The Couple Next Door reveals fate of tragic characters in brief callback
What became of the major players from season 1?
Channel 4 thriller The Couple Next Door has turned its attention to a brand new collection of characters for season 2 – with the exception of Hugh Dennis's Alan, who is trying to be a better man after his previous bad behaviour, and Janine Duvitski's Gloria, who appears intermittently.
But at the beginning of the new instalment, we learn what became of Evie, played by Eleanor Tomlinson, following the dramatic season 1 finale.
She moved to the cul-de-sac with her husband Pete (Alfred Enoch), but soon found herself drawn to next door neighbour Danny (Sam Heughan), who enjoyed a sexually fluid marriage with his wife Becka (Jessica De Gouw), which was then opened up to Evie and Pete.
But after she enjoyed some one on one time with Danny, her feelings for him deepened, and continued to do so when she discovered that she was pregnant with his child.
The series then culminated with an explosive confrontation at a cabin in the woods, where Pete looked set to shoot Danny dead, before Evie managed to get hold of the gun and shot her husband after telling him that she no longer loved him.
She was then taken away in a police car, as Danny and Becka watched on and Pete was lifted into the back of an ambulance on a trolley, his life hanging in the balance.
But in the season 2 premiere, we learn that Pete managed to survive his ordeal, although his whereabouts are unknown, while Evie was sentenced to five years in prison for attempted murder, as detailed on the front page of Alan's newspaper.
As for Danny and Becka, it remains a mystery where they ended up or if they were able to put the whole sorry saga behind them and are still together.
Yet, life on the cul-de-sac remains as eventful as ever.
In the show's second season, surgeon and anaesthetist Charlotte (Annabel Scholey) and Jacob (Sam Palladio) appear happily married, that is until Mia (Aggy K Adams), a mysterious nurse from Norway, causes chaos, while Charlotte's ex-boyfriend Leo (Sendhil Ramamurthy), who she dumped for her now husband, also reenters her life.
"The first series was about two couples that collided with each other, a square, whereas this is more two love triangles with Charlotte and Jacob within those triangles, one with Mia and one with Leo," said writer David Allison of how the two instalments stand apart.
"So the dynamic is really different."
Read more:
- The Couple Next Door season 2 review: Sexy, sinister and completely bonkers
- The Couple Next Door season 2 writer reveals why he brought back creepy key character
The characters are also "a little bit older" this time, which impacts their decision-making.
"They're in their forties – it's about a mid-life crisis, and there's different things going on in those relationships as well [as a result of being at a later stage in their lives].
Allison went on to tease a "sexier, bigger and bolder" season, adding: "We’ve got this incredible crime story set in a hospital – it's really dark and twisted, and we've got this unbelievable new cast and you're going to love watching sparks fly between them."
The Couple Next Door season 2 airs on Channel 4.
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Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
