Everything comes to a head in this episode. We finally get to see Grace (Anne-Marie Duff) tell Ian (Owen Macdonald) what happened after she killed her husband, and Ian’s reaction is as brutal as you’d imagine. He pushed her to the ground and threw the shirt at her. Ian sees this as a way to get out of the relationship and blackmails Grace for money. He is truly the villain of this story. Before Grace pays off Ian’s money, she discovers and calls Ian’s secret phone, which turns out to be Cormac’s (aka Ian’s) wife Colleen (Siobhan O’Kelly) Telephone. Now Grace knows Ian’s secret.
Grace is ordered to deliver the money to Ian in a Dundalk pub. We now know that when Grace kissed Bra and said she was sorry, it was because she brought this asshole into their lives. Grace hides the money with the Turtles and heads to the meeting place with Ian.
Grace was strong and told Ian she didn’t give him anything – not a house, not money, nothing. It’s heartbreaking that Ian tells Grace he never loved her; she was just a mark. Sister Garvey had poor taste in men. Grace takes off and seeks help from Eva (Sharon Horgan). Grace didn’t want to die; She needs help fighting Ian. Feigl (Barry Ward) is completely wrong about the situation.
Back in the present, Eva is surprised to see Ian back. Brannaird (Seth Quinn) asks for a ride to her friend’s house, and she and Ian try to act normal, but Ian tells her to ride his bike.
Eva wants Brannaird’s money back, but Ian still thinks he has the upper hand. The arrival of the other sisters brings about the confrontation we’ve been waiting to see. The exchange stopped when Brannaird came back and complained that her friend would rather hang out with a man than her. Watching the sisters go into supportive aunty mode is the highlight of the show. Eva wants Bra to hang out with her cousin Molly (Kate Higgins) and head to Casa Romanos. The sisters show great enthusiasm for Casa Romanos, and Úrsula (Eva Burchiste) offers to take Bra to the restaurant in Ian’s car.
Ian retreats into a corner and lies to the sisters, saying that he told Grace that Eva came to him and that Grace was going to confront Eva that night. Another thing I love about this show is that the sisters know it’s a lie and Becca (Eve Hewson) goes after him in anger. Ian pushed her away and she hit her head on the sink.
Ian then launched into a highly misogynistic monologue about women, revealing that he was once a police officer and calling the sisters “hysterical women crying wolf again.” He then threatens them to call the police and demand that they cover up JP’s murder and tell Bla the true story of what happened to her father.
The question Eva asks Ian is the same question Grace asks Ian if he ever loved her. The sisters need to know that Grace felt loved before she died. True to form, Ian told them that Grace had asked the same question, and his response was, “How could anyone enjoy a job as a killer…” and then TWACK. Ian was hit in the back of the head. If that wasn’t enough, he also bangs his head on the table when he falls. The sisters were shocked when they saw Ian’s blood running through the grout on the kitchen floor.
“Cliff Hanger” – BAD Sisters, pictured: Fiona Shaw as Angelica: Apple TV+ © 2024.
Angelica (Fiona Shaw) comes to the rescue and she knows how to use a camo stick. She doesn’t like what Ian says about Grace, and our opinion of her immediately changes.
Meanwhile, Houlihan (Sadia Graham) gets closer to the truth about Ian/Cormac. She knew he was a detective sergeant accused of sexual harassment and witness intimidation. She went to her supervisor and told him what she knew, but she was basically told to back off and that the guards would protect other guards. She could either back down or kiss her career goodbye. Houlihan is disappointed with what she has been through. Her mother reminds her that she is doing the right thing; she cannot control herself. Houlihan had witnessed the effects of domestic violence and knew Ian was dangerous.
When the doorbell rings, the sisters panic and don’t know what to do with Ian. Houlihan returns to the case and warns the sisters that Ian is dangerous. Will they blame Angelica for Ian’s death, or will she honor Garvey? The sisters moved the body and cleaned up the blood as Eva spoke to Houlihan, who was wrapped in Becca’s cow-spotted robe. They were going to throw him off a cliff in Donegal. Ah! The answer to who is in the trunk is finally revealed! They have to ride in Bibi’s (Sarah Green) car, although she’s not keen on the plan, saying, “I don’t like that” because she just cleaned it.
Angelica made the sisters sandwiches for the trip and was now tasked with getting Ian’s car away from home, but she was caught by Houlihan and we all know Angelica wouldn’t lie to Ian.
Here we are, taking a spin on the edge of the cliff. The problem is that Bibi’s suitcase suddenly opens, freaking everyone out until Bibi explains that suitcases tend to open suddenly. They returned to the car, but Ian was no longer in the trunk. They really should have asked Ursula to check his pulse before assuming he was dead. He stood up but was disoriented. In the end, Ian falls off a cliff as part of the plan, but falls onto another ledge, but he’s still alive. Bibi tried to climb down and push him into the water, but the sisters couldn’t stand losing another sister. They called an ambulance. They are not murderers. They are protectors and advocates, but they cannot murder Ian.
When the sisters returned home, they found that Ian’s car was still at home and Houlihan was also looking at the suitcase. Angelica admits she killed Ian and the sisters plan to dispose of the body. It was then that Eva told me that Ian was not dead. Angelica thinks this is a miracle. Becca reveals the truth about their location and follows up to see if Ian is at the hospital. The sisters discover Houlihan knows Ian’s secret identity and accuse her, like the other police officers, of failing to keep Grace safe. This struck a nerve with Houlihan. She didn’t want to be the kind of police officer she observed. Bibi asks her to help them. Houlihan made a decision and asked for help.
At the hospital, Houlihan confronts Ian, accusing him of cheating on the Garvey sisters and causing Grace’s death. Ian tells her that she doesn’t have any evidence because she’s there on her own. Just when you think this POS will get away with his crimes, Feigl enters the room and details all of Ian’s crimes. He also provided an alibi for the sisters and stated that if necessary, he would disprove everything Ian said about the Garveys and destroy the evidence. The money will be returned to the Garvey sisters and the ordeal will be called an accident. It’s nice to see Feigl get a little redemption in supporting Houlihan and telling her that she is the type of change the police department needs.
We finally get some closure as the sisters gather at the beach to give Grace a proper send-off. Angelica definitely got the water part right. As they walk to the beach, Bra tells Eva that she knows her father and that she wants to be the good her mother represented. Everyone tries to protect Bla, but ultimately, she knows what’s going on in her home.
“Cliffhanger” – “Bad Sister”, pictured: Seth Quinn as Brenade, Sharon Horgan as Eva, Peter Claffey as Joe, Eve Hewson as Becca, Yasmine Akram plays Nora, Sarah Greene plays Bibi and Eva Bursister plays Ursula. Photo: Apple TV+ © 2024.
We flash back to the sisters swimming in the Forty Feet as children, see Becca giving birth to her baby, Nora (Yasmin Akram) pregnant, and reminisce about Grace’s happy days, Send her out to sea wearing a flower crown and say: Goodbye.
If season one was about the things we would do for the people we love, season two is about grief and the crazy things it makes us do. I’m excited to spend more time with the Garvey family, but I hope this is the end of their journey.
What’s next, Sharon Horgan? If you’re creating it, I’m watching it.
Ursula gets the line from the episode: “I have to earn euros to buy churros.”
Meredith Howell
Meredith lives in Chicago, where she and her husband make sure their two sons are fluent in all things pop culture. She loves talking about everything from GG to Gilmore Girls to The Golden Girls and watches Pride and Prejudice every year (the Colin Firth version is the only one recognized).
