S01.E03: Part III

[Drogo]

Ambrose unearths a startling secret about Cora that changes the course of the investigation; Mason takes matters into his own hands.

[BamaGirl]

I liked this episode better than Episode 2. Quick observations... Progress was made on several fronts. We learned some good information, but we also were teased with threads that weren't tied up. It seemed to go deeper into issues than last episode. 

 

I loved the scene in the grocery store when the dominatrix girlfriend spilled the items, Ambrose got on the ground and started picking them up, then she walked away. Not loving their relationship, but totally dug how she handled the situation (i.e. him "breaking up" with her the last time she saw him).

 

One thing I wasn't clear about -- was JD using a cane?

[Lamima]

Following.

[Zoe]

18 minutes ago, BamaGirl said:

One thing I wasn't clear about -- was JD using a cane?

Yep.

 

Glad to see more progress, but at the same time it just added more shitty people into Cora's life. And what kind of legal options does she even have now that she's plead guilty?

[Anela]

Did her sister really die, or was that her feeding her drugs to "loosen her up"? Ugh. 

[patty1h]

The minute they showed the guy in a bank robbers mask about to inject Cora with drugs, my eyes rolled to the heavens.  Every week a new sordid revelation that may or not be true.  And why he gotta be wearing a mask?  For drama!  What next?  We find out she sold babies on the black market for a week 5 years ago... or did she?

[BamaGirl]

It was very interesting to learn more about the sick sister and their relationship... as freaky as it was/is. I'm not convinced that the sister died "a month after Cora left," like the evil mother said.

[AnimeMania]

It was so obvious, why didn't I see it before, somebody knocked Cora over the head and brainwashed her to kill the first man she saw after hearing that song. Why do we need 5 additional episodes?

Kudos for them having a life-sized crucifix.

[skotnikov]

10 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

It was so obvious, why didn't I see it before, somebody knocked Cora over the head and brainwashed her to kill the first man she saw after hearing that song. Why do we need 5 additional episodes?

Kudos for them having a life-sized crucifix.

I guess because it's not the whole story. The German novel it's based upon is a bit more complex than just that. 

[Teddybear]

Quote

It was so obvious, why didn't I see it before, somebody knocked Cora over the head and brainwashed her to kill the first man she saw after hearing that song.

So the plot of Zoolander can happen in real life? 

I really hate the scenes with the detective and the blonde.  Probably because it makes me very uncomfortable to watch.    

Edited August 17, 2017 by Teddybear

[skotnikov]

I'm really surprised how good it is adapted  to American context. The original novel is basically an allegory of the German national trauma, but they turn it into an essentially American narrative of the "Yellow wallpaper", just wow! 

7 minutes ago, Teddybear said:

I really hate the scenes with the detective and the blonde.  Probably because it makes me very uncomfortable to watch.    

The source is European, and they like all that filthy stuff. Thanks god the detective is not a pedophile or zoophiliac, in German/Scandinavian thrillers it's always a possibility.    

Edited August 17, 2017 by skotnikov

[AnimeMania]

30 minutes ago, skotnikov said:

I guess because it's not the whole story. The German novel it's based upon is a bit more complex than just that. 

I was kind of joking, I would have preferred a plot where Cora had to constantly listen to the a-hole's practice that song in their garage while she was next door trying to get high and they were harshing her buzz. Then have some incident where the band members attack/(possibly rape) her when she went over to tell them to keep the music down. I am not feeling the kidnapping/brainwashing storyline unless it was done by an ultra-conservative Christian group trying to remove her sins.

[NeenerNeener]

Ok, except for moving the story from Germany to the US and Americanizing some of the names, it looks like they're keeping the basic story from the book. So this episode and the next 4 episodes will be a fishing trawler full of red herrings with little bits of truth mixed in it.

[notcreative enough]

The opening reminds me of Orphan Black.

They guy was holding a cane. I was wondering why someone brought a hammer to a bar fight. I thought the husband lost his mind. A can makes so much more sense.

So I've never done drugs but I feel like I can figure out the basic steps from watching TV. So why couldn't Cora just fake her way through it. 

Cora is only 27/28 JB looks why older so I never would have guessed. 

Even if detective submissive figures out what happened to Cora 5 years ago how will that keep her out of jail. She murdered a guy in front of 20 people and plead guilty. And why does Cora not want her family to know she was on drugs and went to rehab "they will tell my son" do you think that he isn't going to care that you killed someone drugs is what you are concerned about. 

I ignore the Det. Sub and his dom waitress stuff. It adds nothing to the story for me. It's just weird and a little uncomfortable. 

[enchantingmonkey]

2 hours ago, notcreative enough said:

So I've never done drugs but I feel like I can figure out the basic steps from watching TV. So why couldn't Cora just fake her way through it. 

