The Better Sister – Season 1 Episode 8 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

The Review Geek

2 days ago

Episode 8
Episode 8 of The Better Sister begins with Nicky telling Chloe what happened the night Adam was murdered.
Who kills Adam and why?
Nicky checks in on Debbie, Adam's mother, from time to time, and is at her place when Ethan calls. He tells Nicky about the fight and is scared for Chloe. Nicky panics as he reveals that Adam has been hitting Chloe often. She gets ready to confront Adam and Debbie randomly comments how Adam and Chloe have left them, suggesting there is no love lost between mother and son.
Nicky shows up at the beach house and threatens to expose Adam. She wants to talk to Chloe but a drunk Adam grabs her and tries to make her leave. She fights back and he chokes her. She has a pocket knife and she stabs him.
After she leaves, Ethan arrives home. He finds Adam and thinks Chloe has killed him. He stages a break-in and is about to leave when Adam moves. But instead of calling for help, Ethan lets Adam die.
Meanwhile, Nicky rushes back to Debbie's and cleans up. The pills she grabs are antibiotics for her injuries. And that's what she takes when the cops call her.
How does Chloe handle Adam's murder case?
Nicky worries that Nancy may put her in prison even though it was self-defence. Chloe promises to fix things and takes the knife. As for the gun, we learn that Nicky was going to cause a scene if Ethan had been found guilty.
Later, Jake shows up and confides in Chloe about the Gentry investigation for illegal construction. They are in trouble from Gentry as well as Olivero, since they won't stop till they get what they want. And it is the dirt that Adam has on Gentry Group.
Chloe reports Olivero for sexual harassment and physical abuse. She then looks around and finds the Gentry files. There is also a recording in which Bill orders Adam to extort Gentry. She makes a copy and sends it to Matt. She then gives the originals to Bill as a peace offering. While he is distracted, she hides Nicky's knife, the murder weapon, in Bill's study.
After she leaves, Matt gets a search warrant and finds the knife. He arrests Bill for corruption and suspicion of murdering Adam.
Why is Nancy unable to catch Nicky?
Nancy looks into Debbie who has a criminal record for fraud using Adam's social security number. They are estranged as Adam didn't like his parents' wayward lifestyle.
The cop visits her and tries to trace Nicky's whereabouts. Debbie reveals that Nicky forgot her phone when she stepped out for a while on the day Adam died. When she returned, she told Debbie that Ethan had been stabbed.
Once she realises that Nancy suspects Nicky, she shuts down. It is enough for Nancy to deduce that Nicky used her phone's location as her alibi. Nancy texts forensics to check Nicky's DNA against Adam's clothes.
Unfortunately for her, McCabe finds out that Nancy beat up Eddy. However, Eddy isn't the trafficker. She beat up the wrong, innocent Black guy. Nicky gives the proof to Catherine who publicizes it.
The Lieutenant is forced to take Nancy off the case and put her on leave. Her request to forensics gets cancelled. He also points out that Debbie's testimony is hearsay from a grieving mother and Bill is the primary suspect.
What's the deal with Gentry Group?
Bill fires Jake to appease Gentry Group as he is the only other known FBI mole. Bill tells them that they have a mole too, who confirmed that Adam was working with the FBI. However, Bill looks out for Chloe and insists that he will take care of her.
Jake goes to Chloe and we learn that Gentry built a stadium with indentured labour. The construction also involved violations of human rights and regulations. Adam felt guilty and went to the FBI. After he was killed, Agent Olivero blackmailed Jake into helping him. At the end of The Better Sister Episode 8, Jake is found dead, presumably killed by Gentry for being the mole.
How does it end for the Macintoshes?
Ethan is upset with Chloe for picking Adam over Nicky. Nicky defends her and claims Chloe only had Ethan's best interests at heart. Later, he confesses that he feels like the bad guy for letting Adam die. Nicky comforts him and he hopes to go with her if she leaves New York.
When Nicky visits Catherine to take down Nancy, the editor asks her about the book deal which is pretty much confirmed.
Nicky confronts Chloe who reveals she forgot to tell her because of the killer plot twist. However, Nicky doesn't care about the book deal and only wants to focus on her family. She asks where Chloe's loyalties lie and Chloe insists that it is with her and Ethan. Nicky believes her as she learns that Chloe framed Bill for Adam's murder.
That night, Nicky and Chloe smoke by the beach. Chloe shares that the only stories worth telling are with her. Nicky agrees to the book deal.
The Episode Review
The Better Sister Episode 8 gets a little messy while trying to wrap up the Gentry storyline. They are never actually shown, so the threat involving them doesn't feel as real. And in turn, Bill ends up as a caricature of the magnanimous boss with a dark secret. Jake's death feels anticlimactic as well and we doubt his whining to Chloe brought about any emotions from viewers.
Matt is yet another character who is underutilised and just around to crack some jokes, get made fun of, chase dead ends and finally catch a break courtesy of the way cleverer heroine who does his job for him.
Catherine is another wasted character who acts shady but doesn't amount to much. She is just a spokesperson, first for the board and then for Nicky.
Thankfully, the finale does justice to Chloe, Nicky and Ethan who honestly deserved a larger role in the story. His conflicting emotions involving his toxic parents can be quite relatable to many.
Chloe uses her manipulative side for good and tricks Bill into taking the fall for Adam's murder. Sure, one tip from Nancy can have Matt confirming that Nicky is Adam's killer but the show doesn't seem to care about this huge plot hole.
Nicky's sincerity is sealed, even though it feels fake at times given we personally don't think Chloe deserves it. With so many shady characters, Nicky stands out like a fish out of water as she genuinely cares for her sister. She goes as far as to confront Adam and tries tell Chloe that her husband hits her because he is…abusive? Thank you, Captain Obvious. Honestly, don't look too deep because the logic in this show is as flawed and flimsy as they come.
Although we can appreciate the irony that while everyone thinks Chloe is the better sister, it is Nicky who deserves that mantle.
All in all, this Amazon Prime Original is far from perfect, but Banks and Biels keep us hooked with their portrayal of two messy sisters struggling to stay afloat.
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