'The Beast in Me' Review: We Should All Be Terrified of Matthew Rhys in His Addictive New Netflix Mystery Series
You know that feeling when you want to shout at the screen, "Trust your gut!" That's this show. Claire Danes (movies and tv series) Aggie Wiggs is grieving, stubborn, and dead-set on writing her way out of a life that's quietly falling apart. Then the neighbor from your worst nightmares moves in: Nile Jarvis, a glossy real estate prince everyone suspects of killing his wife - even if the law couldn't make it stick.
Here's the hook: Aggie decides to write Nile's story. And the closer she gets, the murkier the truth feels. You won't always like where she goes. You also won't look away.
Danes and Rhys are electric - and unsettling
Danes plays Aggie with the same raw steel we saw in characters like Mare Sheehan - not the same story, but that same bulldog focus. She's broke, blocked, and freshly divorced from her ex-wife, Shelley (Natalie Morales (movies and tv series)). She's also still carrying the heavy, daily weight of losing her son. So when Nile suddenly moves in next door, she finds a spark she hasn't felt in years and pushes him to finally talk.
Aggie's power is simple: she doesn't scare. She asks blunt questions, refuses to be charmed by money, and keeps a steady gaze on a man people whisper about at dinner. Little by little, he opens up. Or at least, he performs openness. That's the tension the show nails.
Matthew Rhys turns charm into a threat
Rhys' Nile is polished, cruel, and weirdly magnetic - the kind of guy who never hears "no" and makes you feel small without raising his voice. He's the rich neighbor you'd smile at from the sidewalk but wouldn't let near your kitchen. And then there's the food scene. Watching him tear into a rotisserie chicken with his hands is as stomach-turning as it sounds. You can't explain why it's so creepy. You just feel it.
Rhys deserves a lot of credit here. The menace is quiet, not cartoonish. One stare across a lunch table carries more danger than any tantrum. Even if Nile didn't kill anyone, there's something off about him - and the show never lets you get comfortable with that.
Matthew Rhys (movies and tv series) as Nile outside a stone building looking perplexed in The Beast (movies and tv series) in The Beast in Me
Gothic bones, modern bite
The series leans hard into a Gothic mood: looming houses, silences that stretch too long, a low thrum of dread that lives in the walls. It isn't jump scares; it's the slow pressure of not knowing. Every time Aggie thinks she's found a truth, the floor shifts. Another door appears. Another shadow moves in the corner.
The setting does a lot of the storytelling. Aggie's home feels unfinished and heavy with absence. Nile's world is sleek, curated, and a little soulless. Put them side by side and the show starts to hum.
Power, legacy, and a family that eats its young
Once Nile's father, Martin (Jonathan Banks (movies and tv series)), steps in, the temperature drops. He's a blizzard in a suit - a titan who remarried late, started a second family, and still expects Nile to carry the dynasty on his back. Their scenes pull back the curtain on how this man was made, not just how he behaves now.
Think boardroom warfare mixed with old grudges. It's blunt-force parenting. And it's the only time Nile's perfect surface shows cracks.
Is the mystery shocking? Not exactly. Is the ride? Absolutely.
The show doesn't hinge on a wild final twist. What happened to Madison isn't meant to blow your mind. The grip (movies and tv series) comes from the investigation itself - and who it turns Aggie into. There's also Brian Abbott (movies and tv series) (David Lyons (movies and tv series)), a messy late-night warning in the form of a drunk FBI agent who tells Aggie to be careful. At first, he's easy to dismiss. Then he isn't.
As Aggie embeds deeper in Nile's life, Brian digs in from the outside. Two tracks, one target. The third act brings a discovery that spikes the pulse and pulls us toward a finale that answers the big questions - about Madison, yes, but also about Aggie's grief and the cost of getting the truth on the record.
Why it sticks
Look, a rich, possibly sociopathic mogul is familiar TV territory. What makes this one land is how personal it feels. Aggie isn't chasing headlines; she's clawing her way back to a life that makes sense. Nile isn't a mustache-twirling villain; he's a wolf who learned to smile for the camera.
And the show understands that the scariest thing isn't a body in a lake. It's the feeling that the person across from you at lunch is performing humanity - and you can't prove it.
Standout performances, lived-in details
Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys make every scene count. Their conversations feel like chess, except the pieces are secrets, and the clock (movies and tv series) is Aggie's deadline. Brittany Snow (movies and tv series), as Nile's new wife Nina, adds a sharp note - part fangirl, part question mark. Morales gives Shelley a grounded ache that keeps Aggie tethered to real life.
If you cover TV for a living, this is the kind of series that hooks your audience fast: clean premise, gutsy leads, strong atmosphere, and enough reveals to keep weekend binges humming.
The bottom line
Rating: 8/10. The Beast in Me is a tense, atmospheric mystery anchored by two stars who know exactly how to get under your skin. It's less about "whodunit" and more about what power - money, legacy, charisma - lets people get away with.
It's streaming now on Netflix in the U.S. Maybe don't watch it while eating dinner.
Pros and cons
- Pro: Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys are magnetic together; every scene has teeth.
- Pro: A rich Gothic tone lifts it above a standard crime thriller.
- Pro: Plenty of turns to keep mystery fans alert without cheap tricks.
- Con: Madison's past could've used more depth beyond flashbacks.
Credits and context
Created by Gabe Rotter. Starring Claire Danes as Aggie Wiggs and Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis, with Natalie Morales, Brittany Snow, Jonathan Banks, and David Lyons rounding out a sharp supporting cast.
If you want a quick refresher on the leads, here are concise bios for Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys.
