The Sinner season 2 episode 4 review: Who is Lionel Jeffries?
So what did Ambrose want to know? First and foremost, he wanted information and answers — including when it comes to Adam, Bess, and Julian. The argument that Vera made tonight was that Julian acted in self-defense, largely because Bess was unable to have children and that made her obsessed with Julian. He and Vera embarked on a bit of journey, but one that was made increasingly more difficult by Ambrose getting hurt and then Vera effectively ditching him in the middle of the woods to fend for himself.
While Ambrose was at Mosswood, Heather was continuing her own investigation — one that involved Marin, who she suspected was the real mother of Julian and an old friend she missed early. It was clear, at least to us, that some of the pain here was born out of the feelings that the two have for each other. The concern the two had over the future led to conflict, and that led to Marin growing increasingly distant over everyone, including her father.
Eventually, this led to Heather paying an important visit to her dad in order to try and get some more information about her and what happened so many years ago. We know that Marin got a mysterious “labyrinth” tattoo, and that was at least something that Heather’s dad was able to remember to some degree. After that, she was able to trace this tattoo back to a publisher and an important name: Lionel Jeffries. He is a brilliant author, but also an apparent cult leader who may have built the foundation for what Mosswood has become.
Here is where things really got interesting: There was a copy of Jeffries’ book sent to Niagara Falls, which just so happens to be where Adam and Bess were going with Julian. There was, apparently, someone living at the storage unit already that Heather visited, and the majority of the clothes found there belonged to a kid. What made things all the more interesting is that apparently, the unit was in Julian’s name. Was he already visiting here, and had he had a frequent presence at the unit already? Regardless, Heather found a tape there, and on it, there was a rather familiar face: Marin! She was still clearly out there.
Those closing minutes
This is where things got creepier than they have most of the season, as Harry stumbled his way to a home where Vera was there, acted like nothing was wrong and she had expected him to find his way. She showed concern and care for him … if you can even call it that.
What we did learn here was that this cabin originally belonged to a man who we (clearly) believe to be Lionel, who founded the teachings that she tries to follow. She has tried to teach Julian to be “fluid,” at one with nature and a combination of darkness and light. Basically, leaving Harry in the woods was all a part of the plan to emotionally upend and then manipulate him. Her trying to seduce him (is that what that was?), however, is certainly not something we foresaw. All of this culminated in Harry waking up seemingly at the lodge, with no recollection as to how he got there.
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CarterMatt Verdict
The Sinner season 2 episode 4 was all sorts of creepy, and it may be the hardest episode that we’ve had a chance to watch and/or speculate about because of that. We feel like we’ve got more of a sense as to who some of these key players are, but not so much how they operate. That leaves us with many different questions moving into the next episode.
Related – Be sure to get some other information regarding The Sinner season 2 episode 5!
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