User Reviews

All hail Matthew Rhys. It is usually Claire Danes who steals the show, and she is still fantastic in this series, but Matthew Rhys is simply outstanding in this one. Oh, honorable mention for Jonathan Banks, of course. I will just add that I was surprised to find this gem amidst all the mediocrity Netflix churns out every year. An actual, real, true psychological thriller with almost no sappy moments. And only 8 episodes long. Do not miss it.

It's a solid 7. It's something to watch with thriller elements that end up a little too dull. It never really had me on the edge of my seat but I wasn't bored either.

There are miniseries that play at being a “solid thriller” and that’s it. This isn’t one of them. This one bites, and it does so from minute one with a strange, uneasy energy—like someone’s watching you from a window you didn’t know was there. I devoured it gladly because it doesn’t settle for intrigue: it drags you into a spiral of suspicion, obsession, and paranoia that’s hard to **** big hook is the duel. Claire Danes is at that point where she looks like she might break, yet she still controls every scene with her jaw clenched. And Matthew Rhys… my God. Here he’s unhinged, yes, but the worst (best) part is that he never plays it like a clown. He makes it genuinely dangerous: someone who can be charming for two seconds and, on the third, give you the creeps. That mix of charisma and threat is pure fuel for a story like this.What I liked most is how twisted it gets without constantly going for the cheap shot. There are twists, of course, and a few episodes leave you with that “okay, one more and I’ll stop” feeling (lie). At times you can tell it stretches certain turns a bit, like it wants to tighten the spring a little too much… but overall it worked for me, because the mood stays **** atmosphere does a lot of heavy lifting too: pretty houses that don’t feel safe, silences that last just long enough for you to imagine the worst, and staging that slowly locks you in with the characters. It’s a show of looks, details, tiny gestures that scream “something’s wrong here” even when nobody ****’s not a perfect miniseries, and it’s not trying to be. If you want something that reinvents the genre, this isn’t it. But if you want a highly bingeable psychological thriller, the kind that leaves you a bit tense and thinking about it afterward, there’s plenty here. And yes: Rhys is very, very, very messed up… and that’s exactly why it’s so much fun to watch.

First half of this series was as you would expect and is rather tough to get through but the second half while not breaking from predictability is saved by some really strong performances by the actors. They alone made this worth watching.

My husband and I love limited series shows. Episodes provide more character development and room to ponder motives. The one-season structure with no room for future seasons means that writers aren’t trying to come up with drama to prolong their sales so there is less likelihood of creative story telling that contravene character values, personalities or motives. Convenient drama-inducing situations versus character-driven actions that result in a believable journey. In case it’s not clear, we hate the former and love the latter. The Beast in Me manages to surprise me a bit: Is he, isn’t he? How much do people know? How could this possible end!? I like that their actions make sense. I like that I can feel the familiar Game of Thrones sentiment (first few seasons) “Okay, I did not see that coming, but it makes sense.“ The acting is superb. I initially found myself annoyed with Claire Dane’s portrayal of Aggie, the hesitation, the breathy self interruptions, the lack of confidence. But I then realized it’s not the portrayal I was annoyed with, but the character. Which means good acting. Like when I don’t like Joffrey. Equally annoying was how much I kind of hoped Matthew Rhy’s Nile was not a murderer, but had to lean into the unfolding of the story to know whether or not he really was. He was an annoying guy. And charming. And really really legit awful. Brittney Snow did a great job and brought the nuance of the character to life. The beginning was a slow build, which normally might have lost us. But the slow build was worth it. The flashbacks were carefully utilized and thoughtfully implemented. Love the appropriate music at the end of each episode. Nice touch. I normally don’t enjoy suspense, because my nervous system gets overwhelmed. But this was enjoyable, worth talking about, and smart. And we aren’t going to get **** into a subpar future episodes where writers are making up stuff to fit into a formula for yet another unneeded season.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Claire Danes plays a successful writer, who’s disturbed by her new neighbor (Matthew Rhys), a rich man who was suspected of killing his first wife. After several confrontations, she agrees to pen a book about him, hoping to set the record straight. Of course, her digging leads to revelations. In terms of plot and predictability, this is pretty standard fare. Danes creates a character who’s in continual distress (which gets a bit tiresome) and Rhys is effectively creepy. Thanks to the chemistry, their cat-and-mouse game is interesting, but the back-and-forth does get repetitive. Like so many of these thrillers, the situations veer into unrealistic and there’s one glaring misstep: Every time she interviews someone for the book (except the last), she never takes notes or records the conversations. That’s pretty standard procedure for a researcher. Overall, it’s a cerebral thriller that only really gets interesting in the final eps…if you can make it that long.

Décidément, toujours le même rôle stéréotypé pour Claire Danes qui mérite pourtant sensiblement mieux que ça… Le rôle de la névropathe paranoïaque bipolaire s’avère en effet très fatigant à suivre ici : une impression de déjà vu qui tourne en boucle et qui énerve également, car tous les clichés y passent aussi : son petit clébard idiot, ses factures à payer et bien entendu, le psychodrame familial qui va avec tout ça ! Et en face, ce n’est guère mieux… Le voisin est en effet gros comme une maison, je veux dire qu’il est écrit sur son front que c’est un mafieux… et/ou un tueur en série bien évidemment. Et un comploteur aussi, car il complote dans cette banlieue de bourges, il complote à fond pour faire chier l’écrivaine (la parano bipolaire) qui a -aussi- le syndrome de la page blanche… Nous, on a le syndrome de l’endormissement par contre : les paupières sont lourdes, l’attention est en baisse… on scrolle de la chiasse sur TikTok… non, quand même pas… « on est pas des animals » (réplique d’un film célèbre de Scorsese…). Bref, donc, on a arrêté rapidement les dégâts avec cette daube de chez Netflop (une de plus) parce que franchement on a autre chose à foutre, quand même (d’autres séries attendent).

Not a terrible waste of time for viewers, but those looking for something close to the Americans or Homeland might be disappointed. Things become clearer in episode 4 and the story gets more exciting until it becomes implausible. It’s also a it of a stretch for Matthew Rhys to play this role IMHO. He’s just too nice! Uncle Rick’s age is closer to Niles—who cares they’re both bald! it’s not likely there will be a season 2 thankfully.

Stopped watching the first episode; yes, it was that bad. Not worth my time to watch the season.

Nice surprise. An actual whodunit mini-series with an engaging plot and great acting. I breezed right through this in 2 days. Had some solid twists and redemption.

Fantastic cat and mouse thriller with twist and turns every episode. One of the best series of the Fall Season. Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys are in top form!

Un thriller psychologique haletant Claire Danes et Matthew Rhys sont brillants et portent une intrigue captivante qui explore les zones d'ombre de l'âme humaine. La dynamique complexe entre les deux personnages est rafraîchissante et la mise en scène est très efficace. Une série jouissive à ne pas manquer pour les amateurs de suspense !

LOVE THIS SERIES! Omg so intense. I binged the whole thing in one night. Literally could not turn it off. Claire Danes is incredible and Matthew Reese is TERRIFYING!!!

"The Beast in Me" is a cerebral thriller that underscores how a well-paced and tightly written story can keep us invested. It's a deeply appreciated bonus that it's genuinely suspenseful, surprising enough to overcome any murder show tropes that occasionally creep into the narrative, and, obviously, well acted, not only by Rhys and Danes.