Bad Sisters – Cliff Hanger

By starrymag | January 1, 2025

By: Kelly Kearney

 

 

If you thought season 2 of Bad Sisters would end with someone carried out in a body bag—surprise! The Garvey girls aren’t killers; they’re problem-solvers. By season’s end their problems are solved ina cliff-hanger of a moment, quite literally! After discovering Ian Reilly, aka Cormac Sweeney, is a money-stealing conman, the sisters face yet another toxic husband of Grace’s. Their only focus now is protecting Blanaid from him.In a season packed with twists, turns, and human parasites, the finale wraps up the Garvey sisters’ drama in a way that feels both satisfying and potentially final. So, let’s dive into the chilly waters of this Irish drama and ride the waves of Bad Sisters possibly one last time.

The Truth About Grace’s Death

The finale begins with a flashback to the night Grace (Anne-Marie Duff) and Ian had a heated argument about what really happened to John Paul (Claes Bang). Earlier in the season, we saw Grace hit her new husband, injuring her hand and leaving blood on his shirt. However, the flashback reveals that Ian (Owen McDonnell), who we now know as Cormac–a disgraced cop turned conman, shoved Grace to the ground, leaving her crying on the floor.

The following day Grace called Ian, asking him to come home, but he refused, coldly stating, “You turned my life upside down. I have to start over again now.” As it turns out, everything about Ian is a lie. From the story about his sister’s death leading him to the grief support group where he met Grace, to his job and even his name—it was all a grift to funnel money from a vulnerable woman into his accounts, to be shared with his real family.

Besides being a liar and cheat, Ian is also a master manipulator. After Grace confessed to what she did to her first husband, Ian threatened to go to law enforcement unless she made it “worth his while.” Alarmed by his sudden shift in personality, Grace dug out Ian’s phone and checked his recent calls. One number appeared repeatedly. When she dialed it, a woman answered, revealing herself as Ian’s other wife. Before she could say more, Ian grabbed the phone away from the mystery woman on the other line, and reprimanded Grace, threatening her again. Instead of giving in, Grace withdrew €20,000, wrapped the cash in a plastic bag, and hid it in the yard. Later, she confronted Ian, who retaliated by threatening to take everything from her, including Blanaid. Assuming the teenager doesn’t know the truth about her father or how he died, Ian weaponized this secret, claiming he’d expose everything and destroy what little was left of the strained relationship between mother and daughter.

Heartbroken, Grace asked if he ever cared about her or Blanaid, and Ian simply shrugged, admitting she was “just a mark.” Having been used and abused by her first husband and now by her second, Grace was livid but motivated to stop Ian before he turned into another J.P… The meek and often seen as weak woman we met in season one died with her first husband and this Grace is braver, and in-touch with her inner strength. Yelling at Ian that he wouldn’t get a penny from her, Grace hung up on him and jumped into her car calling Eva for help.

While trying to explain the situation to her sister, Grace realized she had lost an earring her daughter gifted her in the rush to leave the house. Distracted and emotional, she took her eyes off the road to search for the missing piece and swerved to avoid an oncoming car, crashing into the tree line and ultimately losing her life.

Her sisters initially believed her death was tied to Angelica’s blackmail, but that wasn’t the case—it was Ian all along and Angelica was actually Grace’s friend. To make matters worse, Ian scammed Eva out of the inheritance Grace had intended to leave for Blanaid and has set his targets on all the Garvey women now.

One Husband Down, One Husband to Go

Back in the present, Eva (Sharon Horgan) is deeply disturbed by the truth about Ian/Cormac. When she comes home to find him standing casually in her kitchen and her niece, who had been missing, sitting in the living room, she starts to unravel. Once Blanaid (Saise Quinn) leaves to hang out with a friend, Eva confronts Ian, who acts as if nothing is wrong. He even claims to regret what’s happened, prompting Eva to snap: “Which bit? Being a thieving scam artist or killing my sister?”

Ian remains unfazed. When Eva demands he return the stolen money, he doesn’t react, and instead, casually puts the kettle on for tea, as if nothing monumental has occurred. After all, he knows once one irate Garvey sister arrives, the others won’t be far behind—family drama is a given in any Irish household and a meeting like that could use a cup of tea.

