Normally, I hate the trope of twins switching places because this trope tends to have clueless people who never have an idea, and it features twins just wearing each other’s clothes and claiming each other’s names.

Whether it’s a romance or a thriller (two genres I see this trope the most), nothing makes me put down a book faster.

But I’m already paying for Netflix, and this series came with actors I love: Michelle Monaghan, Matt Bomer, Daniel Sunjata, and Jonathan Tucker.

And I was pleasantly surprised. While it has its flaws and not everyone enjoyed it as much as I did (it has a 5.7/10 rating on IMDB), I loved this series.

First, what’s this trope?

It’s two identical twins switching places for certain gain.

It seems more common (in fiction) for female twins to do this, and often there’s some sort of monetary, romantic or survival gain.

And usually, when the switch takes place, one twin is missing or dead.

Why do I hate it?

I find it quite unbelievable that two twins sound, act, dress so similarly. And I find it equally unlikely that no one around them who has been around them for years, if not all their lives, will be so clueless.

Fool one person? Fine.

Fool acquaintances and soulless corporate bosses? Sure.

Fool entire family, close friends, lovers all at once? Are you kidding me?

What makes Echoes different?

First, let me say first that Echoes is engaging, fun and batshit crazy at times.

But the twins take this switching business seriously. And as the seven episodes progress, we get good explanations on how they pull it off.

Echoes Plot (with some spoilers)

The fun thing about Echoes is that there are so many twists, turns and revelations is that I wouldn’t be able to remember all of them if I wanted to.

So while I will use a bunch of spoilers to explain why the trope works, give the series a try if you are intrigued by the premise. There will still be plenty of surprises.

Twins Leni and Gina (Michelle Monaghan) have been switching places since they were kids, and no one ever noticed.

At first, these were isolated instances to get each other out of trouble. But as they kept doing it, with the insistence and influence of Leni, tragedies, accidents, and worse started happening, and it became too late to do anything about it.

Or so they thought.

When LA-based writer Gina hears that Leni is missing, she returns to Mount Echo, the small town where they were raised. Here, Leni is married to Jack (Matt Bomer), and they run the farm together with Leni’s dad (Michael O’Neill).

Gina’s husband Charlie (Daniel Sunjata) is a psychiatrist who is more than understanding about their bond and how they need to be there for each other.

But as Gina grows more frantic to find Leni, she becomes haunted by the secrets they keep.

As we find out, they have been switching consistently as adults, each twin living one year as the other one, and then switching back on their birthdays.

They compare and inspect each new scar and freckle. They fill each other in on what’s happened in each other’s lives, in addition to the electronic diary they keep together.

But this time, Leni seems to have gotten into a lot of trouble. Her horse is found dead, and her husband suspects she is having an affair, and secrets keep popping out at every turn.

Can Gina save the lives they have both carefully constructed and shared…if in fact, this is Gina.

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The Endless Conflicts and the Delicious Immorality of it All

Stories thrive on interesting conflicts, and Echoes offer plenty.

They are not just lying to friends, parents, and co-workers, which is terrible enough. They are also sleeping with each other’s husbands, and there is a kid who has an aunt who pretends to be her mother on a regular basis!

Pretty insane. There has to be something monumentally wrong with their psychology, right?

Don’t worry. There is.

Leni witnessed a major traumatic event when she was very young, in addition to a mother dying of cancer. Add her controlling, possessive and narcissistic personality (which might or might not have been caused by the trauma), and you can almost understand how unhinged she is. She copes by being a mother/wife/daughter/sister, co-running a dying ranch, and controlling her sister to the extreme.

Gina is sick of Leni’s behavior and influence. She’s been dubbed as the bad one due to choices Leni made, and she has been planning her way out. We sympathize with Gina a lot more, since she comes across more as a victim. Though considering the twins are the same age, height, and are of similar strength – and that Gina has carved a life outside of the town, no matter how much Leni tries to control it – there definitely have been better outs and courses of action than she has planned.

But I love that the writer makes it obvious that these sisters have severe psychological problems. Because no sane/rational/compassionate/ethical/empathetical person would go through it.

How come no one knew/noticed?

It’s explained that their mother could always tell them apart, but she died early. Their dad loved his wife and kids, and it’s safe to assume he never got over his wife’s death. And he mistook the trauma-sufferer for Gina. But he didn’t do anything. Which is of course his bad. As loving as he is, you’ll never forgive the dad for ignoring the trauma once you learn what it is.

Jack and Leni have been together since they were teenagers, and every time Gina wasn’t happy about being left out, Leni made them switch. And since they are really good at the acting, he didn’t really stand a chance as a teenage boy.

Their slightly older sister Claudia had her own trauma, in addition to their mother’s death, she never could see beyond her anger toward Gina, who she blames being paralyzed on.

Gina’s husband…well, he knew. And that was a good call on the writer’s part. While him knowing and going along with it raises a whole bunch of other issues on morality and ethics and his own mental state (in addition to the extra questionable action of having married a former patient), it is a nice touch. He has turned this into his own game/scientific experiment/coping mechanism.

So dive in for a lot of crime, lies, deception, and some more action.

And don’t worry. There are likable characters too. And while Leni and Gina have pulled some despicable stuff, thanks to Michelle Monaghan, you still can’t help but root for Gina.

And I love the character of Dylan James (Jonathan Tucker). I love a “bad boy” who is not a bad boy at all: You know, people see a leather jacket and a motorcycle and they freak out?

How to make twins switching places trope work

Just like when it comes to writing anything else, I’d recommend reading and watching tons of stuff with this trope.

Make a note of what you liked, and you didn’t like.  What would you make differently? Why?

Ask a lot of what-if questions. Give your characters, their motivations, and their answers hell. This will help you shed cliches and plot holes.

I recommend at least one character noticing the switch, and I also recommend the sisters/brothers really work on the pretense. Do they really sound/look/act the same?

One nice touch with Echoes is that Gina and Leni have different accents, and clothing/hairstyles. It helps that they are meticulous with scars and stories too.

Or, the other characters never know their friend/lover/etc. had a twin in the first place, which makes your job easier in most aspects.

If someone you love suddenly acts strangely, your first thought won’t be of an evil twin… unless of course, you are a writer/reader/watcher who has seen/read too much . 🙂

Wouldn’t the husbands know from how they are (in/out of bed)?

Here, one does.

One never had the chance to get to know them independently.

Make sure you have a decent explanation for people not noticing.

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There you go.

Have you ever written a story featuring this trope? Do you have any favorite movies/TV series/novels with it? What makes them work for you?

Please let me know in the comments.