A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Is Surprising Fans in One Unexpected Way

Warning: Spoilers for A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

Netflix’s latest crime thriller, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, is based on the young adult novel of the same name by Holly Jackson and covers some heavy topics. The series follows Pip Fitz-Amobi (Emma Myers) as she utilizes her EPQ to solve the Andie Bell (India Lillie Davies) case that rocked her quiet English town five years prior. Following Andie’s disappearance, Sal Singh (Rahul Pattni), Andie’s boyfriend, seemingly confessed to her murder via text message before purposefully overdosing in the woods. After his body was found, the case was ostensibly solved, and the police never pursued other possibilities despite the fact that Andie’s body was never found. Since then, Pip has never fully believed the official story for reasons she can’t thoroughly explain. Therein lies the inspiration for her EPQ.

As Pip begins her investigation, it becomes abundantly clear her sleepy town holds more secrets than she previously thought. The more she uncovers, the more she realizes the Andie Bell case isn’t as cut and dry as she hoped. Furthermore, those associated with the case wind up shocking her in ways she wasn’t prepared for. When she discovers other dreadful incidents connected with Andie’s disappearance, she learns just how morally gray people can be when confronted with difficult decisions. Such circumstances lead Pip to wonder about her own moral compass and force the young sleuth to confront the depths of her capabilities. As such, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will undoubtedly make viewers question their own morality.

Andie and Sal’s Killers Aren’t Inherently Bad People

Despite what Pip might have initially thought, two people were responsible for Andie and Sal’s deaths, and neither of them were inherently bad people who set out to do heinous things. In fact, one of them was a person she fully trusted, particularly her teacher and best friend’s father, Elliot Ward (Mathew Baynton). While he definitely did a terrible thing, the circumstances of his situation prompted him to make rash decisions he later regretted.

In the midst of his grief over his late wife, Elliot began a relationship with Andie but eventually ended his illegal affair. However, when she threatened to expose their relationship unless he gave her money, she became physical with Elliot, who responded in kind, causing her to hit her head on his kitchen counter. She fled his home before he could properly assess her injury, but Elliot always believed he caused her death, seeing as she disappeared that same night.

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Elliot grew worried he would be blamed for what became of her, which led him to act impulsively and kill Sal, making it look like a guilt-ridden suicide. Before such transgressions, Elliot was a loving father and caring teacher. He genuinely cared for his daughters and Pip. He might have killed Sal, but in his mind, he did it to protect his family because he was afraid that if Andie’s body was discovered, it would lead straight back to him. However, following her injury at Elliot’s house, Andie’s sister, Becca (Carla Woodcock), dealt the final blow before disposing of her body.

When Andie returned home, she confessed to Becca she planned on leaving town the next day because of their strict father. Feeling abandoned by her older sister and angry that Andie sold Max Hastings (Henry Ashton) the drugs he used to rape her, Becca lashed out and pushed Andie against the wall. When she fell to the floor and began vomiting, Becca looked on in horror and did nothing as Andie died. Believing she was the reason for Andie’s death, Becca hid her body where no one would find it and remained silent about it for five years.

Despite their actions, it’s easy for viewers to see how Elliot and Becca’s choices ultimately led to their drastic actions. By having such regular, seemingly kind characters behave so odiously, the series prompts viewers to question their own morality. These weren’t inherently bad people who sought to inflict harm on others. Instead, they make terrible decisions in the heat of the moment, which anyone might do under the same circumstances.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Displays How People Are Capable of Anything

As the series unfolds, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder demonstrates how people are capable of anything, no matter what their nature might suggest. Even those throughout the show who are considered “good” behave in questionable ways that result in some serious repercussions for others. Aside from Elliot and Becca, Naomi’s (Yasmin Al-Khudhairi) choices also cut deep for the people around her.

Although a friend of Sal’s, she lies to the police about his whereabouts on the night of Andie’s disappearance, even though he was with her and their other friends most of the night. Just months before Andie’s disappearance, she had fled the scene of a hit-and-run on New Year’s Day after a drunken Max swore her to secrecy. The incident ultimately comes back to haunt them when they’re blackmailed to lie about Sal’s alibi, a scheme unknowingly perpetrated by Elliot to further implicate Sal.

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Under the right circumstances, anyone can succumb to the pressures of self-preservation and act in ways they never would have thought themselves capable of. When everything is finally revealed, and the truth comes out, even Pip can’t say for sure she would never make the same choices as Naomi, Elliot, or Becca.

The entire series highlights how human morality exists on a spectrum in a world of gray. Nothing is black and white. When people feel backed into a corner and their livelihood is threatened, they’re capable of anything. By the end of the series, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder has viewers questioning their moral compass. All episodes of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder are currently streaming on Netflix.