The Sinner: Julien

Saw the trailer and thought it looked really promising. Plus I love Bill Pullman so I plan to start it soon.

I'm a few episodes in to the first season and it hasn't quite hooked me but I'm going to keep going. That song is killer. Heh.

I thought S1 was pretty good until the final episodes. Best thing about it is Bill Pullman. His performance operates under a deep plane of discomfort, especially during scenes, any small talk or w/e, where he's forced to introspect. He keeps his personal self reigned in and has to keep moving forward in the (or any) investigative process. That and some unique traits like the finger kink make him quite an interesting lead.

S2 I found better in every way - until, again, the last few episodes. Besides the flashbacks (which are just convenient padding), the mystery is actually mysterious and pervasive and possibly occult. Director/exec producer of the show Antonio Campos effectively uses ideas he's already tapped into: the cult commune in Martha Marcy May Marlene which he produced, and the "evil kid" angle (he's been developing an Omen prequel for years since before this show). Pullman is reluctantly put into a deeper personal space bc of the new setting (his home town) and the age of the main suspect (same age as when his past trauma happened). But the revelation of S2 is Carrie Coon, an actress I really didn't care about until now-- her performance is remarkable. Rarely has a character made me switch how I feel about them so constantly. She plays the role at such a challenging, sly, exact place between conniving and sinister....and charismatic and affecting.... and she's in some ways heroic and sad too.

But the show isn't the easiest to recommend bc of the extreme awkwardness of S1's later eps, and generally both seasons' ending eps lose candlepower - they become too standard, they overexplain, overuse flashbacks, etc.  Really dig S1's ending shot, though. And I like how the show talks to the roles we end up playing in our lives.... Biel's discomfort in the role of mother/wife, Pullman's detective, Coon's commune leader....

Just finished the second season.Nowhere near as good as the first but still pretty decent.

I didn't realize it was a limited series so I was surprised to see everything wrapping up in the final episode of season one. I thought it worked better than something like, say, Sharp Objects with the use of flashbacks. It was an interesting case and the cast was strong.

Is the second season worth seeing? I've heard middling to bad things.

I posted thoughts on S2 earlier in this thread. I kinda liked it more than S1, but thinking back they're about even for me. 

But.... Carrie Coon is insanely good in S2.   Idk how she missed a Golden Globe nom in drama TV, I'm guessing it's bc lack of viewers. It's one of the best performances of the year, movies/TV, period. 

Up to the third episode on S2... Pullman is seriously undervalued.

I've spoken quite a bit about Pullman (who is just getting better and better), but the cinematography is just outstanding.

S3E1 was pretty good. With the Matt Bomer character, it's already either too obvious or a smart misdirection. We shall see. Bomer perf actually quite good - haven't liked him in anything else. The Sinner usual - his character is starting to crack as uncomfortable in his roles - as teacher, husband, expectant father.

Don't know where it'll go from here or where it can go, actually. S2 set-up was much better and creepier, more mysterious and extensive too. Sticking with it for Pullman - who it occurred to me is, as an actor, a terrific sidelong-looker.