Sam Heughan & Jessica De Gouw Dig Into ‘The Couple Next Door’ Finale

If you’re a fan of getting nosey about other people’s suburban sins, both sexy and sordid, then The Couple Next Door certainly delivered on its promise. In just six episodes, viewers got to witness the undoing of two separate neighboring couples, Danny and Becka Whitwell, played by Sam Heughan (Outlander) and Jessica De Gouw (Vienna Blood), and Evie Greenwood and Pete Thomas, played by Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark) and Alfred Enoch (The Critic). 

By the penultimate episode, there’s no question that the actions of both couples became so self-destructive that death and/or prison were the reasonable outcomes for any of the characters in the finale. The season's final episode provided audiences with a full circle payoff to that crazy sequence that opened the series, which had both couples seemingly running for their lives into the woods. 

If you’re a big believer in karmic outcomes for bad behavior, The Couple Next Door meted out a mixed bag of resolution. It’s safe to say Evie’s psychotic finale behavior and her subsequent arrest means her marriage to Pete is over. However, there seems to still be some love between swingers Danny and Becka despite the mountain of lies they kept from one another. 

In the wake of all that madness, we circled up again with co-stars Jessica De Gouw and Sam Heughan to discuss what they consider their most cathartic finale scenes, the ambiguity of Evie’s last look and their thoughts on whether Danny and Becka’s marriage is kaput. 

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Telly Visions: In bringing this series in for a landing, what was particularly satisfying about this finale episode?

Sam Heughan: It’s quite a finale. All of us together, when the cameras weren’t rolling, we were having a great time. It was a lot of naughtiness and silliness. But on camera, such great actors. Alfie’s character goes on this incredible journey, and Eleanor is just off the charts. It was a joy to play. That whole finale is very dramatic.

TV: Was there a favorite scene where you feel your character finally got to express everything they were holding back? 

Heughan: It’s hard to pick one because there’s a great scene where I get to work with Jess where Danny and Becka are vulnerable, or certainly Danny is letting it all out there. With Becka, we don’t know what her decision is yet, but she’s taking it all on board. That scene for me was such a joy to play with Jess. It was incredible. 

TV: I have to mention Evie’s last look at Danny. That’s either a goosebumps, “I’m very worried” moment, or for others a sympathetic glimpse into how broken she is. How did you see it?

Heughan: We did discuss that scene and that moment, and there were some alternate versions of it. But I love it. I think it might just leave a little question mark.

TV: After the fade to black, do you think there’s hope for Danny and Becka as a couple?

Jessica De Gouw:  Yeah, I definitely think there's hope. I think for her, what we see at the end — which is very interesting — is that she's able to really hear Danny. She's able to listen. I think she's pretty articulate, generally, and she found herself in a place of complacency. Or, that she's feeling quite isolated so she's allowing things to sort of roll along. And then through this crisis and this cracking open, I think she really sees and hears Danny in a new way. 

I think the big learning journey for her is: Who is this man who's in front of her, and what is it that he really needs as well? If [they] can both accept each other and rewrite the terms of [their] relationship, I very much feel like there's hope for them. 

Heughan: Ultimately, I'm rooting for Danny and Becka. I think they will work through it. I think they've broken through whatever they were going through, and hopefully through their communication and honesty, they'll find a common ground again, which I think they're beginning to. 

The Couple Next Door Season 1 is available on the Starz app and all Starz streaming and on-demand platforms. Season 2 (with a new cast and story) has been greenlit.