The Sinner episode 7 debate: Who is wearing the mask?

The Sinner episode 7 is airing on USA on September 13, and we here at CarterMatt have been debating one question ever since episode 6 first came on the air. Who is wearing the mask? This mystery man or woman seems to be the person responsible for Cora Tannetti’s complete psychological manipulation. They have her reliving past traumas, and they also seem to have created a trigger for her that causes her to turn violent the moment that she hears a specific song. The stabbing of Frankie was the catalyst for investigating her past, but the answers are still around the corner.

Sure, there are many questions that could still remain after Cora’s past is revealed, but “who is wearing the mask?” still remains the primary question. There are no spoilers ahead, but we have compiled a list of some of the more intriguing candidates.

J.D. – Obviously, this is someone you cannot rule out given that he’s one of the people responsible for leading Cora down such a dark path in the first place.  He could easily be responsible for some of what transpired with her.

Maddie – Is she really dead? We may have seen her remains, but there’s not enough for us to conclusively say it is her. Even if it is, that doesn’t negate the possibility that J.D.’s other woman is somehow responsible for this torment. With that said, most evidence out there seems to suggest that the person in the mask is a man.

Frankie – Given that Cora killed him, you can envision scenarios in which he was responsible for this. Yet, there are still many questions as to what his motive could have been for wearing the mask in the first place.

Ambrose – Now, we’re really starting to think outside of the box. Why in the world would Ambrose want to help someone if he was responsible for what happened in the first place? The only answer to that is that he was somehow guilty of it in the first place, and this entire show was him trying to earn redemption for some of his past mistakes.

Mason – Could Cora’s husband be responsible for it in some shape or form? Well, you can’t rule it out that he plotted to get close to her after the fact and that maybe their relationship in some way was a byproduct of what happened years before. Maybe the trigger was never meant to go off on Frankie in the way that it was.

Cora’s parents – Could everything that happened with her be some sort of horrific punishment for some of her actions? Much of this goes back to the title for the show, and the questions regarding who is the real sinner here. Is it Cora, or is it someone else tied to her? There may be greater significance to the flashbacks than we even know right now.

Who is wearing the mask?

We want to hear your thoughts on the matter below, but please by wary of spoilers when posting! Even if the book and the show are different, let’s not spread any accidental clues.

For a longer look at The Sinner episode 7, be sure to visit the link here right now. (Photo: USA.)