Fatal Seduction borrows its name from the term ‘fatal attraction’ which refers to a romantic relationship that ends tragically.
The theme for this Netflix show revolves around love triangles, betrayal and of course, seduction, as the name suggests. It’s a pulpy thriller about how one woman’s affair with a young lover ends in tragedy and makes her question pretty much everyone and everything in her life.
Created by Steven Pillemer, Fatal Seduction is a remake of a popular Mexican Netflix show, ‘Dark Desire’. It’s set in South Africa and follows Nandi’s tragic love life after finding out her husband has been having an affair with his secretary. However, she takes a different route from the typical woman scorned. Nandi chooses to have an affair too and when she meets a younger man during a weekend getaway, it sets the wheels in motion.
If the title wasn’t a giveaway, the show doesn’t waste time introducing the audience to the first of many sex scenes. The erotic scene starts with someone removing a woman’s underwear, then two people making passionate love and a narrator uttering the words, “Sex. Fornication. Fucking. It’s a compulsion. A primary urge.” The scene ends with a woman screaming then someone is wheeled away by paramedics, and another is handcuffed and taken away by police officers.
The show then takes us back, four weeks earlier, where it all begun. Leonard, Nandi’s husband, is packing for a business trip. Nandi, a college professor, decides to prefer her lectures while her husband is away. The couple doesn’t look happy or in love with each other and their interaction feels cold and distant. She innocently asks about her husband’s plan for the weekend, and he says he’s going away for work. She then asks about his secretary, and he showers her with praises. Nandi still doesn’t know of her husband’s affair but seems suspicious of the pair. As the couple is talking about their recent miscarriage, Leonard receives a text from his secretary asking whether she should book a wine tasting.
Nandi later confirms her suspicion after seeing a text on Leonard’s phone from his secretary. She doesn’t confront her husband and instead goes on a weekend getaway with her friend. She tells her that she found out Leonard was cheating on her and her friend doesn’t hide her disdain for Leonard and encourages Nandi to have some fun.
While the two friends talked on the balcony, they spot a handsome, young man jogging on the beach and Brenda waves at him. Later on, Nandi sees the same guy at a cocktail party and they hit it off. Nandi gives in to her desires and they have sex at Brenda’s house. She feels guilty and blames Brenda for encouraging her to cheat on her husband. The episode ends on a cliffhanger as a mysterious man goes to Brenda’s house who looks like she has been crying all day. Meanwhile, Nandi can’t stop thinking about the guy when she goes back home and has fantasies about him.
Despite all the intimate scenes, the show isn’t one of those shows that simply captivate the audience by using sex. It has a rich story that goes beyond the sex and seduction portrayed. The story takes many twists and turns that take the audience on a wild journey. Excellent acting coupled with cinematic shots brings this dramatic story to life.
Fatal Seduction is one of the latest shows to be added to Netflix. The second volume of season 1 was added in August, barely a month after the show’s debut. There is no confirmation whether it will be back for a second season but given its popularity, it should have multiple seasons. Though the series has been well received, Fatal Seduction is one of those shows that you’re either going to like or hate from the first episode. If you’re looking for sex and skin, then you’ll love it. If not, you’ll still love the nail-biting drama throughout the season. The show isn’t perfect but what it lacks in a flawless storyline, it makes up for in the cinematography. Watch the trailer.