Suburban secrets
A young couple move to a flash neighbourhood to start a family, but soon find themselves entangled in a complex web of desire and betrayal in the new TVNZ+ series The Couple Next Door.
When school teacher Evie (Eleanor Tomlinson) and her journalist partner Pete (Alfred Enoch) move into an upmarket neighbourhood, they become friendly with Danny and Becka, a married couple who live next door.
Before long before Evie and Pete’s lives become entwined with those of their new acquaintances.
This is the crux of The Couple Next Door, a thriller in which lines become blurred when it transpires that Becka and Danny, played by Outlander star Sam Heughan, are a non-monogamous couple.
“What we’ve set up is this very stylised show that is making a comment about suburbia,” says Heughan. “You’ve got these great choreographed moments where everyone’s going about their daily life, but it can all come crashing down very, very easily.
“Becka and Danny met in Thailand and he was very much drawn to her lifestyle. She’s the one with this moral code, this way of living which for him is a reach.
“He’s always trying to understand and to go along with her to keep her happy. I think he struggles with it. He’s a man of strict rules and guidelines, whereas she’s more free. That’s where they struggle.”
While Danny might seem to be living a charmed existence, there are aspects of his personality which rub some people up the wrong way.
“He comes across in the first few episodes as being quite a good guy,” says Heughan.
“He’s a police officer. He’s got this beautiful wife and he’s got a kid. Everything’s just fine.
“But we begin to realise that underneath it all, there are a lot of secrets that he’s keeping. And his relationship with Becka is tested a lot by their situation.
“They have this slightly open relationship. But it’s all played out in some pretty dark places. I think this is a story about love but it’s a very strange route that we go through to get to that point.”
Becka, a yoga instructor,
is played by Australian actor Jessica De Gouw who was in the thriller series The Secrets She Keeps.
The Couple Next Door’s other female lead, Eleanor Tomlinson, is probably best known for her role as Demelza in the period drama Poldark. Tomlinson also stars in the Netflix romantic drama One Day.
Here the actor portrays Evie, a woman who has been with her partner Pete for 17 years.
Evie is struggling with a personal loss and she is beginning to wonder if Pete is the right romantic partner for her.
“Evie is a complicated soul,” says Tomlinson. “She’s obviously going through significant grief and I think she’s stuck in a rut. She’s very curious about exploring herself and exploring boundaries both with her friends and with her partner. “She’s been with one guy for most of her life. As the series progresses, she finds her confidence and Danny, Sam’s character, and Becka, Jess’ character, bring her out of her shell and show her different routes, different possibilities.”
When asked if The Couple Next Door has a satirical take on suburbia, Tomlinson, says, “Yes, the claustrophobia and fear of life becoming routine and mundane. For example, you leave for work at this time, you get home at that time, you have dinner at this time and before you know it, life has become a treadmill that you can’t get off.
“I think, for me, the main theme of this show is the exploration of relationships and how claustrophobia can quickly set in.
“The neighbourhood is the perfect metaphor for that. Once you decide to break free from that, how quickly can you spiral? How far do you go? So it’s interesting.
“It’s certainly an enticing watch, I would say. I think it leaves you wanting more and there’s an addictive energy to the series. It’s very sexy.”
While Tomlinson’s character, Evie, is drawn to Danny, the same can’t be said for Alfred Enoch’s character, Pete.
“Danny’s pretty astute. He’s a police officer and he’s quick at reading situations,” says Heughan.
“He realises his new neighbour has instantly taken a dislike to him. Dan is a bit of an alpha male at times. There’s a great juxtaposition with Dan and Pete.
“They are very different men and it’s a really cool relationship that plays out.
“One’s very cerebral and one is the action man. But the core of the show is these two couples and their dynamics.”
“She’s very curious about exploring herself and exploring boundaries both with her friends and with her partner.”
– Eleanor Tomlinson