‘Bad Sisters’ Season 2 Review

There’s nothing better than a TV show that knows what it’s doing. As soon as it begins, Season 2 of Bad Sisters signals exactly where it wants to go, while also acknowledging that there’s no turning back from some decisions. Better than that, the Apple TV+ dark comedy series finds a way to balance plot twists, character development, comedy, and high stakes, which makes the overall experience a significant improvement over Season 1.

The first season goes out of its way to convince viewers that “The Prick,” AKA JP (Claes Bang), deserved to die, even though we stand with the Garveys from the very start. After almost ten hours of The Prick committing atrocity after atrocity, you just wish that the show would let us spend a lot more time learning about the sister dynamics and getting to know them better. Fortunately, Season 2 doesn’t let that opportunity slip through its fingers.

What Is ‘Bad Sisters’ Season 2 About?

In Season 2, the Garvey sisters are dealing with the aftermath of The Prick’s death and eventually find out that you can’t just sweep a murder under the rug — if there are loose ends, someone’s bound to knock on the door at some point asking uncomfortable questions. While Grace (Anne-Marie Duff) tries to move on and leave the abusive relationship in the past, Eva (Sharon Horgan), Bibi (Sarah Greene), Becka (Eve Hewson), and Ursula (Eva Birthistle) feel the walls closing in while a new and enthusiastic investigator is put on the case of John Paul Williams’ death when an important piece of evidence resurfaces — two years after the events of Season 1.

The first great win of Bad Sisters‘ new season is that, despite a slightly shorter episode count, the series really does the work of letting us spend time with the main characters. Star and series writer Horgan is wise to understand that the audience won’t respond to the events of the season — and you’d better believe that there’s a ton of them — if the relationship of the sisters isn’t at stake. Because of that, we find ourselves rooting for the Garveys even when they’re doing something blatantly wrong, like when one of them decides to break into a house.

‘Bad Sisters’ Understands Trauma Like Few Other Series Do

The new season also does a great job of illustrating how a toxic and abusive relationship can echo even years after the abuser is long gone. The Prick is no longer on the scene, but you can almost feel him pulling strings in the afterlife in order for the sisters never to have peace and quiet. Having that man in their lives affected their relationships in the long run — either by making them have trust issues or ignoring red flags because they refuse to believe they’d make the same mistake again.

Season 2 also makes it clear that the Apple TV+ series is more than ready to step out of its comfort zone and shake up the lives of its core characters if it means that it will make the story better. By the end of Episode 2, we’re presented with a new scenario that quite simply changes the show forever, and forces all characters to adapt to a new and wildly unpredictable reality.

Bad Sisters is also efficient in depicting how tragic life can be for victims of abuse of any kind. In Season 1, it was easy to realize that we didn’t have access to the real Grace, and it takes a time jump for her to be able to breathe — and even then we can sense that there’s something still off about her, because that’s how trauma works. It lingers, bleeds into your decisions, and takes over when you least expect it.

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‘Bad Sisters’ Season 2 Also Makes Bad Decisions

Unfortunately for Bad Sisters, though, the latter part of the season loses momentum when it starts to look for the easy way out of complicated plots that negate the impact of otherwise bold decisions. When a certain character resurfaces after a dramatic departure, the overall sense is that some decisions may have been made purely out of shock value and create artificial cliffhangers that ultimately don’t have a real impact on the story.

Despite these bumps in the road, Bad Sistersnever loses track of the story that it’s telling, which is the Garvey sisters’ reactions to trauma. This particular aspect of the show is never downplayed or undermined. Every time a Garvey sister has a breakdown, you understand exactly what’s on their minds, and sometimes you can even forgive the choices they make. Their chemistry is so powerful that you’ll find yourself wishing for a season in which there’s no murder investigation just so you can see and spend time with the stress-free version of these characters.

Fully aware that it’s dangerous to leave cliffhangers for a future season in the streaming era, Bad Sisters ties up its arcs — sometimes hurriedly — and leaves nothing on the floor for a possible Season 3, offering a satisfying ending for the main characters. By the end of Season 2, the solution to the investigation isn’t the smoothest, but it doesn’t matter when we’ve been given the opportunity to spend these additional episodes with such an excellent ensemble.

Bad Sisters Season 2 premieres November 13 on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

Bad Sisters Season 2 excellently develops the sisters’ dynamics with a slate of plot twists.

Pros

• Season 2 isn’t afraid of stepping out of its comfort zone.
• The series finally takes its time in exploring the Garvey sisters’ dynamics.
• The story has a lot more twists than you’d expect.
• Bad Sisters Season 2 offers a poignant depiction of trauma and abuse.

Cons

• The investigation arc is wrapped up in a hurry and with lazy solutions.
• The plot undermines its own bold decisions by downplaying the importance of certain events.

Watch on Apple TV+