What happens when a murder mystery turns into a test of patience—one that many viewers seem happy to fail? “His & Hers,” Netflix’s January thriller, promised much and delivered, well, more frustration than suspense, according to a swath of critics and rage-quitters. If you’ve been eyeing this title for your next binge, you might want to keep one hand on the remote.
The High Hopes: A Promising Setup
January barely kicked off, and already The A.V. Club is groaning about Netflix offering a “very serious candidate for the most annoying series of the year.” Paste Magazine, never one to mince words, dubs it “frustrating.” Time magazine simply calls “His & Hers,” which went online on January 8, “too grim to be enjoyable, too absurd to be taken seriously.” So how did we get here?
“His & Hers” draws inspiration from the eponymous novel by British author Alice Feeney (published in French as Elle et moi). William Oldroyd, a fellow Brit, adapted the story for the screen and transposed the action from Sussex’s Blackdown to Dahlonega, a small town on the outskirts of Atlanta. So far, so good. A change of scenery, a splash of American intrigue—what could go wrong?
Murder, Mayhem… and Missed Opportunity
Episode one sets the stage: Rachel Hopkins (Jamie Tisdale), the wife of a local businessman, is found murdered. Enter Anna Andrews (Tessa Thompson), an Atlanta TV presenter, volunteering to cover the investigation right back in her hometown. She’s not alone. Detective Jack Harper (Jon Bernthal), also from Dahlonega, leads the charge in tracking the killer. Sparks could, and perhaps should, fly.
The Wrap points out that Anna and Jack’s past intimacy raises intriguing possibilities, reminiscent of Doug Liman’s 2005 film “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” The potential for seductive, back-and-forth banter between two flawed professionals seems ripe. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie famously played bickering, competitive assassins—could Anna and Jack be headed for similar chemistry?
Alas, the sizzle fizzles almost instantly. Their fractured relationship—shattered by the death of their baby a year earlier—casts a pall over what could have been a lively thriller. After dark parental tales like “A Wild Nature” and “The Beast in Me,” “His & Hers” dives straight into the grimmest of waters: parents consumed by grief and darkness. Suddenly, the shadows in their small town seem less mysterious and more suffocating.
Lost in Dahlonega: Atmosphere and Ethics Gone Missing
At this point, you’d be forgiven for expecting a gritty dissection of forgotten America. Shades of “Mare of Easttown” or “Task” loom, with a focus on the complexities of small-town life—though, as The Wall Street Journal notes, some Dahlonega residents definitely have money, not just skeletons in their closets.
But The A.V. Club insists something is amiss. The series, they argue, fails to give Dahlonega any distinct personality: “the absence of atmosphere deprives the characters of any real anchor.” To add salt to the wound, the ethical conundrums are swept aside. Anna’s decision to investigate a case involving her current (or former) partner, or her and Jack’s too-close connections with the victim, get zero critical examination. Ethical dilemma? What ethical dilemma?
- Setting lacks distinct character
- Ethical concerns never addressed
- Scattered social topics tackled without depth
Shock Over Substance: The Last Straw?
As the plot unfolds, narrative inconsistencies sabotage any high-minded ambitions. The A.V. Club tallies a list of weighted social issues the series “burns to contribute to”: the long-term effects of bullying, sexual assault, peer pressure, social inequality. But with no anchoring or coherence, viewers are left with a mishmash of sound and fury, signifying…what, exactly?
According to The Wrap, the show’s root problem is its preference for shocks over actual world-building or consistent character arcs. Not even the energy and emotional commitment of Tessa Thompson can redeem those gaping holes—nor can the final twist. Paste Magazine dismisses the ending as “purely exasperating,” drawing a spoiler-avoiding veil over the details.
So, here’s the takeaway: if you delight in being tested by television, “His & Hers” offers frustration and disbelief in generous doses, complete with the newly-minted honor of being one of the year’s first rage-quit sensations. If not, maybe pick up Alice Feeney’s original novel—or invest those hours somewhere a bit less exasperating.
