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SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from “The Better Sister,” now streaming on Prime Video.

In creating the murder mystery for Amazon’s Prime Video series “The Better Sister,” co-creators Olivia Milch and Regina Corrado aimed to make viewers suspect any character as the potential killer, having stabbed Adam (Corey Stoll). By tarnishing the reputation of various characters – be they unfaithful spouses, drug addicts, or arrogant business magnates – they left a multitude of possibilities for the culprit, each with the potential to have stained their hands and the carpet white.

Ultimately, none of the potential suspects seemed as plausible as sticking with the original ending from Alafair Burke’s book, which served as the basis for the series. In both scenarios, it was Nicky (Elizabeth Banks) who ended up murdering her ex-husband, Adam, following the revelation that he had been physically abusive towards Chloe (Jessica Biel), Nicky’s sister and current wife. In the final episode, Nicky confessed everything to Chloe, revealing how she discovered that Adam’s cruel behavior was not a recent development. On the day she thought she had been drinking heavily and nearly allowed Ethan (Maxwell Acee Donovan) to drown in the pool, Nicky had actually been drugged by Adam as a means to gain full custody of their son.

Driven by these disclosures, Nicky makes a forceful appearance at Adam and Chloe’s house. She doesn’t go there to harm him, but to confront him. However, when Adam’s temper flares up once more, Nicky is compelled to protect herself during the subsequent altercation, unintentionally taking her former husband’s life in self-defense. Afterward, she swiftly returns to Ohio, trying to act as if nothing had ever happened.

Although the character’s healing process and restoration of reputation with her sister and viewers were crucial to the series, Milch informed EbMaster that they and Corrado never entertained the idea of anyone else being Adam’s murderer – this was due to the fact that Nicky did much more than simply kill.

In Nicky’s case, she appears to shield her sister when the situation turns aggressive, according to Milch. Essentially, she makes a decision to safeguard her sibling and herself. This dynamic is central to the show, illustrating how love can manifest as self-protection and even violence at times. The choice that Nicky makes in this instance is not questioned in the narrative.

In essence, this implies that Nicky and Chloe find themselves facing the challenge of concealing their role in the murder, as their son has recently been cleared of the charges. As Chloe had started to sow seeds of reasonable doubt in court by implicating her lover Jake, the sisters now accuse Bill, Adam’s business partner, of the crime instead. The police seem intrigued, especially Det. Matt Bowen.

Detective Nancy Guidry (Kim Dickens) finds it hard to believe, especially since Adam’s mother (Deirdre O’Connell) revealed that Nicky wasn’t physically present during the murder, but only his phone was there in Ohio. To ensure that Guidry won’t find any support from her side, Nicky deliberately reveals a past scandal involving Guidry – she had wrongfully and brutally assaulted a Black man in the course of duty years ago.

However, it remains to be seen if the sisters’ scheme to incriminate Bill will succeed. With Bill’s substantial resources and Guidry’s determination to expose their wrongdoings, they might have unintentionally stirred up more trouble than they intended. Moreover, there’s at least one additional casualty in their path: In the concluding scenes of the series, Jake mysteriously appears in the sea near his residence, with no discernible evidence regarding who took the life of the smitten man.

Amazon’s Prime Video has marketed “The Better Sister” as a limited series, yet Milch is prepared to carry on if the show gains popularity. “Everything the viewers learn about these characters’ lives makes them think there’s more,” she expresses. “We would be thrilled to have the opportunity to continue telling the story, and with luck, we will persist.

In this conversation, I, along with fellow filmmaker Corrado, express our gratitude to David Milch senior, the brilliant mind behind “Deadwood,” for introducing us on “The Better Sister.” We discuss the intriguing question of who might have taken Jake’s life, and we ponder if Chloe and Nicky managed to slip away unscathed after their apparent actions.

Regina has worked on some great shows like “Deadwood” with Olivia’s dad David Milch, but you two have never worked on the same series until now. What brought you together for this project?

