The Sinner

"Harry" keeps doing idiotic things. It's distracting. And Pullman's mannerisms have become far too exaggerated. This newest season feels like a mimic of NBC's "Hannibal."

I like the previous two runs.

But THIS one? In each episode, Harry just screws up. I realize, obviously, that the plot is intentional. But it's impossible to become "invested" with a character who acts illogically at almost every turn.

And it's not just Harry. I just keep thinking to myself, "Hey, that person would NEVER do that!" And I'm not discussing "Jamie," who is unbalanced.

But the third season is horribly terrible or terribly horrible take your pick.. First off, the story was boring and it didn't hold my interest and it seemed forced.. Secondly, I think the actors who played Jamie and Nick were terrible choices because I just didn't care about the characters they played like I did in the first two seasons because they were so much easier to connect with which made me care about what they were going through.. I've read that there's going to be a fourth season and even though I didn't care much for season three I will watch it because Bill Pullman is fantastic as det. Harry Ambrose..

Cora (Jessica Biel) is a normal looking young woman who commits a shocking crime in full view of many witnesses. As viewers, we witness the crime also, so there is no doubt of her guilt.

Means and opportunity are never in question, but what is the motive? That is the central mystery around which this series revolves. And it is the question that drives police detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) to dig deeper despite Cora's confession of guilt.

Ambrose is a sad sack character who seems to commune better with nature than with people. Perhaps he understands compulsion and seeks to unravel his own while investigating Cora's.

In the first episode, Cora says, "I never thought that I would have a normal life." This is a major clue that her behavior may be rooted in her early years. Throughout the show, there are flashbacks to various happenings from all periods of Cora's life--clues that form pieces of the jigsaw puzzle solution.

As for the acting, most of the heavy hauling involves Biel and Pullman, who are convincing. The tone of the show is moody, suggesting the turmoil that lies just beneath the surface.

It remains to be seen if the writing can weave a tale that keeps the story interesting over the course of the 8-episode season. This is a good start.

Update 8/25/17: After four episodes, I am raising my grade to "8". The story is riveting. I would recommend this show to anyone who likes a good police mystery.

"The Sinner" is (so far) a three-part series asking what drives people to commit murder. Each story is 8 parts.

The first one stars Jessica Biel as a married woman, mother of one, who goes to the beach one day and stabs someone to death nearby. A police detective, Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) becomes interested in the case and works to find out what happened.

The episode will have you on the edge of your seat, as there is one surprise after another, leading to its shocking conclusion.

The second series concerns a young boy who, while he is in a motel with his parents, poisons them. Again, Harry Ambrose becomes involved, determined to find out the boy's motivation. Though this series of episodes isn't quite as good as the previous, it's still terrific and again, will really have you guessing.

Then we come to the third series. Every review you will read will tell you to skip it. Just one problem. No one who says "skip it" happens to mention that it stars the gorgeous Matt Bomer. I wouldn't have cared if he read the phone book for the entire episode, I would have watched it.

However, it is absurd. A real let-down from the previous stories.

I am not sure if Bill Pullman is good or not. He plays a pretty wacky guy and basically has one expression, kind of a half-smile, throughout all of the episodes. Frankly I found his personal life somewhat of an intrusion, as those details were unneeded.

Highly recommended, one of the best things I've seen, with the exception of the third story. But, hey, it stars Matt Bomer.

The major flaw in season 3 is that there's no compelling reason for Jamie to feel any of his existential angst other than his own solipsism. It's not a convincing argument, emphasized by the fact that most of the characters don't behave the way people normally would when faced with these situations; which is also unexplained. Everyone is both drawn to and repulsed by Jamie, but he's really not worthy of either emotion.