The Better Sister, a mystery series of eight episodes, uses reveals and twists to maintain interest and suspense in this story about family dynamics and loyalty. This review won’t give you any spoilers.
The Better Sister starts off with well-known New York magazine writer Chloe (Jessica Biel) returning home to her house in the Hamptons late one night. She finds her husband Adam (Corey Stoll) dead on the floor, stabbed.
Chloe has a 17 year old son, Ethan (Maxwell Acee Donovan) and a sister back in Ohio named Nicky (Elizabeth Banks).
The two sisters are very different. Nicky is emotional, volatile, and unpredictable. Chloe is calm and cool under pressure. Their personalities are important factors in how the story unfolds.
The two cops who come to investigate the murder are Det. Guidry (Kim Dickens) and Det. Bowen (Bobby Naderi). Det. Guidry decides almost instantly who she likes for the killer and spends most of the episodes trying to prove she’s right. Det. Bowen is more open minded but not able to sway her.
Other important characters are Jake (Gabriel Sloyer), who has a beach house close to Chloe’s. He worked with Adam at the same company and on the same accounts. Their boss is Bill Braddock (Matthew Modine), a semi-scary man who intends to get what he wants out of everyone.
Chloe’s boss at her magazine is Catherine Lancaster (Lorraine Toussaint). Catherine’s a big supporter for Chloe in many ways. When Chloe has to hire a lawyer, the part is played by Gloria Ruben.
The plot is fleshed out with flashbacks and memories detailing the sisters’ unbringing and traumas.
The Better Sister definitely is a mystery that holds it’s clues and secrets tight. But under that is a story about a family, motherhood, and relationships. Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks nail every emotional beat in this story. They are the story. It’s a pleasure to watch such good work from these two actors.
This series about women coping with some gigantic problems is based on a novel by Alafair Burke with all women writers led by Ariel Doctoroff. Most of the directors were women, too: Leslie Hope, Stephanie Laing, and Dawn Wilkinson.
The series is streaming on Prime Video.