Anyone who is on Netflix these days will notice that the series charts are sticking to the hot season even after the autumn weather change. A New Summer is at number 1 despite mixed reviews and delivers a mixture of a fussy ensemble à la Succession and an Agatha Christie whodunnit crime thriller.
In Elin Hilderbrand’s novel, however, things turn out quite differently than in the miniseries – although the same person convicted as a killer becomes.
Killer star from A New Summer on Netflix explains the motive for the murder, which ended up being completely different
In A New Summer, the wedding of Amelia (Eve Hewson) and Benji (Billy Howle), who comes from a good or at least wealthy family, is about to take place. On the island of Nantucket, the parents (Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber) are planning a posh wedding, but then the body of the maid of honor, Merritt (Meghann Fahy), is found. Several people are suspected of having committed the crime before the wedding.
Spoilers for the finale of A New Summer: At the end, Abby, played by Dakota Fanning, is revealed to be the murderer. But unlike in the novel, the crime was anything but an accident. In the book, the pregnant wife of Benji’s older brother Thomas tries to prevent Featherleigh (Isabelle Adjani) from sleeping with her husband by mixing orange juice and sleeping pills. Instead, Merritt drinks the mixture and later drowns in a daze. In the series, the drink was deliberately given to the victim, who is also being held underwater by Abby.
The end of One Summer on Netflix explained: This is what was behind the murder in the series
Speaking to Deadline, actress Fanning said of Abby’s murderous intent:
Her motive is: This family must not fall apart, because otherwise my life is falling apart. She is overlooked by her husband, is not valued by her husband and is cheated by her husband, while she does all the work to keep up appearances even to [der Familie] to preserve it, and all without any support from him.
The much more concrete Motif in the series: Merritt was pregnant by the head of the family – and that was a problem. The sons of the family only become wealthy when all the brothers are of age and their trust fund is paid out. The upcoming birthday of the youngest child, Will, would have become meaningless and would have pushed the money shower almost two decades into the future.
Fanning further explains:
It comes from deep inside her and then she sees the facade starting to crumble and someone has to save her. And in her imagination she is the heroinewho not only saves her immediate future, but will always have the certainty that she has somehow saved everyone else too. And I think she planned to live off this high for a very, very long time.
A new summer (aka The Perfect Couple) has been around since 5 September 2024 with six episodes online on Netflix and thus completed as a miniseries.