We've reached the point in The Couple Next Door that's been teased from the start. Episode 3 titled "Blurring Boundaries" is certainly fitting. And the passionate night of both couples isn't what we expected it to be. Here's our review of the episode on Starz. SPOILERS BELOW.
One of the biggest revelations of the episode is the fact that Danny has another son. And the woman Lena who's been asking for money is the young boy's mother. This isn't 100% confirmed but I got the feeling that Danny has known about him, but he walked out before and that's why Lena has been giving him such a hard time about meeting him. And even still after going through all these hoops of seeing him, he's still not ready to tell Becka the truth. Hmm, ok.
The second big plot point, that is still giving us the creeps, is the fact that Alan breaks into Becka and Danny's home once again. But this time, it's not just to find some very personal videos. As we saw in episode 2 last week, he took images and videos of Becka with another couple while Danny was filming, and published them to a website. Then this week, Alan took it one step further and shared the link in a comment on one of her social media posts for everyone to see.
This messed up man. You have a wife who wants to be with you and she was so happy she could get upstairs now. But, no. He had an infatuation with Becka and when she, and Danny, made him feel bad about himself, this is what he did. Shame on you. I wasn't sure whether to cringe or laugh at the fact that it looks like he had a heart attack, stroke, or something while he was pleasuring himself in their home. Just, ew. And his wife Jean saw everything through the telescope he has.
Finally is the main part of this psychological thriller I think we were all waiting for to see how things would play out, and what consequences might pop up after it. It's been established that Evie really wants a night with Danny and Becka, and is most interested in couple switching. Ok, girl. She expresses her interest to Becka on behalf of her and Pete, even though she didn't ask him if he'd be alright with it. She wants this, and she is going to do what she can to get it.
They do indeed go ahead and do it, Becka first approaching Pete then Evie and Danny going to another room. Weren't they all supposed to stay in the same space, or is this one of the rules Becka wants to break? Speaking of breaking... that's what happened to the condom but Evie tells Danny she's on the pill. Alright, any time a show or movie adds in a line about protection, you know it's going to come up again later. Is this foreshadowing what I think it's foreshadowing?
While Evie and Danny have a very fun and passionate time, Pete isn't able to go through with it. Aw, poor guy. He looks so sad. Which, you know. Who could blame him? This is going to be so awkward though. Oop. I have a feeling Evie and Pete's relationship is only going to go downhill from here. I did think it would be more of a foursome situation instead of couple switching. But alright, I guess. Finally, the episode ends with the cliffhanger that Becka sees Alan's website and the comments that have started coming in, and is of course rightfully horrified.
The Couple Next Door episode 3 has been the best episode of the series so far. The show has been moving pretty slowly. Though it's like an onion. Each episode is bringing with it a new revelation or furthering the plot. I don't know. It just feels a bit slow to me. Though this week's installment actually had interesting plot points that are advancing the story - Danny has another son, Jean finds out about Alan's creepy ways, the passionate night between the couples happens, and Becka's whole world has now been turned upside down. Episode grade level: B.
The Couple Next Door releases new episodes Fridays on Starz.