‘Sinner’ returns with a new crime, mostly new cast
“The Sinner” looks simple enough: It’s a psychological crime anthology series, one of plenty to be found on many TV platforms.
But “The Sinner” — which returned Wednesday night for a second, all-new, eightepisode tale — deserves more than a passing glance, if for no other reason than to admire its balance.
The core mystery is complicated but not overly so; the ambiguities are presented in terms of humans flaws, not philosophy tracts; the gore is politely measured out in necessary doses; the twists are plausible enough to pass muster; and, above all else, the show’s pace and writing help you resist the urge to drift.
The first season, still a worthwhile binge, starred Jessica Biel (also an executive producer of the series) as Cora Tannetti, a troubled wife and mother who impulsively stabbed a man to death during a Sunday lake outing — a horrific act witnessed by dozens of people, including her husband.
Had it not been for the empathetic and unorthodox sleuthing of Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman), Cora might have faced an open-and-shut conviction.
Harry’s instinctive investigation took “The Sinner” down an unexpected path to a solid and more meaningful conclusion, the details of which I won’t spoil, other than to note that Biel is up for an Emmy for her performance and Pullman should be.
Season two centers on a new and equally baffling crime.
On what appears to be a family road trip to Niagara Falls, a couple are murdered by their creepy tweenage son, Julian (Elisha Henig), who brings them poisoned mugs of tea at the motel where they’re staying. • “The Sinner” can be seen at 10 p.m. Wednesdays on USA.
A local rookie detective, Heather Novack (Natalie Paul), reaches out to Harry (Pullman reprises the role) to ask for his help in the case. As before, Harry doubts the open-andshut nature of the evidence.
The suspect is being held in foster care while police look for any next of kin; before long, a woman named Vera shows up, claiming to be the boy’s mother.
That Vera is played by Carrie Coon (“The Leftovers” and “Fargo”) turns out to be the only endorsement that season two needs.
The part is a good one: Vera is an influential member of a cultlike commune that occupies a farm 20 miles away, a subplot that stirs memories of Hulu’s religious cult drama “The Path.” As the circumstances of Julian’s relationship to the murder victims grows darker, “The Sinner” again becomes an irresistibly compelling show to watch, very much a latesummer treat.
Pullman again gives a gruffly understated but impressive performance as Harry, who happens to be a native of the town where the new murder took place.
His return home is fraught with complications.
Detective Novack is carrying around some upsetting recollections, specifically about a close friend who joined Vera’s cult years earlier and was never seen again.
It’s tempting to suggest that there’s much more to “The Sinner” than a viewer might expect, but perhaps what’s truly satisfying about the show is that it doesn’t try to be much more than it is.