Behind Her Eyes, a bestselling thriller written by Sarah Pinborough, was marketed with its own hashtag, #WTFThatEnding, that can be interpreted two ways: as a lure convincing potential readers that they’ll be delighted by an unexpected conclusion, or as a warning that they’ll want to hurl the book across the room upon finishing. I have not read Pinborough’s novel, and only learned of the hashtag after watching all six episodes of the new Netflix limited series version of Behind Her Eyes. And I’m sorry to report that my reaction was the latter. The shame of it is that Behind Her Eyes the TV show is actually pretty good, until it starts prizing wild twists above all else. Adapted by Steve Lightfoot and Angela LaManna, the series starts off in familiar, secure territory as an erotic thriller about a love triangle. Louise (Simona Brown) is an English single mom who works part-time in a psychiatrist’s office. On a lonely night out at a pub, she hits it off with a handsome stranger, but he runs off right when the evening is about to advance to the next step. He is, of course, married — and, worse, he is Louise’s new boss, David (Tom Bateman), new in town along with his glamorous, mentally ill wife Adele (Eve Hewson). Before Louise can stop herself, she has fallen into bed with David and become close friends with Adele, convinced she can maintain both relationships without anyone finding out. Reviews Trailers of the Week: 'Generation,' 'Kenan,' 'Waffles + Mochi,' and More Mahershala Ali Recites Frederick Douglass' 'Fourth of July' Speech in New 'Amend' Clip Reviews The 10 Most Bizarre Country Christmas Songs #FreeBritney: Understanding the Fan-led Britney Spears Movement “It sounds like you’re shagging both of them,” warns an old pal, who can tell Louise has gotten in much too deep with this strange couple. All of this is conventional but well executed, with central performances that are alluring even as each side of the triangle behaves badly. Hewson (The Knick), who’s particularly strong, is styled with a sharp bob and a chic, mostly-white wardrobe to accentuate the power that Adele holds over both her husband and her new friend, though she’s obviously dangerous to both. (There’s also a scene where she screams “Fuck off!” for so long, it becomes an aria. She’s great.) And Lightfoot and LaManna (who worked together on Hannibal and The Punisher) smartly and plausibly keep tilting the audience’s sympathies, so that any one of the three leads can seem like the villain or the victim at different points of the story. It’s creepy and engaging throughout the early chapters. But then? Well… then, Behind Her Eyes becomes a different kind of story altogether, and a much sillier one. It’s difficult to talk about without spoiling that WTF ending, though it is a situation where telling potential viewers there’s a huge twist — more than one, actually — will in no way prepare them to work it out ahead of schedule. This is perhaps good for people wh
