‘The Secrets She Keeps’ uncovers lies and deceptions

Category: Television and Streaming

From the bestselling novel by Michael Robotham, The Secrets She Keeps is a six-part series uncovering lies and deceptions by pretty much all of the adult characters. “Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness,” “Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery” and “Thou Shalt Not Murder” plus a few other commandments are broken as the characters’ lives unravel in this tense and dramatic story.

Meghan (Jessica De Gouw) is a middle class wife and mother, and is eight months pregnant with their third child. Her husband Jack (Michael Dorman) is ambivalent about having another baby as they are barely making ends meet. His best friend Simon (Ryan Corr) adores their family and is like a brother to Jack. Or so it would seem.

Now add Agatha (Laura Carmichael), a supermarket clerk who is also eight months pregnant. On the surface Aggie looks like a normal woman. Her life is simpler than Meghan’s. Her boyfriend is in the Navy so he is unaware of her pregnancy. She does not live in a fancy house but rather in a drab apartment. Her fascination with Meghan is obvious to the viewers but not to Meghan.

The story takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride as the two pregnancies near their end, but there are several surprises in the meantime. As one by one their secrets are revealed to the viewers, the lives of the four adults are slowly unraveling. And when Aggie’s boyfriend Hayden (Michael Sheasby) returns for the birth, his presence adds another layer of deception to the circumstances in which they all are connected.

Meghan, Aggie, Jack, Simon, and Hayden each have hidden secrets and each of them is doing everything they can to keep their deceptions from the others. What is interesting is that secrets are very hard to keep. Sooner or later they are revealed. Well, most of them anyway.

One person keeping a secret is more likely to be safe, however when that secret is disclosed to another person, or someone happens to uncover it, then the odds of it being kept go down.

The lives of all of these characters get twisted up in a tangled mess as mental illness takes hold of one of them and tragic events unfold. From that point it is a race to save their sanity as well as their personal lives.

This is a tense story however it is definitely spellbinding. I began watching the first two episodes then decided to screen “just one more.” After the third I thought I would watch “one more.” Then at 10:30 PM I figured I might as well finish the entire series. I wanted to know how many secrets were kept. How many of the secrets are not in the open by the end of the show? Only one. But which one? That is a little disconcerting to viewers, as they probably will want to know the answer. The characters do not even know the answer. Nevertheless, this is an addicting show that includes some memorable characters.

Abuse and mental illness are front and center for one of the characters. There is a notice on the screen for viewers to contact a professional should they need assistance with abuse. In many cases, sexual abuse to a young person is what leads them into darkness for the rest of their lives. It is important to disclose these actions if you are a victim. Get help.

The Secrets She Keeps premiered April 19 on AMC. It is a dramatic, suspenseful, and addicting.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Los Angeles Press Club and the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

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