The Sinner

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.

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..

"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.

An interesting original crime mystery in which Jessica Biel gets the chance to show her acting weapons. The story in intriguing from the beginning. A woman spends a family breakout at a lake and out of nowhere stabs a guy in public... The case seems clear but a police detective thinks there is more behind it. Biel is very good in the leading role but in my opinion it was Bill Pullman who stole the show. Although I question some attributes about his character, the way it was written etc, he really was able to bring a lot of personalty and sympathy to it. A great and underrated performance. Another wonderful turn of the show was done by Nadia Alexander who shall have a great future. She reminds me on a young Amy Adams. Wonderful performance. The rest of the cast is solid as well, there is actually not one bad performance. Some characters are either stereotype or weirdly written, but in the end it works for most of the part. The film had some really good twists. Actually half way through it, almost each episode has a twist. And I liked how the first episodes actually created some false traps and leads which they made the audience believe .. sometimes quite subtle. A good show for audiences that enjoy a good crime/mystery story.

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.