A Couple of Lies Review
Director: Kasper Barfoed
Date Created: 2026-10-30 20:05
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A Couple of Lies Review: Directed by Kasper Barfoed and based on the novel by Stefan Ahnhem, Netflix’s Swedish thriller series Bytet stars Fares Fares as Carl Wester, Frida Gustavsson as Helene Wester, Jakob Oftebro as Adam Harris, Magnus Krepper as Ragnar Severin, Diarmuid Noyes as Tom Harris, and Anna Bjelkerud as Silvia Regner, alongside others. The series consists of four episodes with runtimes of approximately 30 to 45 minutes.
A Couple of Lies Review
Netflix’s A Couple of Lies revolves around two couples: Carl and Helene Wester, a Swedish couple expecting their first child, and Adam and Scarlett Harris, who reside in an impressive glass house on the seafront of Stockholm. Although the Wester family moves to the villa of the Harris couple in Sicily, the Harris couple moves into their own house.
At first, everything looks fine and clear, but some unusual things start to occur in both families. It is not long before Carl begins having memory gaps, Scarlett starts being suspicious about Adam’s actions, and the body of the murdered person in the villa brings all these regular house swaps under suspicion. And soon enough, the past of the families starts emerging, and it gets hard to tell the truth from lies.
I was surprised by how the Netflix series A Couple of Lies used such a common thing as house swapping to gather people who have way more ties than they let on. It features a murder mystery, but what really intrigued me was the way the characters hide secrets from each other while acting like there are no problems in their relationships. The concept of the movie was appealing to me in general, especially since it does not right away tell you how connected the two couples are. But despite having enough plot elements to sustain the storyline, I thought it could have been done a bit more credibly.
Among all the characters, Carl is one of the most intriguing ones due to the fact that the memory issues make him an easy target for suspicion. He really does not remember some of the occurrences, such as the one with the last visit to the villa. The sight of him trying to figure out what is going on around him makes for a rather awkward environment. In addition, his situation gets even worse once the police begin looking into the case of Tom’s disappearance, and he finds it difficult to prove himself innocent. What intrigued me the most about Carl was the way his professional aspirations kept getting in the way of his marriage.
But Helene is where the story becomes much more intriguing. In the beginning, it looks like she just wants her husband not to think about his work anymore but to pay attention to his family. But from the very beginning, there is something dubious in her behaviour. Her attitude towards Carl’s problems with memory, her actions while talking with the police and sudden concern with some details of the crime make you suspect her. And after learning that she has something in common with Adam, everything gets a new perspective. I liked how, step by step, the series managed to change our perception of her character.
The next person was Adam. Initially, his relationship with Scarlett seems affectionate; however, the increasing secrecy of Adam suggests that there is some issue going on between them. Adam is an aspiring artist looking for a breakthrough, and Scarlett’s financial position provides him with chances which may not have been possible in any other situation.
Flashbacks explaining the complex relationship Adam shared with Tom are crucial in adding depth to Adam’s character. Tom has a habit of insulting Adam all the time, questioning his motives and making it very clear that Adam does not deserve Scarlett. But from the reactions of Adam in such scenarios, it becomes evident as to how much the factors of ambition and hatred play a role in his decisions.
Scarlett was possibly the character whom I felt most sympathy for. She was a person who wanted to leave all the issues that were caused by her brother, Tom. In addition, she was trying to enjoy her life and help Adam achieve his dreams as an artist. However, she gradually starts realising that there are things that do not seem right. There are Adam’s mysterious relationship with Sofia, Adam’s strange behaviour and some other things. The problem with Scarlett is that she has already trusted several people who turned out to be lying. I also liked how Scarlett’s point of view started becoming more valuable over time as it became clear to the audience that she was in danger.
Performances are the glue that holds this intricate web of relationships together in this Netflix Swedish series A Couple of Lies. Fares Fares has just enough confusion and frustration in his performance as Carl, and Jakob Oftebro portrays Adam in an intriguing way. Gustavsson performs especially well in scenes when Helene’s facial expressions convey more than her words do. Scarlett’s character arc adds some memorable elements to the show. I wish some of the minor characters had more development, especially Ragnar and Silvia, but they add to the overall mystery.
The major problem with the Swedish series A Couple of Lies for me is that the plot twists are often too convenient rather than actually surprising. The series features many suspicious events, memory lapses, hidden phones, misleading evidence, complex relationships, and other things; however, not all of them get equal coverage in the series. At times, I wished that the characters would act more naturally without trying to make actions just for the sake of moving the story ahead. Additionally, the series reveals many things very quickly, which is why many consequences do not get enough exploration.
Netflix A Couple of Lies Review: Summing Up
Overall, the 2026 A Couple of Lies series can be considered an entertaining and captivating Swedish thriller with a good plot and many secrets that will surprise viewers through its four episodes. I liked the idea of house swapping that brings together two totally different marriages, and some twists really helped to change my perception of the characters. Nevertheless, some inconsistencies in the plot, together with the somewhat predictable story, make it hard for me to invest completely.
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