The Sinner – Part II

By starrymag | August 16, 2017

By: Nicole Dintelman

 

 

 

This week on “The Sinner” Cora (Jessica Biel) pleads guilty to the charges. The judge (Gretchen Koerner) asks the attorney why she’s not representing her client. Cora’s attorney (Susan Pourfar) tells the judge that Cora declined representation and has decided to represent herself. The judge asks Cora if she understands what she’s doing and Cora tells the judge that she does. The judge reminds Cora that she has no criminal record, she’s turned down a lawyer and she’s pleading guilty to a crime she can’t explain. The judge asks Cora to clarify any of it and Cora tells her that she knows that she did it and she just wants it all to end.

 

The judge tells the court taking everything into consideration she’s ordering Cora to be examined as to whether she is fit to stand trial. Mason (Christopher Abbott) asks Cora what she’s doing and she doesn’t answer him. Detective Leroy (Dohn Norwood) asks Detective Ambrose (Bill Pullman) if he put Judge Baird up to this and he tells him that he did call her and make his case. Mason runs into Officer Sullivan (Abby Miller) in the courthouse lobby and she tells him that she can take him out the back. Apparently, they know each other from high school.

 

Detective Ambrose goes to see Cora again. He tells her that he knows she knew Frankie Belmont (Eric Todd). She tells him that she didn’t know him. Ambrose asks her then why is she pleading guilty? She could at least try and help herself – plead temporary insanity, work with her lawyer, reduce her sentence. She’d eventually get her life back. Cora asks him what makes him think she wants her life back. Cora’s little sister was always sick and, as a result, she had to share a room with her father. This seems to have shaped a lot of her life.

 

Ambrose is sure that there is an explanation as to why Cora killed Frankie. He goes to see Frankie’s wife again. She tells him that she didn’t even notice Cora at first. Then, the next thing she notices Cora is there screaming. Ambrose asks about women from Frankie’s past and Leah (Teri Wyble) tells him that there was a girl that Frankie mentioned. He told her that there was something wrong with her. He wouldn’t talk about it with Leah, but he did tell his friends that he did have an intense connection with her and something happened. An accident. Leah tells Ambrose this was five or six years ago. This sounds more like Cora’s sister than it does her.

 

Cora is still having nightmares and Ambrose is finding himself in the yard in his underwear in the middle of the night. Ambrose is staying with Leroy while he and his wife are split up for the time being. Mason asks his mom if she cut Laine’s (Grayson Eddey) hair. Lorna (Patti D’Arbanville) tells him that she trimmed it and she thinks it looks nice. He has ears for once. Mason tells his mom that she knows that Cora likes Laine’s hair to stay long. Mason’s dad (Robert Funaro) asks him if he’s sure that he’s coming into work and Mason tells him that he has to stay busy.

 

While Mason is cleaning out someone’s air vent, he hears the customer on the phone badmouthing him. Maybe it was too soon for him to go back to work after all. We get a glimpse of when Mason and Cora first met. Cora’s waitressing at a restaurant where Mason stopped for lunch in Inwood. Mason was there picking up supplies. Cora tells Mason that she’s a horrible waitress. Mason tells her that she should be a hostess at a fancy restaurant downtown. He’d come there just to see her.

 

Detective Ambrose and his wife (Kathryn Erbe) are going to marriage counseling. His wife is also going to another support group as well. She tells him that she feels like she could disappear and he wouldn’t even notice. There is a prayer group at the jail which reminds Cora of the one that used to meet at her house to pray for her sister. Cora’s aunt used to leave her special treats when she came to visit – candy bars and special trinkets. Cora had a special hiding place that she kept them so her mother wouldn’t find them.

 

Ambrose goes to question Cora again. He tells her that he’s going to keep digging. She’s not mentally ill. Ambrose tells her that he can stay there all day and he’s not going to stop until he hears something out of her that makes sense. Ambrose tells Cora that TV cameras are following her family every minute of the day and they’re in pain. He asks her if she’s just going to leave them there with no explanation for what she did. Cora tells Detective Ambrose that she met Frankie on July 3rd. Wait, what? So she really did know him?

 

Cora says it was five years ago. Cora met him at a bar on Route Six. She says that Frankie told her that his name was J.D. Cora tells Ambrose that Frankie gave her drugs then they all got in his truck and they went to someone’s house. She says that that’s where she heard that song and they spent the night together. Cora tells Ambrose that two weeks later she found out she was pregnant. Frankie had her phone number but she didn’t have his – she didn’t even know his real name. Cora grew up Catholic. She felt like she couldn’t get an abortion and she couldn’t tell her parents. Cora decided to walk out in front of a car. When she woke up she wasn’t pregnant anymore.

