One of the best whodunnits in comedy-drama, “Bad Sisters,” begins with a death. This show was released on AppleTV on August 19th, 2022. It is a remake of the Belgian show “Clan,” regarding a bunch of sisters coming together to kill their horrible brother-in-law, John Paul Williams, husband to Grace Garvey and father to Blainaid Williams. The show begins with all the sisters and family getting ready for the funeral. The Garvey sisters: Eva, Ursula, Bibi, and Rebecca, are slightly tense, but they don’t talk about it and try to console Grace. Through flashbacks, it is revealed that John Paul Williams was a despicable man who emotionally abused Grace for years. John Paul, a control freak, would get hold of Grace’s sisters and always tried to have the upper hand in anything concerning them. Tired of his antics, the Garvey sisters, minus Grace, conspired to kill John Paul in an unsuspected way. Initially, Bibi and Eva got together to blow up the cabin where John Paul was staying. That plan went haywire as the cabin blew up without John Paul inside it.
Soon, Ursula learnt of her sister’s plan to kill John Paul and was repulsed at the thought of it. Ursula soon found herself stalked by John Paul as he came to know she was having an affair with her photography instructor. John Paul began to blackmail her. Out of rage, Ursula joined Bibi and Eva. Becka, on the other hand, was expecting some funds from John Paul to start a business which he initially agreed to but later backed out. Horrified, Becka now found a reason to despise him and joined the rest of the sisters. After multiple attempts on his life, several living beings ended up getting harmed, except John Paul. The paintball instructor gets severely injured, and Oscar (Grace and JP’s dog) dies. Soon Becka learned of John Paul’s dead father inside the frozen storage in the basement. Becka decided to kill John Paul by shutting him inside the frozen storage, but unfortunately, Minna, JP’s mother, died instead. Becka and the rest of the sisters, wracked with guilt, decided to let the situation settle down. With Grace’s birthday coming up, Garvey’s sisters decided to not harm him. On the day of her birthday, John Paul Williams ended up dead.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Bad Sisters’ Episode 10: Recap
“Saving Grace” soon picks up with the police and ambulance at the cabin examining John Paul’s death. The sisters are terrified at the turn of events. Grace is shattered to see her husband lying dead on the quad bike. Grace informs them that John Paul went out to the pub to watch a match despite Grace trying to stop him, leaving her in a bad mood. The sisters are now terrified to think of who it was because, at this point, it is known that it was neither of them who performed the deed. Ursula asks her boyfriend, Ben, if he was the one who did it. Disgusted by the thought, Ben breaks up with Ursula.
Presently, as Matt is investigating and bringing in the last piece of the puzzle to solve the case, he soon comes across a note that has his brother’s instruction to interview Roger, Grace, and John Paul’s neighbor. Soon, Becka walks into the office to confront Matt. Matt informs him that he knows she was at the bar the day John Paul was last sighted. Becka denies those allegations but soon heads off to inform her sisters about it. Matt soon interviews Roger and comes to know of a disturbing past that John Paul led and how John Paul was responsible for Roger being arrested. Matt involuntarily informs Grace about what Roger had said. She heads to John Paul’s study and unearths his fetishes, which horrifies her. Soon she receives John Paul’s postmortem report and is shocked to find her signature on the consent letter. Grace immediately goes to see her sisters and asks them why they stop talking the moment she walks in.
‘Bad Sisters’ Season 1: Ending Explained – Who Killed John Paul Williams?
As instructed by Thomas, Matt interviews Roger. Roger reveals that John Paul was a narcissistic prick who loved controlling his wife’s movements. He also reveals that it was John Paul who wrongly accused him of being a pedophile. Matt soon heads to the cabin, where he finally finds out about John Paul’s killer.
Eva, Ursula, Bibi, and Becka confess to Grace that they’ve attempted to kill John Paul on many occasions. The insurance agents are now on them because they suspect the sisters are behind his death. A reason for them not to pay out the claim. Grace breaks down and says that it was she who killed John Paul in a fit of rage. On the night of her birthday, as they were about to make love, John Paul lost interest and started blaming her. Grace snapped as she was unable to take the constant shaming, blaming, and insults towards her sisters. Soon, John Paul also confessed that Eva had seduced him in a drunken state, and that’s why he has no interest in getting physical with Grace. Grace put two and two together and realized that John Paul had raped a drunk Eva, which led to Eva losing her baby. Grace soon strangled John Paul to death and set up his body on a quad bike. Matt soon arrives at Becka’s and reveals that he is aware of Grace’s being the murderer and that the sisters are covering up for her. The sisters and Matt soon make a deal where Grace withdraws the petition for the claim. Grace moves out of her home and starts living with Eva. Before leaving, she thanks Roger for helping her with John Paul’s body that night. The show ends with the sisters celebrating Christmas, just like in the old days.
“Bad Sisters,” in the end, did reveal the killer of John Paul Williams, which was predicted by one of our theories in the past recaps. The end of the show revealed John Paul is not just a control freak prick but also a rapist who would go miles to save himself and blame women around him for his antics. John Paul emotionally abused his wife by denying her physical touch or sex and eventually blaming her for his loss of interest. Kudos to the writers for bringing up this subject, which is still considered taboo. The need to control everything around him led to John Paul’s early trip to the grave. Grace eventually snapped because he was responsible for an unspeakable crime, and he lived on with it without any guilt. Eva’s breakdown after remembering that night is an example of women being taken advantage of when they are drunk and people getting away with such crimes by blaming it on women.
What We Can Expect From ‘Bad Sisters’ Season 2?
Though the makers of the show have not explicitly announced if there would be a second season of “Bad Sisters,” if it comes to that, the showmakers might start with a talk about how his death haunts Grace and Minna’s death haunts Becka. The police might find some evidence that points to John Paul being murdered, and they might question why Grace withdrew the insurance claim application. Becka, wracked with guilt, could go on a drunken spree and confess her hand in Minna’s death just like she almost did in this season of “Bad Sisters.” These are some of the possible routes the show makers of “Bad Sisters” might pursue to take the narrative forward.
Conclusion
“Bad Sisters” is one of the best whodunit comedy dramas released this year. The show’s writers, who are mostly women, including the star of the show, Sharon Horgan (Eva Garvey), put across a brilliant show that talks about various aspects of family life. Love, compassion, being there for one another, and standing by in difficult times. The show is filled with great performances by the leads; Sharon Horgan, Eve Hewson, Annie-Marie Duff, Sarah Greene, Eva Birthistle, and, of course, the man himself, Claes Bang, as the vile John Paul Williams. The writing of the show has so much pace, especially the speed at which the narrative picks up in the last three episodes. The show lags a tad bit in the middle; the story stagnates but soon picks up speed. “Saving Grace,” the last episode of “Bad Sisters,” ends on a perfect note. “Bad Sisters” throws light on various forms of abuse. Emotional, physical, torture, and rape in the most subtle manner. The women in this show are strong, independent, and flawed, but they make perfect sense within the narrative. They go miles to protect their kin and won’t take no for an answer. Sisters before mister, indeed.
See more: ‘Bad Sisters’ Episode 9: Recap & Ending, Explained: Does John Paul Williams Finally Die?
