Until this week, The Sinner on USA was a wonderful break from the regular agenda-driven television that overwhelms all other options. With the September 6 episode, Part VI, they broke their streak, when the main character Cora (Jessica Biel) demonstrates what her boyfriend does to her sexually on her younger sister Phoebe (Augie Murphy).
The show centers around Cora, an everyday small-town New York wife and mother who snaps one day and murders a man on the beach. In the course of the eight-episode series, we explore her past (including her upbringing by Catholic zealots, which has been a popular theme this summer) through flashbacks as she and the police try to piece together what happened. While Detective Ambrose (Bill Pullman) is convinced her past is the key to making sense of her crime, crucial pieces of her memory are missing. If only I could wipe this scene from my own memory.
As Cora grows into a woman and has new experiences like dating, her sickly younger sister Phoebe is unable to take part in these usual rites of passage. Still, she wants to know everything about sex. So, when Cora begins to experience things for herself, she asks her to demonstrate.
In this flashback scene to their teenage years, Cora complies, first by kissing her sister, then touching her breast over her clothing and, finally, Phoebe putting her sister's hand into her underpants. The scene ends in a close-up of Phoebe panting.
Warning: Graphic video
Phoebe: Tell me what he does to you when you're alone.
Cora: No
Phobe: Cora
Cora: We touch.
Phoebe: Great. You touch.
Cora: Theres- I don't know. Rubbing.
Phoeobe: Where?
Cora: The usual places.
Phoebe: Show me. Show me how he kisses you at least. Cora. Where does he touch you? Please. What does he say?
Cora: He says “Do you want it?”
Was that necessary? Did it further the plot in any demonstrable way? The answer to both, of course, is a resounding “no.” They are going for pure shock value but, really, just being vulgar for the sake of vulgarity. Adding incest into the mix? No, thanks. There are two more episodes of this show left, and I'm hoping that it gets back to being a creepy mystery - not just creepy.