For the past two decades, Olivia Milch has been acquainted with Regina. Growing up, she was surrounded by numerous gifted authors, but when it came to those my father frequently mentioned, Regina’s name stood out as one of the greatest, humorously so. Over time, we reconnected on a professional level during our collaboration on my father’s memoir, as he struggles with Alzheimer’s. Later, while setting up the storyline for “The Better Sister,” I extended an invitation to Regina, hoping she would join me. To my delight, it turned out that this was possible, and as we began working together, our bond felt like a family connection – not in a corny or clichéd way, but genuinely so.

Collaborating on this project involves a strong base of mutual affection and admiration. We’ve both been mentored by an exceptional teacher, which means we share the same values and expectations. There’s no fear of offending each other because of our shared understanding. We can write as crudely or humorously as we wish, but it’s always enjoyable. We’ll refer to this process as “dueting,” where we exchange scenes back and forth. Receiving a new scene from Regina in my email is one of the most thrilling experiences for me, knowing she has read and enhanced a scene I wrote. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Regina Corrado: This has been truly exceptional. While you can connect with someone on a spiritual level, this experience has surpassed my expectations. I believe it’s due in part to your dad serving as our strong foundation. I recall no longer working for your father and missing him dearly. The longing was almost unbearable. I thought perhaps this would be the remedy, and it was, because I got to rejoin the family once more.

This series is based on a book, so you had a roadmap going in. But did you always plan to stick to the book’s ending with Nicky killing Adam?

The book by Alafair Burke serves as our foundation, and that’s where we started. However, the TV show does deviate from the book at times. Yet, these departures felt right to us because they stem from acts of love and protection. For instance, Nicky intervenes to shield her sister when he becomes violent, demonstrating both protection for her sibling and herself. In essence, our series is about two sisters reconnecting through love, and the way love can manifest as self-preservation and even violence at times. We didn’t second-guess this choice, but we always aimed to clarify why or how each character could have made it. Our intention was to portray everyone as a potential suspect, not just for entertainment, but because complex, layered people like us all possess that capacity. We wanted to avoid the impression that such actions are only within the realm of monstrous individuals.

Corey Stoll’s character is kept at arm’s length, which isn’t usually the case for a murder victim. Instead, his presence is more like a ghost (literally at times), and a wedge between these two sisters. Did you have to resist centralizing your victim?

Milch: In truth, there are three significant male figures in the lives of these two sisters. They include their father, their husbands, and their sons. Each of these male characters plays a dual role – they unite and separate the sisters in some ways. Corey delivers a remarkable performance due to his intelligence and authority, captivating us from the start because we knew he would cast such a powerful influence over these women’s lives. It is essential to believe that both sisters became enamored with this man. However, it must also be believable that their expectations for the life they were going to share with him were unfulfilled, leading to a deep sense of disappointment and resentment among all three parties, regarding what their lives ultimately became.

The ghostly character in the series symbolizes his connection with Chloe. One might wonder how an open dialogue between them would unfold, considering she’s still processing and dealing with their past. He remains present in a subtle way, and it seems Nicky can perceive him at certain times. I believe that we often hold onto people within us to different extents, even when they’re physically absent. However, the bond between these two sisters is the core of their lives when they are together.

Corrado: If it turned out that he needed to reunite them, well, that’s simply how things were destined to unfold. In other words, it was a matter of fate.

We are left at the end of this series with a dead body. Jake had more than a few people threatening his life, including FBI Agent Olivero (Frank Pando) and maybe even his now-former boss, Bill (Matthew Modine). So would you like to tell viewers who killed Jake?

Milch: Well, he certainly did have a lot of threats against him, didn’t he?

Corrado: It could have been anybody!

Milch: We put great effort into ensuring a deeply satisfying conclusion for the season and the series, as we believe there’s more to these characters beyond what we see on screen. We’ve invested so much time in their past, their backgrounds, and what shapes them, which gives depth and authenticity to their characters. A tidy resolution seemed unrealistic, not just from a storytelling perspective but also considering the complexities of these characters’ lives.

From what the audience has seen, they might suspect that there’s more to these characters’ stories. It would be a privilege to keep exploring their lives. With any luck, we’ll get the chance. However, considering the nature of the story and these particular characters, it wouldn’t feel authentic to say “And they all lived happily ever after.” That certainly isn’t the case with this group!

