When Evie and Pete move into a quiet neighborhood, they don’t expect heartbreak to come. Take a look inside The Couple Next Door series premiere.
Caution: this post contains SPOILERS from The Couple Next Door series premiere.
It’s been a long wait, but we finally get to watch The Couple Next Door series premiere. This episode quickly lets us know that this is a psychological thriller, and that there are going to be a lot of twists and turns. First of all, we need to get through the initial meeting of neighbors.
Opening with gunshots in The Couple Next Door
The episode seems to open where we expect it to end. There’s a cabin in some woods and then a gunshot. Evie comes rushing out of the cabin in just her nightwear, and then we see fully-dressed Pete, Danny, and Becka chasing after her. It looks like Pete has a gun, but is he the one who fired a shot in the house?
It’s hard to keep track of the actual events in the woods. We see Becka and Danny huddled together, and Pete is chasing Evie but not in a malicious way. There’s another gunshot, and it looks like the season will end with someone being killed, but who?
Evie and Pete move into the neighborhood
We don’t get any more details about the woods for the rest of the episode. We got back to when Evie and Pete just moved into the new neighborhood. Becka is quick to introduce herself, and she is certainly over-friendly, while Danny makes a point of lifting a dishwasher by himself when Pete couldn’t manage it.
The neighbors quickly become close. Becka notes Evie’s pregnancy, but sadly, we won’t get to see a little Evie and Pete run around. At least, not just yet. When one of the children in Evie’s class notes that she can’t feel movement, Evie decides to head to the hospital. Sure enough, the heartbeat has stopped, and Pete and Evie go through the devastation of a miscarriage.
They start to grow apart as they both deal with their grief in their own way. This wasn’t an easy journey to pregnancy, as they’d had two failed rounds of IVF up to this point. Was there the opportunity for another one? It’s not like Evie’s dad thinks it’s right. In fact, Evie knows that her dad believes that the loss of the baby was a punishment from God for using IVF in the first place. He’s a strict Christian, and Evie never felt like she belonged with her family growing up.
Becka has a stalker in The Couple Next Door
We get to see a little of Becka’s life. She is a fitness instructor, both in a studio and with an outside running group. Her neighbor Alan, played by Hugh Dennis, is obsessed with her. He stores all her photos from social media on his computer, and he watches her with a telescope on a regular basis.
It’s clear that Becka feels uncomfortable with Alan around. When he attends one of her yoga classes, she notes that he needs to drop down to the beginner level. She doesn’t teach beginner yoga, so he’s not interested in that. When he asks about one-on-one classes, she shares that she is fully booked. She doesn’t want to be in a room alone with this man, and for good reason. She doesn’t even know of his stalking behavior just yet!
This is sure to come up more as the season progresses. For now, Alan remains in his home for the most part.
Danny takes on a job for more cash
Police officer Danny admits to his friend at work that he is struggling for money. He got involved in something that went south and he’s used the savings to help. Now he needs to figure out the financial issue that he’s caused.
His friend suggests that Danny joins him on a couple of cash jobs. It’s clear that these jobs are illegal, but Danny is desperate for the money. So, when a call comes up, he takes on the offer. We see him text someone to say that he has the cash. What is Danny also involved in?
It could be some other illegal work, but maybe he’s also involved with someone else and is being blackmailed. It would see odd that he is willing to have an affair considering he and his wife clearly like to be with other couples—they invite a couple into their house for some fun. Whatever it is, we’re sure to learn as the season goes on.
I have to be honest, though; it did seem like there was something between Danny and Evie just as Evie moved into the street. It was like they already knew each other, and I do wonder if Evie is blackmailing Danny without anyone realizing just yet.
The end of the episode sees Danny and Evie outside in the rain at both of their houses. They just stare at each other, making it clear that there is something between them. Things are going to get worse before they get better in The Couple Next Door.
The Couple Next Door airs on Fridays on STARZ.
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