All Her Fault: Is A Great Mystery?

All Her Fault (Season 1/ USA/2025) is a slow-burning crime-mystery drama that unfolds at a leisurely pace. The new but past secrets keep tumbling out in each of its eight episodes, with devastating consequences for almost all the key characters. And the sad and tragic end does not help either.

This series with 8 Episodes (or 8 parts) is based on the “All Her Fault” (2021) novel by Andrea Mara. And now that we have seen Season 1 of All Her Fault (2025), we are wondering about Season 2. Maybe the show creator could base season 2 of this show on her upcoming “It Should Have Been You” (2026) novel.

Focus: All Her Fault (Season 1/ USA/2025) Series Review

If You Ask Us, Then Actually, It Is Not Her Fault At All…Or Is It?

Spoiler-Free Series Review

The Synopsis

Marissa Irvine (Sarah Snook) arrives at 14 Arthur Avenue to collect her young son Milo (Duke McCloud) from his first playdate, but the woman who answers the door isn't a mother she recognises. She doesn't have Milo and has never heard of him. And so begins every parent's worst nightmare.

New questions lead to deep secrets, revealing cracks in the Irvines’ seemingly perfect world until everything is left shattered.

Notably, the original novel (All Her Fault) by the Author Andrea Mara is set in Dublin, Ireland. However, the inspired show (All Her Fault) creator, Megan Gallagher, has set this series in the USA. Moreover, despite its being set in the U.S, filming partially took place in Elwood, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Australia.

The Missing Kid: Milo

This mystery thriller drama kicks off with a 5-year-old kid, Milo (Duke McCloud), who has gone missing on one of those bright sunny days. His mother, Marissa Irvine (Sarah Snook), has no idea at all as to what really happened with her son, Milo. The local (smart and sensitive) police detective, Detective Alcaras (Michael Peña), is assigned to find the missing Milo and solve the complicated criminal case. As the police get involved, the questionable missing (Milo) child case pulls the other working mother, Jenny Kaminski (Dakota Fanning), because of the alleged involvement of her nanny, Carrie Finch (Sophia Lillis), in Milo’s case.

Slow & Steady

As we have mentioned above that the first half (1 to 4 episodes) is slow and steady. So, we get introduced to all the family members of Milo: dad Peter Irvine (Jake Lacy), uncle Brian Irvine (Daniel Monks), and aunt Lia Irvine (Abby Elliott). Then, we also meet the Irvine family friend and business partner, Colin Dobbs (Jay Ellis), and Milo’s nanny, Ana Garcia (Kartiah Vergara), too. In the series, initially, Milo’s dad, Peter Irvine, is depicted as a strong and silent type of usual patriarch, who is holding the family together. But, is it really so?

Series Poster

Rich versus Poor

We live in a world where the power dynamics are heavily tilted towards the wealthy folks like the Irvine family. Therefore, in complete contrast, two poor nannies, Carrie Finch (Sophia Lillis) and Ana Garcia (Kartiah Vergara), come from the economically weaker sections of society. Both are the usual suspects. Isn’t it?

No doubt, this series also highlights the rich versus poor societal divide strongly. And, even the viewers are taken down the similar established trope, where everything (including the missing child case) is linked to the pursuit of “money” and the “ransom demand”. But then there is much more.

However, as the story progresses, the needle of suspicion starts to point towards almost all the family and friends of the Irvines.

And as expected, there is more than one twist and turn in this drama.

Working Moms

As viewers, we also get to take a much closer look behind the curtains of two separate homes. Firstly, we have mentioned the Irvine family. Herein, Marissa Irvine (Sarah Snook) is a successful finance gal who manages her own firm. Because of her demanding career, Marissa hires a nanny, Ana Garcia (Kartiah Vergara), to help her out with her son, Milo. Secondly, there is Jenny Kaminski (Dakota Fanning), who is also a busy working mom. Being in a highly competitive publishing business, even Jenny needs active assistance from her son’s nanny Carrie Finch (Sophia Lillis) to balance her work-life.

Almost all of them are doing thankless and very demanding jobs. And, as usual, their partners have no idea.

Female Characters

✅ The series is based on the gripping crime fiction novel, All Her Fault (2021), by Andrea Mara. So, there is already a good quality written material available to its makers. As the show is based on a novel, almost all the key characters are explored in depth.

