Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers is a mystery drama about nine strangers who show up at a wellness retreat, where they're drugged and confront their inner demons in the most intrusive way possible. The eight-episode series stars Nicole Kidman as the Russian woman at the center of this retreat. A woman who believes she can heal all these people through psychedelics and a little conversation. In the series, nine strangers meet at Tranquillum, a wellness retreat, with Yao and Delilah as their "healers." What they expect to be a peaceful week and a half to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and work turns into a nightmare. So, without further ado, let's jump right into the Season 1 recap.
The first season of Nine Perfect Strangers begins by introducing the nine guests trying to find peace at Tranquillum. The Marconis (Napoleon, Heather, and Zoe) are a family of three trying to heal after losing their fourth member, Zach, to suicide. Frances is a romance author who was cheated on and abandoned by her publisher on the way to retirement. Carmel is an insecure woman dealing with anxiety and anger issues due to her ex's infidelity.
Creators: John-Henry Butterworth, David E. Kelley
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon
Ben and Jessica are a married couple who won the lottery but are now struggling in love because they're influencers with no real life. Tony is a former athlete with a broken knee and a drug addiction. And finally, there's Lars Lee, a gay investigative journalist estranged from his partner, as he doesn't want children, but his partner does. At the center of this retreat is the ghostly Masha, always dressed in white, with long blonde hair and a (terrible) Russian accent. Guests begin to feel uncomfortable when their phones are snatched away, and their sanity begins to waver when they're offered specialty milkshakes, all tailored to each person... hmm, that's a little suspicious.
Although it all seems like a cult, in reality, Masha isn't trying to be a goddess, wanting everyone to follow her; she's just trying to ascend into the unknown and reunite with her deceased daughter, Tatiana. Masha was enlightened upon being revived, and Yao, the paramedic at the time, saved her and brought her back to life. Masha used to be an entrepreneur who would do anything to achieve success, but after her near-death experience, she realized she wanted to help people heal. When guests arrive, she tells them she saw a younger version of herself, free and happy on a bicycle, but in reality, this little girl is Tatiana, and all Masha needs is closure over her daughter's death.
Throughout Nine Perfect Strangers, Masha receives strange death threats via text message. Near the end of the series, it is revealed that Carmel was the one sending these threats, as she was the one who shot Masha back in the day. It turns out that Masha was one of the women Carmel's husband cheated on her with, and she was the reason he left her for good and ended up with a much younger woman. This left Carmel, a Broadway makeup artist, devastated, so she dressed as a man and tried to threaten Masha, the businesswoman. However, Masha fired her and threw money at her feet, so, in a fit of rage, Carmel shot her. But Masha forgives Carmel because the reason Tranquillum exists is that she was shot, so she thanks Carmel for the big reveal.
At the beginning of the series, Tony and Frances hate each other because they have completely opposite ideologies. However, as the series progresses, and possibly due to drugs, Tony and Frances begin to bond and forge a sweet friendship, which later blossoms into love. Tony is estranged from his family due to his drug addiction, but after a few days at Tranquillum, he is drug-free. Meanwhile, Frances, who always saw everything from a writer's perspective, finally manages to separate fiction from reality and see Tony for who he really is, believing that he truly cares for her, unlike the guy who scammed her online.
While Masha is with the Marconis, chaos breaks out as Carmel is isolated in a sensory deprivation pod so she can calm her nerves and stop raging. She sees a younger version of herself and feels free, but when she tries to leave the room, she realizes it's locked and begins to feel claustrophobic. The rest of the gang, except for the Marconis and Lars, who wants evidence against Masha, show up to help Carmel. However, Yao pulls them all inside and locks them in. At that moment, they think there's a fire, but it's not real. It's a form of therapy for people to reveal their innermost desires. It seems to really work because each of them admits to wanting better for themselves.
At the end of the first season of "Nine Perfect Strangers," we see Frances writing in a notebook as scenes from the near future flash onscreen. It's unclear whether the strangers moved on in their lives like this or if this is the happy ending Frances concocted for a book that would obviously make her a lot of money. Lars returns to her husband and has a baby while she's writing a story about Masha. Frances and Tony get that golden retriever, and Tony is back with his family—drug-free, of course. Ben and Jessica now run the wellness center, Carmel is a therapist helping women, and the Marconis are happy again. Yao and Delilah end up working with the Peace Corps. In this vision, Masha drives off with her daughter in a car, free, meaning there was no incriminating evidence against her. While we can't be sure how much of this is true, we can imagine Masha was freed because she returns for a second season, bringing along nine new strangers and trying something different with them. Will she get caught this time? Or will he succeed in swindling a group of wealthy people? We'll find out in season two.
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