The new Netflix series His & Hers wastes no time plunging into a dark mystery. In its first episode, a gruesome crime shatters the quiet of a small town, pulling a fractured couple back together in a cloud of suspicion where nearly everyone looks guilty.
This six-part limited series, based on Alice Feeney’s bestselling novel and starring Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal, premiered on Netflix on January 8, 2026. From its opening moments, the show establishes that “there are at least two sides to every story,” which means “someone is always lying”. The premiere episode masterfully lays the groundwork for a twisty thriller where old secrets and fresh wounds collide.
The Gruesome Discovery in Dahlonega
The story begins on a rainy night in the woods outside Dahlonega, Georgia. A woman’s body is discovered, brutally stabbed and left on the hood of her own red car. The scene is immediately unsettling. The victim has been stabbed dozens of times, and a disturbing message has been carved into her fingernails: the word “Two-Faced”. For a small town not used to violent crime, this murder sends shockwaves.
Leading the official investigation is local detective Jack Harper (Jon Bernthal). He lives with his sister, Zoe, and his young niece, Meg, whom he adores. At the crime scene with his new partner, Detective Priya Patel, Jack takes charge. He instructs his team to find the victim’s cell phone and bring it directly to him and insists on being the one to personally notify the victim’s husband. His behavior, while authoritative, hints at a personal stake in the case from the very beginning.
Anna’s Return and a Personal Investigation
Meanwhile, in Atlanta, former television news anchor Anna Andrews (Tessa Thompson) is fighting to save her career. She has been absent from her job for a year following an undisclosed personal tragedy, and a younger anchor named Lexy Jones has taken her place. Anna’s return to the newsroom is met with resistance from her boss. Desperate for a big story to reclaim her position, she pushes to cover the Dahlonega murder, arguing that her hometown roots will give her unique access.
Her request is granted, but Anna adds a provocative twist: she demands that Richard Jones, Lexy’s husband, be assigned as her cameraman. This move seems calculated to cause professional and personal friction. Anna and Richard travel to Dahlonega, where she immediately inserts herself into the story.
A Public Question That Reveals a Private Past
When Anna arrives at the crowded crime scene, she waits for the right moment. As Jack addresses the press, she steps forward and asks a pointed question that silences the crowd: “Is it true that you knew her?”. The question visibly rattles the detective. His partner, Priya, notices his strange reaction, but Jack brushes it off, dismissing Anna as just another aggressive reporter.
What Priya and the other reporters do not know is that Jack and Anna are estranged husband and wife. Their history is fraught with pain, including the loss of their infant daughter, which led Anna to disappear for a year. Jack’s connection to the case deepens further when he learns the victim’s identity: Rachel Hopkins, a woman from his and Anna’s past.
“There are at least two sides to every story. Yours and mine. Ours and theirs. His and hers. Which means someone is always lying.”
This line, spoken by Anna, becomes the guiding principle of the series. The premiere episode shows everyone adhering to it, weaving a complex web of half-truths and hidden agendas.
Secrets, Affairs, and a Confrontation
Jack’s professional duties clash violently with his personal life. After Anna’s public question, he follows her and Richard to a local hotel. There, he listens from the hallway as Anna has sex with Richard, then bangs on the door in a rage before storming away. Anna chases after him, and in a moment of startling honesty, tells Richard the truth: “Jack is my husband”.
This tense love triangle is just one layer of deceit. Jack later confronts Anna at her childhood home, where she is visiting her mother, Alice. He reveals that Rachel was murdered and pleads with Anna not to report the name publicly until the family is notified. During this heated exchange, more secrets spill out. Jack admits he lost his detective job in Atlanta because he spent all his time searching for Anna during her disappearance. He also reveals that Alice, Anna’s mother, is showing signs of severe cognitive decline, having been found wandering the streets naked.
Disturbing Evidence and a Broken Promise
The forensic details of the crime add more sinister clues. At the morgue, the medical examiner tells Jack and Priya that Rachel was stabbed approximately 40 times with a small knife. There were no defensive wounds, suggesting she knew and trusted her attacker. The examiner also finds “fresh semen” in her body, indicating she had intercourse shortly before her death. Both detectives are asked to give DNA samples to rule out crime scene contamination, a request that makes Jack visibly uncomfortable.
As Jack deals with the investigation, Anna sorts through old belongings in her bedroom. She finds a box containing a camcorder and tapes from her teenage years. One video shows her 16th birthday party, featuring a younger Anna, Rachel, Zoe, and other friends. In the box, she also discovers a handmade friendship bracelet. In a chilling parallel scene, the medical examiner extracts the exact same bracelet from inside Rachel’s mouth. This grotesque detail ties the past directly to the present murder.
Despite her promise to Jack, Anna sees her opportunity. That evening, she goes live on television from Dahlonega and does exactly what he begged her not to do: she publicly names Rachel Hopkins as the murder victim. Jack watches the broadcast at home, furious at her betrayal.
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The Final Flashback: A Motive for Everyone
The episode’s closing moments reframe everything that came before with a crucial flashback. We see the night of the murder in the woods. Jack is having sex with Rachel in his pickup truck, parked next to her car. Unbeknownst to them, Anna is standing at a distance in the rain, silently watching the affair.
This revelation makes multiple characters look guilty. Jack is the victim’s secret lover and the last known person to see her alive. Anna is the scorned wife who witnessed the betrayal. The victim’s wealthy husband, Clyde Hopkins, who refused to answer the door when police came to notify him, also becomes an instant suspect. As the first episode concludes, the mystery is just beginning, and in the town of Dahlonega, everyone has something to hide.
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