The Sinner | It's a Mystery wrapped in a drama, Inside a conspiracy.

"pushing and shoving
hugging and kissing
all the time
all over again
lock the door
then we'll die"
 Hugging & A Kissing - Big Black Delta

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" - John 8:32

The Sinner is a Crime Drama Mystery Tv Series based off of the novel by German writer Petra Hammesfahr. The first season was planned to be one season but was expanded to an anthology in 2018. It was written primarily by Derek Simonds and Petra Hammesfahr and was produced by Midnight Choir Inc, Zaftig Films, Iron Ocean, and UCP. The show was originally run on the USA Network but the first two Seasons are available on Netflix. Season One of The Sinner stars the acting talent of Jessica Biel (Cora Tannetti), Christopher Abbot (Mason Tannetti), and Bill Pullman(Dt. Henry Ambrose). For a List of Cast and Crew

You wake up one morning for a day at the beach with your family. You pack food for a picnic, your sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses and The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough in case you get a little time for yourself as your little one plays. The sun shines brightly as you step onto the beach of the lake just outside of town, the smell of the algae in the water and the birch trees on the opposite shore hit your nose as the smell of zinc, shea butter, and polyurethane fades. You ask your husband to watch the kid as you take a dip into the water swimming much farther out then you should. You dip under the waves, the ice cold water licking the warmth from your skin as an itching thought lingers at the back of your brain. You hear your husband's voice calling, worried, muffled by the weight of the water above you, you surface and head back to shore. 

Dried off you take out a paring knife you packed to slice up a ripe green pear that you plucked from the fruit bowl in the kitchen that morning. You feed a slice to your son and cut a piece for yourself the clear sweet juice spreads over your tongue. In front of you are a group of young 20 somethings on the beach. A handsome man is reading a book while his girlfriend fiddles with the knobs of a boombox. She mentions that she found a few songs he had worked on in college and the opening cords of "Hugging & Kissing" by Big Black Delta starts playing. In that moment you are taken back, you don't know where but you're afraid. You're afraid and you're angry. You blink and the man is sprawled out before you his blood on your hands. You have stabbed him 7 times. "Why did you do it, Cora" The detective asked drawing you from the memory. 

The first episode draws us in with the visceral murder.  This begins the spiral of conspiracy and mystery that is the life of Cora Tennetti(Jessica Biel), who stabbed a young doctor to death with no other provocation then playing a love song. While firmly a crime drama like other shows on Netflix The Sinner distinguishes itself by adding a conspiratorial aspect to its mystery. Jessica Biel is, while sympathetic, an entirely unreliable narrator and her past just raises more questions than answers. From the beginning of the show we are plague with questions besides the death of Dr. Frankie Belmont and as the show continues there is just more threads that get added to the pile. The story similarly to THOHH plays along two storylines, the modern day with Biel incarceration and trial and Biel's past where she grows up in a Carrie-esque abusive household with her terminally ill sister(Nadia Alexander). These flashbacks start off relatively short but get longer as the show continues including Part VII which is told almost entirely in flashback with an absolutely fantastic payoff. Present day follows Biel in prison but also shows the perspective of her husband(Christopher Abbott), who deals with the media circus and Biel's Ex-boyfriend J.D(Jacob Pitts), and Detective Henry Ambrose(Bill Pullman) who is one of Biel's few sympathizers. While I enjoyed Pullman's Character I felt that much of his storyline spent to much time fleshing out a background that was immaterial to the story. Pullman's interactions with Biel and the inner politics of the police where interesting and part of the meat of the drama; But the tawdry love triangle between his tired wife and his BDSM Mistress where frankly pointless and didn't do much for a character who was originally in a "Closed-off Series".

Jessica Biel's ,like many have said before, is a fantastic actress and allows us to connect with Cora, a surprisingly sympathetic character for someone who just stabbed a man to death. Supporting her are the male leads Christopher Abbott and Bill Pullman with Nadia Alexander fleshing out the flashbacks. You can see throughout the show that Abbott's character truly loves his wife and their mutual connection, as the muck of Biel's Past is unrevealed, raises the emotional stakes of the show. Abbott's character is dynamic and proactive and definitely stands out among Crime Dramas where the spouse does nothing but feel sad and bother the police. Pullman was a fascinating character and the development between him and Biel provide a level of sympathy for both sides of the legal system. Alexander is a dynamic albeit tragic character and her interactions with Biel help strengthen the troubled but loving relationship between the two; (That being said there are definite moments where Alexander take it to far.(Spoilers)). TS is a well made drama whose characters interactions create an emotional impact that makes the events much more personal and allows you to really sympathise with Biel's plight. 

  

Radium Cheung's(Tangerine) direction is fantastic from the surreal Hypnosis scenes in Part IV to the transitions between flashbacks and the motif of the wallpaper. The Filmwork is fluid and provides a visually appealing style while we focus on the intricate details of the plot. Ronit Kirchman also does an excellent job in the sound design department from his subtle but effective incidental scoring and the Electronic Rock and Shoegaze heavy Soundtrack. The Leitmotif of Big Black Deltas - "Hugging and Kissing" was probably one of the most memorable uses of a song that I've seen in a show and was unique for the Crime Thriller Genre. 

The Sinner is a fantastic crime drama that allows us to connect with the murderer in a way that most shows don't. It presents us a character-rich drama wrapped up in a tighty written and intriguing conspiratorial mystery. Along with a firm technical direction, The Sinner provides a unique viewing experience with a immensely satisfying emotional and narrative payoff. Well worth your time for lovers of Crime Dramas and Mysteries in general.