Why The Better Sister Should Be Your Next Binge
Family, secrets and murder: three things that work so well together in a thriller. The Better Sister, which just recently dropped on Prime Video, follows two estranged sisters, Chloe (Jessica Biel) and Nicky (Elizabeth Banks) who are brought together following the death of someone they both have a close connection to – and it’s clear nothing is as it seems. It’s based on Alafair Burke’s novel of the same name, and with 8 episodes, it’s definitely worth a binge: here’s everything you need to know:
What is The Better Sister all about?
Nicky and Chloe are two siblings who may be related, but have ended up in very different places in life. Chloe is the high-powered editor in chief of a successful magazine called The Real Thing, lives very comfortably amongst the New York elite, and is married to a respected lawyer. Nicky, however, has not led a happy life in recent years and has developed a drinking problem. The sisters have become estranged and live in very different worlds, but when one evening Chloe walks through her front door to find her husband Adam (Corey Stoll) murdered, the two are suddenly brought back together again by circumstance.
It’s hard to know who killed him: it could be a case of spousal dispute, with Chloe being a suspect and potentially having something to gain. Their son Ethan (Maxwell Acee Donovan) is also considered, due to some incriminating evidence quickly recovered by investigators. But there’s also Nicky herself, who once was Adam’s wife and long since divorced, and is also the birth mother of Ethan. A complex web of potential suspects and motives begins to form, and it’s hard to know where to start. Throw in secrets being kept by family members and the deceased, and there’s a hell of a murder mystery to solve. Both sisters now have to remain on good terms for the duration of the investigation, which is led by the inquisitive detective Nancy Guidry (Kim Dickens) and her partner Detective Matt Bowen (Bobby Naderi).
What makes it worth a watch?
If you love the somewhat niche genre of “murder-among-the-rich-and-beautiful” thriller stories (think Gone Girl, or Big Little Lies), then The Better Sister is another enjoyable entry in the same mould. Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks bring the star power, and it’s very easy to breeze through all eight parts. Other notable cast members include Gabriel Sloyer (Griselda), Lorraine Toussaint(The Equalizer), Gloria Reuben (Cloak & Dagger) and Matthew Modine (Stranger Things). All episodes of The Better Sister are available to stream now on Prime.
