David Leon’s Irish mini-series, Too Good to Be True, revolves around a single mother named Rachel, who lives with her son, Liam. The cleaning lady is struggling to make ends meet, but her life soon takes an unexpected turn when a rich man named Elliot offers her a job at his lavish mansion. Initially, Rachel is overjoyed by this opportunity, but as the cleaner becomes more involved in Elliott’s affairs, she grows suspicious of the rich man’s motives and his strange generosity towards her. As the narrative progresses further, Rachel comes across some dark truths about Elliott’s past that frighten her to the core. The generous man wants to bring harm to her only child, and the question that we are left with at the end of Too Good to Be True is: She starts to question whether she has unknowingly put herself and her son in danger by accepting Elliott’s help. Will Rachel be able to save her son from Elliott? Let’s find out!
Spoilers Ahead
What Challenges Did Rachel Face?
Too Good to Be True begins with a brief introduction of its protagonist, Rachel and her young son, Liam. Rachel works as a cleaner at a hotel, and because she can’t afford daycare, Liam often accompanies her to work. A guest at the hotel named Simone notices Rachel as she is cleaning her room. Exiting the hotel, they saw a mysterious man in a black hoodie feeding a cat. But Rachel’s attention is soon diverted by a notification on her phone: her loan is due, and she worries about their unstable living situation. Despite Rachel’s hard work, she faces mistreatment from the homeowners and struggles to make ends meet. Desperate, she asks her boss for a raise but is denied, which leaves her wondering if she is going to lose her house and how she will be able to feed her son.
However, a glimmer of hope appears when Simone approaches the cleaning agency where Rachel works and advocates for Rachel to be hired permanently by her boss, offering extra pay. This opportunity seems like a lifeline for Rachel and Liam’s future. But their stability is shattered when Rachel’s money-minded ex-partner Kieron shows up. He callously takes what little Rachel has saved for Liam’s school trip, leaving them in tears. The next day, Rachel is confronted by Liam’s teacher, who informs her of Liam’s unsettling behavior at school—bringing in dead animals for autopsies, which is frightening the other children. Rachel denies any underlying troubles at home, but deep down, she feels her inner strength waning as she tries to cope with the challenges of single motherhood.
In What Way Did Rachel’s Luck Change?
In the meantime, while she was at work, Rachel heard about the job offer from Simone’s boss, who promised to pay her double her current fee. This brought a new sense of hope to Rachel, so she went to their house with Liam. The house was large and beautiful, filled with expensive furniture that left them in awe. When Rachel met Simone, she was informed that she would be cleaning the instructed rooms only, and the locked rooms were off-limits. As Rachel explored the house, she was unaware of hidden cameras tracking her every move. Curious about her generous employer, she wondered why she was being paid so much just for cleaning. The following day, Rachel’s curiosity led her to investigate a locked door that she was forbidden from opening. Inside, she discovered a room filled with teddy bears, miniature car models, wedding photos, and a wardrobe full of beautiful dresses, which she couldn’t resist trying on. But she rushed through the room only to find Elliott, the man in the black hoodie, standing on the stairs. Shocked, Rachel confessed she had mistaken him for a homeless person.
Elliott then presented Liam with the cat to make him happy and showed them his garage filled with vintage cars. Elliott said he was previously married and had a stepson around Liam’s age, explaining that he is very happy to spend time with Liam. When Rachel asked why she was chosen for the job, Elliott did not really give her a proper answer. This sparks Rachel’s suspicion that he may have been stalking her. Upon leaving, Simone questioned Elliott about Rachel’s suitability for the job due to her troubled past, prompting Elliott to instruct Simone to dig deeper into Rachel’s background. Returning home, Rachel and Liam discovered a surprise: the TV from Elliott’s house had been installed in their own home with internet access. But little did they know that their entire house was monitored by CCTV cameras, and Elliott was watching their every move.
What Events Brought Rachel And Elliott Closer?
Rachel and Liam now enjoy things they couldn’t afford before, as she is getting better pay by working for Elliott. However, while at work, Rachel discovers unsettling items in a drawer: Elliott’s wedding photo, old family pictures, and a pamphlet detailing bruises and their causes, which disgusts her. Meanwhile, Simone informs Rachel that she won’t need to work the next day but will have to double her hours the following day for Elliott’s cocktail party. Rachel grows weak from Elliott’s kindness, believing him to be a good man for caring for Liam. She is more surprised when Elliott invites her to his cocktail party. Initially hesitant, Rachel agrees. She wears a stunning black dress that impresses Elliott, who even offers her his mother’s necklace to complement her attire. On the way home, Elliott offers Rachel a ride, and as they part ways, they nearly share a kiss but quickly pull away.