Perhaps her crazy mother didn't allow her to watch television?  lol.  It was a little ridiculous that she couldn't make a better guess-timation at it.  

It's sad but thought-provoking how Cora has taken on her mother's twisted world view and can't seem to see her way through it.  That's the main thing that's still making this believable for me.  Otherwise, it feels like half-truths and deception on the part of the writers.  

I like that the sister is well aware of how to outsmart the mother.  

I still see Bill Pullman as the moron from Ruthless People, so many of his scenes aren't working for me.  

Edited August 18, 2017 by enchantingmonkey

[MaggieG]

I don't care about the detective and his girlfriend. It adds nothing to the story. 

I have to say, I know nothing about the book so I am a little intrigued about what happened to Cora. Mask guy at the end freaked me out

[Emmeline]

36 minutes ago, MaggieG said:

I don't care about the detective and his girlfriend. It adds nothing to the story. 

I have to say, I know nothing about the book so I am a little intrigued about what happened to Cora. Mask guy at the end freaked me out

I agree with you on this.  I haven't read the book either.  Between the masked guy and that weird wallpaper I was freaked out as well and kept thinking about it when I was trying to go to sleep.

Edited August 18, 2017 by Emmeline

[tennisgurl]

So it looks like this isn't "just "Cora hearing a song while she was raped or witnessed a rape or murder, but something more diabolical and weird. Honestly, I'm ok with it. It makes the story more unique, and the mystery more complicated. I kind of want to read the book now, but I don't want to stop guessing about what happened here. Now it looks like she might have been brainwashed or something. Although WHY you would go to the trouble of brainwashing a woman to stab a seemingly random guy when she heard some crappy rock song is anyone's guess. I admit though, I don't know what's going on, and I'm interested, so that's all I really need in a show like this.

I liked seeing older Phoebe and the relationship between the sisters. Interesting that Phoebe was the rebellious sister, considering the mom seemed to coddle and favor her, and that the sisters were decently close at some point. I'm still trying to figure out how The Sinner name comes into it. Did she actually do something awful, or is she still dealing with her moms weird definition of "sin"?

Detective guys home life is still boring, but I like him alright when he`s actually investing the case. You know, for someone who keeps making up fake backstories, Cora really sucks at the follow through.

Edited August 18, 2017 by tennisgurl

[Neurochick]

8 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I liked seeing older Phoebe and the relationship between the sisters. Interesting that Phoebe was the rebellious sister, considering the mom seemed to coddle and favor her, and that the sisters were decently close at some point. I'm still trying to figure out how The Sinner name comes into it. Did she actually do something awful, or is she still dealing with her moms weird definition of "sin"?

Detective guys home life is still boring, but I like him alright when he`s actually investing the case. You know, for someone who keeps making up fake backstories, Cora really sucks at the follow through.

Detective told Cora that the story she thought was true, wasn't. Cora's mom put all that mess into her head.  

In the second episode the girlfriend of the murdered man said that "five years" before something happened with he and a girl, and that thing changed him, according to the girlfriend.  So I wonder if that's part of the story or a red herring.  

I like the Detective's story with the dominatrix or whatever she is; he gets more off on being dominated than he does when he's having "vanilla" sex with his own wife.  Maybe he feels like a sinner too.

[candall]

13 hours ago, MaggieG said:

Mask guy at the end freaked me out

I can handle a guy in a mask, but hearing her sternum crack from that boot bearing down on her chest was HAW-RIBBLE! 

 

I still like it, but I'm getting tired of Jessica Biel's blank stare, tear-streaked cheeks and snuffly pink nose.  Not that she doesn't have reason, of course--man, this sister never caught a break in her whole life.

[Teddybear]

Quote

I still like it, but I'm getting tired of Jessica Biel's blank stare, tear-streaked cheeks and snuffly pink nose.  Not that she doesn't have reason, of course--man, this sister never caught a break in her whole life.

I agree.  Fortunately she has flashback scenes where she can look a little prettier! 

[Kiss my mutt]

I'll take Jessica's tear stained face over Clare Danes' sniveling ugly cry. I imagine Jessica will have plenty of opportunity in the upcoming episodes (as well as flashbacks, like you said) to try out other expressions. I might want to go back to expressionless, blank stares after some of these heavy scenes. 

[candall]

19 hours ago, Kiss my mutt said:

I'll take Jessica's tear stained face over Clare Danes' sniveling ugly cry. I imagine Jessica will have plenty of opportunity in the upcoming episodes (as well as flashbacks, like you said) to try out other expressions. I might want to go back to expressionless, blank stares after some of these heavy scenes. 

I'm ready!  Let's move this thing along.  Give me a chance to miss Cora's thousand yard stare.

 

Oh, and here's something funny.  I started watching Mr. Mercedes last night and you could swap out scruffy unhappy Det. Bill Pullman with scruffy unhappy Det. Brendan Gleeson and never miss a beat.

