Every Single Question You’ve Had About The Sinner Mysteries, Answered

When I first watched the pivotal The Sinner episode “Part IV,” I immediately noticed some parts of Cora Tannetti’s memories were suspect, to say the least. For those who don’t remember the fourth Sinner installment, it showed Cora, who brutally murdered supposed stranger Frankie Belmont (Eric Todd) without explanation, attempting to retrieve her lost memories of July 4th weekend 2012 through hypnosis. But, why would Cora (Jessica Biel) care so much about Maddie (Danielle Burgess), her supposed romantic rival for the heart of J.D. (Jacob Pitts)? Why would anyone be hunting Cora and Maddie in the woods? And, most importantly, why does Cora seem to believe she crushed Maddie’s chest in a basement?

Finally — finally! — viewers got the real answers to our questions in Wednesday night’s Sinner episode, the penultimate “Part VII.” The show opens with Cora walking down the stairs of the Beverwyck House cottage, which we’ve seen in flashes throughout the series intercut with psychosexual horror, and telling Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman), “I remember now.” What follows is an episode-long flashback to the actual events of July 3, 2012, the taproom, the woodsy “hunt,” and that terrifying, terrifying basement.

Keep reading for all of the answers to your biggest The Sinner questions, including the horrifying reason why Cora killed Frankie Belmont.