Often when we say, “You’ll never guess the plot twist behind this movie, television series, or book,” we’re exaggerating a bit. Some viewers will indeed figure out the plot twist in a movie, tv series, or book, while others won’t, but plot twists can usually be figured out with enough investigation and discernment of the red herrings and clues. Behind Her Eyes is a limited television series based on a popular 2017 novel that starts out with a typical enough psychological thriller plotline, and it has a plot twist no one would ever guess even based on the information given. A psychiatrist husband, David (played by Tom Bateman), starts engaging in an affair with a co-worker (a single mother, Louise, played by Simona Brown) he met at a local bar prior to either of them knowing they would be working together. However, things get a bit more sinister and twisted when Louise starts developing a strange friendship and obsession with his wife, Adele (Eve Hewson), who seems to be holding back dark secrets about the nature of her marriage to David. As Louise begins to investigate, she becomes enmeshed in a complicated love triangle that unravels secrets no one would ever suspect. If you don’t wish to be spoiled, start watching the limited television series now, as it is still available on Netflix.
The Plot Twist: Spoilers Ahead
There are a few plot twists in the television series especially what ends up happening to Louise, but let’s discuss with the biggest one. It turns out Adele isn’t even Adele – she is being inhabited by the soul of another person entirely, which is why her marriage with David has been so strained and hostile. As we learn through flashbacks, it turns out that Adele developed a close friendship with a man named Rob while she was in a psychiatric treatment center. She taught him how to astral project, but he used this information to betray her as he fell in love with her partner David and wanted David for himself. One night when astrally projecting, Rob enters Adele’s body and refuses to let Adele’s soul back in, causing her to die. Rob supposedly “dies” but his soul lives on in Adele’s body, enabling him to continue forward in a relationship with David.
Adele’s true identity is hinted at throughout the series, since anytime we see flashbacks from Adele’s supposed perspective, Rob is always present. Adele is also seen using heroin, Rob’s drug of choice, and seems to have knowledge that only Rob would possess. This reminds viewers never to trust the friend who covets what you have or is envious of you, as some people are willing to go very far to steal your “identity,” mimic parts of you to gain praise, copy you, and wear your skin – figuratively speaking of course, but certainly Rob took this to a literal degree using supernatural methods to infiltrate Adele’s inner circle and take over Adele’s whole life. Viewers express that they are still shocked to this day about the nature of this disturbingly supernatural plot twist and very few would have guessed it. Yet even the title of the movie itself hints at its true nature: behind her eyes and in her body indeed.
