Happy Wedding Eve –  As the episode opens, Greer Garrison Winbury (Nicole Kidman) and her sons – Benji Winbury (Billy Howle), Will Winbury (Sam Nivola), and Thomas Winbury (Jack Reynor) – pose for a photo. She swears Will is never marrying. Thomas teases Will about wetting the bed. Looking at the camera, the maid of honor, Merritt Monaco (Meghann Fahy) tells Benji’s fiancé, Amelia Sacks (Eve Hewson), that she loves her. Amelia embraces her. While bear-hugging them, Benji jokes about having seven kids. The best man, Shooter Dival (Ishaan Khattar) asks what his role is in their marriage. Benji says he can watch their seven children. Thomas insists Benji get hammered because tomorrow, he will be married. A pregnant Abby Winbury (Dakota Fanning) reminds him that Amelia is getting married as well. He responds with a snide comment. Gosia (Irina Dubova) helps herself to Will’s champagne. Greer is talking to Isabel Nallet (Isabella Adjani) when Thomas approaches. After Greer walks away, he is overly friendly with Isabel. Tag Winbury (Liev Schreiber) and Greer toast Benji and Amelia. Looking at the camera, Benji expresses his love for Amelia.

A woman’s screams and call for help fill the night air. She appears to enter the water and doesn’t resurface. The next morning, Nantucket Police Deputy Carl (Nick Searcy) receives a call about a body being found in the water. Carl notifies Nantucket Chief of Police Dan Carter (Michael Beach). Dan informs Chloe Carter (Mia Isaac) that the wedding has been canceled because of a death. She was scheduled to provide catering services for the wedding. She picks up a white shirt covered in what looks like blood and sends a text.

At the crime scene, forensics collects an empty glass. Roger Pelton (Tim Bagley) says when he arrived after 6, a shocked Amelia was with the body. Dan teases Detective Nikki Henry (Donna Lynne Champlin) about her helicopter flight. She assures him that coffee is all she needs. The Winbury family has owned the Nantucet estate for years. Roger tells her that a black sheep in the family lost a portion of the property to gambling. Thomas monitors the activity from a short distance away. Later at the police station, Isabel tells Nikki and Dan that the Winbury estate “Summerland” is valued at $40m. Roger says the Windbury family is filthy rich. Distraught, Amelia wears her wedding dress to the police station. Nikki questions her about the laceration on her foot. Dan interrupts the questioning to point out that Amelia is in shock. In a flashback, Amelia wakes up to find a note from Benji. Finding a ladybug, she carries it outside where Greer is instructing the staff on how to set up for the event. Greer asks if she has a robe. Amelia tells her about the ladybug. At the police station, Gosia says Will, Thomas, and Benji are frightened of Greer. In a flashback, Greer orders Gosia to ask Katji to replace the peonies with roses. Thomas empties a tin box of pills onto the counter. Tag picks one and ingests it before embracing Greer. Will gets angry when Thomas teases him about Daphne breaking up with him. Greer is thankful. Amelia receives a call from Merritt.

Abby claims Gosia has a thing for Tag. Roger is also turned on by Tag. Isabel believes she has had sex with Tag. Carol (Patrice Covington) gives Greer a ring. A quick look and Greer is satisfied. Carol asks about the bracelet that Tag bought her. Unaware of a bracelet, Greer claims to love it. She finds a photo and a receipt for the bracelet valued at over $18k in Tag’s study. Benji confronts Greer about how she treats Amelia. Greer says Amelia should try harder to impress her and Tag. He boasts of how Amelia graduated from the Miami University of Ohio on a scholarship. She assures him that marriage isn’t enough in the long term before regretting it. She receives a call from Enid Collins (Irina Dubova) about the impending launch of her new novel. Greer expresses her desire to move away from “The Perfect Couple” obsession. Enid says her readers want to know everything about their 29-year marriage. After the call ends, Greer receives a call from Broderick Graham which she declines.

