Based on the novel by Elin Hilderbrand, Netflix’s The Perfect Couple follows Amelia, a bride-to-be who is marrying into an ultra-wealthy Nantucket family. When her best friend Merritt winds up dead after the wedding reception, everyone in the Winbury family becomes a suspect. Cue a classic whodunnit!
Since I hadn’t read the book, I was completely shocked when Merritt’s killer was revealed to be Abby, the pregnant, dutiful wife of eldest brother Thomas. The motive? To ensure that Merritt’s unborn child — from an affair with family patriarch Tag Winbury — didn’t delay trust fund money.
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THE PERFECT COUPLE, Dakota Fanning, (Season 1, ep. 105, aired Sep. 5, 2024). photo: Seacia Pavao / ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
For much of the series, Abby is on the sidelines. In fact, she tells Amelia that “the key to [being part of the family] is to just stay on the periphery where it’s safe.” After Merritt’s death, the authorities begin questioning family members, but Abby remains a quiet observer who chimes in with snarky quips.
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Honestly, Abby was not on my radar as a possible suspect until the very end — though, looking back, plenty of clues point to her guilt throughout all six episodes:
1. Abby constantly tries to paint others in a suspicious light.
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When the cops begin questioning the family after Merritt’s death, Abby is quick to talk about the first time she met Merritt. She says that, at the time, Merritt was dating a man who was 5’6″ and loaded, wryly adding, “I’m sure they were very much in love.” Off the bat, Abby is quick to paint Merritt as being a gold-digger and having trouble with men, which implies that one of her lovers might be behind this heinous crime.
She also uses family gossip to skew Amelia’s view of the other Winburys. She dredges up the story of Will’s former French tutor, who had an affair with Tag years ago, and informs her about Shooter’s large fortune that he tends to keep hidden. Since Amelia is working closely with the cops to try and discover the truth behind Merritt’s murder, it makes sense that Abby is often whispering in her ear.
2. Abby has always been money-motivated.
“With these kinds of people, it’s always about the money,” Deputy Carl says, and for Abby Winbury this rings true. Abby is perceptive enough to know not only that Thomas is having an affair with Isabel Nallet, but that Isabel is loaning him money. Over two million dollars to be exact!
At the reception, Abby confronts Thomas about not being able to pay for their New York apartment. It’s clear that Thomas is in serious debt, and he acknowledges that their saving grace will be his trust fund — which he will have access to in a couple of weeks when his youngest brother Will turns 18.
Because Merritt is pregnant with Thomas’s father’s baby, that child would delay the trust fund for another 18 years. This is all the motive Abby needs to ensure she and Thomas receive the money in a timely manner.
3. Abby is seen washing the glass with barbiturates the morning after Merritt’s death.
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In Episode 2, we see Abby washing a glass at the kitchen sink the morning after the reception. Ultimately, it’s revealed that Abby crushed up pills and mixed them with cold press to give to Merritt the night before. Once sufficiently drugged, Abby drowned Merritt in the ocean.
While washing a glass seems innocent enough, this becomes a crucial piece of evidence. Though Abby tells Detective Henry that she’s washing the glass because “the caterers missed a few things,” it’s highly unlikely that a woman who constantly bosses around house staff would feel the need to wash one spare glass — unless, of course, she’s trying to rinse the final remnants of barbiturate-laced cold press.
In the end, it’s the housemaid Gosia who leads Detective Henry to Abby. “I don’t work for her but she still orders me,” says Gosia, who then notes that Abby demanded she wash a glass with very hot water the night of the reception.
4. Abby asks Thomas to clean out his pill drawer.
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Since Thomas is known for playing “prescription roulette” and stealing pills, it’s no surprise that Abby knows where he keeps his stash. As Detective Henry and Chief Carter investigate the family, Abby asks Thomas to clean out his pill drawer. This is likely because she’s worried the substances found on the toxicology report will link back to her and Thomas.
5. Abby lies about when Thomas came to bed after the reception.
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In a police interview, Gosia reveals that Thomas did not go back to his bedroom the night of the reception. Instead, he was with Isabel at a shady motel. Though Abby knows this, she initially tells Detective Henry that she went to bed around 10 p.m. and “woke up a couple of times when Thomas came to bed.” This small but blatant lie eventually becomes her downfall.
6. Tallow appears in Merritt’s toxicology report.
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One of the easiest clues to miss occurs when Chief Carter obtains the toxicology report. One of the substances found on Merritt is tallow, the ingredient that Abby mentions is part of her non-FDA-approved stretch mark balm. It appears that bits of tallow were still on Abby’s hands the night of Merritt’s death.
7. Abby relies heavily on privilege.
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In Episode 5, Abby takes the liberty of packing up Merritt’s belongings (way to be suspicious!) and tells Amelia, “If they have a problem with me packing up her things, they can arrest me. But they won’t because I’m a white woman.” Upon arrest, she also tries to make the argument that she can’t go to jail because she’s pregnant. Throughout the series, Abby ruthlessly relies on privilege and status to save her from the consequences of her actions. And, while she does live an extremely privileged life, reality becomes a tough pill to swallow in the end.