 

Detective Ambrose plays the tape of Cora for Detective Leroy and the Police Chief (Adam LeFevre). The Chief says that the D.A. will be happy now since they have a story. Cora’s mother convinced her that every bad thing she did when she was little was the reason her sister was sick. Cora prayed for forgiveness and her mother made her bury her chocolate and trinkets as well. Detective Ambrose goes to see his extra lady friend to tell her that he’s trying to work things out with his wife and he can’t see her anymore. He tells her this time he really means it. She tells him to text her next time.

 

Mason is at home remembering his first time with Cora. When he goes low, she almost takes his head off. That’ll teach you. He asks her what it was and she tells him she doesn’t know. The Ambroses are having their grandson over for his birthday. Grandpa was supposed to buy a Lego set and, instead, he bought binoculars. His grandson is less than thrilled. Harry’s wife tells him next time to just get the Lego’s. Harry tells Faye that it’s nice being there with her and he wants to move back home. Faye tells him that they decided on eight weeks. Harry tells her that they both want to live together and they’re lucky.

 

Officer Sullivan goes to see Mason to get additional details about Cora and Frankie. Mason asks how Cora knew Frankie. Officer Sullivan tells Mason that she can’t answer that but asks Mason if Cora ever mentioned Frankie to him. Mason tells her no, that she never did. Officer Sullivan asks: “What about J.D.?” You can tell Mason recognizes that name, but he pretends that he doesn’t have a clue. Officer Sullivan is either clueless or has too big of a crush on Mason to be a good cop. Mason begs her to give him details and she tells him that it was a one night stand and he got her pregnant.

 

Mason sits back and takes in this information. Detective Ambrose is going over the evidence and finds Frankie’s phone. He asks the officer if they know how to get the music off of the phone. He goes to the bar that Cora says that she met Frankie in. The bartender recognizes Cora, but not Frankie. Ambrose goes to see Frankie’s parents next. His parents tell Harry that Cora is lying. Frankie’s father tells Harry that Frankie wasn’t even in town 4th of July weekend in 2012. So, Cora was lying? We’re shocked! Okay, not really!

 

Detective Leroy calls Ambrose to tell him that Cora’s parents are not dead. They’re both alive and in Ellenville. What else has Cora lied about? She’s a regular Pinocchio! Cora gets out of the shower and finds her mattress and bedding gone when she gets back to her cell. Another inmate tells her that as long as she’s a loner they will push her around. Cora remembers when Phoebe (Rileigh McDonald) had besdsores from being in bed constantly, which her mother also blamed on her. To get back at her mother, Cora (Jordana Rose) dug up her chocolate bar and ate it.

 

Detective Ambrose asks Cora why she lied to him about her parents being dead, about the pregnancy, about the hospital. Ambrose asks her if she even gives a damn that he’s trying to help her. Cora asks him: “Are you?” Cora tells him that he’s a detective and he’s not supposed to be helping her so why is he even there. Ambrose says that it’s his job to know the truth. Cora tells him that he’s full of shit. Harry laughs and tells her that they have something in common then. Detective Ambrose asks her again why she killed Frankie. Cora tells him that she doesn’t know. Ambrose tells her that she does know. She doesn’t get to do what she did and not know.

 

Detective Ambrose asks her what happened on the beach. He turns on the song and tells her that it reminded her of something. Ambrose says that they’re going through it step by step. Cora’s mind flashes to something and she tells Ambrose to turn it off. He tells her no and asks her what did Frankie do to her. Cora says: “Screw you.” Ambrose says he’s sorry that he can’t hear her. Cora gets up and starts hitting him and telling him she’s going to kill him. When Cora hears that song, something happens to her.

 

Mason goes to visit Cora again in jail. He asks her why she lied to the police about Frankie. Mason tells her that he knows J.D. He asks Cora if J.D. is the one that hurt her. Cora tells him that it doesn’t matter. Cora asks Mason if Laine is okay. Mason tells her that, no, Laine is not okay and he’s not okay. Their worlds are turned upside down and she won’t talk to him. Mason goes to see a friend to see if he can hook him up with J.D. Oh Mason. What are you doing? Harry moves back home. During dinner, Faye is telling him how much her therapy is helping. A bird flies into the glass and Harry pets it until it flies away.

 

When getting changed for bed that night, Harry notices marks on his neck and shoulders from where Cora hit him. Something comes to him and he goes to the station. Harry calls Detective Leroy. He tells him that the song triggers Cora and something happens. Harry shows the marks where Cora hit him, then shows him the picture of the stab wounds on Frankie. They’re in the same exact places. Harry tells Leroy that Cora stabbed Frankie seven times. They watch the video of Cora hitting Harry and count how many times she hits him. Seven times. Cora is repeating exactly what she did on the beach. What happened to Cora? What is making her do this?