Corrado: Definitely not with them!

Everyone should tune in to the series, catch it again if they already have, and let’s hope that by doing so, we can continue discussing the fate of Jake.

So you’re pleading the fifth on who, in your mind, killed Jake, yes?

Milch: Yes. We certainly have thoughts, but more will be revealed, as we like to say in the rooms.

This is definitely a limited series that leaves you with more questions. Chloe and Nicky’s plan to frame Bill feels flimsy at best. Guidry isn’t likely to let go of what Nicky exposed about her. And, just spitballing here, if they are going to write a book together, maybe part of that process is solving the murder of the man with whom Chloe was having an affair.

Milch: Well, your lips to Jeff Bezos’ ears!

If we are, indeed, to believe that Chloe and Nicky could come together and agree on their story for a book, what do you envision as the title of that book?

Corrado: That is such a great question, and I will go ahead and say it’s not “Smuggler’s Gulch.”

A Life Recollected” or “A Re-Collected Life.” This immediately sparks the idea of “Lives, Re-Collected.” It emphasizes the act of remembering and reconstructing these lives, and the true meaning behind it. So, “Lives, Re-Collected” is a strong candidate for consideration.

There is a great deal of white privilege on display in this series, just by nature of Chloe and Adam’s world. But throughout the season, there is also a recurring conversation about race and justice. We hear it in court during Ethan’s trial from the prosecutor who believes he is being treated differently than a Black teenager might be. We hear Gloria Reuben’s character mention her upbringing far from the world she lives in today. Kim Dickens’ character is also involved in a serious miscarriage of justice against a Black man. How did you go about threading this into your story, and why?

As a passionate cinephile, I can’t help but acknowledge that the heart of this series lies with its sisters. It delves into addiction and familial fractures, yet it also spotlights class as a crucial element. Unlike many shows that focus on the glamorous or corrupt lives of the affluent, our goal was to satirize these tropes and poke fun at them because they are integral to the narrative and Nicky’s character, who is never one to mince words.

In terms of racial themes, we wanted to challenge and subvert expectations from day one. Lorraine Toussaint was the actress we envisioned for Catherine. Her character embodies truth-telling, a quality that we believe is essential to this family, despite their lower-class origins.

It’s important to note that while every character in this show harbors secrets and tells lies, there are also many truth tellers. The ability to name things as they are and call out hypocrisy is a powerful tool, one that we wanted to highlight within this family. However, it’s crucial to recognize that the experiences of these white women and a white child navigating the criminal justice system will be vastly different from those of a brown or Black individual.

We wanted Gloria Reuben to embody Michelle Sanders authentically, enabling us to explore her background, previous cases, and what sets this case apart for her. Additionally, Dom Willis, our courtroom prosecutor, is exceptional. The chemistry between these two Black lawyers in a predominantly white setting, addressing race issues honestly, was crucial to us. Lorraine, in particular, played an essential role in bringing her character to life. A memorable scene is when she and Nicky are in the kitchen in Episode 5; we collaborated closely with Lorraine to ensure the portrayal felt authentic and true to life.

In my perspective: She reached out and simply asked, “Can we chat?” Instantly, my heart skipped a beat. It concerned the pivotal scene, but it was crucial we discussed it because she possesses insights we lack. She’s here to share and guide us. That experience felt exhilarating, especially considering the uncertainty that came with it. I found this entire process fascinating – a unique journey for us as writers, striving to do justice to her story.

Do you think, if this is where this story ends, these sisters got away with it? They sure are very confident in how they played their cards at the end of this. Yes, they are stronger together, but they have made enemies of some powerful people.

Milch: Indeed, they do. The narrative we’re presenting this season on television revolves around these two sisters reconnecting and being honest with each other. Therefore, in terms of their reunion, they manage to pull it off. However, discussing what happens beyond that reconciliation might lead to a different discussion.

Corrado: Chloe settled some debts with her sister. She owed her big time.

Milch: Then, they paused for a star-gazing session. In essence, this is what we engaged in tonight, as one might put it. We focused on the constellation known as the Big Dipper. That’s the narrative we’ve concocted for ourselves.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

2025-05-31 01:48