The new Netflix crime/whodunnit/drama series His & Hers premiered on January 8. That same evening, I watched all six episodes, each around 45 minutes long, back to back. The only breaks my TV-watching partner and I took were to exchange theories about who was really behind the crime.
Halfway through the series, we were convinced we had it all figured out. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The way this story develops is something we could never have predicted in a hundred years. I watched in a mix of admiration and shock as the plot eventually came together.
For a whodunnit, that kind of payoff is obviously crucial, and highly commendable. But… the journey toward that ending matters just as much. Was it just as well constructed?
This review is spoiler-free.
Just One More Episode…
Based on Alice Feeney’s 2020 novel, His & Hers opens the way many similar series do: a mutilated body is discovered. The victim is Rachel Hopkins. The small town of Dahlonega is thrown into turmoil, but few are affected as deeply as detective Jack Harper (Jon Bernthal) and journalist Anna Andrews (Tessa Thompson), both of whom take a special interest in the case. That interest is driven not only by professional motives, but by deeply personal ones as well.
Both Jack and Anna share a history with the victim, a past they would rather erase. And to make things even more interesting, they also share a history with each other. As the episodes progress, we gradually learn more about what happened in the past, constantly reframing the events unfolding in the present.
The “just one more episode” effect is strong in His & Hers. Be warned, though: this isn’t necessarily the result of flawless writing. The series definitely contains a number of plot holes, which may be disappointing for viewers who like every detail to hold up under close scrutiny.
That said, if you sit down simply looking to be entertained for a few hours, without overanalyzing whether every single detail is perfectly logical, you’re unlikely to be disappointed.
Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson Are a Major Asset
The brisk, constantly question-raising writing style isn’t the only reason the series is so easy to binge. The performances of the two leads, Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson, are strong and convincing.
I’ve previously seen Bernthal as Shane in The Walking Dead and as Mikey in The Bear. By now, I know him as the hot-headed, perpetually shouting man. His performance in His & Hers does absolutely nothing to break that pattern, and thankfully so: it’s exactly how I like to see him.
His character, Jack, carries a lot of baggage, including a painful past and a frustrating home situation in which he lives with his alcoholic sister and her young daughter, with most of the responsibility falling on his shoulders. That wouldn’t make anyone happy, and it more than justifies another now-typical Bernthal performance.
Opposite him is Thompson’s more calculated, but equally driven, portrayal. Anna has only just returned to her job as a journalist after a year away, following the loss of her young daughter. During her absence, her position was taken over by the sneaky Lexy Jones (Rebecca Rittenhouse). Rachel’s death gives Anna a chance to reclaim the spotlight, while simultaneously tearing open old wounds.
The mix of ambition and unresolved trauma is conveyed with great conviction by Thompson. Anna is a mysterious character I couldn’t fully grasp until the very end, which is exactly what the role called for.
On top of that, the chemistry between the two leads is strong, and every scene they shared was consistently engaging to watch.
Conclusion: Entertainment Over Airtight Logic
I just mentioned the backgrounds of both main characters. As you may have noticed, they are anything but sunshine and roses. His & Hers deals with heavy, often bleak themes such as trauma, loss and coping with it, Alzheimer’s, and alcoholism, just to name a few topics that don’t exactly lift the spirits.
Finding the right balance between realistically portraying the emotions that come with these themes and keeping the central mystery moving at a brisk pace clearly leans toward the latter. As a result, the emotional side can feel a bit underdeveloped at times. That’s a trade-off that boosts the show’s entertainment value, but slightly undermines its sense of realism.
To reach a higher level and make the characters feel more fully fleshed out, the series could have benefited from a few extra episodes. In the end, His & Hers is simply an enjoyable, easy-to-watch series, without quite earning a place among the absolute must-see shows that excel on every front.
