The first season of Bad Sisters was near perfect because of a phenomenal cast, sharp writing, and one of television’s all-time greatest villains in Claes Bang’s John Paul Williams. That guy was so despicable, so revolting that we were rooting for the sisters to murder him. He deserved to die, and it was immensely satisfying to see our heroes get away with it.
A second season was unnecessary, but who are we to turn down eight more hours with Sharon Horgan, Eve Hewson, Sarah Greene, and Eva Birthistle (and spoilers, a couple more with Anne-Marie Duff)? Add Fiona Shaw, and what could go wrong?
A lot, as it turns out. Much of the second season felt like a show in search of a plot. Rather than being driven by the who and how surrounding the murder of a despicable character, the second season juggled multiple mysteries: the body John Paul’s father found in a suitcase in the family pond, the identity of the supposed dead body four of the sisters were trying to dispose of in the opening episode, and the tragic death of Grace (Duff) in Episode 2.
Indeed, no clear-cut villain emerged until late in the season, and that’s when the series finally takes off, although even then, it never approaches the heights of the first season. That villain is Ian Reilly (Owen McDonnell), who is revealed to be Cormac, a former police officer with multiple allegations of abuse against him who is also already married and lives in a different town with his wife and kid.
Initially, Ian appeared to be on the sisters’ side, particularly against Angelica Collins (Fiona Shaw), Roger’s difficult sister who had formed an unsettling attachment to Grace. The sisters even suspected Angelica of blackmailing Grace. When Angelica went overboard during a sailing trip, the sisters believed they had accidentally killed her, though she miraculously survived and ultimately proved to be something of a heroine.
Ian’s true nature emerged when it was revealed that his marriage to Grace had been a scam from the start. His actions led to Grace’s death in Episode 2, after which he stuck around to continue exploiting the family. Eva (Horgan) also fell for his charms, but eventually, the sisters discovered his true identity with help from Detective Una Houlihan (Thaddea Graham).
In the final confrontations, after Ian confirmed his deceptions and continued to insult Grace’s memory, Angelica hit him on the head. He fell and hit his head again on a table, leading the sisters to believe he was dead. While trying to dispose of his body, Ian awoke and fell off a ledge but still survived. Detective Houlihan, who had grown sympathetic to the sisters and disgusted by Ian’s abuse of police power, helped cover up the assault with assistance from her former partner, retired detective Fergal Loftus (Barry Ward), who delivered one final punch to Ian’s broken leg.
The series ends with a scene involving water that deliberately parallels the first season’s ending, and it is indeed the end of the series, according to creator Sharon Horgan, who has no plans to extend it into a third season.