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Spoilers for all six episodes of Netflix’s The Perfect Couple.
The murder mystery initially points in several directions: Greer’s secret dealings, Shooter’s unexplained payment, Thomas Winbury’s debts, and the strained relationships inside the wealthy Winbury family. But the finale ultimately gives Merritt Monaco’s death a direct culprit: Abby Winbury, played by Dakota Fanning.
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The Netflix series also makes a major change from Elin Hilderbrand’s novel. Merritt’s death is not an accidental drowning in the adaptation. Abby deliberately drugs Merritt and holds her underwater to protect the Winbury family fortune.
Who killed Merritt in The Perfect Couple?
Abby Winbury killed Merritt Monaco. Merritt is found dead on the beach on the morning of Amelia Sacks and Benji Winbury’s wedding. For much of the series, the investigation moves through the Winburys’ many secrets, making several characters appear capable of murder.
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The final episodes reveal that Abby drugged Merritt, took her into the water, and deliberately drowned her. Abby then returned to the estate and cleaned the glass used to serve Merritt’s drink, attempting to remove evidence of the crime.
Why did Abby kill Merritt?
Abby’s motive is money, but the financial threat is tied to a very specific family arrangement.
The Winbury sons are due to receive money from Tag Winbury’s family trust when the youngest son, Will, turns 18. Merritt is pregnant with Tag’s child. If that child is born, the inheritance would have to be divided among four children rather than three. The trust’s waiting period would also effectively begin again for another 18 years.
Abby is pregnant too, and she fears that the added child will leave her own family in an increasingly vulnerable financial position. Her situation is made worse by Thomas’s behavior:
- Thomas is heavily in debt.
- He is having an affair with Isabel Nallet.
- He owes Isabel $2.5 million.
- Abby believes the family’s future depends on receiving the trust money.
That combination of pregnancy, debt and fear turns Merritt from a family secret into what Abby sees as an immediate financial danger. Her decision is not an impulsive argument that gets out of control; she prepares a method and carries it out.
How did Abby murder Merritt?
The medication used in the killing originally came from Amelia’s mother. She has terminal cancer and brought three euthanasia pills to the Winbury estate in case her suffering became unbearable.
Thomas, who has a habit of taking other people’s medication, steals one of the pills and hides it in his bedroom. Abby discovers it, crushes it, and mixes it into orange juice.
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The murder unfolds in a simple sequence:
- Abby puts the crushed pill into Merritt’s orange juice.
- She gives Merritt the drink at the beach.
- After Merritt becomes drowsy and impaired, Abby persuades her to go swimming.
- Abby holds Merritt underwater while she is unable to fight back.
- She returns to the house and cleans the glass to conceal the drug evidence.
Thomas is connected to the murder because he stole the pill, but he did not plan Merritt’s death or carry out the drowning. The series places responsibility for the intentional killing on Abby alone. Thomas later helps expose her role, and Abby is arrested.
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No. Greer is one of the show’s biggest red herrings.
Police become suspicious after discovering Greer’s communication with Broderick Graham. At the same time, Shooter gives Broderick $300,000. Those details make it look as if Greer hired Broderick to kill Merritt and used Shooter’s diplomatic immunity to protect the arrangement.
Greer’s explanation is different. Broderick is her brother, and he needs money because of a gambling addiction. Greer borrowed the money from Shooter to help him. The payment was not compensation for a murder.
Greer has been hiding other damaging information. She reveals that she first met Tag while working as a high-end escort and that Tag originally paid her for sex. Tag later used that secret to manipulate and threaten her. By admitting it herself, Greer takes control of a story that Tag had been holding over her.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteHer secrets make her morally complicated and initially suspicious, but they do not make her Merritt’s killer.
What happens to Amelia and Benji?
Amelia and Benji do not get married. Although they resolve their immediate disagreement, the events surrounding Merritt’s death make it impossible for the relationship to continue as it was. They ultimately separate.
Amelia and Shooter kiss after the wedding is called off, creating the possibility of a new romance. However, the series does not conclude with Amelia choosing Shooter. It also does not reunite her with Benji.
Six months later, Amelia is alone and back at work at the zoo in London. That ending is deliberate. Rather than replacing one relationship with another, the show leaves Amelia trying to work out what she wants away from the Winbury family and its wealth.