Meanwhile, Detective Houlihan (Thaddea Graham) is digging into Sergeant Cormac Sweeney’s history at the precinct. Her investigation uncovers a string of accusations, from domestic violence and fraud to sexual harassment. Although he was never prosecuted, Houlihan discovers that his accuser likely retracted her statement due to intimidation. Armed with this evidence, Houlihan takes her findings to her boss, hoping to tie the disgraced cop to the bizarre cases surrounding the Garvey women.

However, instead of support, her boss threatens her career. He warns that pursuing this case—one he has already deemed closed—will jeopardize any future promotions. Houlihan realizes her boss may be protecting Sweeney, either out of misplaced loyalty to a fellow officer or to preserve the reputation of the police force. Despite her best efforts, she’s stonewalled and can’t find a way to move forward without risking getting sacked.

Back at Eva’s house, her sisters Bibi (Sarah Greene), Becka (Eve Hewson), and Ursula (Eva Birthistle) arrive to find Ian sitting smugly in the kitchen, acting as though he controls the situation. He immediately starts blaming Grace’s death on Eva, insinuating her “flirtations” with him were to blame. That comment is too much for the fiery Becka, who launches herself across the table at him. He deflects her attack, throwing her into the countertop and leaving the pregnant woman dazed on the floor with a gash to her head.

This has gone too far and the sisters consider calling the police, but Ian reminds them of his connections. His former colleagues would believe his version of events over theirs—especially considering the Garveys’ questionable ties to local crimes. While Ian continues to gloat, he makes two fatal mistakes: first, he calls Grace “a murdering nut job,” and second, he fails to notice Angelica (Fiona Shaw) standing nearby.

Angelica, loyal to Grace and not one to control her temper, suddenly strikes Ian over the head with Blanaid’s lacrosse stick. The blow sends him crashing onto the table, where he hits his head hard and collapses in a heap to the ground. Blood pools on the kitchen floor as Angelica, still clutching the stick, deadpans, “I didn’t like what he said about Grace.”

Before the sisters can process what’s happened, there’s a knock at the door—it’s Detective Houlihan looking for Ian Reilly. Explaining that she knows how dangerous Cormac Sweeney is, Houlihan warns that she needs to find him before he harms anyone else.

Panicked, Eva tries to keep the detective from entering the house, but Houlihan briefly explains what she’s uncovered about Ian’s sordid past. As she talks, Eva’s sisters hurriedly drag Ian’s body into the living room and cover him with Becka’s robe, inadvertently ruining any chance of claiming self-defense. When Houlihan finally leaves, chaos erupts, with the sisters arguing over what to do next. Amid the shouting, a dazed Becka points out the obvious: Ian isn’t dead. “Ian Reilly doesn’t exist. Cormac Sweeney does. And we’ve never met Cormac Sweeney.” This revelation sparks Bibi’s idea: throw the body over the cliffs and make it look like an accident. Still in shock, Angelica comes to her senses just long enough to agree—dumping him into the sea might just be the poetic justice he deserves, after all, Grace did love the sea.

The Twist

That’s when we return to the opening moments of the premiere episode, where the Garvey sisters are crammed into a car, driving to the cliffs under the cover of night. When they park in a desolate area, their nerves already frayed, they scream in terror when the trunk suddenly pops open on its own. The women scatter in panic, startled by the quirks of Bibi’s unreliable car. Once they realize the coast is clear, they regroup and head to the trunk, ready to handle Ian/Cormack’s body—but it’s empty. Ian isn’t dead! Though he looks like he’s knocking on death’s door, he’s still alive and wrapped in Becka’s robe, stumbling around the cliff’s edge. He is disoriented and severely injured from two heavy blows he took to the head, so he doesn’t mind Eva’s warnings when he gets dangerously close to the drop-off. Eventually, he loses his footing and falls over the edge, as the sisters rush to see where he landed. Of course, their lives would improve if the sea carried him away, but luck isn’t on their side. Ian has landed on a rocky ledge, broken and battered, but moaning and still wearing Becka’s robe. This makes it hard to believe the sisters weren’t involved with this accident.

