‘A Couple of Lies’ Season 1 Review: A Holiday Swap That Nobody Should Have Booked
‘A Couple of Lies’ lands on Netflix today as a four episode Swedish psychological thriller, and its premise is the sort that makes you glance suspiciously at the smoke detector in your next rental. Originally titled ‘Bytet’, the series adapts Stefan Ahnhem’s novel and is directed by Kasper Barfoed, who previously made ‘The Nurse’ for the platform. Amanda Högberg and Axel Stjärne handle the writing.
Helene and Carl, played by Frida Gustavsson and Fares Fares, trade their home in the Stockholm archipelago for a sunny villa in Sicily. Scarlett and Adam, played by Emma Appleton and Jakob Oftebro, move into the Swedish house in return, and neither couple has ever met the other. Both pairs arrive hoping a change of scenery will mend marriages that are already wobbling, which gives the whole setup a bruised, nervy energy from the start.
The show is at its sharpest when it lets small domestic details curdle. Unwashed laundry, a dead rat, lipstick on a glass and cameras that seem to be watching more than they should all chip away at the fantasy of a perfect escape. The contrast between the cold, glassy Stockholm house and the warm Sicilian villa is beautifully used, and it makes every creak and thud feel like a threat.
Fares Fares is especially good at letting Carl’s irritation slide into genuine alarm, and the ensemble keeps you guessing about who is hiding what. The mix of Swedish and English dialogue takes a few minutes to settle into, but it fits the story of two couples from different worlds sharing the same lies. Appleton in particular gives Scarlett an unpredictable edge that keeps her scenes crackling.
The trouble is that none of these people are especially easy to like. When every character is a little bit rotten, it becomes harder to care who gets hurt, and the emotional stakes feel thinner than the plotting deserves. Seasoned thriller fans will also spot a few of the twists well before they arrive.
The second episode is the one that stumbles most, because it hands over too much information in a clumsy, heavy handed way. It deflates some of the mystery that the opening hour worked so hard to build. Thankfully the final two episodes recover with extra turns, and with episodes running between roughly thirty eight and forty eight minutes, the pace rarely drags.
This is not a thriller that shocks you every few minutes, but it keeps the question of who is lying hovering over every scene. It works best as a single weekend binge, where the momentum carries you past the weaker stretches. It is stylish, tense and a little frustrating, and I found myself pressing play on the next episode far more often than I expected.
My verdict is that ‘A Couple of Lies’ is a gripping if imperfect nightmare holiday, held together by a strong cast, a great setting and a ruthless running time, and I land on 7 out of 10.
Did the house swap in ‘A Couple of Lies’ keep you guessing or did you see the twists coming, and do you agree with my verdict in the comments?
