The Better Sister

I really wanted to like this as it features two talented and likeable leads, especially Elizabeth Banks. I also love a mystery thriller.

However, it was too heavy on the social commentary, which doesn't reflect reality and therefore becomes distracting. Firstly it featured the trope of the black women whose only purpose is to support the white female leads with no complexity of their own; meanwhile the themes includuded that everyone is LGBQT and the majority of men are violent, stupid or drunk. Drunk men are bad, while drunk women are complex and redeemable. Looking forward to a time when we can just watch tv and movies that focus on being human and on original, creative story-telling.

It starts with a murder, and catches you even though it is... calmly paced. The acting is really what hooked me. You never really like any particular character, but they are all unique, intriguing, and layered. The story line is a bit ridiculous at its most basic, but the character growth and slowly revealed history has a little something anyone can relate to. The build in revelations is done well and really catches your interest. Worth noting; some of the writing is a little too on the nose, but I viewed it as a comedic lightening of the general serious weight of the show, and kind of enjoyed it. I didn't binge, but one episode a night kept me ready for the next.

This is not the best series ever made but it is a decent and quick watch. My favourite character by far was Ethan. He was just so humble and sweet. It helps that he is such a cutie pie.

Chloe and Nikki were an interesting pair. Chloe was supposed to be the strong silent type and Nikki was the big mouth hot head. Which was the case for most of the series. But of course there is always something deeper lurking.

The story unfolded fairly well although it didnt have to stretch out for 8 episodes. I did not see the "whodunit" coming at all. I was certain it was one character but I was completely wrong. Although that character would have made sense as well.

Again not the best but certainly not the worst murder mysteries out there.

I watched this just after binging Dept Q, and granted this is not an English detective series where interesting characters work a cold case, it really could have been much better. Perhaps get the director from Dept Q and we might have an interesting series on our hands. It starts off promising - Jessica Biel, whom I have always admired as an actress, plays an uptight ambitious something or other whose husband is murdered. Her son, who is really her sister's son, is arrested for the murder. What ensues are long, drawn out episodes, where you wonder why they aren't just telling the story. One episode literally looks like a series of music videos. The story is interesting enough and Elizabeth Banks is very good, as always, but it really could have been handled better. It's slow when it doesn't have to be, but there is enough there for you to see it through to the end.

Not feeling the suspense, no plot twists, nothing exciting. Not sure if the segments with the dead husband/father are a dream or a hallucination or if they're doing a flashback moment. They seemed to be using them only to fill-in because they couldn't figure out what else to write. This literally puts me to sleep. I keep replaying what I missed after I fell asleep, hoping that there was something worth watching, but to no avail. Still confused only five episodes in and considering just giving up but want to see it all the way through to see if it has any redeeming value. Maybe I'll have a better rating at the end or maybe not.