This number 1 thriller is even better than the White Lotus

A thriller always works for me. You know, that kind of story that is woven together like a spider's web from which you can't escape until the end. And then, when you've finally unraveled enough of yourself, you fall into a black hole at a plot twist. And I think many people agree with me, because movies like Knives Out and of course the immensely popular series White Lotus are in high demand. But now that it’s still an eternity before season four of that series comes out, I’m ready for something new. Luckily for me, there’s a brand new one: Malice. And honestly? It’s really very good.

What is Malice about?

This psychological series will really play with your mind. It starts off quite calmly, with the Tanner family meeting the charming teacher Adam Healey (Jack Whitehall) during their vacation in Greece. He has been brought along by the family's best friends to tutor their daughter Jules. Because yes, tutoring continues even on vacation. Unfortunately for Jules. After a lot of cocktails and fun jokes, Adam also manages to win over the Tanners. As if a higher power was involved, he seems to be the answer to all their problems when Adam convinces the family to hire him as a manny in London. This was meant to be, because it turns out this pack is really not perfect. Mother Nat (Carice van Houten) wants to get back to work and her oldest son Kit (Harry Gilby) has just come out of a drug addiction. And the relationship between father Jamie (David Duchovny) and Nat? That seems to be fading.

Why is this series so good?

That’s because this thriller is just a bit different from most that you watch on your screen. Usually, you spend an entire series trying to figure out who the murderer is (hello Murder on the Orient Express), but here? That’s not the case. We quickly find out as viewers back in London that Adam is not a nice teacher at all, but someone who has a desire to make Jamie's life miserable. For some reason, he wants revenge and that’s exactly what he’s going to do. So it’s not a ‘whodunnit’ but a ‘whydidhedoit’. We’re going to see that psychological aspect of how someone is driven to such an act of revenge.

Additionally, this is yet another classic eat-the-rich series, like The Menu or Patricia Highsmith's Ripley book series. We ‘ordinary people’ just love it when these privileged people have to pay for their actions. That always scores very well. You keep watching to find out what screw is loose in Adam's head. Why is he doing this? And what did Jamie do to him that made Adam flip out? You can binge-watch this series because it’s really insane. That’s why this is just a bit better than The White Lotus. Instead of being preoccupied with who did it, you can now take off your Sherlock Holmes hat and dive into someone’s disturbed mind. Isn’t that much more exciting? There needs to be variety.

We are fans

Of course, we are ultimate enjoyers of a good thriller, but this series? This is top-notch. Whether you’re talking about the storytelling or the amazing locations. I totally get why you want to see this. In this freezing cold, you long for that Greek coast, right? I want to escape to that villa. Wow. And I haven’t even mentioned the episodes in London yet. You just want to book a plane ticket right away.

And if we’re not watching for that, then we’re watching to support our Dutch pride Carice van Houten. Although Zwartboek is my absolute favorite, she now shines just like her bestie Halina Reijn in America. After Carice’s success in Game Of Thrones, it was really time for something new, so I’m super glad we can see her again. She had to get into the role, but the further you go, the more she truly owns this role.

Or… should I confess that I secretly set up this series for Jack Whitehall? Okay, okay. That face caught my attention first when I opened Prime Video. Yes, sorry about that. But I could watch this British cutie for hours. He’s got his first leading role and it’s a really heavy one right away. It has a bit of Joe-Goldberg-from-You vibes, because how do I tell you that I’m obsessed with such a murderous man again… Oops.