The Beast in Me

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys

I fell in love with Danes in the 2007 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet opposite Leo DiCaprio. But it was her role as Carrie Mathison in Homeland that made me a devoted fan.

For Rhys, my introduction was the TV series Brothers and Sisters, where he played a gay lawyer, which won my fandom and his Emmy. But it was his incredible run as Philip Jennings, a Russian spy in The Americans, that made me his number one fan.

Danes and Rhys shine brightly in Netflix's limited series The Beast in Me (2025). But they can't escape the dark cloud that is the script by Gabe Rotter. The eight-episode limited series is a well-done psychological thriller, and you'll enjoy it. But there's nothing new and shiny here, except for Danes and Rhys.

And internet, let's lay off Danes' excessive crying. She did what she did in an attempt to add some depth to the script.

Three out of five stars.

Cast (Main)

Claire Danes

Mathew Rhys

Brittany Snow

Natalie Moralies

Cast (Recurring)

David Lyons

Time Guinee

Deirdre O'Connell

Bubba Weiler

Hettienne Park

Aleyse Shannon

Julie Ann Emery

Amir Arison

Jonathan Banks

Plot Summary (Spoilers)

Claire Danes plays Aggie Wiggs, an acclaimed author still reeling from the loss of her son, his death a result of a car accident while Wiggs was driving --- an accident caused by teenager Teddy Fenig (Bubba Weiler). This is a movie about rage and vengeance, and Wiggs has focused on Fenig as not only the cause of her son's death, but the resulting loss of her marriage to amateur artist Shelly (Natalie Morales).

Wiggs is writing from her home office; a home that she purchased with the Pulitzer Prize money awarded to her for her memoir, Sick Puppy. The house serves as a constant reminder and metaphor of the life Wiggs had created, but is now crumbling around her.

Matthew Rhys plays a wealthy land developer, Nile Jarvis, who moves next door to the Wiggs with his new wife Nina (Brittany Snow). Jarvis was the prime suspect in the disappearance of his first wife, and Aggie sees him as a new subject for her next book, and a cure to her writer's block.

This is a movie about obsessions, rage, secrets and vengeance. It asks us if these beasts live within us, and what would happen if they were let loose.