The Sinner episode 5 review: Did Cora kill Maddie?

From the start, The Sinner episode 5 carried with it one important question: What happened in the woods? In one shape or form, we know that Cora is connected to what happened there. The problem that comes from here is trying to figure out precisely what went on out there, miles away from the road. There’s no direct evidence that she killed someone, other than that there are clearly some repressed memories in her head.

As this episode progressed, we saw a number of different things unravel, with one of the biggest ones being a refusal by Ambrose to play by the rules when it comes to figuring out how to resolve his connection to this case. He is working on it after hours, communicating with Cora on a regular basis, and also disregarding his relationship once more. We saw more of that when, in the midst of his therapy meeting, he learned that his relationship was completely in tatters and he wasn’t there with her.

Ambrose, as a character, feels detached and alone. That, in turn, is one of the reasons why he is so connected to Cora. She understands and relates to what some of these feelings are like. Their conversation via phone tonight was indicative of the connection that they have — it’s not romantic, but it is clear that there is some sort of natural sense of understanding that they have.

As for Cora, meanwhile, she struggled with an offer of a new plea deal, one that was complicated by the fact that she didn’t know anything about this second murder. The police strategy seemed to be this: The Jane Doe was J.D.’s other squeeze Maddie, and they wanted to pin that death on her. Cora told her to “go to Hell,” so no dice there.

Meanwhile, Ambrose made one of the biggest revelations in the case so far, as he learned that the country club was the setting of many of Cora’s lost memories. After all, the masks were there, as was the oh-so-familiar wallpaper. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a warrant. Even more unfortunately, Cora’s DNA was found at the Jane Doe crime scene.

What’s going on with Mason?

Unfortunately, his entire family is feeling the brunt of what happened with JD. The police made a move far earlier than Ambrose ultimately wanted, and what we saw ultimately as a result of that was JD striking out and getting revenge on poor Mason’s father. Let’s just say that Mason is none too pleased about that. He ended the episode walking toward J.D.’s place, gun in tow.

Heading back to the past

There were a number of different glimpses within this episode, and many of them came about in unconventional ways. During a prayer circle in prison we had a chance to see Cora briefly flashback to the man in the mask; then, we saw her in as a teen / young adult attending a party after none other than JD rescued her! These two had a history that extended far beyond what we knew.

When she eventually made it back home, her sister was falling apart, afraid that she had lost her. This was another sign that Cora was the only thing really keeping her alive.

Overall take

The strength of The Sinner at this point remains the way in which it plays around with time to show the various layers of Cora’s trauma. We saw that tonight courtesy of her sister. We also saw just how much trouble that she’s in as the case continues to develop, and it feels even more impossible that she is anything other than a cold-blooded killer Grade: A-.

What did you think about The Sinner episode 5?

Be sure to share in the comments below!

If you want to look beyond The Sinner episode 5 right now, you can do that by heading over to the link here and seeing a preview for what lies ahead. (Photo: USA.)