Your Weekend Binge Watch: Bad Sisters (Season 1)
Welcome back to Your Weekend Binge Watch, a weekly installment where I make TV/Film recommendations I'm really enjoying so that you can spend less time scrolling, more time watching, and finally get outside your same old recommendation algorithm. This time around it's Your Weekend Binge Watch: Bad Sisters (Season 1)!
Currently two seasons (Season 2 released this past Wednesday November 13, 2024)
Season 1 has 10 episodes
Why Give It a Try
Watch it for all the beautiful views and imagery of Ireland, its strong writing and acting performances, a healthy dose of dark humor, and the unbreakable bond of the Garvey sisters.
Synopsis
The Garvey sisters, a tight-knit group of five, are bound together by the premature death of their parents and the promise to always protect one another. When one of the Garvey sisters’ husbands dies, it sets off a series of events that test the real strength of their bond and their promise to each other. The show takes place on two timelines: one timeline takes place before Grace’s abusive, misogynistic husband John Paul passes away (in which her sisters plot his demise), and another timeline occurs after John Paul’s death (in which a strong-willed insurance agent tries to prove the Garvey sisters’ guilt in order to save his struggling family business). Seeing both timelines is a thrilling portrait of unconditional love, familial devotion, and heart-wrenching betrayal.
Thoughts
Having lived in Dublin and fallen in love with both the city and the majesty that is Ireland, I give any show set in Ireland a chance. I’ve watched some misses, but Bad Sisters was a bullseye! Chocked full of authentic-feeling relationships, complicated family dynamics, and great performances, it’s not only well-written and well-acted, but it’s also a deeper whodunnit mystery than I first realized. Without giving away too much about the unraveling mystery that is John Paul’s death, I will say that I made multiple incorrect guesses right up until the big reveal thanks to all the well-placed red herrings.
Even with all the characters’ intersecting journeys, Bad Sisters never felt like a runaway train thanks to its ability to ground itself in its relationship dynamics. There wasn’t a single moment where I didn’t believe that the Garvey sisters weren’t real people with real lives, problems, or experiences. They were authentic, messy, and relatable – very much like an actual family. I loved their relationship dynamics not only when all five of them were together, but also when they would break off into other combinations. The relationships would change based on who was together, which felt very real, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing those multi-faceted personalities change based on whatever situation was at hand. Sure, this might be a show about a murder, but it’s really a study on just how far sisters will go to protect each other.
And yay! Season 2 is officially out now on AppleTV+ (and I will update accordingly once I have watched)!!
Bad Sisters, Season 1: Totally BingeReady.
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