Panic sets in, and the women start arguing about their next move. Should they call the police? Bibi adamantly says no and begins climbing down the embankment, determined to push Ian into the waves before anyone finds him. But as she slides down the muddy cliffside, her sisters yell for her to stop. They remind her they aren’t murderers, and besides, she has a family to think about—her wife, Nora, is trying to get pregnant, and Becka herself is expecting.

That’s when oldest sister Eva steps in as the voice of reason, declaring they’ll call an ambulance to ensure Ian gets help, then leave before the authorities arrive. The sisters reluctantly agree to make the call, and then make their way home, shaken but resolute.

Back at the house, Angelica is still there, visibly dazed by her role in the chaos. But she’s not alone—Detective Houlihan is with her and they have quite the story to tell. It turns out Angelica, while trying to move Ian’s car to cover their tracks, ran straight into the detective and wound up coming clean about what they did! Ignoring her boss’s warnings about career-ending decisions, Houlihan is determined to solve this crime–even if she has to arrest all the Garvey women and Angrelica too.

The Revelation of their crimes erupts in chaos–the room is filled with shouting and finger-pointing until Houlihan reveals she already knows the truth about Ian and how dangerous he is. The sisters fall silent, and their anger shifts toward the police and why he wasn’t held accountable for his crimes before he pushed his way into their lives. They accuse Houlihan and her former partner, Detective Loftus, of covering up for Ian. This upsets Houlihan, who defends herself, and deflects the blame back on the women, “What you did has nothing to do with me,” she declares. While she’s furious the sisters took matters into their own hands, she acknowledges they can’t be arrested for a crime they didn’t commit—especially since Cormac Sweeney is still alive.

When Eva explains they never intended to kill him, and in fact, they called for an ambulance to ensure Ian received medical attention, Houlihan confirms their story. Seeing the sisters’ grief, she softens a bit, realizing they’ve already paid the ultimate price for their misdemeanors. Grace is gone, and no punishment could be worse than the loss they’re living with.

Later, Houlihan visits Ian Cormac in the hospital. Despite his injuries, he’s furious and demands to press charges against the Garvey sisters, but Houlihan points out the women could easily press charges against him as well. Enter retired Detective Loftus (Barry Ward), who steps in to deliver a parting blow. He informs Cormac that he’ll contradict any story he tries to spin, destroy evidence if necessary, and “play dirty—just like you.” He warns Sweeney to return the stolen money to the Garveys, punctuating his threat by smacking his injured leg. Ian/Cormac cries out in pain as Loftus and Houlihan leave the room, satisfied with smiles on their faces.

Before parting ways, Loftus praises Houlihan for her tenacity and a job well done. However, the case has soured her taste for police work, and she’s ready to quit the force. Loftus convinces her to reconsider, reminding her that the force needs honest, hard-working people like her and maybe less like guys like Cormac. Though reluctant, Houlihan agrees to think it over and the two part ways in better terms than they had all season-long.

Goodbye Grace, So Long, Bad Sisters

As the season draws to a close, we’re treated to a flash-forward to a much happier time for the Garvey family. The sisters—Becka, Bibi, Eva, and Ursula—gather for one of their traditional frigid seaside swims. They’re joined by a glowing, pregnant Nora (Yasmine Akram) and Joe (Peter Claffey), who sweetly carries his and Becka’s baby.

The group makes their way to the shore, preparing to say their final goodbyes to Grace—a proper send-off they couldn’t give her before, thanks to the chaos with Ian and Angelica. Before they release Grace’s ashes into the sea, Blanaid hugs Eva tightly as she tells her favorite aunt, “I know my father wasn’t a good person.:This stuns Eva but what Blanaid says after brings the woman to tears. John Paul might have been known as “The Prick,” but Grace was good, and Blanaid takes after her.” The two hug it out in a bittersweet moment of closure for Grace’s daughter and the sister who is left to pick up all of their family’s pieces–no matter how bloody dramatic and criminal they are. As they say goodbye to the woman who left their lives too soon, we don’t bid farewell to the darkly funny, inventive, and poignant series— we say Slán go fóill–the Celtic “goodbye for now,” with a hope we will meet again soon.