The Sinner episode 8 (finale) spoilers: Is Cora guilty?

The Sinner episode 8 is coming your way on USA September 20, and it’s the finale for the entire limited series. Everything in the case of Cora Tannetti is boiling down to one final appointment in court, and a question that the entire series has worked to answer: Is she guilty of murdering Frankie?

What we know is the same thing that we’ve known ever since the first episode: Cora is the one responsible for stabbing Frankie. The real question that The Sinner has posed to us is if whether or not she made this decision of her own mind. She did not know Frankie ahead of time, nor did she have any clear motive. Ambrose has been working on the case to uncover the truth, but there is a difference between learning secrets and being able to present them in a way that makes sense in a courtroom setting. Ambrose understands that more than most, which is why he has been so thorough in trying to get answers … even to the point where it has bordered on obsession.

USA isn’t giving much of anything away about The Sinner episode 8 in advance (save for that Cora’s fate will be revealed), but they are probably off somewhere throwing a party in celebration of everything that this show has brought to them since the premiere. It’s proven to be a huge ratings success story in that it’s improved off of the lead-in that it had with Suits, and it’s also driven a great deal of social engagement. With a huge star in Jessica Biel at the center of the show,  you also have someone who can drive more attention and engagement.

At this point, we at CarterMatt do figure that someone over at the network is working on where they go from here and how to follow this up? We’re not sure how you would tell the same story with these characters, but we wouldn’t be opposed to the network doing some sort of anthology where you re-use some of these actors and tell a different story next year or in the year after. We are always on the look out for some quality summer entertainment, and The Sinner fits that bill.

The promo below

We know now SO much more in terms of what happened on the night so many years ago; namely, that Phoebe seemed to die by accident and Frankie was just trying to revive her. Yet, Cora’s memory took that as an assault and when she saw him years later, her first instinct somewhere underneath was to murder him. There are still other questions, including what happened after she was knocked out and if there’s any significance at all behind the masked man, but we know that much of the basis of the whole series was just a night that got terrible out of hand thanks to a horrible human being in JD.

What do you think is going to happen over the course of The Sinner episode 8, and do you think that this is going to inspire some more fantastic shows in the future on the network? Be sure to share in the comments! (Photo: USA.)