Upamanyu Biswas
Lifetime’s ‘Secret Life of the Dean’s Wife’ centers on Margaret, a devoted wife of a prestigious university dean, who leads a comfortable life with her seemingly perfect family life. However, it turns out to be a lie when she discovers her husband’s secret, which threatens to unravel everything she knows about herself. Realizing that her loved one is not who he seems, Margaret must come to terms with her predicament and protect herself and her daughter the best she can without succumbing to the weight of responsibility on her shoulders. Under the direction of Joshua Butler, the thriller movie tackles the fear of being betrayed by a trusted person and how it can change one’s reality in an instant. Margaret’s ideal facade crumbles to pieces as a web of lies and danger entangles her from every direction while she comes to terms with a previously unknown world.
Secret Life of the Dean’s Wife Delves Into the Perils of Deception
While fictional in its making, ‘Secret Life of the Dean’s Wife’ tells a compelling story about a woman losing her bearing on normalcy after she discovers her husband’s deepest secret. The movie thrusts its main character into a complicated situation with no way out except by digging further into the problem. To that end, there are some parallels that can be drawn between the basic premise and cases that have taken place in the real world. For instance, an allegation of complex entanglement came to light at the Stanford Graduate School of Business when Dean Garth Saloner got involved in an alleged relationship with Professor Deborah Gruenfeld. The latter was reportedly already married to Professor James Phills at the time. However, Phills filed accusations at Saloner, claiming that the dean had been discriminatory towards him.
Following the controversy, Saloner resigned, even though he denied any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, questions were raised about the responsibilities of leadership posts within the college despite an external investigation finding no evidence of university policies being violated. Although ‘Secret Life of the Dean’s Wife’ narratively differs in many ways, the context of the two cases is vaguely similar. The writers likely looked at real-life examples of scandals that brought shocking truths to light when drafting the script. However, for the most part, the story is entirely original and depicts its own twists and turns that take it in a completely different direction. Thus, the movie uses a broad-stroke premise to capture the universal fear of having one’s life turned upside down to create an enthralling setup.
Secret Life of the Dean’s Wife Unravels a Frantic Journey For the Truth
One of the main reasons ‘Secret Life of the Dean’s Wife’ is such a resonant drama is because of the emotional driving factor led by Margaret. Although she is a journalist by profession, her husband’s secret life forces her to examine her roots and identity to understand how she finds herself in her current situation. In an interview, Kate Watson, who plays Margaret, said, “I think the emotional aspect is that because it’s a story that is involving her (Margaret) and all of her emotions. It was pretty heavy you know as you dive into this to separate yourself from the story because you are the story. This is her story.” As a result, the protagonist goes from a state of trust to suspicion to eventually doubting the very existence of her life as she knows it.
From the journalistic angle, Watson stated that she took inspiration from friends in her life who are journalists by trade. It adds a layer of realism and authenticity to her performance and helps illustrate her character’s struggles more genuinely. Ultimately, the seed of Margaret’s life-altering discovery relates to her husband and who she knows him to be. Although he is a seemingly respected dean at a university with ties to the medical field, he hides a different side to him that she has never been privy to until her life comes crashing down on itself. It forces her to confront some difficult truths about herself and the choices in her life, even going back to her formative years as a person. Therefore, the story ties various themes and elements into its overarching premise, showcasing how life is full of domino effects going back to things in the past.
Read More: Secret Life of the Dean’s Wife: Filming Locations and Cast Details
