'The Couple Next Door' Proves Why We Can't Have Nice Things

The Couple Next Door has been practicing the art of the slow burn for the first two episodes of the season. Thankfully, the plot finally started showing signs of life, turning things up to a simmer in the middle episode. Becka invited Pete and Evie to a fancy spa weekend away, and everyone involved absolutely realized the ulterior motives behind the trip. 

Pete worried that Becka and Danny were officially trying to corrupt him and his wife. Becka confirmed those suspicions, and Pete was pulled on board when Evie revealed that she wouldn't mind being corrupted. Danny just seemed happy to be there, even if he still had reservations about having sex with their friends. 

Of course, while the quartet tried to figure out their sexual dynamics, Alan's revenge against Becka for rejecting him finally deployed. Her entire world started to go up in smoke as Alan got even more brazen with his breaking and entering, just in time to be discovered by the last person he thought would be capable of dealing with him. That's going to be an awkward conversation in Episode 4, and worse, it seems we are truly heading to the dark side in the second half of the season. 

It took two massages, a sauna session, and a drunk game of 'Twenty Questions' for the couple swap to officially happen. Evie technically made the first move when she told Becka that she and Pete were open to switching things up with Becka and Danny. Pete hadn't necessarily agreed to this, but when Evie pushed, he didn't flat-out shut her down. 

Later that night, when all four of them were hanging out in the suite, Becka kicked things off by kissing Pete in front of Evie and Becka. Pete immediately looked to Evie for a reaction, but she was already looking at Danny like he was a prime steak dinner. So Pete continued, even though it was obvious his attention was still on Evie. The feeling was not mutual as Evie and Danny excused themselves to the bedroom. 

Here's where the red flags started popping out. The brief glimpses we've had at Danny and Becka's previous exploits had everyone in the same room, whether it was the couple from their vacation coming over as Pete watched from the window or the videos that Alan stole from the digital camera. Danny and Evie's going behind closed doors changed the playing field, and it was no longer a group activity—they were in one place doing one thing while Pete and Becka were in the common area doing another. 

Anyone who has been paying attention can guess what happened next. Pete couldn't go through with sleeping with Becka. They barely got to second base before he told her to stop. Meanwhile, Danny and Evie went all the way and even had a broken condom to show for it. Evie said it was okay because she was on the pill. Still, considering her previous fertility issues and the amount they were drinking before the sexy times commenced, it was very obvious she was going to end up pregnant. If Pete wasn't already feeling insecure, and he is rating himself at a negative 10 in this episode, a potentially pregnant Evie will send him over the edge. 

Danny also can't be adding more kids into the mix. As predicted, his ominous money drop-offs were child support payments for a deaf child he fathered and hasn't told Becka about. According to this episode, Danny has been absent from the kid's life for some time but is ready to step up and be a present dad. He just needs to tell Becka about him and has many reservations about doing that. His mistress alluded to them meeting under dubious circumstances, but we're still not exactly sure when they hooked up on his and Becka's relationship timeline. And maybe Becka was there? 

Evie may feel stoked about everything that happened in this episode, but Pete, Danny, and Becka will have some issues with this happening again. So we may have finally got the steamy scenes this show promised at the start, but the drama is already here, and it will only get messier. 

Speaking of messy, Alan screwed up in this episode. He deployed his website with the videos of Becka's exploits in the bedroom. Her yoga class numbers were down by half before she realized the website even existed. Her entire career as a fitness influencer was up in flames before the episode ended, and we have to wait until next week to see if she even suspects Alan of being the one to leak the videos. 

Destroying Becka's reputation within their conservative community was not enough for Alan. He broke into their house again when he realized she and Danny were out of town with Pete and Evie. Now, instead of snooping for more videos, he just watched the ones he already collected while masturbating in their bedroom. 

(Seriously, Alan? Get a grip, man.) 

Alan was so anxious to get in that house and live out his perverted fantasies that he completely dismissed his wife, Jean, who just had a chair lift installed in their home. Poor, sweet Jean thought this meant that she and Alan could rekindle the spark in their relationship. They could at least have a nice dinner and celebrate being able to sleep in the same bed. When Alan bailed on her planned celebration to "see a client," Jean finally took her first trip upstairs. She couldn't get into Alan's computer to see what he spends all his time on, but she did take a gander through his creeper telescope and got a bird's eye view of him jerking off in their hot neighbor's bedroom. 

Alan was so caught up in pleasuring himself that it took a good minute to see that the office light was on in his own house. He realized he'd been caught and immediately passed out in Becka and Danny's bedroom. The question now is whether he'll wake up before they get home and what he will say to Jean when he gets home. If Jean is smart, she will pretend she didn't see anything because the man is unstable, and who knows what he's capable of now that he's been caught? 

(Jean, you're in danger, girl; please act like it!) 

Everyone is in a precarious position, and this episode barely touched on Danny being held at gunpoint in the last episode. There's still a whole crime conspiracy that could take Danny and who knows who else down. So pour one out for The Couple Next Door, which could have given us the hottest polycule ever but instead has given us mess and stress. 

The Couple Next Door will release new episodes on Starz every Friday through February 21, 2025. Episodes are available to stream on the Starz app with a subscription. Season 2 has already been greenlit.