[Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers from Episode 1 of “The Miniaturist” miniseries. For a non-spoilery read, check out IndieWire’s review.]

“The Miniaturist” is anything but a run-of-the-mill period drama, and the premiere’s ending proved that. The main currency in PBS’ miniseries is surprise, ranging from the small moments of wonder to the mysterious revelations regarding the miniatures that furnish the dollhouse belonging to new 17th-century Dutch bride Petronella (Anya Taylor-Joy), aka Nella.

The biggest shocker, however, came in the last moments of the episode after elaborate misdirection had been built up. Petronella had arrived in Amsterdam and was greeted, not by her new husband Johannes Brandt (Alex Hassle), but coldly by her strict sister-in-law Marin (Romola Garai). Passive-aggressive behavior, whispered conversations, Johannes avoiding consummating their marriage, and other clues pointed to Johannes possibly preferring his sister’s company over his wife’s. Even busybody Agnes Meermans (Aislín McGuckin) seemed as if she were about to announce the