THE STORY – Chloe, a high-profile media executive, lives a picturesque life with her husband Adam and son; her estranged sister Nicky struggles to make ends meet; when Adam is murdered, the two sisters reunite and try to untangle a complicated family history.
THE CAST – Jessica Biel, Elizabeth Banks, Corey Stoll, Maxwell Acee Donovan, Kim Dickens & Bobby Naderi
THE TEAM – Olivia Milch & Regina Corrado (Creators), based on the book by Alafair Burke
Complex sister relationships are a long-explored and rarely mastered focus of film and television. “Bad Sisters,” “Little Women,“ and the iconic “Sister, Sister“ have all attempted to paint a picture (with varying degrees of success) of the dynamic nature of growing up and growing apart from someone you could both deeply love but want nothing to do with. Based on the book of the same name by Alafair Burke, “The Better Sister“ adds a mysterious twist to this classic theme by layering in a new betrayal: the sisters in question, Chloe Taylor (played by a slightly restrained Jessica Biel) and Nicole Macintosh (played by an amusingly chaotic Elizabeth Banks) have both been married to the same man, who is tragically murdered one night in his dreamy Hamptons vacation home.
On the surface, Chloe has it all: she’s the head of a successful media company, is rumored to be contemplating making a political run, and is married to a successful (albeit too busy and perpetually too late) lawyer with their teenage son. These career-driven parents enjoy all the perks of success in both their Manhattan penthouse and their sprawling Hamptons hideaway. What Chloe doesn’t share broadly, however, is that her husband Adam (played by the charming but suspicious Corey Stoll) was previously married to her older sister, and their son is actually her sister’s biological child. Stay with me here. That’s a suitable catalyst for family therapy, right? But Chloe’s too focused on upholding her meticulously curated life, sweeping aside any family strife, to acknowledge that all might not be copacetic.
We get introduced to Nicole (but we can call her Nicky) midway through the first episode. A chaotic mess from the jump, Banks lays on just enough crazy to have some fun while layering in a deeper despondency towards both her and her better sister’s life. Each of Chloe’s perfectly lined lips, cunty little bob, and expertly toned muscles (seriously Jessica Biel, drop the workout routine) are counterweighted by Nicky’s baggy t-shirts, barely combed hair, and blaring music loud enough to drown out her most depressing thoughts. She’s also the only one to call Chloe out on her bullshit, something nobody else seems to be willing or able to do. Nicky’s five years sober now (something Chloe doesn’t quite believe) and insistent upon the fact that she’s still Ethan’s mother (something Chloe doesn’t want to admit). When she shows up after Adam’s murder as Ethan’s legal guardian at the request of the Hamptons detectives, the two sisters are forced to share a home once again and confront what they’ve been avoiding for 15 years: each other.
On the surface, the portrayal of this relationship has all the markings of an overused sibling trope: the uptight, polished, and driven city girl at the pinnacle of her career versus her type-B, loud, and messy sibling with a penchant for getting high. But as the series develops, we get a deeper look into their relationship through the lens of flashbacks from their childhood, chipping away at the foundation for what’s led them both to the current versions of themselves. It’s this unraveling that both push and pull them together to protect the one thing they both care about most – their collective son, Ethan.
Ethan, played by Maxwell Acee Donovan, is initially seen as your typical privileged teen, floating through life getting high with his friends. There was once the small kerfuffle that he “accidentally“ brought his dad’s gun to school in his backpack, but that was just one big misunderstanding in the name of an accidental backpack swap, according to Chloe. Chloe’s dedication to accepting the quickest explanation to save face is commendable at best and negligent at worst. When Nicky barges back into their lives, and their intertwining relationships are brought into question, Chloe’s forced to reckon with the fact that all might not be as perfect as she presents.
We’re also introduced to Chloe and Adam’s high-powered friends, each not so innocent in their own right: there’s her boss and mentor, Catherine Lancaster, played by Lorraine Toussaint, who’s always there for advice and support and seems to “have a guy“ for all of Chloe’s problems; there’s also Jake, Adam’s sexy business partner (hi Gabriel Sloyer) who might not be as tight with Adam as we think; finally, their enigmatic boss Bill Braddock, played by Matthew Modine, helping Adam and Jake with their mysterious client “The Gentry Group,“ which might have put Adam – and now Chloe – in harm’s way. The supporting cast all play their roles with ease, if not unmemorable performances, and allow for both Banks and Biel to really own the dynamics of each of their characters and their relationships.
Rounding out the core cast are Kim Dickens, in what could be considered her second career as the lead detective on the case, and Bobby Naderi as Detective Bowen, her sidekick attempting to make a name for himself and biting off more than he can chew. These two serve as the comedic relief for the series, volleying a tit-for-tat back and forth that works about half of the time. The odd couple routine may not be necessary, but these two small-town detectives are determined to solve this high-profile case and quickly make a shocking arrest. We’re left to wonder, along with the sisters, the detectives, and the collective high society of New York, if all this circumstantial evidence is a simple wrong-place-wrong-time misunderstanding, leading to a more sinister explanation for the murder (who was the real target?), or if their perfect life is about to blow up in their face.
“The Better Sister“ is set up perfectly for a deliciously indulgent, if not stereotypical, mini-series: the ritzy yet picturesque family is upended by a shocking murder and forced to reckon with their past to save their future. We may have seen this story before, but a few solid performances from the supporting cast allow Elizabeth Banks to dial up the crazy and challenge Jessica Biel’s tightly wound Chloe. Centering the series on the dynamics between the two sisters, each episode leaves us all to wonder: who killed Adam, what’s everyone really up to behind their perfect façade, and who’s really the better sister?
THE GOOD – A promising premise sticking to its source material with an intriguing center mystery keeps you guessing from start to finish. Elizabeth Banks shines in her role as the disheveled and loud counterpoint to Jessica Biel’s dialed in grief-stricken wife, who might be hiding something darker behind her polished façade.
THE BAD – Uninspiring supporting characters don’t add much to a stereotypical murder mystery, relying heavily on the dynamics of the sisters to bring a fresh perspective to a stale genre which doesn’t always keep you invested.
THE EMMY PROSPECTS – None
THE FINAL SCORE – 7/10
