The Better Sister Review: This Prime Video thriller limited series follows Chloe, whose husband is brutally murdered one night. When her son Ethan is arrested on suspicion of killing his father, skeletons come out of the closet that Chloe would rather remain buried, particularly the reappearance of her sister Nicky.
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The Better Sister Series Directors
Craig Gillespie, Leslie Hope, Azazel Jacobs, Dawn Wilkinson, Stephanie Laing
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The Better Sister Showrunners
Olivia Milch and Regina Corrado
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The Better Sister Prime Video Cast
Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Biel, Corey Stoll, Kim Dickens, Maxwell Acee Donovan, Bobby Naderi, Gabriel Sloyer, Gloria Reuben, Matthew Modine, Lorraine Toussaint
The series is 8 episodes, each with a runtime of around 60 minutes.
The Better Sister Review
In this Prime Video thriller series, two sisters with a complicated past try to protect their son from a murder charge after their husband ends up dead. The series features a few twists and turns, a lot of drama and a shocking ending that will leave most viewers on edge.
First and foremost, The Better Sister features around 8 hours of content for viewers to consume and I think it will get a bit too much for most viewers. The last two to three episodes are entertaining, but there’s just so much drama that is stretched out over these eight hours that you will find yourself skipping ahead if just to not listen to the sisters bicker over the same thing over and over again. You will also wonder why these women did not see a therapist at some point, considering the issues that they both have, but that’s neither here nor there.
Let’s talk about the positives first – the series’s major twists towards the end are quite well-done. It’s understated but impactful and brings out a side to the characters that will leave you agasht. It showcases how far a mother will go for their child and establishes that motherhood can come in many forms. Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel are both fantastic as sisters and nail the execution well. They truly do feel like sisters who have shared a lifetime of experiences that have brought them to this juncture.
Both of their characters are quite interesting. While Nicky has always had substance abuse problems, Chloe is a workaholic who isn’t exactly neglectful but is definitely bordering on it. Chloe is bringing up Nicky’s son, Ethan, with Nicky’s ex-husband, Adam, and it’s a disturbing reality that we are reminded of again and again. In the end, we learn about Adam’s killer, the connection with his work and whether or not Ethan is able to get out of jail. And, honestly, all of these questions are answered super well with enough mystery to leave us satisfied.
However, everything in between doesn’t live up to the expectation. As mentioned, the bickering between the sisters for hours on end can get very annoying very fast. The series includes some things, especially pertaining to Chloe’s workplace, that feel overdone and unnecessary. There are episode upon episode of talking about stuff that is just not important or mysterious enough to take note of.
Or, we are being presented with new information that probably wasn’t new for most audiences. There’s some new information that we learn about Adam that might’ve been shocking in anything else, but feels obvious in this case. However, we talk about it again for too long. The two detectives are just about the most annoying people I have ever seen. Somehow, they aren’t incompetent, and Nancy’s healthy amount of distrust is great in this case, but they do get on your nerves.
Overall, The Better Sister is sort of a mixed bag. I think it’s too long-winded and has a ton of unnecessary moments that only work to dilute the tension. A shorter runtime would’ve been ideal, and getting to the point necessary to make an impact. The premise is intriguing and the sisters’ past was wracked with disturbing drama to get people hooked. It’s just annoying to watch people bicker like this for 8 hours, is all.
Final Thoughts
Personally, this series is fine. I appreciate the twisted drama and the insanity. Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel play off each other well, and their demons are worth checking out. But it just takes too long to get to the point and dilutes the tension over and over again.