The Perfect Couple episode 5 recap: Merritt's final hours are revealed

Will Winbury smiles at a phone camera with Merritt Monaco in The Perfect Couple
Will and Merritt in The Perfect Couple. (Image credit: Netflix)

The Perfect Couple is a high-class mystery series on Netflix that follows Amelia Sacks, a bride marrying into one of Nantucket's wealthiest families. But when a dead body appears on the beach just before the big day, secrets are revealed and everyone is a suspect.

Here is everything that happened in The Perfect Couple episode 5... 

In the penultimate episode of The Perfect Couple, Amelia wakes up on a sofabed in her parents' room after that kiss with Shooter the night before. It seems news travels fast in Nantucket becasue when everyone comes down for breakfast they already know about the drama between Amelia and Benji. Amelia tells Greer that she will find a hotel, but Greer tells her to stay, and not only that but she wants her at her book launch later that day to put on a happy family facade. 

At the police station, Tag is waiting to be questioned by Dan and Nikki when he has a flashback to the start of the wedding rehearsal dinner and he is standing on the beach with Merritt, trying to make her laugh. He gives her a drink and they toast to the future, but she tells him she can't have the drink, and he guesses she is pregnant. Merritt is nervous about how he will take the news, but he is surprisingly pleased and she's relieved. The pair confesses their love for each other as cheering is heard from the party and Tag makes his excuses and heads back. 

Back in the present day, Tag is being questioned about Merritt's murder and he is adamant that he didn't kill her. He tells Dan and Nikki that the last time he saw Merritt alive she was in the tent with Tom and Isabel. 

Amelia goes to Merritt's room and finds Abby in there packing up Merritt's clothes. They talk about Merritt, how much Amelia loved her, and how close they were. Abby hints that she was jealous of the friendship, admitting her own friends are shallow. Abby also tells her that she is sad they won't be sisters-in-law now and that she will be Amelia's wing-woman at the book launch later that day. 

Dakota Fanning as Abby Winbury, Eve Hewson as Amelia Sacks in The Perfect Couple

Abby and Amelia at the book launch. (Image credit: Netflix)

Greer's book launch is a huge success, even though Tag is a no-show becasue he is still being questioned by the police. She tells her publisher that this is going to be the last Dash and Dolly book she is writing and will make the announcement today. 

At the oyster stand, Will is getting something to eat when Chloe, who is working at the event, comes over. He asks her if she wants to do something later and she awkwardly turns him down, telling him she is still grounded after the boating drama the other day. However, later she serves him a drink and writes a cute note on the napkin, leaving him thrilled. 

Amelia and Abby arrive at the book launch, and Amelia is nervous about being in the same room with both Benji and Shooter. Abby gets her wine to calm her nerves and tells her that she doesn't totally blame her for liking Shooter, especially becasue of all his money. We then discover that Shooter is even richer than the Winbury family and he never mentioned this to Amelia.

Tag is still at the police station being questioned, and Dan reveals that the drugs found in Merritt's system hadn't been there long before Amelia found her in the water. In a flashback we see Tag, Merritt and Isabel talking late into the night at the wedding rehearsal. As Tag goes to the beach to have a paddle in his boat, he offers Merritt his jacket. She comes to find him down by the shore where he is getting his boat ready, but she wants to talk. She asks him to be honest about their future and he says the baby is amazing but the timing isn't right for him. She asks if he wants her to get rid of the baby, and they end up in a fight where she goes into the water and he follows. 

Back in the present day, Tag suddenly thinks of a way to prove his innocence and tells the police that he lied about going to bed at 1.30am because he and Merritt had an argument at the beach and he didn't want them to use it against him. However, he can prove that he went to bed by 2.30am by using the data on his smartwatch app that tracks his sleep. 

Back at the book launch, things are going well and Greer is in her element putting on a happy front for her fans. Isabel corners Amelia and tells her that Greer doesn't hate her because she is beautiful, but she hates her because she is real. She then talks about how much she liked Merritt and in a flashback we see Merritt, dripping wet after the sea plunge with Tag, crying and upset. Isabel finds her on the beach and gives her a drink. they talk about Tag and Isabel tells her that he will never leave his wife and that you have to make the wife leave the relationship instead. As they say cheers and clink glasses, Isabel smashes her glass accidentally and she picks up pieces of cut glass from the sand - missing a lot of it. 

Ishaan Khattar as Shooter Dival in The Perfect Couple

Shooter tries to apologize to Benji.  (Image credit: Netflix)

Also at the book launch, Shooter goes to see Benji and tries to apologize, telling his friend it was only a kiss, but Benji is drunk and punches him in the stomach. Amelia sees and goes over to help, but Benji is worse for wear and she tries to get him out of the party before his mum sees. She takes him to the kitchen to get some water, but he drinks more and they end up having sex. 

Meanwhile, Greer is making a speech at her book launch and has the audience eating out of the palm of her hand. But Tag, who has been released by the police now they have his watch data, has arrived and is drinking everything in sight. But before Greer can worry about her drunk husband, she spots Broderick Graham in the audience, who is making his way toward the stage. Greer looks worried and asks for security to come and remove him, which he isn't happy about and everyone seems unsettled by the unwelcome visitor. 

But before anyone can think any more about the intruder, Tag takes to the stage, grabs the microphone from Greer, and starts making his own speech. At first, he is full of praise for Greer, but things soon turn uncomfortable as he starts making drunken revelations about their marriage, their sex life, and how they met. Unfortunately for Greer, the whole thing is being filmed. Tag then reveals that Greer tried to frame him for murder, by which point guests start leaving. But if that wasn't enough, Tag them breaks into song, turning the event into a karaoke party with Greer trying to grab the microphone back - just as he falls off the stage and flat on his face. 

Liev Schreiber as Tag Winbury, Nicole Kidman as Greer Winbury in The Perfect Couple

Tag gets drunk and embarrasses himself, and Greer. (Image credit: Netflix)

At the police station, Tag's watch alibi is watertight, letting him off the hook. But what the police do work out is that the watch can monitor if someone else is in the bed with the person wearing it, and there is an hour and a half the night Merritt died when Tag was alone. 

Back at Summerland Amelia and Shooter talk on the beach at night and she grills him about not telling her how much money he had. He genuinely can't understand why it is an issue and is shocked when she admits she had sex with Benji at the party. Upset, Shooter is quiet while Amelia tells him that she is glad that he knows that she is just as messed up as the rest of the family before they hurt anyone else, and walks off. 

Michael Beach as Dan Carter, Nicole Kidman as Greer Winbury in The Perfect Couple

Did Greer hire a hitman?  (Image credit: Netflix)

At the bar in town, Dan arrives at his usual seat and is surprised to see Greer there, nursing a whiskey after her disastrous book launch. But while they are talking, back at the station Nikki and Carl are looking into the watch data and realize that while Greer wasn't in bed with Tag, she made a call from her office landline to the local motel and talked to Broderick Graham. A background check reveals that Broderick is a shady character and that Shooter wired him $300,000 on the day of Merrit's death. Convinced that Shooter and Greer paid Broderick to kill Merritt, they call Dan, telling him everything they know. But as Dan is on the phone, Greer sneaks out of the bar before he can stop her.

Greer then has her own flashback to the night before the wedding and she is watching Merritt on the beach from the house. Merritt cuts her foot on the glass dropped by Isabel and turns around as someone approaches behind her in the dark. Was it Greer? Did she kill Merrit, or someone else?

All episodes of The perfect Couple are available to stream worldwide on Netflix now. 

Claire Crick
Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch

Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia. 

After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off

She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz! 

As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book.