The Sinner episode 7 review: Frankie, Cora, Phoebe, and that night
While we’ve spent a good bit of time before The Sinner episode 7 aired getting a sense as to Cora Tannetti in the present, tonight started with Cora in the past.
After what transpired with Cora and her sister Phoebe on this past episode, we saw the two of them do something that they haven’t quite done at any other point in the limited series: Go out on the town together. Phoebe went to the tavern with Cora that night, where Maddie handed her a drug and she had what was probably a pretty exciting time for an isolated sixteen-year old. Eventually, though, the two continued on from the tavern into what was basically the tour of what really happened that night, from the middle of the woods to the Beverwyck club — where, as it turns out, Frankie was!
The big part of the episode that we personally did not see coming was the heavy involvement of Phoebe in everything, given that we just assumed after their night together that Cora left her behind. That was not the case, and while at the club she started to realize more of how terrible J.D. and some of his guys really were. This was a venue for them to do some unspeakable things. When Frankie first got a hold of Phoebe, he acted as though he was being kind with her. Mere moments later, though, we wondered if his true intentions were a little more sinister. However, when Cora discovered the two in the house, everything seemed to be okay … but was it? As the night went on, it started to feel as though Phoebe was transforming in some way. She was full of life, but unfortunately also so naive, not aware or understanding precisely how people act around her. We don’t think Frankie had great intentions taking Phoebe down into that basement.
One of the many problems down in the basement was the music. THE MUSIC. Cora did a line of what we’re assuming was cocaine, and then her sister kissed her … yes, that happened again, and then Phoebe had Cora kiss Frankie. Things basically went into drug-infused sex party mode, and J.D. and Frankie then took advantage of them. Maybe there will be arguments over how malicious Frankie was in all of this, but we had our concerns and he was clearly around people who were out to take advantage of women and was surrounded by drugs.
Yet, Frankie actually tried to do the right thing when Phoebe passed out. The episode ended with him trying to revive her, and Cora’s trigger seeing him was actually just him trying to save her sister. He was trying to help. Cora’s subconscious remembered it differently, and at the end of the night J.D. knocked her out. He was clearly the biggest villain here.
The CarterMatt Verdict
For all of the mysteries this series has presented to us, The Sinner episode 7 was incredibly straightforward. Everything that happened tonight was in the past, and it was completely mesmerizing and at times thoroughly disturbing. What the show did effectively is take it’s time getting to some of the terrible stuff that actually happened down there.
In the end, the real surprise was that despite all of the hype, the shock, and awe, it all stemmed from an accident where Phoebe seemingly died after going out with her sister, trying to experience something and feel alive. The show hasn’t given us all the answers, but we’ve got enough to understand where the story could go in the present. The strangest irony of all is that the person in the mask may have just been an ominous red herring, and we spent a lot of time on it! Maybe there’s something more to come judging from the promo…
What did you think about The Sinner episode 7?
Let us know in the CarterMatt comments section! Meanwhile, you should head over here in the event you do want to get some teases for what’s coming in The Sinner episode 8, otherwise known as the finale. (Photo: USA.)