The Watcher - Netflix series
The Watcher, a TV series based loosely on real life created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan for Netflix has an intriguing basis which should have made the series compelling. But although it is highly watchable, it’s let down by a flimsy ending and far too many loose ends.
It’s based on the real life experiences of a couple who bought their dream home in the idyllic suburb Westfield in New Jersey. Green and lush and with huge, detached houses, Westfield seemed like the perfect idyll for wealthy families tired of city life. It famously has very low crime rates, and was, allegedly, a place where you could keep your front door unlocked.
The real life couple were called Derek and Maria Broaddus. In the Netflix adaptation, they are Dean and Nora Brannock, played by Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale. Dean works for a firm of lawyers and is hoping to be made partner soon. Nora is an up and coming ceramicist. They have had a daughter and son, Ellie and Carter, and their family is now too large for their cramped Manhattan flat. Dean and Nora dream of escaping crime and noise, and when a stunning mansion comes up for sale at 657 Boulevard, Westfield, they fall in love with the place.
The Netflix series deviates from the real life experience, but one key factor remains the same: almost as soon as they take possession of the house, threatening anonymous letters signed from someone who calls themselves ‘The Watcher’ start to arrive. The letters inform the couple that their family is being watched. The writer is possessive about the house, hinting that the family don’t belong there. The letter writer knows details about their family such as the names and birth order of their children, and genuinely does seem to be watching, being au fait with their renovations and chastising them for changing the house.