Anna’s story was much darker in the His & Hers book – so here’s why the show totally changed it

If you thought the Netflix ending of His & Hers was heavy, the original book takes things to a much darker place, and while the Netflix show sticks closely to Alice Feeney’s novel, a few scenes, especially Anna’s story, were deliberately changed on screen, and according to the showrunner, there’s a good reason for that.

Why did the show change Anna’s backstory?

via Netflix

In the His & Hers novel, Anna’s 16th birthday ends with her running away after the assault. That moment follows her into adulthood, and the book doesn’t give her much space away from it. It’s darker, heavier, and more abrupt.

In the series, though, Anna doesn’t run, and that was a very deliberate choice.

Speaking to Variety, showrunner and director William Oldroyd explained that the change came down to giving Alice a clearer reason for what she does. “We needed Alice to have a motive for killing these women. It felt stronger that she saw Catherine running away from the scene.”

In the show, Catherine escapes instead of Anna, which shifts how Alice views everyone involved, and who she decides deserves punishment.

Oldroyd explained that Alice’s plan is very specific. He said, “She’s going to kill Rachel, the ringleader. She’s going to kill Helen, who was second in command. She’s going to kill Zoe, who was equally a part of this rape.”

Catherine, however, is treated differently. “Catherine runs. She is a victim too, but she runs away.” And in Alice’s mind, that matters. “That act of cowardice is enough for Alice to decide to pin all these murders on Catherine.”

How does that change affect Anna’s ending?

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via Netflix

By changing who runs away, the series shifts Anna’s ending from one of disappearance to one of discovery. Instead of fleeing her past, Anna uncovers the truth years later.

Oldroyd said the structure of the final episode was really important. “When we were breaking the script down, Bill [Dubuque] was clear that this should conclude by the midpoint of the final episode, and the very last 15 minutes should be the reveal.”

That reveal centres on Alice’s letter, the voice that’s been guiding the story all along. “We find out there is a letter, and the letter has been what we’ve been hearing as a voice-over throughout the series. It’s not Anna’s voice, it’s Alice’s.”

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