Merritt’s death is central to both Netflix’s The Perfect Couple and the eponymous book by Elin Hilderbrand, begging the question of who killed her in the source material and how it compares to the limited series. The book, written by the New York Times bestselling author, is a beach read that weaves together a compelling mystery. While the miniseries captures the spirit of the book, it makes many changes to the story and character arcs. Some of The Perfect Couple’s characters, like Abby and Shooter, differ in their personality and upbringing.

The narrative leans into the strengths of the lead actors, such as providing Nicole Kidman with a more complex backstory that influences Greer’s behavior towards her family. Amelia and Shooter cut things off instead of ending in a more open-ended way. The Netflix miniseries also changes how Merritt died, one of the many elements that made The Perfect Couple divisive.

Merritt’s Death In The Perfect Couple Book Is An Accident – How It Happens

Abby Doesn’t Realize The Drink Is For Merritt

In Elin Hilderbrand’s The Perfect Couple, Abby doesn’t intend to kill Merritt, targeting Featherleigh (the equivalent of Isabel Nallet) instead. Thomas had stolen a sleeping pill from Greer for his prescription roulette. Abby steals the pill and slips it into Isabel’s drink, not realizing that Isabel is taking it to Merritt. After drinking the beverage, Merritt goes out to the beach. She throws the thumb ring that Tag gave her into the ocean in anger but immediately regrets it. When she goes into the water to retrieve it, she drowns. The sequence leading up to Merritt’s death builds fantastic suspense.

Merritt’s death is ultimately ruled an accident by the police officers, meaning Abby never faced any consequences. Instead, Greer is the person who pieces together what happened. The family matriarch took her pill box down to the kitchen the night of Merritt’s death but left it there. The housekeeper later brings it back to her, telling her that she found it in Abby and Thomas’ trash can. Greer also hears Abby and Thomas arguing about his affair. By the end of the book version of The Perfect Couple, she determines that Abby wanted to take out her husband’s mistress.

Why Did Netflix’s The Perfect Couple Have Abby Directly Kill Merritt?

Elin Hilderbrand’s Ending Wouldn’t Work Well Onscreen

Anyone coming into the Netflix show from the book will surely be shocked about how Merritt died. After all, there’s a big difference between accidentally killing someone and holding someone’s head underwater. Showrunner Jenna Lamia explained The Perfect Couple’s new ending, pointing to the limitations of the medium that prevented the death from the book appearing onscreen.

The showrunner’s abandonment of the existing death scene opened doors for an entirely new narrative.

Elin Hilderbrand’s novel features heavy internal dialogue in the tense lead up to Merritt’s death. TV shows can’t easily relay the thoughts of a character, especially when they’re alone, unless they use voiceover. Unless Lamia had massively changed the story and made Merritt the narrator of the series, the dead woman giving a voiceover would have felt out of place. The showrunner’s abandonment of the existing death scene opened doors for an entirely new narrative.

With the support of Hilderbrand, Lamia reworked the story to give the killer an active motive to kill Merritt which wasn’t jealousy. She explains that she thought “it may be more satisfying for the audience” to see a murderer with homicidal intent, adding extra suspense, drama, and mystery. The question isn’t just who killed her, but why and how. The showrunner also added more hints about who killed Merritt in The Perfect Couple.

Which Version Of The Perfect Couple’s Ending Is Better?

Elin Hilderbrand’s Ending Makes More Sense Than Netflix’s Ending

When comparing Merritt’s death in the two versions of The Perfect Couple, it’s challenging to deem one ending perfect over the other. They’re both ideal for their format, providing more introspection in the book and more action in the Netflix whodunit. Ultimately, the winner – Elin Hilderbrand’s ending – comes down not to one idea being better than the other but how they execute it.

The show doesn’t explain how Abby found out about Merritt’s pregnancy or how she conveniently picked a pill that would incapacitate her victim.

Even if it’s mildly anticlimactic for a murder mystery to end with an accidental death, the logic is solid. Abby has a strong reason to want Featherleigh dead, and there isn’t a clear alternative which results in Thomas focusing his attention back on his wife. If she divorces him, they’re not together.

When it comes to the ending of Netflix’s The Perfect Couple, there are numerous plotholes. The show doesn’t explain how Abby found out about Merritt’s pregnancy or how she conveniently picked a pill that would incapacitate her victim. Multiple other solutions exist besides murder, such as forcing Merritt into delaying her pregnancy announcement until after the trust is paid out. Plus, the police arrest her with almost no evidence. Because of these issues, the book ending of The Perfect Couple wins out over the miniseries.