Originally planned as an 8 part mini-series on the USA Network, ‘The Sinner’ turned into something much more- a satisfying anthology mystery series with well-written, offbeat stories and Bill Pullman, playing Detective Harry Ambrose, always at the core. Pullam is what I call “Good Weird,” and the show, like the actor, has become kind of a “Good Weird” bit of binge pleasure.
Season 3 is probably the weirdest yet – at least on the surface. Matt Bomer plays Jamie Burns, one of those cool high school teachers who is visibly more hip than the rest of the faculty. Jamie has a beautiful wife who is weeks away from giving birth to their first child. Their life in Dorchester, New York seems idyllic.
But one night, there’s a knock on the door and the creepiest guy ever, played perfectly by Chris Messina, says he is Nick, an old college buddy of Jamie’s. We know something is up because Jamie’s wife has never heard of this guy after all these years and, on top of that, Jamie is obviously freaked out that Nick has shown up from the past.
After Jamie and Nick go out for the evening, a tragic car accident takes the life of Nick and Jamie is left with lots of questions to answer. Enter Bill Pullman, always the glinty side-eye and halting delivery. His spidey sense tells him that something isn’t right and Jamie’s behavior gets weirder and weirder (there’s that word again).
Bomer’s green eyes, always wide open, give him a creepy exterior, even when he is saying nothing. There’s a nice turn by Jessica Hecht who plays an artist who lives alone on the quiet road where the accident takes place. Is that a coincidence? Pullman will find out and possibly find a love interest in the bargain.
‘The Sinner’ has always taken its audience to an unexpected place by the end of the season, and Season 3 follows that pattern. So, I won’t say more about the plot, but I will say that this is the first time I’ve wanted to binge a series straight through in quite a while.
The show has found its rhythm and it sticks to it, providing comfort to long time fans in its familiar moves, yet still managing to find new ways to tell the story. Mostly through a “Good Weird” lens.
‘The Sinner’ Season 3 is currently streaming on Netflix and airs on the USA Network. 3 out of 4 Stars. Reviewed by Kyle Osborne .
