The Sinner: 10 Plot and Character Inconsistencies That Make No Sense About Harry

Harry has been a staple character through the three seasons of the anthology series The Sinner to date, but especially in the third season, there are a few inconsistencies about him, and the plot.

Played by Bill Pullman, Harry takes an interesting journey in the season, playing opposite Matt Bomer. And while there’s a lot that remains the same about him, including his social awkwardness, dedication to his job, and love for his family, he does some truly puzzling things.

No series or character is perfect, of course, but there are a lot of strange things about Harry.

10 Does A Lot Of Walking

For someone with severe back pain, suffering from sciatica, he sure does a lot of walking. It’s true he could make it through the days with medication and when he isn’t having a bad flare-up. But he went many days living through the severe pain, fighting off an attacker, even being buried alive!

Someone in his condition, no matter how big of a case he’s working on, would likely not be allowed to go out in the field given the danger of harm or injury.

9 Getting Into The Grave

Harry is dedicated to his job, but even the most dedicated person would not willingly be buried alive in order to coax a confession out of a murderer, much less get buried by the murderer himself!

A risk that big seems far too grand a gesture for even a character like Harry to take, especially since he knew exactly how troubled and dangerous Jamie was and what was at stake.

8 So Obsessed With Jamie

Like many others that crossed paths with Jamie, Harry became weirdly obsessed with him. It seems odd for a police detective who had dealt with many other people like Jamie in the past, along with plenty of serial killers and murder cases with similar mentalities.

What was it about Jamie that was so captivating? It’s strange that Harry would put his job on the line to try and save Jamie but then shoot him fatally in the stomach in the end. Harry was a trained officer and had a clear shot of a non-moving target so he could easily have shot Jamie in the leg, or even both legs, to stop him instead of the stomach.

7 That Whole Party Scene

The entire night-out partying scene with Jamie was completely inconsistent with Harry’s focus on being a good cop and rigid lawman. He not only went out on his own without backup but had drinks with a killer and went to a party where drugs were running rampant while turning a blind eye.

But the biggest inconsistency: when he didn’t arrest Jamie on the spot following the high-speed car chase that could easily have killed an innocent person.

6 Talking So Openly About The Case With Sonya

When there’s an active case, a detective should not be talking so openly about it, especially with a person who could or is involved. Yet Harry spoke openly with Sonya (played by Jessica Hecht) about what was going on with his investigation into Jamie.

Sure, he was doing it because he believed that Sonya might have been in danger. But he also went too far and shared too much information at times that could have compromised an open investigation. In fact, in one instance, Sonya even shared information he told her with Leela, which caused a lot of issues.

5 Not Calling For Back-up

In so many instances, Harry was trailing Jamie or following up on leads yet never called for back-up. He felt he had a special relationship and trust with Jamie so he didn’t need it. But what about after their night of partying?

Had Harry called and requested an officer to monitor Jamie’s house so he could head home and take the night off, Jamie would never have left and been able to kill the innocent man at the party.

4 Dreaming About His Mother

One of the weirdest things that happened with Harry was when he was in a hallucinogenic state and had a series of dreams about his life and family. And the oddest part was the dream that involved his mother. She first pushed his head into an overflowing bowl of cereal, forcing him to eat.

But things got really weird when she kept asking why he didn’t love her, blaming him for leaving her, and sticking her fingers into her mouth. There was something oddly sexual about it, yet this theme was never explored further.

3 Living In An Isolated Cabin

For someone of Harry’s position, who has captured many killers and dangerous people, it seems like an odd decision for him to live in a remote cabin in the woods by himself. Not only that, but he also lived in a place where he had a terrible cellular signal.

How could he possibly work from home should his back get so bad that he would have to do that? And how would he be able to call for help in the event of an emergency, again, especially knowing that he had such bad back issues? It seems like a bad decision for someone smart like Harry who could potentially be the target for a lot of people looking for revenge.

2 Never Truly Reprimanded

Yes, Harry was questioned about that night when he went out partying with Jamie. And he was put on desk duty. But he was never really punished for doing some of the things he did. For example, he had proof that Jamie had been driving dangerously and almost caused several accidents, including the testimony of the woman who was in the passenger seat.

He could have easily taken Jamie into custody for that and had him charged. Yet he did not do this nor was he reprimanded for failing to report it.

1 His Father’s Belongings

The fact that Harry didn’t want to gather his father’s belongings, then after reluctantly accepting, kept the box packed away in a corner, unopened, was inconsistent with Harry’s curious nature. What was the big deal?

When he actually opened the box, it contained a series of seemingly meaningless items, including an instruction manual for a toaster and a blank postcard from Las Vegas. There was a lot of build-up with the mysterious box that led to nothing of significance.

About The Author