“There are two sides to every story,” as Tessa Thompson’s Anna Andrews, a field reporter investigating the shocking murder of a woman in the woods, reminds us numerous times in Netflix’s new thriller His & Hers. It’s an interesting choice of words for the tagline; naturally it sets up the premise, as the viewer is invited to take a side and work out who they believe as the central mystery unravels, but it also works because there are two conflicting ways you can look at this show.
The “His” to Anna’s “Hers” is beaten-down sheriff’s office detective Jack Harper (played by The Bear’s Jon Bernthal), who is in charge of the murder case, and theirs is a complicated relationship at the beating heart of the series. They each have their own connection to the murder victim; lies are laid bare, secrets unearthed and they soon start to suspect each other.
Each leading star is impressive in breathing life into Jack and Anna, cultivating an emotional investment and keeping our eyes firmly fixed to our screens (no two-screen viewing going on here, thank you very much). Bernthal brings an edge and bluster to his unravelling small-town cop, while still balancing that frenzy with quieter moments which speak to a vulnerability and a softer, more nurturing side.
But unsurprisingly, His & Hers is Thompson’s show – and not just because she also acted as an executive producer. An actor at the top of her game, the Golden Globe-nominated star commands each and every scene, orchestrating every emotional beat and high-octane sequence that the plot demands. Hers is also a character afforded nuance and depth, where two things can be true at once, and you continue to root for her even when you question her reliability as a narrator.
Netflix
Where the six-part drama lets itself down is in the ways in which the plot is moulded. Of course, twists are par for the course for any truly gripping whodunnit – and the show, adapted from Alice Feeney’s novel of the same name, was billed by Netflix as a “twisty” psychological thriller from the off.
But His & Hers requires its audience to do a lot of heavy lifting to allow for some of its more outlandish developments to land. In fact, you really do have to continuously suspend your disbelief – how has nobody clocked that a leading detective is acting so suspiciously? What do you mean, you can break into a morgue and use the eyes of a corpse to open an iPhone?
Harper’s working partner Priya seems to be the only one doing any real, sensible police work, so it’s a wonder this sleepy town isn’t a complete playground for criminals…
And don’t even get us started on the truly diabolical ending. We won’t spoil it here, but we haven’t been this stunned by a final act of a Netflix series since Behind Her Eyes (if you know, you know). Yes, we’re even including Harlan Coben in that.
Netflix
His & Hers has been brought to us by filmmaker William Oldroyd. BAFTA-nominated and critically-acclaimed, this marks his first foray into television. The cinematic feel is there from the off – His & Hers is undoubtedly gorgeous, heavily stylised and often feels like it’s a little wasted on a small screen. There are moments that evoke a Mr and Mrs Smith-style blockbuster, and it puts a glossy, sometimes comic book-like, visual sheen to some of its more graphic and violent scenes.
Despite all its slick style, His & Hers makes a number of questionable creative choices. The success of crime as a genre has largely been propped up by a morbid focus on the bodies of young women, and His & Hers does very little to think about taste here. Sure this is a work of fiction and not true crime, but we’d argue the camera’s tendency to linger on the naked female corpse does little to actually serve the story.
His & Hers is mostly driven by female characters whose moral compasses all point in different directions, so it does put everyone on a fairly equal footing. We can then forgive it some of its misgivings; it’s fun to relish unlikeable characters, and to give yourself over to something that’s clearly not grounded in the real world.
That being said, while we’re all for dismantling the idea of a ‘perfect victim’, some of the characterisations of the women at the centre of the whodunit mystery could well be seen to feed into some unhelpful tropes and stereotypes.
It may be beautifully crafted and have some phenomenal names attached, but His & Hers isn’t prestige television – although there’s a side to this story where that doesn’t actually matter.
His & Hers is available now on Netflix.
TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK’s biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world’s oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).