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What happens between Amelia and Greer?
Greer later finds Amelia in London and gives her a manuscript for her next book, titled Your Move. Greer tells Amelia that the book is about her.
Greer also admits that she initially wanted Amelia gone because she was jealous of her. She asks Amelia to contact her if she does not hate the manuscript, suggesting that they could have dinner.
The scene does not confirm that the two women become friends. Instead, it leaves their relationship open. Greer’s gesture is part apology, part invitation and part attempt to turn the painful events at the Winbury estate into something she can understand through writing.
Why does the ending leave Amelia alone?
Amelia’s final position is less a romantic conclusion than a personal reset. She has been pulled into the Winburys’ world through her planned marriage to Benji, but that world is built around secrecy, status and money. By returning to the zoo, she is back in a setting connected to her own life rather than the family’s influence.
The kiss with Shooter matters, but it is not a promise that they will become a couple. The ending resists the idea that Amelia must immediately choose between Benji and Shooter. Her next step is self-discovery, not a new engagement.
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- Genre: TV Comedy
- Number of Discs: 20
- Number of Tracks: 0
- Playback Duration: 3005
- Movie Title: The Odd Couple: The Complete Series
How is the Netflix ending different from the novel?
The Netflix adaptation keeps Abby connected to Merritt’s death, but it changes the circumstances and the legal meaning of what happened.
| Netflix series | Elin Hilderbrand’s novel |
|---|---|
| Abby intentionally drugs Merritt and drowns her. | Abby puts a barbiturate into a drink intended for Thomas’s mistress, Featherleigh. |
| Abby knows Merritt is the target. | Merritt accidentally drinks the drugged beverage. |
| Merritt cuts her foot on glass, sees jewelry in the water and dives after it while impaired. | The accident leads to Merritt drowning. |
| Merritt’s death is treated as an intentional killing, and Abby is arrested for murder. | Merritt’s death is ruled an accidental drowning. |
| The bride-to-be is named Amelia Sacks. | The character is named Celeste in the novel. |
The name change from Celeste to Amelia was made to avoid confusion with Nicole Kidman’s character Celeste in Big Little Lies. More importantly, the series changes the murder from a tragic accident into a deliberate act. That makes Abby’s guilt much more direct and gives the finale a sharper crime-thriller resolution.
The main twist, in one view
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who killed Merritt? | Abby Winbury. |
| Why? | She wanted to protect the family inheritance and her own financial future. |
| What was the method? | Abby crushed a euthanasia pill into orange juice, then drowned Merritt. |
| Did Thomas plan the killing? | No. He stole the pill, but Abby used it intentionally. |
| Did Greer hire someone to kill Merritt? | No. Her money dealings involved her brother and his gambling debt. |
| Do Amelia and Benji marry? | No. They separate. |
| Does Amelia end up with Shooter? | No. They kiss, but Amelia finishes the series alone. |
FAQ
Who is the killer in Netflix’s The Perfect Couple?
Abby Winbury killed Merritt Monaco. She drugged Merritt with a crushed euthanasia pill and deliberately drowned her at the beach.
Why does Abby kill Merritt?
Merritt is pregnant with Tag Winbury’s child. Abby believes the baby would reduce the family inheritance and restart the trust’s 18-year waiting period. Abby is also pregnant and facing serious financial pressure because of Thomas’s debts.
Did Thomas kill Merritt?
No. Thomas stole the euthanasia pill that Abby later used, but Abby planned and carried out the drowning. Thomas’s role is indirect.
Do Amelia and Benji stay together at the end?
No. Their wedding is called off and they separate. Amelia kisses Shooter, but the six-month time jump shows her alone in London, focused on rebuilding her own life.
The Bottom Line
The Perfect Couple’s major twist is that Abby—not Greer, Thomas or Shooter—killed Merritt. She drugged Merritt to protect the Winbury inheritance and then intentionally drowned her. The series ends with Abby arrested, the wedding abandoned, and Amelia choosing neither Benji nor Shooter as she begins a more independent life. Unlike the novel, the Netflix version treats Merritt’s death as murder rather than an accident.
Quick Recap
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