Traditionally, a crime drama establishes the critical balance between what
fact are known within the context of the story and those that are to be
uncovered during the inevitable investigation. Traditionally, the details of the
crime are presented with the identity of the perpetrator to be diligently
proven. There have been some notable exceptions, the television series.
‘Columbo’ comes to mind. Arguably the most startling exception can be found in
the recent limited series, ‘The Sinner.’ It has become standard for the
entertainment of superior craftsmanship to originate with cable networks, most
frequently the upper tier premium channels such as HBO or Showtime. What is
special about this example is the production company was the USA network, a
member of a humble basic cable. The myriad of venues between cable, broadcast
and streaming services has created an exceptionally fertile environment
resulting in a level of maturity, intensity, and quality that has not been seen
for many years permeating every niche of the media. Very little about ‘The
Sinner’ is conventional, it blazes its path through every aspect of the
production from the broad underlying stroke to the minute nuances that set this
series apart from other offerings in the crime/mystery genre.
The source material the translation to as from the novel of the same name
written by a bestselling and critically acclaimed German author, Petra
Hammesfahr. This was her freshman opus launching an illustrious career. The
migration to television was accomplished by Derek Simonds, who has captured the
full intensity of the novel. A significant reason is the selection of a
television format that is becoming increasingly popular, the limited series. The
typical television series traditionally was formatted either as episodic, each
episode presenting a mostly self-contained story, or serialized. In that mode of
storytelling, each episode builds the story slowly over the entire season and
often with arcs potentially extending for many years. The limited series
broadens the scope of a miniseries from the usual three or four to a full season
ranging from eight to thirteen episodes. This story spans eight incredibly taut
and compelling chapters. This affords the screenwriter a boarder canvass,
sufficient time to completely develop the characters and fully elaborate on the
situations. With a story of this nature, it is imperative to present the
narrative in such a precise fashion.
There is absolutely no ambiguity concerning the crime that initiates the
dramatic conflict driving the story. Cora Tannetti (Jessica Biel). Brutally
murdered a man in front of many witnesses. Cora was a wife and new mother.
During a peaceful break from the demands of a toddler, Laine, Cora and her
husband, Mason (Christopher Abbott), were enjoying a sunny morning at the lake.
Cora becomes fixated by a couple making out, gets up and in an almost automatic
fashion stabs the man, Frankie Belmont, (Eric Todd) seven times. In many movies
or television series, there is usually a scene that epitomizes the relationship
between audience and characters. A pivotal moment when the audience either
becomes mesmerized by the story or loses interest. This show has several such
junctures, but the first of them seals the deal with the viewers. As you watch
that violent moment closely examine the details\of the performance given by Ms.
Biel. She instills such nuances into her treatment of the character that in your
mind’s perspective Ms. Biel ceases to exist as Cora adsorbs the intense focus of
the spotlight. Most people first became aware of Ms. Biel in her role on the
family-friendly television series, ‘Seventh Heaven. After paying her dues in the
usual string of romantic comedies and various sundry projects. She is an
excellent example of an actress who survived the transition to adult roles
through honing her considerable artistry. Ms. Biel has also been expanding her
involvement in the process behind the camera as the executive producer. There
are many exemplary performances in this series, but this is substantially a
one-woman show.
With such overwhelming evidence against her, Cora pleads guilty to
second-degree murder to avoid a trial. The complete absence of any defense or
avoidance of penalties results in a mental competency hearing. The only person
on her side is Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman), a detective assigned to the case.
Unlike his partner, Dan Leroy (Dohn Norwood), Harry is convinced there is more
buried deep in the troubled mind of this woman. Subduing any sense of
impartiality Harry explores Cora’s past. Despite being on basic cable, this
story is infused with a significant amount of mature content that would never be
permitted on television. Aside from some of the graphic details of the emotional
and psychological abuse, Cora endured from her sadistic father, details of
Harry’s personality are explored. One aspect of his personality not directly
involved with the central plot points is his sexual predilection of needing to
be dominated and humiliated. His marriage with his wife, Fay (Kathryn Erbe), is
on the precipice of collapse but his extracurricular activities are only part of
the cause. Harry hires a waitress to serve as a blue-collar dominatrix. That
relationship also is problematic. He has the previous history of the woman at a
time when the sadomasochistic behavior was not a financial transaction.
The dominant themes of the narrative revolve around Cora’s childhood and her
relationship with her younger sister, Phoebe (Nadia Alexander). Cora rose above
being blamed for Phoebe by forming a tight sibling bond. As the became
teenagers, Cora rebelled against the hyper-religious inclinations of her father
by becoming sexually active. One of the first boys she became involved with was
her victim, Frankie. When Cora returned home, Phoebe was desperate for details.
Her only chance to experience any aspect of life beyond her bedroom was
vicariously through her sister. This obsession was so strong that Phoebe
insisted Cora demonstrate kissing and what intimate touching is like. Taken out
of context it would appear as incest, but it was not a mutually sexual act. It
was Cora feeling pity for her sister who was doomed to die young. The
presentation of the scene was poignant, eschewing the slightest hint of erotic
overtones.
American audiences have been preconditioned to expect high octane;
testosterone infused action frequently with barely sufficient plot to provide a
gossamer scaffold to support the need for the platoon of stunt professionals on
the payroll. ‘The Sinner’ is paced substantially slower than many shows on the
schedule. ‘The Sinner’ is beyond mere casual entertainment ascending to the
heights of cinematic artistic expression. The rich tapestry of character
development nurtured by finely detailed situations combined to create a
narrative that is mesmerizing. Bill Pullman is known as one of the actors
defining his generation. After experiencing this limited series, you will never
underestimate the formidable abilities of Ms. Biel. On its surface this story
will grab your attention but as you are inexorably drawn into the deeper levels
of meaning and exposition. The beauty of this format, the limited series, afford
the showrunner more time than a film and considerably more than the typical four
to six-hour miniseries with over five and a half hours running time. This is an
ideal format to present such a wonderfully complex story.