(Credit: Netflix)

Next-door neighbours can either become found families or end up as sworn enemies. There’s no in between. But for Agatha “Aggie” Wiggs, the decision isn’t so black and white since that neighbour, Nile Jarvis, was once a prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance in The Beast in Me on Netflix.

Aggie already has a lot on her plate when we first meet her in the Netflix thriller series. Having lost her eight-year-old son four years ago, she has completely receded from her public life, grappling with a never-ending writer’s block despite being one of the most acclaimed authors known.

Coming to her confrontations with Nile, it’s safe to say that Aggie is definitely horrified by his arrival. But at the same time, her fascination with her neighbour sparks an urge to write his biography. Speaking of why Aggie took on the task despite Nile’s reputation, actor Claire Danes explains Tudum, “For whatever reason, this project gives her some kind of reason to be and think again. He’s this unlikely catalyst and muse, and she’s just so relieved to finally have access to her creative self again that she kind of can’t help it.”

While Nile’s uncharted entry is not exactly a welcoming proposal since she soon finds herself caught up in the whirlwind of his corrupt sphere, the urge to find answers about whether he killed his first wife leaves Aggie on a hunt she cannot recoil from. But does Nile turn out to be a murderer? Let’s find out!

What happened to Aggie’s son?

Aggie’s son, Cooper, lost his life in a devastating car accident involving local teenager Teddy four years ago in 2021. Somehow, she believes that Teddy was drunk during the accident, which led to Cooper’s death. However, she doesn’t have sufficient evidence to point fingers.

When The Beast in Me kicks off, Aggie is still haunted by the ghosts of her past, completely paralysed with grief. Despite being a Pulitzer winner, she’s struggling to write a book about the friendship between Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonia Scalia. As a result, she’s often found surrendering to the tragic flashbacks while tooling around her big, empty home.

On Cooper’s death anniversary, she visits her deceased son’s grave only to stumble upon Teddy with flowers at the site. Unable to contain her rage, she bursts out until her ex-wife, Shelley, calms her down.

Who is Nile Jarvis?

Nile Jarvis is the man of the hour who moves in with his new wife, Nina, next door to Aggie’s. While most neighbours are hesitant to stand opposed to Nile, Aggie soon finds herself in their bad books, having refused to sign a letter agreement which would allow him to mow down a jogging path through their shared woods. Considering Nile’s reputation as the prime suspect in his first wife’s disappearance, it’s only natural that nobody wants to go up against him.

But despite Aggie’s repeated refusal, Nile convinces her to go out for lunch. While their relationship was already tense, things get far more complicated with Aggie weighing in on her bitterness towards Teddy. “All I wanted was for him to suffer like I did,” she tells him. Meanwhile, Nile cannot help but acknowledge a “bloodlust” in her anger, which he believes is a converging point for both of them. Although they might not have the best opinion of one another, it’s undeniable that they feel drawn.

By the end of the first episode, a few more roadblocks come in the way of their blossoming friendship. At first, a man named Brian Abbott reaches Aggie’s front door in the middle of a stormy night. While clearly drunk, he claims to be an FBI agent, warning Aggie to maintain her distance from Nile. But when asked whether he’s still being investigated for murder, Brian hesitates.

Following this, Aggie receives an unexpected call from Shelley, who informs her about Teddy’s disappearance. His car was reportedly found near a beach. In an instant, Aggie recalls telling Nile about her vitriol for Teddy and how it ached to see him around the town on a daily basis. “What did you do?” she asks, probably to herself.

Why does Aggie want to write Nile’s biography?

Aggie takes an about-turn on her Supreme Court grind to write a biography on Nile Jarvis for multiple reasons. Firstly, it will make her agent, Carol, happy. Secondly, it will allow her an opportunity to unravel the mysteries behind Teddy’s unexpected disappearance. But most importantly, whether or not she admits it, it will give her additional time to examine her relationship with her twisted new neighbour.

“There’s this ruse, the cover, the excuse of seeing if he was truly responsible for killing [Teddy]. But I think Aggie was also successfully seduced by Nile. And she is sincere when she’s talking to her editor. She just knows that this book is going to be a hit. So, there’s that part – the ambitious, maybe even venal, part of her that wants to pursue success of that kind and on that level again,” Danes says.

Aggie subsequently goes over to Nile, convincing him to give the go-ahead for the book. In fact, so does Nina, but not before Nile’s fixer, his uncle, Rick, does a thorough search of her home.

Who is Brian Abbott?

As Aggie digs deeper into her research for the biography, she meets Nile’s father, Martin. She comes to learn a lot more about Jarvis Yards, the real-estate development that keeps them occupied. The Jarvises are having a stand-off with Olivia Benitez, a city council member who’s evidently against the development. But behind the scenes, it is Brian Abbott investigating all of this, despite being warned by his superiors in the FBI to stay away from Nile.

