Summer is the season of sisterhood, it seems.
Last month Netflix debuted the slick Sirens, a show about two chalk and cheese sisters attempting to reconcile their traumatic past, set against a backdrop of wealth, power, and class. This month, Prime Video launched The Better Sister, a mystery-style whodunit about two chalk and cheese sisters attempting to reconcile their traumatic past, set against a backdrop of wealth, power, and class.
Sirens, weighing in at a mere 5 episodes, was bright, breezy, and sharp. The Better Sister is however 8 full episodes of mystery, red herrings and subplots, a cyber-stalking storyline that occasionally gives way to a police procedural (I would totally watch that spinoff!), a melodrama, and a would-be corporate espionage tale that all rely — a little too heavily — on its core premise to hold everything together.
The series stars Jessica Biel as Chloe, and Elizabeth Banks as Nicky, two estranged sisters with a trauma-filled past who are brought crashing back into each other’s lives following the murder of Adam (Corey Stoll), Chloe’s husband. Who also happens to be Nicky’s ex. And the father of Ethan. Who happens to be Nicky’s biological son. Who is now being raised by Chloe and Adam. On account of Nicky’s addiction-filled past.
Moving on.
When suspicion for Adam’s murder falls on his naive and likeable son Ethan, both women come together to protect their shared child. Chloe is the wealthy and successful editor-in-chief of The Real Thing magazine. Outwardly her life seems perfect, even if her relationship with Adam appears strained at the outset, with Ethan’s true parentage a closely guarded secret. Sister Nicky, comparatively less well off, but now 5 years sober, is the wild card who reenters Chloe’s life, opening up old wounds, and bringing those shameful secrets to light in the process.
Brash loudmouth Nicky is desperate to establish some sort of bond with her estranged son, despite Chloe’s disgust, objections, and helplessness in the face of spiralling events. However, as Nicky is technically still Ethan’s legal guardian, when the police insist she should be the one to take care of him during the murder investigation, Chloe is forced (just like the viewers with this sketchy plot point) to accept their decision. Cue Nicky moving into Chloe’s exquisitely designed New York apartment, making use of a kitchen that looks like it’s never seen an egg, rummaging through her sister’s personal effects, and bonding big time with Ethan.
The show is at its best when Biel and Banks are left to go at it in a room together. Whether they are circling each other like wary lionesses, or shooting barbs (“You have a Camel toe that can be seen from outer space!”) or just plain squabbling like teenagers, it’s easy to buy that these are two sisters who could have shared a more loving bond if past trauma had not shaped Chloe into a perfectionistic control freak, and Nicky into an angry and insensitive addict.
Biel imbues Chloe with a sense of poise that always appears to be under threat of imminent collapse. We can’t wait to see what lies beyond the still mirror of her polished facade. Banks is equally, perhaps arguably even more so, fascinating, delivering a raw and nuanced portrayal of a woman who has lost everything, and now sees a slim chance at gaining some, or all of it, back.
This chemistry, especially in scenes of confrontation (whether in flashback or present day), is what elevates the show, making the sisterly dynamic its strongest asset.
With a talented cast and a premise ripe for drama, (the series is adapted from Alafair Burke’s novel of the same name) The Better Sister has ambitions to spin a juicy, twisty tale. The whodunit keeps viewers guessing, with twists that maintain intrigue, and the visuals and atmosphere make it a polished watch, perfect for fans of glossy dramas like Big Little Lies, The Undoing, and Your Honor.
However the show struggles at times to balance its ambitions, and the result is a mixed bag of compelling performances, storytelling cul-de-sacs, constant reframing in the light of new information, and some narrative missteps. A series of subplots and red herrings serve to bog down the pacing, making the show’s 8-hour runtime feel bloated — especially when compared to the aforementioned Sirens. Although there’s an occasional attempt at dark comedy, it doesn’t often land well — perhaps due to the nature of the subject matter and otherwise heavy tone — leading to moments that feel tonally inconsistent, for this reviewer at least.
With so many plates to spin, including the slow-burn mystery regarding Adam’s death, and a psychological drama to unpack, the pervading tone of The Better Sister is often one of airlessness and convolution, as the story and its characters inch slowly towards an inevitable finish line.
The Better Sister is one to stream for the performances and central mystery, but viewers should temper their expectations for a cohesive or pacy thriller. If you enjoy complex family dynamics and don’t mind some narrative and tonal messiness, it makes for a solid weekend watch.
