Why Netflix's "Behind Her Eyes" Really Doesn't Need a Second Season (2024)

• Behind Her Eyes is a six-part Netflix series based on a novel of the same name by Sarah Pinborough.
• Simona Brown, who plays Louise, "couldn't believe" the ending.
• After that twist, will Behind Her Eyes be renewed for a second season? Here's why we don't think the series needs one.

Warning: Contains spoilers for Behind Her Eyes. Do yourself a favor and watch before reading this.

If you're here, it means that you've finished Netflix's Behind Her Eyes and can't take another moment not knowing what comes next. What is Louise (Simona Brown)—if we can call her that—plotting as she locks eyes with her son, Adam (Tyler Howitt)?

Unfortunately, we might have to rely on our imaginations: Behind Her Eyes will likely not be renewed for a second season. That uncomfortable gnawing sensation in your gut as you consider David (Tom Bateman) and Adam's (Tyler Howitt) future with not-Louise? That's the exact impression the show wants to leave in its final moments.

Billed as a limited series, Behind Her Eyes hews closely to Sarah Pinborough's novel of the same name from start to finish. Should the series be renewed, Behind Her Eyes will forge its own path, independent of the novel.

Here's what we predict about the future of Behind Her Eyes.

Here's why we probably won't be getting a second season of Behind Her Eyes.

The ending of Behind Her Eyes is utterly gasp-inducing. Bateman, who plays David, gave his reaction to the final twist in press notes from Netflix: "My words were, ‘What the f**k?’" Simona Brown, who played Louise, was similarly floored: "I was like, ‘Mum...this happened!’ I couldn’t believe it. I had to go back to the start and read it again, I was convinced there would be some plot holes but actually there weren’t."

Behind Her Eyes has a stunning ending, but we can't call it an open-ended one. Essentially, the series ends at the perfect moment. Even though we want more, we might not need more.

HBO's recent miniseries The Undoing is an apt comparison to Behind Her Eyes. Both shows are based on gripping novels and feature buzzy reveals in their finales. However, since they reach the same conclusion as the novels, there's no reason to keep going. The story has been told.

That said, though Behind Her Eyes was billed as a "limited series," there's always a chance it could be renewed. Ryan Murphy's Hollywood started as a miniseries and was extended, as was HBO's Big Little Lies.

Next season could look at the repercussions of that ending.

Right. The ending. We have to talk about it eventually, don't we? At last, we learn the truth about Adele's identity—and it's unsettling.

First, let's make sure we're all on board with the show's central thesis: Behind Her Eyes suggests that people's souls can leave their bodies through what's referred to as astral projections. All it takes is entering the s0-called "second door," which appears in dreams. That's how Adele is able to spy on her husband and Louise during their affair, for example.

Adele teaches this trick to her friend, Rob (Robert Aramayo), at a rehab center she goes to after she loses her parents in a fire. That was her first mistake. Eventually, Rob tricks Adele into "swapping souls" with him. Once his soul is in Adele's body (and has access to her wealth and boyfriend), he kills his body, and lives Adele's life.

You read that right: This entire time, Adele has been Rob. But Rob has been unable to keep David happy. Now, in order to keep David, Rob—as Adele—switches souls with Louise, and kills Adele's body. At the very end of the series, Rob is officially disguised as Louise. Cue the suspenseful music.

Obviously, a second season could delve into the repercussions of this soul-swap. How quickly would Rob-Louise's marriage to David deteriorate? Is Adele's son, Adam in danger? Actually, we know he's in danger—but will he be able to escape? If a second season were to follow the plot of the novel, we know that Rob plans to kill Adam. Most of all, how will we ever get over our heartbreak over the loss of Louise?

If Behind Her Eyes is renewed, there's no way of knowing when it'll premiere.

We can't speculate on a release date, as the show hasn't been renewed. For now, we can catch the Behind Her Eyes cast in other shows.

A few highlights? Hewson will appear in Starz's adaptation of the Booker Prize-winning novel The Luminaries. Bateman will be among Kenneth Branagh's star-studded Death on the Nile cast. And for more suspense, we'll watch Brown in the epic AMC show Little Drummer Girl.

The next season would probably feature a new cast.

The first season of Behind Her Eyes was an incredibly intimate production, with most action contained between three actors. That magic can't be replicated: Given the events of the finale, Hewson won't be in future seasons of Behind Her Eyes.

Our prediction? If Behind Her Eyes is renewed, it will take the form of an anthology series, with each season focusing on a different—but similarly propulsive—blend of the supernatural and thriller genres.

Or, perhaps Rob will take on a path similar to Joe Goldberg's, the notorious lead of the Netflix's You. After going on a murderous rampage in New York, Joe starts over in L.A. in You season 2. Where will Rob go next?

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