SINSATIONAL
THERE’S plenty of thrills on the small screen. And the second instalment of The Sinner certainly ups the ante.
Season one enjoyed a captivated audience for several reasons, notwithstanding the sheer star clout of having Jessica Biel and Bill Pullman. Window dressing, they are not.
A deglamorised Biel (not that vestiges of her natural beauty could be completely concealed by an orange jumpsuit) delivered an award-winning performance as a psychologically traumatised mother and wife whose past comes back to haunt her.
Pullman, cast as Detective Harry Ambrose, is as uniformly messed up as crime-solvers come. His marriage is on the rocks. And, despite his years in service, he isn’t as jaded as one would expect. If anything, his ability to see past the smoke and mirrors makes him a joy to watch.
The Sinner didn’t just win the battle with its casting, the writing is as ingenious as the directing. The sombre colours are craftily used to magnify the pervading theme of despair, where the line of morality blurs.
Season two of the anthology series lives up to the air of mystery with Elisha Henig cast as Julian Walker, a 13-year-old boy arrested for poisoning his parents. The director disarms the audience with family scenes of a trip to Niagara Falls that ends in tragedy when the car they are travelling in breaks down.
Although the father is the epitome of calm, the mother appears frayed. With very little that they can do to fix the problem, they call it a night at a nearby hotel.
Throughout this incident, the boy silently observes the adults. The hushed tones and angry gestures leave him agitated. It also speaks to there being more to the tiff than meets the eye.
Things appear to be on track the following morning. The father takes the son out for breakfast. While the boy is getting them tea, he heads back to the room for a quick morning glory session and shower.
Then disaster strikes. Both adults are left gasping for air, while the boy looks on at their writhing bodies.
Baffled by the turn of events at the crime scene, newly appointed detective Heather Novack turns to Ambrose for help.
What really throws the viewer is the arrival of the boy’s “mother”. Tonight’s episode sheds some light on the identity of Julian’s real mother. But Pandora’s Box of secrets has only just opened…
As fascinated as I am by The
Sinner, Taken still hasn’t made much of an impression. Two seasons in and Clive Standen remains a wooden TV version of Bryan Mills. He lacks gravitas and charm.
Taken is the perfect example of how bad casting can cast a terrible shadow over a series. Skip it. ■ The Sinner 2 airs on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) on Thursday at 9pm.