✅ Written by a famous female author, Andrea Mara, the show is led by strong women. Right at the top is, of course, Marissa Irvine (Sarah Snook), who plays the protagonist. Then, we also meet Jenny Kaminski (Dakota Fanning) and Carrie Finch (Sophia Lillis), who are key characters. All of them are fabulous in it.

✅ The show highlights the strong and unbreakable (emotional) bond between the Mother and the Child. That is the central theme of this story. Almost all the mothers are willing to go an extra distance for their children. Mind you, they will do anything for their kids. We mean, anything, really!

✅ Not to forget Lia Irvine (Abby Elliott), whose character has been vilified and belittled since childhood, for no fault of hers. Imagine the kind of emotional damage inflicted on her psyche. Could she pay back in the end?

Male Characters

✅ For a change, the male characters play the supporting roles for the major part of the show. However, we watch Peter Irvine (Jake Lacy) play a domineering, selfish, disruptive and ungentlemanly person in the show. What a d*ck of a guy, actually! But we have to admit Jake played his scum part perfectly.

✅ But not all men are bad in this show. It has a stand-up and sharp police detective, Alcaras (Michael Peña), who is in complete contrast to Peter Irvive’s character in the show. As a mature and wise guy, Alcaras knows what to overlook and when to cross the moral lines. Peña is first-class as a cop.

FM Rating

The Conclusion

Watching the layered storyline of “All Her Fault” is similar to peeling the proverbial onion. But we did not like its unsuitable title, as it is a misnomer (explained in the spoilers below). Now, in the first half (from episodes 1 to 4) of the series, the viewers need an extra bit of patience, as the story unfolds at an unhurried pace. And the second half (from episodes 5 to 8), the mortifying lies and destructive secrets of family (and friends) begin to tumble out at a much hurried pace. In other words, it is a tale of two distinct halves. Both are needed, but the second half tale really packs and delivers a very heavy punch.

Last but not least, the rest of the ensemble cast was good too. In this suspenseful mystery, they portrayed their respective characters quite well. They never gave away the mystery, right until the end scene. So, kudos to all of them, really. All in all, in totality, it is a good (great) mystery drama.

Key Details

Episodes Summary | Spoiler-Alert (#1)

Marissa (Sarah Snook) and Peter Irvine face terror when their son Milo disappears after playing with a classmate from his new school.

A press conference intended to help find Milo implodes and the Irvines are scrutinized.

A canvassing event aims to keep the case alive; Peter takes matters into his own hands.

While struggling to locate Milo, Alcaras is tempted by an offer that goes against his morals.

News from Alcaras throws suspicion on the whole family as a secret threatens to tear them apart.

The Irvines struggle to adjust to their new normal as Jenny makes some discoveries of her own.

Carrie's obsession grows as she plans Milo's kidnapping, but is left reeling as things implode.

Learning about Carrie's past, the truth dawns on Marissa before deciding how to protect her family.

Series Trailer

YouTube Link ~ All Her Fault | Now Streaming | Peacock Hub | JioHotstar.

Ending Explained | Spoiler-Alert (#2)

Explained: the ending and why the show title “All Her Fault” is a misnomer

Mothers Prevail

🔎 There are three young mothers in the series, Marissa Irvine (Sarah Snook), Jenny Kaminski (Dakota Fanning) and Carrie Finch (Sophia Lillis). But in the end, only two of them get to make a choice. And surely, it is not their fault.

Now, the end can be debated. Whether the mother chose the right path for themselves and/or their sons. But we shall not get into that. It is up to you to decide. Moreover, you also decide whether the first season finale ending was satisfactory or discomforting for you.

Posters of the “All Her Fault” series‘ tagline says

If only she had let it go…

We think, in an ideal world, Carrie Finch (Sophia Lillis) would have got justice and enjoyed the emotions of motherhood. But that does not happen in the real world. A modern world where wealth defines the worth of human lives.

So, Carrie had no fair chance to right the wrongs in the child-switch case. It is not her fault, definitely. For her, it was tragic!

Maybe the author used the said title to smartly hide the “villain” in plain sight.

“All His Fault”

Lastly, read the FM Series Review of the Bad Sisters (Season 1/2022) Series in our Focus Magazine, another Irish drama.

Posters and Featured Images of All Her Fault (Season 1/ USA/2025) series | Pictures Credit: Peacock TV & Jio Hotstar.