Abby and Roger idealize Greer. Tag and Amelia leave to pick up her parents, Karen Sacks (Dendrie Taylor) and Bruce Sacks (Michael McGrady). She says since Karen’s cancer diagnosis, she has become self-conscious about everything. He vows to not mention her wig and suggests she try CBD. Amelia greets her parents. Upon arrival at Summerland, Bruce and Grace are greeted by the family. Amelia takes their picture in front of the house. Merritt and Shooter arrive in a taxi. Gosia orders Elaine (Amory D. Wallace) to take Karen’s fruit basket away. Back to the present, Gosia tells Dan and Nikki that Benji and Amelia’s wedding was pushed forward to accommodate Karen’s schedule. She frowns on Karen’s store-bought fruit. In a flashback, Merritt and Shooter are taking a selfie when an incoming call from DL pops up on her phone. She claims DL is an alias for a guy that she hooked up with. Shooter informs her of Daphne and Will’s break-up. She assures Will that Daphne is an idiot for posing for a selfie with him. Back in the present, Isabel describes Merritt as a woman who loves having a good time. Abby knew Merritt before Benji started dating Amelia. In a flashback, Thomas tells Tag that he lost money playing options and asks for a loan. Tag draws his attention to a vessel that he got from Nick. Merritt and Amelia gossip about Greer. Abby watches them from across the pool. Merritt doesn’t like Abby. Amelia admits to not being deeply in love with Benji. Merritt assures her it’s just cold feet. Amelia says it’s too late to back out. Merritt vows to support her if that is what she wants to do.

Bruce leaves Karen in bed. After taking a pill, she removes four round pills from a plastic bag with a warning label and hides the remaining three in her medicine pouch. Benji works on a painting in a studio. Amelia watches Shooter and Merritt play in the pool when Benji comes in with a painting of her. She claims to love it. They kiss. She climbs on the bed and waits for him to mount her from behind. When he refuses, she loses interest. He asks what is going on. She tells him that she doesn’t deserve him before going out for a run. Back to the present, Abby thought Benji and Amelia moved too quickly because they had only been dating a year when they got engaged. Gosia feels Amelia interferes with her job when she washes her own dishes. Isabel says Amelia jumped into a wasp nest and was bound to get stung. Dan watches a video from Benji and Amelia’s rehearsal dinner. Nikki shows him a crime scene photo of a knife. Looking at the photo, he identifies it as an oyster shucker. In a flashback, Merritt gives a short speech. Benji explains how he met Amelia at the zoo. He calls her his mate for life. Abby puts pressure on Thomas to get a loan from Tag for a new apartment. He assures her that it will be okay. She says they need the money by the end of the month. Thomas asks Benji if Merritt and Amelia have ever had a twosome. Shooter tells him to shut up. Thomas says Amelia is in it for the money. Benji urges him to go for a swim.

In the night, an empty glass is sitting on a beach chair. Something makes a big splash in the water. The next morning, Amelia is getting dressed when she looks out the window and sees something floating in the water. She goes outside for a better look. Seeing it is Merritt floating face-down in the water, she races out to pull her out of the water. She frantically screams for help. Tag is in his study when he hears her screams. Greer hers her as well. The episode ends.

 

The Perfect Couple Review

The intriguing plot and superior cast cannot save this trope. I would hope the judgmental, hypocritical Winburys do not represent the elite Nantucket families. The directing is the worst I’ve seen in a long time. The only good thing that the director did was make all the characters look guilty. Unfortunately, about 90% of the cast are pointless.

The constant time jumps interfere with the story flow. The manner in which the investigation is executed makes light of Merritt’s death.

The jokes are flat and the dialogue is cringeworthy. I would recommend skipping the first half of episode one. The ending is the only part that sheds light on what led up to Merritt’s death.

The poor writing and directing ruined any potential the series had of being good. There is time for improvement but it’s doubtful. The episode deserves a 5 out of 10.

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