‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ Michael Shannon Explains This Week’s Most Heartbreaking Scene

There have been many gut punches in the first six episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers, from cat-fishing exes to murdered goats. But few have been as deeply sad as the slow unraveling of the Marconi family. Ahead of “Motherlode”, Decider spoke to Michael Shannon, the actor behind Napoleon, about the shifting blame for their tragic loss between his character and Asher Keddie’s Heather. Warning: Discussion of suicide ahead.

The second the Marconi family arrives at Tranqullium House, it immediately becomes obvious that they’re hiding something. As the series progresses that dark cloud is revealed to be the suicide of Zach (Hal Cumpston), the Marconis’ son and Zoe’s (Grace Van Patten) brother. But it isn’t until Episode 3, “Earth Day”, that Napoleon’s secret guilt is revealed. Half sobbing, he admits that he blames himself for Hal’s death because he slept in instead of waking his son up in the morning. It’s a heart-breaking revelation that channels how hard it is to accept the sudden loss of a loved one. It’s also a twist that’s mirrored in “Motherlode.”

While high, Heather has her moment of guilt, admitting that she blames herself for Hal’s death because a medicine he was taking listed suicidal ideation as one of its side effects. As Heather is rushed to the clinic for recovery, Napoleon has to face an even more uncomfortable reality than a bad trip. He starts to believe that his wife may actually be to blame for Hal’s death.

“It made a lot of sense. Napoleon finally getting the opportunity to not feel like it was all his fault was probably a great relief even though it’s kind of savage to Heather,” Shannon said about the episode. “But Napoleon says it himself. He says, ‘The odds of getting through this are very low, and it doesn’t usually work out.’ And it’s funny, people, we want to believe that we can transcend studies of human behavior, like ‘I’m going to be the exception to that rule. I know that it’s silly to blame her, and I can do better than that’. But then a lot of times we follow the research to a tee, so it’s hard to buck the trend… It’s not something I like to think about a lot.”

New episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers premiere on Hulu Wednesdays.

If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.

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