No actor does intense as well as Claire Danes. In Homeland, she played Carrie Mathison, a CIA agent with bipolar disorder who wore her emotions on her face. Her expressions at times were so upsetting it was difficult not to be moved or frightened by her reactions. That “Carrie face” is back in Danes’ current role as Aggie Wiggs, a bestselling author having a meltdown after the death of her ten year-old son, Connor. Her last book won a Pulitzer, but four years have passed since she received a generous advance for a new book on the friendship between the two Supreme Court Justices, Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Antonio Scalia. Holed up alone in her Oyster Bay mansion – she’s divorced from her wife, Shelley – she stares at her computer screen and dodges calls from her agent.
Her solitude is upset by a new neighbor. Nile Jarvis (Matthew Rhys, who matches Danes’ intensity), wants to construct a running path in the neighborhood and has received permission from all the residents except Aggie. His attempts to charm her into agreeing fall flat, but it’s clear the two have formed some sort of connection, for better or worse.
Nile’s first wife, Madison, died by suicide, but her body has never been found. His second wife, Nina (Brittany Snow), runs an art gallery and tries to cajole Aggie into signing onto the running track with a friendly visit, bearing a fruit pie. The two take a walk in the wooded area behind their homes, but return to Aggie’s when she twists her ankle. While they’ve been gone, Nile’s uncle, Rick (an intimidating Tim Guinee), has been searching Aggie’s home, perhaps to find something that could be used against her in the future.
Nile, who is intrigued by Aggie’s stature as an author, invites her to lunch. He won’t take no for an answer, so she agrees. Against her better judgment, she opens up to him about the car accident that killed her son. Leaving the restaurant, they run into the other driver, a young man named Teddy, who was slightly over the limit when he was in the accident. He wasn’t charged and Aggie is still blaming him for Connor’s death. Niles observes how difficult it must be for Aggie to see Teddy in their small town, alive, while her son is dead. The next day when Aggie hears that Teddy has disappeared, an apparent suicide, she’s convinced Nile had something to do with the young man’s death.
While Aggie is repulsed by Nile, she’s also fascinated with him. She meets with her editor and proposes that she ditch the book about Ginsberg and Scalia and instead write one about Nile. Her editor is initially skeptical. Nile has not spoken to anyone about his wife’s disappearance. Aggie, however, is convinced she can get him to talk.
Still, she feels responsible for Teddy’s death and calls FBI Agent Brian Abbott (David Lyons) about her suspicions that Nile killed, not only his wife, but also Teddy. Abbott, who still hopes to nail Nile for Madison’s death, reluctantly agrees to help. The two begin to work together to gather information about Nile. Aggie is playing a dangerous cat and mouse game that will place her, and other people, in danger.
The eight episodes of this Netflix thriller fly by in a heartbeat. The performances are chilling, the plot, although cliche in some spots, has surprising twists and turns. Danes and Rhys, who was mesmerizing as Perry Mason in that HBO’s series, are perfectly matched in this crime battle where only one person will survive. The supporting cast is excellent.
No word on whether a second season is planned, but Danes’ character is so intriguing, it would be a shame to limit her to one outing.
Top: Claire Danes as Aggie Wiggs in “The Beast in Me.” Cr. Chris Saunders/Netflix © 2024
