The first season of Bad Sisters was superb (see my review), a blithe mix of comedy and thrills and family dynamics, but the essence of its plot (four Irish sisters tackling the fifth sister’s hell-spawned husband) seemed to foreclose an encore. No one told talented actor/writer Sharon Horgan who has guided Season 2. This time around the formerly abused sister again falls foul of love and a church elder (played wonderfully by Fiona Shaw). Horgan and her three sparring sibling-role-actors, Sarah Greene, Eve Hewson, and Eva Birthistle, are again flawless. A bit player in the opening season, the investigating policeman, is now elevated with a fine performance by Barry Ward, and Thaddea Graham does a fine job as his clumsy recruit assistant. The plot of Season 2 feels a little less organic but what keeps lifting this television is a cracking script, complete with seemingly endlessly inventive dialogue. Every episode is a treat to watch, in that time-honored category of “entertainment,” and, while Bad Sisters undoubtedly will not return in a third incarnation, its second outing was most welcome.
Book, movie/show, and album reviews