 

(P.S, KissMyMutt, I'd kiss that sweet face in a heartbeat. )

[viamber]

So what was blonde dominatrix doing to poor Bill? My t.v. was too dark...seemed like he was in agony. Something anal?? Thanks!

[HunterHunted]

On 8/17/2017 at 9:28 PM, notcreative enough said:

The opening reminds me of Orphan Black.

They guy was holding a cane. I was wondering why someone brought a hammer to a bar fight. I thought the husband lost his mind. A cane makes so much more sense.

It reminds me of Orphan Black too.

I read your comment about who brings a hammer to a bar fight. My first thought was CT Tamburello from the The Real World: Paris and The Challenge had a brother who died in a bar fight that was connected to drugs. CT's brother didn't bring a hammer to a bar fight. He did bring an axe. Unfortunately, the other guy brought a gun. Much like The Sinner, all of this nonsense went down in Massachusetts. 

30 minutes ago, viamber said:

So what was blonde dominatrix doing to poor Bill? My t.v. was too dark...seemed like he was in agony. Something anal?? Thanks!

I'm assuming she was pegging him. Having anal sex with him using a dildo and him as the receptive partner.

[luna1122]

Jacob Pitts!!!! Officer Tim! i had no idea he was on this show, I'm so excited, I love him so much. Tho JD does not look like a savory guy, i still find him savory.

I love Bill Pullman, and it's interesting to have a little kink on the show, but a man wanting to be dominated isn't my thing, so it kinda squicks me out. I guess his wife won't participate in such things, or he never asked her, more likely. Poor vanilla wife.

I have no idea what's going on with Cora, but I'm still finding it pretty interesting. The backstory with the sister, who's pretty saucy, is intriguing. I was squeamishly certain those girls were about to do something sexual with that life sized Jesus, but they didnt' go there.

[thuganomics85]

Always down for a Jacob Pitts appearance!  I'm guessing his character will be more involved going forward, although he's probably a red herring for anything that is actually going on.  But he probably did wrong Cora on some level.  Or maybe the twist is she did something to him (perhaps that is why he has a cane?)  Either way, I guess the husband getting in that fight with him and getting arrested is going to cause even more problems, because I'm sure the media is going to be all "First, the wife murdered someone and now the husband is crazy too!"

I still really could care less about Ambrose and his domination kink.  Is there going to actually be a reason for all of this later on?

The flashbacks are still the more interesting aspects.  Sounds like Phoebe was actually a bit of a rebel, and maybe Cora lied for her a lot, which is what led to her creepy mother being so awful to Cora?

So, now that Cora has officially pled guilty, is that it or where there still be some way to overturn things if Ambrose finds more proof?

[AnimeMania]

On 8/20/2017 at 2:10 PM, candall said:

Oh, and here's something funny.  I started watching Mr. Mercedes last night and you could swap out scruffy unhappy Det. Bill Pullman with scruffy unhappy Det. Brendan Gleeson and never miss a beat.

I want them to start a Mr. Mercedes forum entry, but I don't know how to get them to do it.

[candall]

20 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I want them to start a Mr. Mercedes forum entry, but I don't know how to get them to do it.

There's a "New Show Request" place on the Forums page.   People have already asked for Mr. Mercedes, but so far, it hasn't happened.

http://forums.previously.tv/topic/60509-mr-mercedes/

[MamaMax]

So Mask guy was wearing scrubs. Was it Freddie??

[Luckylondon]

On 8/22/2017 at 7:28 PM, MamaMax said:

So Mask guy was wearing scrubs. Was it Freddie??

Who is Freddie? I am so confused! Did you mean Frankie? The man Cora stabbed at the beach?

I agree with others that the opening sequence is interesting and similar to Orphan Black. I like that they are showing us the obscure pattern, then it turns into a Rorschach Test looking ink blot, which is used in psychoanalytic psychological assessment as a measurement tool that provides information about your social and emotional functioning based not only on what you see in 10 standardized ink blots, but more specifically how you see them. So it is testing your subconscious or unconscious thought process. It is highly standardized in administration and scoring, yet rarely used now because it can be controversial compared to quantitative measures.

Personally, I love the Rorschach and have gleaned great information using it along with many other testing measures in a psychological assessment battery; however, I was heavily trained by psychologists with great expertise in this test. I find that in real life, it is not used often. I think it is a cool visual to use the inkblot and have it turn in to Cora's face at the end of the intro; indicating they are probing inside her subconscious and unconscious thoughts to discover what is going on inside this person who has brutally murdered someone and cannot offer explanation other than it is tied to a song from a past she can't remember. 

Edited August 26, 2017 by Luckylondon
Moved 2 paragraphs to Episode IV