“The Beast in Me” is a smartly constructed story of murder mystery that features knockout performances from its leads and debates the philosophy of what makes a person evil.
The Netflix original miniseries stars critics’ darlings Claire Danes (Carrie Mathison of “Homeland”) and Matthew Rhys (Philip Jennings of “The Americans”). Danes portrays the role of Aggie Wiggs, a struggling book author grieving the loss of her son, while Rhys plays Nile Jarvis, her new affluent neighbor who’s widely suspected of murdering his first wife.
It's no surprise that “The Beast in Me” is getting awards attention, having been nominated for multiple Golden Globes categories. It is what many, myself included, would describe as prestigious television. Its superb production, storytelling, and acting are commensurate with the quality that Netflix has produced for the universally acclaimed “Baby Reindeer,” which premiered in 2024.
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For TV fans looking for something beyond the high-grade production and cleverly stitched murder-mystery plot, “The Beast in Me” offers in spades a thought-provoking discourse. What makes this miniseries particularly engaging is its profound exploration of what makes a person evil or complicit to evil, regardless if ones’ definition exists within or outside the context of religion.
Nile's monologue in the final episode opens the above discussion wide for viewers. Talking to his current wife, Nina, he admitted to murdering Madison, his first wife. Nile accused Nina of wanting Madison dead so she can take her place. Nile attempts to hold up a mirror to Nina and the viewers: “I'm not the only one with this – a beast, a monster – inside of me. I'm not. Because we have eyes in the front and sharp teeth. We are predators. We f***, and we hunt, and we kill, and we s***, and we like it. Every single one of us.”
There are sick, twisted people like Nile in real life, and in a way, he is not completely wrong. People are as bad as the perpetrators of crimes and injustices in the world when they watch and do nothing. Our silence enables people like Nile. Rhys’ portrayal of the psychopathic Nile confronts us of questions relating to our complicity to the atrocities around us.
Rhys' performance is chilling, probably the best acting showcase I've seen this year. His portrayal will charm and terrify viewers as his character is written as a multidimensional antagonist. To quote Madison in a flashback sequence, “He's very good about hiding it,” pertains to his evil nature. The story is also able to show the other facets of Nile's personality as he is written as a fully realized person. We do not just see the monster, but also see his capacity to experience joy and sadness. The way his character is written is free from stereotypical details in that the usually overused creepiness and mysterious behaviors are toned down to a tee.
Aggie is also written as a complex protagonist. She is miserable, conflicted, and the show makes viewers understand why she is drawn to Nile. As fans of the actress would expect, Danes also played Aggie fantastically. However, there have been comments online about the actress overacting in every scene, to which I strongly disagree. Picture her situation: she lost her child, the person responsible roams free, and her marriage fell apart. All the while she is being pressured to write a new book by her publisher, while a psycho moves in next door. She is a woman on the verge of a breakdown and Danes plays her exactly how she is supposed to come across.
“The Beast in Me” ends on a satisfying note, but also leaves viewers to interpret how to perceive Aggie’s role on what went down in Nile’s story, which is the subject of her new book. The final episode ends right after she reads this passage from the book: “Is it karmic justice? A happy ending? Retribution is seductive like that, promising a clean line between good and evil. But it's an illusion. After losing my son, I cradled vengeance like a second grief, a sacred companion. I told myself a story about right and wrong, about punishing the guilty. Nile smelled my bloodlust and midwifed that story into being. He soaked up my rage and, like some dark angel, made manifest a wish too horrible to name, leaving another mother to grieve her son. Another rage to grow unchecked. Vengeance birthing vengeance. A wound that never heals. I am complicit in this cycle. My hands are far from clean.”