Well, we’ve reached the end of Bad Sisters season 2 and it was a finale that definitely wrapped up the storyline. Not to be a negative nancy, but I was ready for the show to be over and I think the story has come to a satisfying enough conclusion for us fans. And yes. Even though this season wasn’t a favorite of mine, I am still a fan of the show. Alright, let’s get into our review of season 2 episode 8, “Cliff Hanger.” SPOILERS BELOW.
I had a feeling it was coming, so I appreciated seeing the missing parts of the fateful night Grace died from her perspective and what kind of lead to her accident. She was in a very fragile and bad state, especially with the prick Ian blackmailing her for money. She does find out he’s married and has another identity. And his true colors come out. All he cares about is getting money out of her.
This put Grace in a highly emotional state and she wasn’t paying attention to the road, as we saw before in episode 2. It’s so heartbreaking that she really is dead and that she married a bad person for the second time. I was honestly hoping for a surprise where she was in hiding or something. An idea I had was that perhaps Houlihan and Loftus had been working with her the whole time. Like, they knew Ian was bad but didn’t have enough on him to take him down. So the three of them were working together the whole time. I think that would have been way more interesting than what we actually got, no offense. Oh, well.
Back to reality, Ian comes back to the Garveys for whatever reason. I think he returns because he’s greedy and wanting to blackmail them for more cash. That wasn’t really made very clear. Angelica comes through I guess and knocks Ian out. And for most of the episode we all think he’s dead. And as expected, he was the one in the trunk who they take to the cliffs.
But somehow, Ian is not dead. Though thankfully Houlihan and Loftus do something useful and are able to threaten Ian with exposure and charging him with a multitude of crimes that would hold up. So you could kind of say he’s a loose end still there. But if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll stay quiet. The ending is actually sweet with Eva, Ursula, Bibi, new mother Becka, Blanaid, Joe, and Nora saying goodbye to Grace as her ashes float away. Plus, Nora is pregnant as well!
Overall the finale was a good one and gave us the answers to the questions we’ve been asking throughout the season. However when it comes to Bad Sisters season 2 overall, unfortunately it just does not compare to the first season. The whole John Paul’s father’s remains being found was just a plot device to get Grace and Ian’s story to where it went and her confessing she killed JP. Other than that, it didn’t do much in the story except have Loftus and Houlihan questioning the Garveys. But it was just meh.
Angelica was just there to be a nuisance and have us wonder whether she was blackmailing Grace. Sorry, but she wasn’t a great addition to the season. Also, is Loftus like moving to Australia to be with his daughter since he’s retired now, or what? Though honestly I don’t really care about him or Houlihan so whatever. I hate to say this, but I feel like the second season was unnecessary and things should have been left at season 1. It truly hurts my heart to say this because I am a fan of the show. I just feel like season 2 didn’t live up to the expectations.
The one saving grace, pun intended, of the season was the relationship between the Garvey sisters. The actresses and characters work so well together and they’re hilarious even in those serious moments. The onscreen chemistry is fabulous. There’s no word yet on whether a season 3 is happening, though Sharon Horgan seems to suggest that this is the end. And with the way season 2’s story went, I think that would be best. Episode grade level: B.
Seasons 1 and 2 of Bad Sisters are now streaming on Apple TV+.
