The Beast in Me is a study in perception. Just how willing are we to set aside our ideas about a person to believe they may be better than previously given credit for? Such is the conundrum of Aggie Wiggs (Claire Danes), an author in the midst of writing her second book but is stuck in writer’s block after her and Shelley’s (Natalie Morales) eight-year-old son was killed in a car accident four years prior.
In Aggie’s case, changing the trajectory of her second book about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia, which wasn’t working anyway, to one about Nile Jarvis (Matthew Rhys), a real estate mogul believed to have killed his wife years prior, and who is now Aggie’s neighbor in Oyster Bay, reignites her career spark. As she admits to Nile, she’s doing this for purely selfish reasons. And, in many ways, so is Nile, who seems desperate to rejuvenate his reputation after years of gossip and accusations.
The Beast in Me is part crime mystery and part character drama. As Aggie and Nile circle each other, inching closer and closer to who they are as people, the more intriguing and compelling the series becomes. There are thrills to be had, to be sure, but a big part of what makes the Netflix miniseries work is their central relationship and the ways in which it drives the narrative forward. From Nile’s perspective, he and Aggie are cut from the same cloth. He senses a bloodlust in her — especially in the way that she directs her anger at the man responsible for her son’s death. Aggie, meanwhile, oscillates between being drawn to Nile and being scared of what he may be capable of.
It almost becomes a twisted psychological game between them, each of whom is working to survive and with something to lose, though Aggie’s story is much more emotional and relatable in that sense. And yet, The Beast in Me toys with us in how we approach Nile; this is a millionaire whose own self-interests, as well as the interests of his family, is more important to him than anything. At one point or another, we’re torn between feeling somewhat bad for him — he didn’t really kill his wife, did he? — and being hesitant about the amount of goodwill being offered him.
The Beast In Me Thrills In Its Mystery & Psychological Suspense
The series skillfully examines the gray area that exists when sympathizing with someone like Nile Jarvis, who is intriguing to some extent but also wields his power in ways that are harmful. And while plenty is going on elsewhere, so that the narrative never grows stale in Aggie’s search for information about Nile, with the help of FBI Agent Brian Abbott (David Lyons), the series always circles back to the intriguing dynamic between Nile and Aggie, whose own tumult and spiral is dizzying before she springs back to life, even as she courts death.
The pacing is never bogged down by unnecessary story elements. A lot is happening, but it’s woven together so intricately that it’s not overwhelming. Creative camera work, from seeing two of Aggie thanks to a well-placed mirror angle as she works or searches through drawers to a split-screen-esque moment involving a door separating two characters, builds suspense. By the time we learn the full truth, the series has us questioning our own assumptions (and anything that might have changed over the course of the show) along with Aggie.
The complexities tackled by the show are made all the more exceptional thanks to the exquisitely crafted performances by Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys. Danes portrays Aggie as coming apart at the seams, her anger a driving force for all she does (and doesn’t) in her life. She’s a verbal spitfire, a nervous, emotional wreck, and curious despite any signs to the contrary. As she searches for proof that will validate her assumptions, Danes builds up Aggie’s assuredness, even as she begins questioning everything. We feel for her at every turn, even when we’re sure things won’t look up for her.
The complexities tackled by the show are made all the more exceptional thanks to the exquisitely crafted performances by Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys.
Rhys has the task of walking a tight rope, shifting between being a seemingly misunderstood man/“good” friend and a scary asshole with no feelings being wanting power and control. His face occasionally falls, giving us something more than frightening stoicism, and it’s these small, seemingly inconsequential moments that his character feels the most emotionally complex.
The supporting cast — from Brittany Snow as Nile’s second wife, Nina, to Hettienne Park as Brian’s supervisor Erika Breton — is excellent, breathing life into characters who each have personal connections to Nile that deepen the plot. When, at one point, a reveal proves predictable, the series balances it out by bringing all the players to the forefront. It makes for a finale that doesn’t stall, only gaining momentum at the right moments.
The Beast in Me is a series that underscores how a well-paced and tightly written story can keep us invested. The characters aren’t caricatures, but deeply explored people. Even Nile, who could have easily become one-note, has layers to him that color the morally gray area he dwells in. The mystery is never so overpowering that the writers neglect Aggie or Nile, while also giving the rest of the characters their own stories to work through, tying everything together nicely. It may be the mystery that draws us in but it’s the warped character dynamics that keeps us watching.
The Beast in Me is now streaming on Netflix.
- Release Date
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November 13, 2025
- Network
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Netflix
