Season one of The Sinner was a masterful creation. Although it was extremely creepy, it was also intelligently written and superbly produced. I wondered if the show could possibly sustain its brilliance this season without Jessica Biel (who was shockingly amazing last year and recently nominated for an Emmy). The answer so far, is most definitely yes!
Hello Anxiety
It’s good to know that The Sinner is still as anxiety inducing as ever. The first ten minutes alone made me feel more uneasy than I’ve felt all year. It’s a fascinating combination of claustrophobic camerawork, realistic situations, and a genuine sense of dread that just overwhelms the entire show. American Horror Story wishes it could be this scary.
Meet The Sinner
This year’s “sinner” is 13 year old Elisha Henig and he is freakin’ phenomenal. The young actor delivers an outstanding performance – he’s vulnerable when the moment calls for it, and supremely terrifying when a hint of darkness takes over. It’s a star-making turn in every way! Now can somebody tell me what Shadow Julian is? Is that the same as the hooded figure we saw flashes of in the premiere? Do I even want to know?
Ladies Who Rock
Although Jessica Biel is not starring this season (she continues to executive produce the show), we’ve got two kickass ladies in the mix. Natalie Paul is terrific as Heather, a young detective and family friend of Bill Pullman’s Ambrose (who is also pulled into the mix), while Carrie Coon plays the mysterious Vera (the woman responsible for the premiere’s insane ending). Suffice to say, there’s a lot of potential this season and I have a feeling the show won’t disappoint!
Sinful Bits
– Seriously those first ten minutes were unreal. The flat tire, the middle of nowhere motel, the hooded figure – I got the creeps the whole way through.
– Super awkward: Julian hearing his parents have sex.
– The deaths of both parents was just traumatizing. Those seizures were quite the visual.
– Heartbreaking moment: Heather finding Julian in the woods and the reveal that he’s peed himself.
– It looks like this season will really be delving into Ambrose’s past. I couldn’t make much sense from the flashes but I’m guessing his mother was an abusive junkie who burned the house down by mistake. But she also might be alive because it looked like he was outside her house at the end.
– Julian’s heaving was majorly disturbing.
– Heather is gay and her dad is totally cool with it. He’s not cool however with Ambrose paying for breakfast.
– There’s hints of an intriguing mystery with Vera. We see her carrying out experiments on Julian (using weird sounds that downright drove me nuts), and she later claims she’s his mother in the episode’s bombshell cliffhanger. So who was the couple then and where were they taking Julian?
– I have another question: what did Julian do to his friend?
– I’m never going to look at tea the same way again.
Conclusion
A fantastic season premiere that’s equal parts harrowing and mesmerizing. We’re in for one hell of a season.
Nad Rating
A