Imagine you come back home from a party to find your husband bleeding on the floor. In minutes, your perfect white dress is stained in red, like your reputation is going to be soon enough. On the other hand, your sister is an addict and is dealing with her own problems when she hears the news and comes back into your (now) fancy life. What follows is a series of events revealing many shocking family secrets. This is the basic premise of The Better Sister, and it’s sure to keep you on your toes from start to finish. Chloe runs a successful magazine, is married to a loving husband named Adam, and is raising a teenage son named Ethan. Well, was married to a loving husband named Adam. When Adam is found dead, Nicky, Chloe’s estranged sister, comes back into her life for surprising reasons.
What follows is a mystery-thriller in which we’re meant to figure out who Adam’s killer is and why Chloe and Nicky have been away from each other for so many years. In typical mystery fashion, we get little reveals before the screen blacks out, and then the opening credits roll in. The show’s format is simple yet effective, and somehow keeps you hooked from start to finish without feeling cookie-cutter or contrived. It’s a perfectly balanced thriller that is elevated by the fact that it’s about sisters. While the plot unravels slowly, the show itself never feels slow, but it’s definitely got deliberate down to perfection. While I did say it isn’t cookie-cutter, I can’t really say the show’s got a unique plot that makes it stand out in comparison to other thrillers on the market, but where it does stand out is in the relationships that are portrayed within the show. Despite the exaggeration, there’s something very realistic about them. Also, yes, the show is quite thrilling and suspenseful, with some business jargon, FBI agent-involvement, lots of twists leaving you with an urge to find out what it is that left these sisters in this situation.
The show encapsulates typical themes of dark thrillers involving female protagonists – abuse, alcoholism, familial trouble – but these characters are perfectly sketched out, never feeling caricaturish or cardboard-like. This is what makes the show unmissable. Of course, I’m praising the characters, but it’s the lead actresses who carry the show so absolutely well. Not only do Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel look the part impeccably, they also play the roles to perfection, specifically Banks, who delivers a morbid and highly emotional performance that sets her apart from the rest of the cast. I can’t get over how alike the two women look, I think this is a case of perfect casting. But it’s not just the two protagonists who stand out in terms of the quality of their work. Maxwell Acee Donovan, who plays the son, Ethan, is a force to be reckoned with. You never know what he’s really thinking, and you really start to worry about his intentions.
On the other hand, there’s Kim Dickens as Detective Guidry, and she shines through. Honestly, there’s nothing to complain about in terms of the cast, because they all do a fantastic job of giving this otherwise average thriller a boost. The lighting is moody, the colors are muted, and the atmosphere is brooding. I quite enjoyed the soundtrack too, and was a little surprised that we’re introduced to the show with the same song that was the theme song for Prime’s very own Daisy Jones And The Six. Of course, these are rich people we’re dealing with, well, at least one of them, so the homes are lavishly designed, but I especially enjoyed the costumes, because they differentiate the characters effortlessly. Also, I cannot get over Jessica Biel in the white dress at the beginning of the show, absolutely stunning.
Rather than wondering “Who killed Adam?” I think we’re mostly left with a domestic drama that focuses on blood bonds. If you’re looking for a convoluted thriller, then you might not find this one that exciting. But don’t take this the wrong way, I’m not trying to put you off the show, because even if you might be able to catch the clues and figure out what really happened, you’ll still be interested enough to see it through to the end, when it hits you with something new.
While I did compare the show with Gone Girl, apart from some themes, there isn’t much else they have in common between them. Maybe it’s Jessica Biel’s hairstyle and sunglasses that remind me so much of Rosamund Pike, or maybe it’s simply the fact that it’s a domestic thriller that drew me to make that comparison. I suppose I could call The Better Sister feminist, especially because it doesn’t focus on giving us perfect female characters. Everyone is flawed, and all the women are morally gray, yet their actions are justified because of what they’ve been through. The show’s focus on motherhood is charming and feels rooted rather than something that was thought about at the last minute.
I can’t say The Better Sister is superbly clever and you’ve never seen anything like it before, but I can say with confidence that it is deeply enjoyable as a domestic psychological mystery. As someone who is forced to binge-watch everything, I would recommend not bingeing this one, and watching it over time to really relax with it and enjoy the drama. The pacing is great, but don’t worry about missing out on any details; it’s all there, and you’ll be able to connect the dots. There’s a lot of profanity, some sex, and some violent themes, so viewer discretion is advised. If you’re looking for something interesting to watch this week, then I’d definitely put The Better Sister at the number one spot. Also, it’s unexpectedly funny in spots, so it’s really just a fun ride you don’t want to miss. I’d give The Better Sister 3.5 out of 5 stars.
