This article contains major spoilers for Bad Sisters
From the outset, Bad Sisters had a difficult task to accomplish. The show, which was adapted from Flemish the series Clan by Sharon Horgan for Apple TV+, has two timelines, one showing how and why four sisters killed their brother-in-law and the other taking place after his death. It was clear from the start that four of the Garvey sisters, played by Sharon Horgan, Eve Hewson, Sarah Greene, and Eve Birthistle, wanted to kill the husband (Claes Bang) of their fifth sister (Anne-Marie Duff). However, the motivations and methods are unclear until the final episode.
Despite this, the show is also a murder mystery about two bumbling insurance investigators, portrayed by Brian Gleeson and Daryl McCormack; a difficult plot to make entertaining when the audience knows the likely perpetrator of the crime.
Going into the final episode, Bad Sisters had many loose ends to tie up, an assignment made even more difficult by the show's unusual structure. Ultimately, while the show was an enjoyable watch overall, not everything came together in the end. By looking at the show's two sets of siblings, let's see what the finale did right, where it dropped the ball, and how an unlikely second season could remedy some issues.
The Conclusion of the Garvey Sisters Saga
The biggest reveal of the final episode of Bad Sisters was that Eva, Becka, Bibi, and Ursula were not ultimately responsible for JP's death, despite their numerous attempts, as it appears to have been caused by a convenient accident. However, a little further into the episode, there is another twist as it is shown that Grace killed her abusive husband after a particularly bad fight in which she finds out that JP raped Eva.
While it is incredibly satisfying to watch Grace finally stand up to the pure evil that is Jon Paul, the time in between the audience learning about the false and true narratives about JP's death is quite short, resulting in neither reavel feeling like a gratifying twist.
The happy ending showing the sisters finally getting to swim in the chilly water together also feels a bit out of place. While, again, it's nice to see these women finally happy after all the hardship that JP put them through, it feels a bit too neat of an ending. Additionally, while Eva's assault at the hands of JP is mostly handled well by the show, it does come a bit out of nowhere and isn't given the necessary weight or time the topic requires.
This is one of the few things the finale brings up without really resolving, like Rodger's involvement in the murder and his creepy cut-up picture of Grace's family. While the season's major plot lines are wrapped up in the finale, it also frustratingly creates new ones.
The End of the Claffin Brother's Story
Where the show leaves half-brothers Thomas and Matthew is even more unsatisfying than how it dealt with the Garvey sisters. Matthew solving the mystery of Jon Paul's death without having to turn them over to the cops or give the Garveys the payout is frankly disappointing; it completely deflates what gave his storyline any tension to begin with and allows him to have his cake and eat it too.
Thomas, for his part, never has to confront how he neglected his pregnant wife trying to save his dying business or how he lied to Matthew about their father's misdeeds. As entertaining as their dynamic was, the dramatic stakes set up by the show are avoided rather than fulfilled.
A Potential Season Two
A second season could solve some of the show's lingering issues. Maybe the ramifications of the first season's tribulations could be more fully fleshed out in a second season, but it's hard to see where the plot could go from where it's currently at. According to Decider, "Clan, the Flemish series that Horgan adapted for Apple TV+ was a limited series, so when Horgan set out to create Bad Sisters, she planned to tell that 10-episode story alone," so a second season seems unlikely.
However, Decider continues, saying, "[i]t makes sense that Bad Sisters would end after just one season, but when asked if she’d consider continuing the series, Horgan didn’t shut down the idea entirely." The article goes on to quote Horgan, who says that a second iteration might be possible "if a really great idea came along, but that she's "really satisfied, really satisfied, with the way it turned out.” Horgan also said she wrote codas for each of the sisters, so maybe there's room to expand the series slightly, at least. There's also definitely room to expand on how the Claffiin brothers navigate business from here and what Roger is up to, so not all hope is lost.
Overall, despite any missteps in the finale, Bad Sisters is definitely worth a watch. It is darkly humorous and compelling in equal measure, telling an interesting story in a unique way. That being said, it's still slightly disheartening that such a great show didn't completely stick the landing. While plenty of other shows have gotten much worse towards the end, the positive experience of watching the show is still slightly tainted by some mistakes it made as it tried to wrap everything up.