This article contains spoilers for Netflix’s Behind Her Eyes.
Much like the same-titled book it was based on, by author Sarah Pinborough, Netflix’s latest psychological thriller Behind Her Eyes has left the internet reeling—thanks, in part, to its #WTF ending that is sure to shock even the most seasoned of suspense watchers.
The series follows a single mother who enters a world of twisted mind games when she begins an affair with her psychiatrist boss, David, while secretly befriending his mysterious wife, Adele.
But how much of the series remained true to the book? Below we look at the biggest difference between the two, including one that has divided fans.
The Fate Of Marianne’s Cat, Charlie.
One of the most prominently missing details has to do with Marianne’s cat, Charlie. In the Netflix adaptation, Marianne (Eve Birthistle), a former acquaintance of David (Tom Bateman), returns to her flat where she lives alone, calls out to Charlie, to no response. She goes upstairs to discover her bedroom has been trashed with the world ‘slut’ written across the wall in dripping red letters, and the audiences first thought goes to Charlie. However, the cat soon appears and is scooped up by Marianne.
Fans of the novel will know that in the original source material, Charlie isn’t met with such a lucky fate. Adele, who is actually a man named Rob, first poison’s the cat’s food and then kills him in front of Marianne.
It’s not unsurprising the creators decided to leave this particularly gruesome detail out.
After Taking Over Louise’s Body, Rob Threatens The Life Of Her Son Adam.
There is another key—and very sinister—difference between the book and series. In the original novel, Rob—who has taken over Louise’s body—hints that he is going to kill her son, Adam, saying he’ll “have an accident.”
Adele’s Pregnancy And Another Fire.
Another plot detail missing from the Netflix adaptation is the fact that when Rob swaps bodies with Adele and kills her, she was actually pregnant. Soon after Rob kills Adele, Rob realises that the body he stole from her is pregnant, and does not want to give birth to the child and decides to terminate the pregnancy. In the novel, Rob later planned to become pregnant with David to have his own baby, but this never happens.
