There are multiple characters in “The Unusual Suspects” who are instrumental in taking the narrative forward. However, the plot revolves around three characters: Sara, Evie, and Roxanne. They are of immense significance in a way that transcends the plot. All these characters are given identities that suffer from exclusive hardships and have to make do with what they have while putting a smile on their faces. The show shows how they decide to take charge of their lives and put aside their differences to work together.
Spoilers Ahead
Sara
Sara Beasley, the CEO of Beautiful Beastlies, is a self-made woman who is money-minded and materialistic and is willing to do whatever sells her more on social media and, thereby, her website. She doesn’t spend time with her kids and is unaware of their whereabouts. She finds out from her business partner Roxanne that one of her daughters (Maxi) has gone to the zoo with Evie. Then, rather than talking to little Maxi about her experience, she posts the picture of Maxi with a giraffe (that Evie had sent her on that very day, but she’d forgotten about) as if trying to convince herself that she misses being with kids. But considering the kind of a person she is, the post is just meant to increase her reach [a surreal way to show the world how she is a working mum and misses being with her kids with hashtags]. We try to sympathize with her. Some of us do. Some of us don’t.
When Garth calls her to talk about the picture she has posted, she tells him that she is trying something new by being vulnerable. When vulnerability becomes a deliberate act, it proves that the person has become hollow. She even shows concern when Garth reminds her of her fear of going “off-brand” and how the picture of her daughter could lead to that. She mentions that she cannot delete it because it will seem like she is worried about what people will think, and it might compromise her brand (in case someone finds the picture off-putting from a brand’s perspective and comments on it). But the thing is that she is indeed worried about what people will think, and this is why she isn’t able to delete the picture (although she need not do so). It is just a picture of her daughter, and she can share it as many times as she wants to. She is so obsessed with her brand that she has, knowingly or unknowingly, become her own follower, keeping track of her actions from an external perspective. This is why she has lost the human touch.
Another example of Sara being a potential oppressor is how she treats Evie like a slave. She ignores Evie’s requests to clear her wages to the point of even threatening to sack her. She knows Evie needs the job and cannot afford to lose it. When Evie points the finger at this nature of Sara in Episode 1, Sara finally opens up to her that she is broke. Then, when she finds out that Evie has seen her text conversation with Nick, she wants to get rid of her. She didn’t even know that Evie had a child. It is Garth who makes her understand that it is neither of them, but Evie who is holding the family together. She seems to only know how to escape or hide from her problems rather than face them. And now that she is broke and has found a potential benefactor from America, all that she can think of is the deal and how she can seal it without getting wrapped up in a scandal (the clicks of her and Nick that are out of bidding).
But slowly, with time, she realizes how much Evie wants what’s good for her, especially after Evie opens up to her about Nick’s true intentions (Episode 2). After that, the plan is put into effect to steal the necklace, during which Garth opens up to Sara. He used to stay away because he wanted peace—a peace that he didn’t find at home—whose primary reason was his distance from his wife. But this distance goes away when he confesses his truth. What’s interesting is that Sara isn’t confessing her faults (how she distanced herself from her family), but just her love for Garth. There is always a certain flippant aspect to her entire being that remains till the very end of the film, although we don’t see it much towards the end. But her character is such that, deep down, we know she is still someone who wouldn’t think twice before spending all her money. Thankfully, she has someone who knows her as well as her husband and is a woman, i.e., Evie. So she is in good hands. Evie is the one who fills the emptiness inside her.
Evie
Evie is a woman who has had a life full of struggles. Her husband Modesto has her daughter Melanie back in the Philippines. She is safe, but Evie can only talk to Melanie after she sends money to Modesto. Meanwhile, at work, she is mistreated by Sara, who has absolutely no respect for her time and doesn’t pay her wages on time. Despite all this, Evie keeps quiet because she needs the job. She ultimately finds a way to make Sara pay her [via her texts with Nick], and although she tells Sara about it and assures her that no one will find out, there is an air about her that says that she is threatening to expose Sara if she doesn’t clear Evie’s wages.
She is doing it because the money matters to her, as it is the only way she can talk to her child, someone who Sara doesn’t even know exists. Why? Because she never cared to ask Evie about her life or show any interest in her despite her taking care of Sara’s children for so long. As Garth tells Sara, Evie is the sole person who is holding the Beasley family together. Throughout the series, we see how Evie is the one who maneuvers Sara and helps her calm down during stressful situations (like when Sara was freaking out after being unable to drill into the safe or when she thought she’d killed Rae). Clearly, she is a strong woman and is practical. She is also the one who doesn’t want to rob the necklace because she knows it’s wrong.
She even prays to Mother Mary on the day of the robbery to seek forgiveness for what she is about to do. So she is also religious. But more than anything else, she is intelligent. She knew that Sara couldn’t be trusted with her $2 million cut, so she made a plan to fake Rae’s death so that it would be easy for her to make Sara forget about the money. When everything settled down, Rae would return with the money. And she does. To conclude, without Evie, the chances of getting the money would have been close to zero. Sara would’ve spent her $2 million, the authorities would’ve traced it, and all the ladies would be taken into custody one by one.
Roxanne
Roxanne Waters is also a self-made woman who owns a chain of beauty clinics. She is lied to by her millionaire husband, Jordan, who is a fraud. Her cousin Amy works at her house as a cook. Jordan has also lied to Roxanne about Amy’s pension funds, stealing all the money for himself. Thus, Roxanne, worried about Amy, transfers a lump sum to Amy’s Philippine account, as a result of which all of their assets are seized, including the emerald necklace, her Beauty-Clinic business, and the money she sent to Amy’s account. She didn’t know the truth about Jordan and his scam, and she sent the money to the Philippines account out of concern for Amy. Then, when she holds Jordan responsible and tells him how what he did will result in the shutting down of her business, she has to hear from Jordan that she borrowed his money to start the business. This is just an example of patriarchy at its utter best. And the fact is that even though she has paid Jordan back, half of her company still belongs to him on paper.
Their relationship is more like a deal, especially from Jordan’s POV, as the necklace was also an insurance policy. This means he knew there was a risk of getting caught. It seems that Roxanne stepped into a trap, thinking that she was marrying the right man and that she was doing the right thing. Roxanne’s urge to steal the necklace is not so much to get her hands on some money as it is to get revenge on Jordan for his fraud. She makes sure that the plan isn’t foiled in any way and even tells Evie the combination to the safe, which is a big risk. However, she takes the risk because she is adamant. She has had enough and wants to live life on her own terms, not with a fraud husband and a wicked mother-in-law. What makes her adorable is that she never leaves Amy’s side, despite their arguments. They even fought at one point, but after they were done, they decided to get drunk together. Roxanne tells Amy that she doesn’t want a life where Amy isn’t with her. All this just shows that she is soft at heart despite the rough-and-tough exterior.
Final Words
For a 4-episode show, “The Unusual Suspects” does a pretty good job showing women from different walks of life and their personal struggles. Incorporating these struggles is what justifies their present states, and the ending gives them a new beginning where they are free from the shackles. Even though they have lost everything, they have each other—and, not to forget, $8 million.