The next day, Elliott surprises Liam with a blue vintage car, which makes Liam emotional as he never really had anything like this. Elliott reassures him, saying how Liam and Rachel remind him of himself and his mother. However, upon returning home, they find their place vandalized, and they suspect that it must be Kieron. Elliott offers them to stay at his place, which they accept. At Elliott’s garage, Liam accidentally ignites a burner, startling Elliott, who screams in fear. Rachel was not at all happy with the way he reacted. But later, she empathizes with him as Elliott reveals his trauma of losing his parents in a fire at Liam’s age. Grateful for everything, Rachel and Elliott grow closer, sharing a kiss and becoming intimate.
How Does Rachel’s Relationship With Elliott Take A Dramatic Turn?
The next morning, Rachel expected Elliott to remind her about maintaining their employer-employee relationship, but to her surprise, he kissed her, expressing no regret. He took them to a cottage in a forest from his childhood to make them happy. While they were talking, Rachel expressed her concerns about Liam, saying that he often isolates himself and does not have any friends his age. Elliott also opened up about his past. He talked about how his father used to torment his mother. However, the situation escalated when his father locked them in a room and set it on fire. Despite Elliott’s efforts to rescue her, he tragically lost his mother in the fire. Even now, he has horrific nightmares about it. While Liam was playing by a stream, a woman approached him, asking about his name and whereabouts. Elliott also noticed someone lurking in the forest, prompting him to suggest leaving the area and returning home.
After going home, Elliott asked Rachel to resign from her post as the cleaner and stay with him permanently in the house. Rachel said she would think about it but was genuinely happy about the offer. However, a woman approached her, and it was Olivia, Elliott’s ex-wife. She warned Rachel not to depend on Elliott or move in with him, claiming he’s a pathological liar who surveils their every move with CCTV footage. Olivia said how Elliott had done the same with her and even took her son, Alfie, when she tried to leave. This terrified Rachel, and she asked Elliott about this, who twisted the situation and insisted that the CCTV was for security purposes and said Olivia was mentally unstable. Rachel knew something was off, so she took Liam with her. Meanwhile, Elliott, furious, harmed himself with broken glass and called the police, falsely claiming his ex-wife had attacked him.
How Did Rachel Escape From Elliott?
Simone becomes suspicious of Elliot’s behavior after finding old newspaper clippings detailing his past. She considers warning Rachel about Liam’s potential danger from Elliott by sending her the old newspaper clipping about the fire incident. But Elliot manipulates Rachel, suggesting he wants to provide the best for Liam by sending him to a prestigious boarding school. However, Rachel’s doubts grow as she uncovers inconsistencies in Elliot’s stories about the fire and finds a therapist named Debra Malone in the newspaper. So she visits the doctor, who reveals troubling behavior from Elliot in the past. She said that after the fire, Elliot suddenly became distant from everyone for a while. Then he became overly dependent on the doctor and grew agitated when appointment times were changed. He even stalked her and managed to find her address, which made the doctor afraid, so she stopped seeing him. Additionally, she believes he is the one who started the fire, not Elliot’s dad. Meanwhile, Elliot picks up Liam from school without Rachel’s knowledge and takes them to a remote cottage.
Simone, sensing trouble, considers calling the police. Rachel comes to the cottage and realizes they’re in danger when Elliot tries to manipulate Liam’s emotions, saying that his mother did not want him and tried to give him away just like his mother did with him. Liam could not believe it and ran away from there. Elliott told Rachel he thought she was the one for him and that he loved her, but she said he was a pathetic person whom even his mother didn’t love. This angered him, and as he was trying to attack her, Liam hit him from behind with a hammer, causing him to lose consciousness. They ran away from there to escape in the car, but it was locked. So Rachel went inside to take the key from his pocket. As he regained consciousness, he tried to grab her leg. She saved herself and hid in the garage with Liam, but Elliot found her there too. As he tried to attack her again, she took the burner and set him on fire. Rachel and Liam watched him burn in front of their eyes.
During Too Good to Be True‘s ending, Rachel and Liam safely return home after the incident. Simone arrives and gives Rachel a significant amount of compensation for all the work and trouble she has endured. On the other hand, Elliot’s words haunt Liam deeply; the idea that Rachel didn’t want him as a child saddens him and makes him question if his mother truly loves him. He wonders if he’s like Elliot, struggling to make friends his own age and coping with psychological turmoil. Will Liam overcome this struggle, or will he become like Elliot? Rachel’s decision regarding the check also remains uncertain. Perhaps she’ll use it to provide better schooling opportunities for Liam.
However, unanswered questions linger. Why did Simone hire Rachel despite knowing her boss’ intentions? Maybe she was concerned about Liam’s well-being and wanted to help. As for Elliot, why did he choose Rachel from the cleaning agency? He mentioned seeing similarities between them and his own childhood with his mother. Maybe he wanted to make amends for his past or enjoyed making people depend on him, preventing them from leaving him, as his mother intended to do. He may have followed this pattern with Olivia and Alfie as well. These underlying questions make me wonder about how people’s minds work.
