This post contains spoilers from The Better Sister from this point forward.
A new page-turning beach read has come to life on screen in a thrilling limited series, this time in the form of Prime Video's The Better Sister, an adaptation of Alafair Burke's novel of the same name. Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks star in the series as estranged sisters who come back into each other's lives when one's husband is murdered and her son is the suspect.
But there's much, much more to the story of Chloe (Biel) and Nicky (Banks). While Chloe was married to Adam (Corey Stoll) when he was murdered, Nicky was previously married to him. And the son who's the suspect? That would be Nicky's too, though he was raised by Chloe. It's an entire tangled web that baffles both the public and the detectives trying to find out what happened.
Throughout the eight-episode season, The Better Sister makes various characters look guilty, but the truth of Adam's death is far more shocking than you would imagine. Secrets come to light that paint the murder victim in a different light, layered with potentially sinister dealings he was associated with at work. So, who really killed Adam? And who else didn't make it out of the finale alive?
Who killed Adam in The Better Sister?
As teased in the final moments of episode 7, The Better Sister series finale reveals that Nicky killed Adam. Because she and Ethan had been secretly in contact thanks to the flip phone she gave him, he shared that Adam had been physically abusing Chloe. When Nicky hears this, she's sick to her stomach, knowing what she had gone through as his wife. She doesn't think, she just acts.
After throwing her phone and cracking her screen, she leaves it at Adam's mother's house in Cleveland. She had been checking in on her former mother-in-law a couple times a week. Nicky then hits the road to Adam and Chloe's Hamptons home to speak with her sister. When she arrives, she's immediately confronted with Adam, who's home alone and doesn't want her there.
He's again gaslighting her and saying that she's under the influence, that she can't be at their home without permission, anything he can say to make her the bad guy. But she refuses to leave until she talks to Chloe. She brings up the abuse Ethan told her about, and that's when things get heated. Adam gets physical with Nicky. In fear for her life, she stabs Adam multiple times.
Nicky's the reason why Ethan's DNA was on Adam and why he ended up being accused for the murder. But he also played a small part in it. When Ethan returned home, he found his dad lifeless on the ground and instantly worried about his mom. He checked the house for Chloe but didn't find her and assumed she had killed Adam. That's when he tossed more things around to stage the scene.
With Nan breathing down Nicky's neck and realizing that she killed Adam, Chloe and Nicky hit the ground running to protect their family. Nicky helps release information about Nan's past that gets her thrown off the case, while Chloe tracks down information about the Gentry Group that brings down Bill Braddock and pins him for Adam's murder. Effectively, they get away with murder.
But Jake unfortunately becomes collateral damage in the whole mess. The series finale shows Adam's former colleague and Chloe's former man on the side lying lifelessly on the beach in his wet suit. It's unclear who had him killed and how, whether it was Braddock tying up more loose ends or FBI Agent Olivero making good on his threats. But Chloe and Nicky's story has come to an end.
Watch The Better Sister only on Prime Video.