Aggie opens up to Abbott regarding her suspicions about Teddy’s disappearance, and in the aftermath, they both plan to steal Nile’s location data to find where he was that night. When Aggie visits with Nile and his father, Abbott invades Nile’s home, hacking his computer.

On the flip side, Aggie’s presumptions about Nile are facing unexpected contestations. When she visits Madison’s parents, they tell her that they believe Nile is innocent and Madison may have killed herself. They also show her a suicide note that’s anything but implicating for Nile. As Aggie questions her judgment, Abbott goes through the stolen hard drive. He doesn’t find Nile’s location data, but something far more convincing – a video stream of Teddy being held hostage.

Abbott, however, doesn’t spill the truth to Aggie, hoping the lies would protect her. Instead, he goes to confront Nile and is killed.

Did Madison kill herself, or was it Nile?

Aggie’s relationship with Nile doesn’t stay restricted to just the two. When Nile’s wife, an art gallerist, is wooed by Shelley’s artwork, she offers her a gallery show. But both Nile and Aggie abruptly withdraw from the plan, fearing the deal was shady. Shelley lashes out at Aggie and soon blames her for Teddy’s suicide. Although one would expect Aggie to decline the offer for a drink at midnight in such a situation, she lets him in.

Over time, the relationship gets so intense that not even Nina can buy it anymore. But just as their bonds keep growing, Aggie finds a new clue in her investigation. As Martin triggers a riot at Benitez’s rally against Jarvis Yards, Madison’s brother, Chris, contacts Aggie, informing her about his parents’ vested interest in advocating for Nile’s innocence. Apparently, their entire net worth is linked to Jarvis Yards. Chris even gives Aggie a collection of Madison’s belongings, including a journal that proves that the note was originally written after a previous suicide attempt and not the one after her disappearance.

As soon as she pieces the clues together, Aggie texts Abbott. But Nile reads the text instead, since he’s just disposing of his body. But after the lack of response, she heads to Abbott’s apartment, where she meets Erika, his FBI superior and on-and-off lover. Erika is also involved in a corrupt relationship with Uncle Rick, and like Aggie, she’s also searching for Abbott. They soon discover Abbott’s hacked live stream of Teddy and Erika wastes no time in getting a warrant as Aggie returns home.

What happens to Teddy?

When Aggie comes back home, she finds Nile already there. They both go for a walk in the woods before Aggie sneaks inside with an excuse. Believe it or not, the tension is unreal. She realised that Nile had been there before she could from the red pen used on the first draft of her book. To worsen the situation, she also falls into the trap he has laid for her in her bedroom with the directorials over the phone, where she sees Teddy strangled to death and the police sirens ringing.

Why did Nile kill Madison?

Episode seven of The Beast in Me throws it back to the days leading up to Madison’s death, allowing viewers to solve the puzzle surrounding the thriller’s central mystery. At the time, the FBI was on Nile’s tail for his role in using cartel funds in the construction of Jarvis Yards. Turns out there’s a mole in his inner circle. Back then, Martin and Rick blackmailed Erika, which explains why she’s now tied to them.

As for the mole, Nile decides it must be Nina, who at the time was Madison’s personal assistant. However, Nina quickly opens his eyes to the fact that the mole is not her but Madison herself. After learning the truth, Nile killed Madison in a fit of anger for partnering with Abbott’s FBI team. Following this, Martin and Rick shouldered the responsibility of burying Madison in the foundations of Jarvis Yards.

Does Nile get caught after all this time?

Aggie may not have foreseen the traps Nile laid for her, leaving her to make a run for her life. But Nile’s life isn’t exactly picture-perfect then on. When Rick tells Nile’s father about his latest crimes, he suffers a stroke. Meanwhile, Aggie goes to Nina’s art gallery, where she’s cornered by the cops, desperately pleading for help.

Aggie can somehow see a reflection of herself in Nina’s denial since the former has constantly blamed Teddy for the car accident that took her son’s life. She admits that it was a convenient framework to avoid blame, and Nina is doing something similar, especially now that she’s pregnant with Nile’s child.

After Aggie’s arrest, Nina confronts Nile later at night, laying out the evidence Aggie had found, including the journal, suicide note, and piecing them with her own observations surrounding Madison’s mental health in her final days. Ever-furious Nile finally admits to Madison’s murder while taunting Nina for feigning she didn’t know.

But the plot twist comes the very next day when Nile goes on stage to announce the deal with Benitez. Having recorded the conversation the night before, Nina reveals it to the public, leading to Nile’s arrest on the spot. While he first claims innocence, he’s forced to plead guilty once Rick becomes the state’s witness. Before being escorted by the cops, Rick also removes Martin’s life support, saving him from living in a world with his hideous son.

Aggie has her book published months later, following her final interview with Nile, and the very next scene shows Nile being stabbed to death by a prison inmate, which turns out to be the final fix from Uncle Rick.