The Perfect Lie Ending Explained: Directed by Dana Nechushtan and Margien Rogaar and created by Dorien Goertzen, De Eetclub stars Loes Haverkort as Karen, alongside Remko Vrijdag as Ivo, Noortje Herlaar as Babette, Edwin Jonker as Evert, Rifka Lodeizen as Hanneke, Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen as Simon, Charlie-Chan Dagelet as Patricia and Teun Luijkx as Michel. The Dutch Netflix thriller is based on Saskia Noort’s book and runs for seven episodes, with each episode lasting around 50 to 60 minutes.
The Perfect Lie Ending Explained
Were Simon and Patricia Caught for Their Crimes?
Indeed, Simon and Patricia get arrested as the investigation is beginning to reveal the truth behind the death of Evert and the organisation. Karen finally chooses to inform the police about her affair with Simon, as well as about Simon’s involvement in the illegal operation involving anabolic steroids at the gym. In this case, the investigators have yet another excuse to examine more thoroughly Simon and his business relationship with Evert more thoroughly. Simon had been distributing steroids via the gym, with Wolf participating in the operation, whereas Patricia had known about the criminal actions of her father.
Also, their arrest is linked to the case of Hanneke’s fall. It is Patricia who provided Hanneke with the apartment where Hanneke would later be found hurt. Patricia provided some information to the police in order to help Simon. Still, at the end of the series, Simon and Patricia do not appear to be punished severely for all the crimes they have committed. Simon and Patricia can stay at home during the investigation of the case, which means that there is still much to decide about their legal status. Simon is to be charged with money laundering and seems unlikely to face severe punishment due to the influence Patricia’s father wields.
What Was Ivo’s Secret?
The most significant secret of Ivo is that he is a homosexual, which he has kept to himself out of fear of what consequences it might bring into his own life and marriage. His secret assumes its significance as Evert has shared it with him, explaining the difficulties he was experiencing in his marriage to Babette. In particular, Evert had presented Ivo with some video footage that exposed how Babette controlled him and tried to alienate him from everyone else.
The reason why Ivo was silent is that Babette found out about his secret and exploited it to make him stay silent. He said that he would report Ivo’s homosexuality if he said anything about what he knows. Scared of what might happen if the truth came out, Ivo kept silent. This is also part of Ivo’s biggest regret when it comes to Evert’s murder. Evert had come to him for help just before the fire took place, but Ivo did not let him in. But in the end, Ivo decides that he cannot keep silent any longer. He tells the police the truth about what Evert told him, especially the tapes and Babette’s trickery.
Did Evert Really Kill Himself?
No. From the very beginning of the case, it is shown that Evert was the one who caused the fire to break out. This can be understood from the way he contacted Babette by phone, his poor relations in his marriage, and the fact that the fire was deliberately planned. Even his friends start thinking that it was Evert who set the fire intentionally. But the ending of The Perfect Lie proves this assumption wrong. It turns out that Evert only wanted to distance himself from Babette because of her abusive behaviour towards him.
The reason Babette had sedated the entire family before setting the fire was to ensure that everyone would perish. She wanted to keep the family complete in death since she found out that Evert was actually planning to leave her. Their son, Luuk, had not taken the drug-laced drink, and thus he woke up when the fire started.
As a result, Babette had to save her children. On the other hand, Evert was sleeping in the burning building, and he ended up dying. Before that, Evert had secretly recorded his voice on another phone on the advice of his lawyer to record whatever was going on in his marriage. The recording turns out to be proof that he did not set the fire, but Babette did.
What Happened to Babette in the End of The Perfect Lie?
Eventually, Babette is discovered to be the one who set fire to the house that resulted in the death of Evert. The reason for her doing so is that she could not accept the fact that her marriage was crumbling. Even though Babette portrays herself as the victim of Evert’s drinking and violence, the fact remains that their marriage is highly dysfunctional and problematic from both sides. Evert had left Babette because she caught him with a tape recorder when he was in a drunken rage, and now he was taking necessary measures to legally distance himself from her during their divorce process.
After drugging the family members, she burnt down the entire house, hoping that all three would die in the fire. However, her intentions were foiled since one of the children woke up and forced her to save the children from the fire. In addition, Karen uncovers the recording made by Evert and thus begins to know the truth. Babette soon discovers that she is going to expose her secret and attacks her to ensure that she does not reveal anything. Fortunately for the police, Ivo visits them and informs them of everything Babette had told him about Evert. At the end of The Perfect Lie, the police rush to Karen’s home to arrest her before she kills Karen.
Who Pushed Hanneke?
Who pushed Hanneke remains unknown until the conclusion of the series. Hanneke is found badly wounded and seems to have fallen from the balcony of Patricia’s apartment, where it has been established that there was someone inside the apartment and Hanneke had been in some sort of conflict before the fall. There are many motives for which each of them, such as Karen, Simon, and Patricia, could be suspected due to the secrets surrounding them. Even Karen suspects Patricia and informs the police of her affair with Simon.
The conclusion leaves the suspense intact. A person in a black hoodie is seen observing Karen and Simon together on the beach on the night that Hanneke gets hurt, and then the mysterious individual enters Hanneke’s hospital room with a balloon when Hanneke comes out of her coma. One person this might be is Patricia, due to the fact that she had motives to be mad at Hanneke, and she had also been lying about Simon before. Another candidate is Wolf, Hanneke’s son, who has started working for Simon with drugs and may have been compelled by his mother to kill her.
Were Karen and Michel Able to Resolve Their Problems?
The love affair between Karen and Michel ends up in an uncertain situation instead of being clearly resolved. Their marriage had already faced much tension before the fire incident. On the one hand, Karen had to cope with the investigation of the complaints filed against her at her place of work. Michel, on the other hand, was responsible for the financial aspect of the family and had become more and more dissatisfied with the whole situation. The tension becomes greater as the pressures mount.
The problem is only compounded once Karen starts cheating on Michel with Simon. It seems that Michel was not fully aware of what had taken place between the two up until near the end of the novel. Yet at the same time, Michel has become increasingly entangled in Simon’s finances, despite his resisting his early temptation to become involved with any shady dealings. By the time the police become involved in the case, Karen is made to come clean about her affair with Simon, which has been part of the secret that she has been keeping. Nevertheless, there is no clear indication given in the additional ending information as to whether Karen and Michel reconcile or not.
Will There Be The Perfect Lie Season 2?
There is a huge potential for season 2 of The Perfect Lie to continue the story; nevertheless, the plot is not giving any solid clues to confirm such a continuation of the series. The main mystery regarding the death of Evert is explained: we know now who was the one to burn the house, Babette. But the mystery regarding Hanneke’s fall is totally unsolved – we have no idea who the mysterious person in the black hoodie was.
There are also several unresolved issues relating to Patricia, Simon, and Wolf. Both Simon and Patricia are arrested; however, they do not receive any severe consequences by the end, and Patricia’s influential father might be able to protect them from serious reprimand. Additionally, there remains a possibility that Hanneke’s fall has something to do with Wolf. Taking into account all these issues, it is obvious that the ending is made intentionally so that it opens the door for the second season. However, according to the reference material, it would be better to say that the series prepares for Season 2.
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