The Sinner Season 4 Review: There Is No Peace For Detective Harry Ambrose
Cast: Bill Pullman, Jessica Hecht, Alice Kremelberg, Michael Mosley, Frances Fisher, Cindy Cheung, Ronin Wong, Neal Huff
Creator: Derek Simonds
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Released in 2017 as a limited series, The Sinner Season 4 debuted on Netflix with its fourth and final season. After three exciting chapters each dedicated to a different character (Cora, Julian and Jamie), The Sinner 4 will see the (now retired) detective Harry Ambrose – always played by an amazing Bill Pullman – grappling with a new intricate mystery to solve. It will not be enough to have put the badge in the drawer for more than a year to prevent our protagonist from investigating a girl’s suicide (or apparent suicide); on the contrary, this unexpected case will breathe new life into Harry’s existence, still traumatized by past events and disheartened by the lack of action.
As we will see in our review of The Sinner Season 4, the yellow genre anthological TV series – conceived by Derek Simonds and which also sees Jessica Biel among its executive producers – keeps all the charm of the previous seasons intact, with continuous twists, particular attention to the psychological aspect of its protagonists and an exceptional cast to say the least.
The Sinner Season 4 Review: The Story
Still traumatized by the Burns case (third season of The Sinner) and now retired for more than a year, detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) leaves with his partner, the painter Sonya Barzel (Jessica Hecht), to the island of Hanover to spend a peaceful holiday. Here they are welcomed by a friend of Sonya, Greta, also a painter, who organizes accommodation on the coast for a couple of weeks for the couple. During the welcome lunch, Harry takes off for a solo walk towards the island’s dock; it is on this occasion that he meets Percy Muldoon (Alice Kremelberg), a local girl who, just like the man, is looking for a bit of peace, away from the comings and goings of tourists who begin to arrive for the high season period.
The young, who seems to have a special connection with the ocean and nature, works as a fisherwoman in the family business, managed by her energetic maternal grandmother Meg (Frances Fisher). That same evening Harry, sleepless and haunted by the ghosts of his past, leaves the house for a walk in the village, running into Percy again. This time, the girl seems to be arguing with an unknown figure, and when she wanders off into the woods looking distraught, Harry decides to follow her. Arrived on the edge of the cliff, Percy takes a last look over his shoulder and throws himself into the ocean below, under the incredulous eyes of the ex-policeman. What prompted the young woman to this insane gesture? And, above all, what happened to Percy’s body, whose searches seem to bear no fruit? Detective Harry Ambrose.
The Sinner Season 4 Review and Analysis
He may have hung up his badge but, when detective Harry Ambrose finds himself at the scene of a suicide seasoned with a considerable dose of mystery, he can’t help but start investigating, digging into the life of the victim and among the secrets of the inhabitants of the island. In the first episode of this new and final season of The Sinner, we observe Harry fully reflecting the stereotype of the retired man who has dedicated his entire life to his job. Depressed and exhausted by the absence of a purpose, the ex-cop seems to have lost any kind of motivation; for this reason, his partner Sonya decides to organize a holiday on the island of Hanover dedicated to walks in nature and relaxation, to leave behind the traumas of the past.
We soon realize, however, that tranquility is the last thing Harry is looking for. Albeit in the tragic nature of the events, we see how the fact of a new case having to investigate manages to instill new lifeblood into human existence. A sudden change is immediately reflected in his face, his posture, and his attitude. This time, however, the former detective will not have a superior with whom to measure himself and will have to be able to keep his inner ghosts at bay by coming to terms only with his conscience. about his attitude. This time, however, the former detective will not have a superior with whom to measure himself and will have to be able to keep his inner ghosts at bay by coming to terms only with his conscience. about his attitude. This time, however, the former detective will not have a superior with whom to measure himself and will have to be able to keep his inner ghosts at bay by coming to terms only with his conscience.
Just like the previous seasons created by Derek Simonds (in particular the second and third), The Sinner 4 keeps intact one of the characteristics that have made the success of the TV series: the show seems to have the primary objective of digging into the psyche and lives of its protagonists, relegating the resolution of the mystery and the identification of the culprit almost to a secondary purpose. Indeed, Harry spends most of his time exploring possible motives, as if finding out “who” isn’t enough without knowing “why”. At the same time, not only the inner universe of the characters under investigation is brought to the fore: but the personal background of our protagonist is also a very important part of the story, and the way events unfold. A winning feature, for which, however, you have to pay a small initial price. The first two episodes of The Sinner Season 4 are rather slow-burning, which requires a little patience – but certainly no effort – on the part of the viewer. Patience is certainly rewarded from the third episode onwards, in which the story becomes an enthralling journey in search of more questions than answers.
The actor Bill Pullman returns to dress – masterfully – the role of detective Harry Ambrose, a character of whom, five years after his first appearance on the small screen, we could not help but grow fond. In this last season of The Sinner, the actor gives his best, bringing to the stage a man exhausted by himself and by his ghosts, capable of finding his fulfillment only in solving mysteries. He is not a static protagonist, however, and as we proceed with the vision of the series, an important inner journey emerges which, ideally, closes the cycle of this character. Alongside her, we have Jessica Hecht – who plays partner Sonya – relegated a little too much to the role of the shoulder, also due to her very little screen time. Instead, it shines actress Frances Fisher as the energetic and mysterious matriarch Meg Muldoon, whose character will be one of the most explored over the course of these eight episodes. Also very good is the interpretation of Alice Kremelberg who, through the numerous flashbacks of Percy, manages to convey a strong sense of precariousness and restlessness.
The Sinner Season 4 Review: The Last Words
The Sinner Season 4 proves to be absolutely up to the previous ones, keeping all the charm of this anthological thriller series intact, with continuous twists and turns, particular attention to the psychological aspect of its protagonists and a cast to say the least exceptional. To shine, Bill Pullman, who gives his best here, and an energetic and mysterious Frances Fisher.
