Credit: Netflix

Relationships and friendships built on lies often bite you in the back in one way or another, and The Perfect Lie on Netflix shows just how.

Based on Saskia Noort’s bestselling novel The Dinner Club, AKA De Eetclub, the Dutch psychological thriller follows Karen, who moves into the affluent town of Bergen with her family on Hanneke’s recommendation, seeking a new start, where they are invited to the dinner club, an exclusive group of rich couples who seem to have it all.

Although Karen and her husband Michel struggle initially to fit into the circle, it doesn’t take long for them to warm up to the others. But soon enough, a villa belonging to one of the friends goes up in flames, killing Evert, a member of the group, whose wife, Babette and children are rescued just in time. While the fire and the death feel like a nightmarish accident, it is the inciting incident that causes the group to unravel.

Even though it initially appears that Evert was planning to sedate his family and burn them to death, that’s actually far from reality. So, who exactly killed Evert?

Who killed Evert in The Perfect Lie?

Evert’s death in The Perfect Lie is the catalyst for everything that follows, including the unveiling of secrets, hidden agendas, and the true nature of glamorous relationships and tight-knit friendships. It is revealed over time that Simon and Evert run a gym chain together, but the former uses it to sell anabolic steroids behind his partner’s back. As a result, when discrepancies show up, Simon grows hell-bent on evicting Evert from the business.

While that gives Simon a potential agenda, Babette suspects Hanneke has feelings for Evert, complicating the entire situation. Although it is clear that Hanneke is not satisfied with her marriage to Evo, the fact that she also faces a near-death incident raises more eyebrows. Meanwhile, Karen, the newcomer, embroils herself in an affair with Simon.

But the idea that Evert killed himself in the process of trying to burn his family to death sparks fair shares of conviction due to Babette’s previous claims about Evert’s abusive nature towards her, causing Patricia to eliminate him from the gym business. It is just days after that he wound up dead. Coincidence? Well, not so much!

The season finale leaves a lot on a cliffhanger, but not the identity of Evert’s killer. It turns out that Babette drugged her family and set the house on fire, not only killing her husband but also putting the blame on him later. Although it’s unclear whether she simply wanted to kill Evert and frame him or die alongside everyone, the motivations are clear as daylight.

Evert and Babette’s relationship was already at the last straw, and the seeds of toxicity had been blooming for years. However, she never really considered moving on or starting anew. To add to that, her suspicions about Hanneke having an affair with Evert really got to her. Surely, they were both abusive towards each other. But it looks like Evert still had more power and control in the relationship than she did.