Holly Jackson’s hit trilogy “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” (AGGGTM) has recently been adapted into a six episode show by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Along with many book to screen adaptations, the series received mixed reviews regarding the changes from the pages to the adaptation. From a full 400 page book to six episodes of 40-45 minutes, many cuts had to be made and directors, screenwriters, and producers had to figure out which plot points were essential to the main story, and which ones to cut.
Upon teaser trailers and cast reveals, many fans had high expectations for the first of their favorite trilogy being adapted into a show. Yet their expectations and hopes fell short as some viewers noticed changes that range from subtle details that went unnoticed, to notable details that changed the trajectory of the plot.
Identity of the kidnapped girl
Names give way to the identity of who someone is, especially when it comes to the question if Andie Bell is alive or not. At the end of the series, in both the book and the show adaptation, Elliot Ward kidnaps a young girl who looks similar to Andie Bell and hides her in his old house, leaving readers and viewers to wonder who exactly is this girl and what is her relation to the Andie Bell case.
In the show, the girl talks to Pip and tells her her side of the story: how Elliot took her in and offered her a place to stay until she could get back on her feet but eventually was trapped because she knew too much about his past with Andie Bell. Her identity the whole time was of a girl completely unrelated to Andie Bell.
However, Jackson originally wrote that after Elliot and Andie’s fight, he was unsure if she was dead or not. So when he spots a blonde girl, whose actual name is Isla, at a bus station one day, he mistook her for Andie and kept her in his house.
This minor detail change is subtle and doesn’t change the plot that much except for the viewer’s perception of Elliot’s character. Him mistaking someone for Andie only added to his complexity as a possible murder suspect.
Natalie (Nat) Da Silva wasn’t Andie’s best friend
An important testament to Andie’s character and personality starts with the characterization of Natalie “Nat” Da Silva.
Pip starts her investigation by getting to know who Andie was as a person, and that starts with her best friends, Emma Hutton and Nat Da Silva, at least in BBC’s adaptation. Though Nat had bitter feelings towards Andie because of Andie publicly exposing her photos, she still remains one of Andie’s best friends.
However, in the books, she is a girl that Andie had bullied with those photos. This changes the dynamics between Nat and Andie as Nat’s opinion and perspective on Andie would have changed. She has a much harder time agreeing to Pip’s interview because of her relationship to Andie as someone she had bullied in the past.
The relation between Nat and Andie in the books as opposed to the show changed Nat’s potential to be Andie’s murderer. Pip suspected Nat less in the show since she had the role of a best friend. But in the books, Pip had a reason to believe that Nat could have acted out of revenge, making her a more viable suspect than in the show.
Importance of Stanley Forbes
This name doesn’t ring a bell for those who have only watched the series, since there is no mention of him at all.
His character does appear in the book, though only having a minor role. Through Pip’s digging into the case, she interviews Stanley Forbes, a newspaper reporter involved in writing an article about the original Andie Bell and Sal Singh case. Their interaction is short and many wouldn’t think much of it besides providing details about the original murder case.
However, because there is no mention of him in the series at all, this eliminates the main storyline for the second book adaptation since his character is vital toward the story line.
Honorable mention: Ravi’s famous quote
Perhaps the most anticipated scene or line of dialogue that fans of the book wanted to see adapted were two lines that Ravi says towards Pip, showing their relationship dynamic throughout the series.
Though the show did adapt his nickname for her, as Ravi frequently calls Pip “Sarge”, the show failed to adapt his second most famous line, “Real men wear floral when trespassing.” This line illustrates the playful and humorous aspect of Ravi’s personality in the book, and by excluding his quote, viewers found it harder to connect with the on-screen Ravi more so than in the book.
The contrast between Pip’s seriousness and Ravi’s humor is highly displayed with Ravi’s quotes, especially as their dynamic develops throughout the series.
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These minute changes in the show in contrast to the original book shows the immense difficulty that book to screen adaptations have to undergo in order to try to satisfy viewers and readers alike. Despite them, AGGGTM was well made for the short run time it had to connect the red string across the book, unveiling mysteries and plot twists along the way, leading viewers in for a thriller of a murder mystery.
