Louise thought she was just having one awkward night out when she spilled a drink on a handsome stranger. The next day, that stranger, David, walked into her office as her new psychiatrist boss. Even more surprising, his wife Adele then bumped into Louise on the street and asked to be friends. The first episode of Netflix’s psychological thriller “Behind Her Eyes” sets up a tense love triangle, but viewers are left to wonder if any of these “chance” encounters were truly accidental.
The Unfortunate First Date That Wasn’t
Louise’s night starts with a letdown. Her friend Sophie cancels their plans at the last minute, but Louise decides to go to the bar alone anyway. Trying to leave, she bumps into a man, spilling his expensive glass of Scotch all over his shirt. To make up for it, she buys him a replacement, which costs her a painful £12. The man is David, and the two share an immediate connection, talking and laughing.
Louise makes it clear she will not go home with him, but the chemistry leads to a kiss on the street outside the bar. Just as suddenly, David pulls away. He tells her, “I can’t do this,” and quickly walks off, leaving a confused Louise behind.
The Uncomfortable Morning After At Work
The next morning, Louise arrives at the psychiatry clinic where she works as a secretary. She is introduced to the new boss who is replacing her old one. To her shock, it is David from the bar. He is there with his wife, Adele. Louise is so stunned she hides in the bathroom to avoid them.
The awkwardness continues when she later spills ketchup on her shirt and runs into David alone in his office. They have a nervous conversation where she promises to keep their kiss a secret. David apologizes for his behavior the night before, though he cannot explain it. They agree to forget the whole thing happened and try to maintain a professional relationship.
A Troubled Marriage Behind Closed Doors
While Louise deals with her shock, the episode peeks into David’s home life, revealing a marriage filled with tension and control. Before leaving for work, David gives his wife, Adele, a specific signal: “Well, then”. In response, Adele obediently walks to a cupboard, retrieves a single pill, and swallows it while he watches. David tells her he will call her at exactly 11:30 AM, and she cheerfully replies, “I’ll be here!”.
Their dynamic is cold and strange. Adele is often dressed in soft, expensive-looking clothes that make her seem out of place in her own home. David gives her a new credit card and a basic flip phone, suggesting he controls her spending and communication. Their intimacy is forced; when Adele tries to initiate s*x, a weary David tells her, “I can’t do this again, Adele. This has to be the last time”. Viewers also catch a glimpse of what looks like a large burn scar on David’s arm, hinting at a troubled past.
Mysterious Dreams and A Traumatic Past
Louise has her own struggles. She suffers from intense night terrors and sleepwalks. In her dreams, she sees frightening images: pills spilling on the floor and her son, Adam, trapped inside the walls of a strange house with eerie green light. One night, she sleepwalks onto her apartment balcony and wakes up with a fresh, bloody cut on her wrist.
The show also offers brief flashbacks to Adele’s past. A younger Adele with long hair is at a rehabilitation center. Another patient in a tree recognizes her as “the girl that paints fires” and offers sympathy for her parents’ deaths. This same patient introduces himself as Rob, “the boy who sleepwalks”. The flashback efficiently shows that Adele was in a psychiatric facility after her parents died in a fire, an event that clearly still haunts her.
A Mother’s Personal Conflict
Louise’s personal life adds more pressure. Her ex-husband, Ian, drops off their son and shares big news. His new partner, Lisa, is pregnant, and they have bought a house in the South of France. Ian wants to take Adam with him for a month so the boy can bond with Lisa before the baby comes.
Louise is furious and hurt, feeling like she was just the “practice wife” for Ian’s new family. She is even more upset to learn that Ian has already told Adam about the trip, getting the boy excited before she agreed. After a heartfelt talk with her friend Sophie, who encourages her to see this as a chance to change her own life, Louise reluctantly agrees to let Adam go.
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The Fateful “Accidental” Meeting on the Street
The episode builds to its crucial final scene. After dropping Adam at school, a distracted Louise rounds a corner and literally knocks another woman over. As she helps the woman up, Louise is stunned to recognize her: it’s Adele, David’s wife. Adele, dressed in flowing clothes that don’t look like gym wear, claims she was just walking David to work.
Louise awkwardly introduces herself as David’s secretary. Adele, who acts like this is their first meeting, suggests they go for coffee to make up for the collision. She says to Louise, “You’ll lead. I’ll follow”. The invitation seems friendly, but the episode leaves viewers questioning if this street-corner run-in was truly a coincidence or part of a much larger, unseen plan.
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