An eagle-eyed Behind Her Eyes viewer recently spoke out about an issue he or she feels the Netflix miniseries doesn't satisfactorily explain. The alleged plot hole has to do with a major spoiler, so before we go down this rabbit hole of “is this a big deal or isn’t it?” please note if you haven’t wrapped on the miniseries this Netflix-oriented article isn’t for you. However, if you already got to the major twist ending of Behind Her Eyes, do dive in. I hear the water’s warm.
The Twist Before The Twist Ending In Netflix's Behind Her Eyes
So, as you by now know, the gist is that the Adele we meet in flashbacks through Behind Her Eyes is not the Adele we meet in present time. That Adele is actually Rob-in-Adele’s-body. As we see later in the series, the two spent some time cavorting around in out-of-body experiences, and then things went south. There’s a twist on top of that twist in the Netflix show’s final episode, but since that is not germane to this story, we don’t need to jump into the finale that much further.
Basically, however, this week one Netflix viewer questioned how the actress playing Adele through the series was playing up the Rob-as-Adele character. There are hints about what is going on, of course, as we see Rob hanging out in the shadows a lot in the flashbacks and Adele lurks in the present day. Regardless, Rob-as-Adele has a different demeanor than just Rob, as one Reddit user noticed:
In the flashbacks, Rob is shown to be this social funny guy that is always cracking jokes. David even grows fond of him quickly. If he is in Adele's body how come he acts like the antithesis of his actual personality? Other than Adele being able to cook very well, I feel like they didn’t bother to make them act similarly.
There’s a very noticeable difference between the kind-hearted, open and warm Adele that we meet following her family’s accident and the calculated and cold Adele we meet much later. In early episodes, this can be chalked up to a lack of love from her partner David and some hints there may be more nefarious things going on in their relationship.
Regardless, by the time the varying threads begin to tie together and we learn more about the astral projection Rob and Adele were engaging in, and by the time we learn Rob is in Adele, the differences still don’t add up. While Rob-in-Adele doesn’t behave as the Adele from the past did around David, Rob-as-Adele really isn’t all that Rob-like either. So what’s that about?
Well, some other fans do have some takes on this. One noted on the thread that Rob-as-Adele was trying to be Adele as he saw her: rich, privileged, and polished, with the perfect life and wardrobe. One user mentioned that probably “the more David grew out of love with Adele, the more insecure Rob became.” Another noted that while Rob couldn’t have dropped all his habits or tells, perhaps he’s simply trying to be as “unRoblike as possible” in Adele’s body, which would also make sense and fit into why Rob’s demeanor is so different as Adele. But there may be one more reason Rob acts so desperately when he plays Adele.
According to Eve Hewson, who got to both play Adele and Rob-as-Adele, what she tried to work into the performance was Rob’s feelings for Adele and what he realized Adele had with David. She told Vulture in a recent interview:
Adele was like his life raft, up until he saw what Adele and David had together. [He] so badly wanted that love that he couldn’t not take it. I think the interesting thing about Rob and Rob-Adele is that they are just longing for love. When Adele says to David, ‘I love you,’ she means it because Rob means it. Rob has been trying for the past ten years to just get a sliver of that love that he saw between Adele and David.
So, what may come off as a mistake upon first viewing may really have a discernible secondary meaning. However, if you want to talk wild theories and more, there are plenty of directions to potentially go in with Netflix's Behind Her Eyes.
Behind Her Eyes Has Inspired Some Incredible Theories
Beyond the twists, turns and possible plot holes, Behind Her Eyes has also inspired some truly incredible fan theories related to the way Louise and Adele’s story ends and what ultimately happens to Louise’s own spirit. If you haven’t read into those yet, let me just say: There’s a pigeon involved. You can do a deep dive down the rabbit hole with our full guide to the ending or see what else Netflix has coming up with our full schedule.
