Echoes (stylized as ECHOƎS) is a drama television miniseries that premiered on Netflix on 19 August 2022.
Synopsis
The miniseries is a mystery thriller about identical twins Leni and Gina, who share a dangerous secret. They have secretly swapped lives since they were children, culminating in a double life as adults where they share two homes, two husbands, and a child. Their world is thrown into disarray when one of the twins goes missing.[1][2]
Ali Stroker as Claudia McCleary, the older sister of Leni and Gina who has been paralyzed waist down since one of the twins had deliberately pushed her as a girl and now moves around in a wheelchair
Gable Swanlund as Mathilda "Mattie" Beck, Jack and Leni's nine-year-old daughter and Gina's niece
Gina McCleary learns that her identical twin, Leni, is missing, having possibly been abducted from their family's ranch in Mt. Echo; and someone broke into their stable and released the horses. Gina arrives at Leni and husband Jack's home to find a search party. She also learns Leni had neglected to mention several important things in their shared diary vlog. As Sheriff Floss and Deputy Martinez leave for the night, they notice a man, who was not part of the search party, getting into a pickup truck. Gina goes to her childhood home, where her ailing elderly father Victor and wheelchair-user younger sister Claudia live, and enters the bedroom the twins used to share. A flashback shows their cancer-stricken mother, Maria, giving them charm bracelets: a lion on Leni's bracelet and a dove on Gina's, in reference to each of their polar opposite personalities, while Claudia is excluded. In the present, Gina discovers a doll missing its head and arms; she later finds an arm near a tree outside. Upset, she stays at a hotel.
The next morning, Leni's horse returns with human blood on its neck. In a ravine, the search party finds another horse, shot dead and its microchip had been cut out. Jack tells Gina that Leni has occasionally disappeared; his daughter Mattie confirms this but adds she has never been gone this long. Gina remembers when she and Leni ran away together after their mother's funeral. She also recalls Leni's actions during their childhood causing problems, due to mistaken identity. Gina finds two doll hands, one with Leni's charm bracelet. She sets out on her own on the outskirts of the ranch to look for Leni. She enters a cave, where the twins used to hide, to find an outfit of Leni's with a doll head. A flashback shows the twins running away from a burning church and Leni telling Gina they have to switch places. In the present, Gina finds a book she authored by the clothes, with a note inside telling her she now gets both lives but has to choose which. Flashbacks show the twins at various ages every birthday, ending with the previous year, agreeing to swap lives for one year. Gina is now actually Leni, and the missing "Leni" is, in actuality, Gina. Leni changes into her other half's clothes in the cave and purposefully gives herself a head wound. In a journal voice over, she tells Gina she has not played her true identity (Leni) in a one whole year. She returns to the farm to be greeted by "her" young daughter Matilda "Mattie."
Echoes was created and written by Vanessa Gazy, who also co-executive produced with Brian Yorkey, Quinton Peeples and Imogen Banks of EndemolShine Banks Australia. Yorkey and Peeples both served as showrunners.[5]Michelle Monaghan starred in this miniseries.[6]Matt Bomer added to the cast in a lead role.[7]Daniel Sunjata added to the cast in a lead role.[8]Ali Stroker, Karen Robinson and Rosanny Zayas added to the cast as series regulars.[9] In October 2021, Michael O'Neill, Celia Weston, Gable Swanlund, Tyner Rushing, Hazel Mason, Ginger Mason, Alise Willis, Maddie Nichols and Jonathan Tucker were added to the cast.[10][11] The series premiered on 19 August 2022.[4]
Although it is an Australian production, this series is set in the United States. Filming took place in Wilmington, North Carolina.[12]
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, Echoes has an overall approval rating of 24% with an average score of 4.8/10 based on 21 reviews, with the site's consensus being, "Double the Michelle Monaghan should be a winning proposition, but Echoes is a resounding misfire whose promise grows fainter with each silly twist."[13]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 46 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[14]
