a potential stalker neighbor, corruption, and religious fanatics. With so much craziness going on simultaneously, the believability of the series takes a hit. The six-episode count is concerning considering the first episode already felt longwinded at times.

The characters aren’t particularly likable although they may just need more time to develop. They’ve made some of the characters unlikable, especially Pete who is such a nerd and effeminate. This is only the first episode so there is time for the story to develop. The Couple Next Door may still turn into a gripping thriller capable of leaving an emotional impact. It didn’t reach that level in the first episode though. Based on the first episode, it is easy to be apathetic toward the story, characters, and series as a whole.

It wasn’t horrible though so it may be a good way to kill a few hours if it doesn’t become cluttered with nonsense. The episode scores a 5.5 out of 10. Recaps of The Couple Next Door can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent work at this link. Learn more about advertising on Reel Mockery here. Discuss this series and others with fans at the Reel Mockery Forum.