Few can deny the appeal of limited series. However, OTT platforms often struggle to find scripts best suited to sustaining this creative format. A six-part Netflix or Amazon series must be more self-contained than a multi-season show or a film that demands only one or two hours of the viewer’s attention. As a result, tightly wrought narratives tend to make for far more effective limited series.
Though riveting in scope, the Netflix mystery-thriller miniseries His & Her lacks the tautness that audiences have come to expect from a format that prioritises brisk storytelling. Instead, it leaves viewers with an array of questions. This would not be so alarming if their curiosity stemmed from choices concerning characterisation or plot. Unfortunately, most of the concerns surrounding the show focus on the sheer implausibility of its climax.
It is difficult to delineate this plot twist without delving into spoiler-filled details. Suffice it to say that the miniseries squanders far too much time and narrative energy on charting complex human relationships. At one point, audiences begin to suspect that the search for the murderer has taken a back seat while complicated relationship dynamics assume centre stage. Some cynical viewers might feel that the more plausible murderer, too, slips from the creators’ grasp after being repeatedly pushed to the peripheries of the narrative. The denouement, therefore, seems to feature a false antagonist who is little more than a convenient substitute for the original villain of the piece. This is not necessarily a shortcoming, however, as it reveals how genres can be bent to serve different purposes.
At its core, His & Her is an adaptation of the eponymous novel by Alice Feeney, a British writer of mystery and thriller fiction. The premise of the limited series is intriguing, as it explores the terrors and complexities of life in small-town America—a motif that has gained currency in recent years. The discovery of a body in Dahlonega, a small town in the state of Georgia, rattles the entire community. Driven by curiosity, Anna Andrews (Tessa Thompson) is drawn back to the town—the site of her childhood memories and unresolved trauma—to report on the murder. Her return seems to generate more interest than the murder itself, at least among those who know her and were troubled by her absence. A former news anchor in Atlanta, Anna had retreated into self-imposed exile following a tragedy that fractured her relationship with her husband.
Interestingly, Detective Jack Harper (Jon Bernthal), Anna’s estranged partner, is entrusted with the monumental task of finding the culprit, who, in keeping with the conventions of a triumphant whodunit, delivers more than a single corpse. With Anna and Jon whirling around the crime scene like frantic bees, the stage is set for frequent conflicts between the former lovers, especially as they grow suspicious of one another’s involvement in the murder. As the series moves towards its conclusion, Anna and Jon are forced to confront long-buried secrets and rekindle their bond. The emphasis on the estranged couple’s evolving dynamic might lead some viewers to conclude that the series’ murder-mystery setting has been relegated to mere background noise. Yet His & Her straddles both strands of the narrative, even if the creators choose to fully develop only one of these arcs.
The miniseries raises pertinent questions about various issues that afflict the human condition, including sexual violence, grief, and the frailties of old age. Even so, these matters are often portrayed in unsettling hues, raising questions about whether the creators seek to weaponise them for convenient narrative payoffs. Despite these reservations, His & Her is a bingeworthy miniseries that attempts to break some time-honoured rules.
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