Netflix's 'Triptych' Fittingly Has a Triple Meaning — Details

One of Netflix’s newest series, Triptych, already has our heads spinning. The series follows forensics agent Rebecca (Maite Perroni) when she encounters someone who looks exactly like her. Eventually, Rebecca learns that she's a triplet, although she had no idea for her entire life. All of a sudden, three women’s lives suddenly become intertwined in the story told in Triptych.

But “triptych” isn’t really a word in our everyday vocabulary. This begs the question, what does “triptych” mean, both in general use and in the context of the series? Read on for details!

The etymology of “triptych” comes from the English origins, “tri” and “diptych.” "Tri" naturally refers to three of something and is used in many sets of three that we’re familiar with, such as trilogies, triplets, tripods, and many more. "Diptych" actually refers to an object from the 17th century, which was a hinged two-leaved tablet, made from any sort of material. By the 19th century, it often referred to pairs of pictures or carvings in art.

Later on, “triptych” took on a meaning of its own in reference to art, and often refers to a three-paneled art piece. A very famous triptych is Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, which currently lives in Madrid’s Prado Museum. Nowadays, however, a triptych can be any presentation in three sections.

This makes Triptych the perfect title for Netflix’s new series. Because it tells the story of three women who were separate, they each have their own “panels” of art, so to speak. However, when those panels come together, they make one complete piece of art, which is the Netflix series.

The triple meaning here, of course, is that not only do those three stories create one series, but their three lives create one family. The triptych may not just be what we see, but also what the characters experience as their lives intertwine.

Triptych is now available to stream on Netflix.