The Sinner: The 10 Saddest Things About Cora

In Season 1 of The Sinner, tortured soul Cora Tannetti makes her debut. Initially, she is both the protagonist and the antagonist, and viewers are immediately drawn in by her sad, haunted eyes.

Cora’s baffling choice to brutally murder Frankie Belmont, a seemingly innocent stranger, moves the plot forward with more twists and turns than a roller coaster. The fans experience this watershed moment in the very first episode as a sunny and carefree day at the beach becomes a gruesome crime scene.

But all is not what it appears at first glance, even though Cora confesses right away. The police are confident that they have a solid case. However, Detective Harry Ambrose isn’t convinced, as Cora stumbles over her words, unable to coherently explain why she killed Frankie. Throughout the show, Harry relentlessly pursues the truth, as viewers anxiously wait for the next clue.

10 She Has It All But Is Never Happy

Cora is living the proverbial American dream. She works and volunteers her time, has a dependable husband and adorable son, and lives in a nice house in a safe community. They aren’t struggling financially. But, each day, she goes through the motions, as if she’s watching the movie of someone else’s life. Though Mason, her husband, later admits that he felt something was wrong, he foolishly chose to ignore it.

Her fragile, unstable demeanor is an unmistakable foreshadowing of her breakdown. Cora is about to crack, and no one realizes it, including her.

9 She Is Tormented By A Tragic Past That She Can’t Remember

Cora’s fragmented memory prevents her from enjoying her life. She has choppy, random flashbacks that occur when she encounters a trigger, which is usually at an inappropriate moment. However, there is no discernible pattern or sequence for the triggers, which only adds to her frustration and confusion. Cora also has sleep issues, so she needs prescription medication. Without it, she goes through intense withdrawals in jail.

Through hypnosis and help from Harry, she finally regains all of her memories. And these repressed memories are both Cora’s prison and her eventual release.

8 She Feels Guilty And Worthless

Cora’s disengagement from the world stems from her ingrained feelings of guilt and worthlessness (perpetuated by those closest to her). She’s guilt-ridden over misdeeds that she cannot fully remember.

At the beach, before the murder, Cora swims out past the safe zone in an attempt to drown herself – but changes her mind at the last moment. This action is the first indication that something is very wrong. In her mind, a worthless and terrible person doesn’t deserve to live.

Cora has lived under the weight of these feelings for so long that it has caused unyielding self-condemnation, self-doubt, and despair. At her arraignment, she pleads guilty and is willing to give up her right to a trial – even though deep down, she knows that she’s innocent.

7 Her Boyfriend Repeatedly Betrays Her

JD’s motives are highly suspicious from the beginning, but Cora loves him and he exploits that love in every possible way. He even makes her beg for sex as if she’s dirty and unworthy. This is a precursor to his monstrous behavior on the night her sister dies. JD knows how vulnerable and innocent Cora is and how desperate her sister Phoebe is, so he uses it to his advantage. He encourages both women to get dangerously high on drugs and then allows his friend to physically violate Cora without her full and lucid consent.

6 She Is Held Against Her Will And Turned Into A Drug Addict

On the night that Phoebe dies during intercourse with Frankie at the Beverwyk Club, JD hits Cora on the head with an ashtray and knocks her unconscious. His act of violent cowardice results in a serious wound that requires several large stitches.

In an attempt to cover up Phoebe’s death, Frankie’s father, Dr. Belmont, buries her in a remote area near the club. He doesn’t kill Cora, as originally planned, and brings her to his house to stitch up her head wound. But instead of releasing her, he keeps her prisoner and turns her into a heroin addict. When Belmont believes that Cora no longer remembers anything that can incriminate him or his family, he dumps her in an alley while she’s in a drug-induced stupor.

5 Her Sister Emotionally Manipulates Her

Although her illness is not her fault, Phoebe lives in a gloomy bubble of self-pity. And while her intentions aren’t malicious, she still uses her chronic illness and pain to manipulate Cora into doing what she wants. She knows that Cora has a strong sense of responsibility and family loyalty, so she preys on this to fulfill her desires.

From puberty onward, Phoebe is continually guilting Cora into reading and watching sexually explicit things. She later convinces Cora to approach their teenage neighbor about his male anatomy, and this becomes an underage sexual encounter between Cora and the boy. As young adults, Phoebe forces Cora to give her specific details about her time with JD and then asks for a demonstration, which leads to an incestuous encounter between the sisters.

Ultimately, Phoebe’s heartbreaking illness still doesn’t justify her selfish actions, and this makes her one of the more subtly devious characters on the show.

4 Her Parents Use Religion To Control Her

Elizabeth, her mother, uses God and Cora’s fears to control her through insults, derogatory names, and threats. In the name of God, Elizabeth constantly berates Cora and forces her to pray and repent in various painful ways (e.g. kneeling on piles of uncooked rice), even when it’s clear that Cora has done nothing wrong. She callously denies Cora simple things such as candy, small toys, and trinkets.

Her father isn’t as cruel as her mother, but he’s equally culpable because he passively allows Elizabeth to repeatedly hurt Cora with her extreme religiosity. With such a miserable childhood, it’s no surprise that Cora has repressed memories and needs hypnosis therapy.

3 Being A Devout And Obedient “Good Girl” Was/Is Never Enough For Her Parents

Cora pushes her own needs aside because she doesn’t want God to punish Phoebe. And according to Elizabeth, each time Phoebe has a health crisis she is being punished…even when Cora isn’t around. Her parents believe that Phoebe’s sickness is the result of Cora’s willful disobedience to God. Cora bears the burden of it all and comes to believe that she is an unrepentant sinner who doesn’t deserve good things or happiness. And even though she’s now an adult, Cora’s parents remain judgemental and remorseless. They didn’t report her missing after she and Phoebe disappeared, and this speaks volumes about them. It’s as if Cora’s very existence is abhorrent to her parents.

2 She Is Everyone’s Martyr – Absorbing All Of Their Vile Sins And Secrets

By the end of Season 1, the audience knows that most of the people in Cora’s life have manipulated and/or exploited her in some way, including Harry – albeit to a lesser degree. He truly wants to help Cora, but part of it comes from his desire to redeem himself for his transgressions. Sadly, she numbly accepts all of it, without hesitation.

Cora pays the price for everyone’s sins and secrets. This includes her parents, who had a responsibility to protect her but failed miserably. Alas, people are free to make whatever choices they want, but they aren’t free from the consequences of those choices. Everyone is interconnected in Cora’s small town.

1 The Deep-Rooted Trauma Of Past Events Will Have Lasting Effects

Unfortunately, Cora won’t escape the repercussions of what’s happened in her life. Even though her prison term was reversed, she will spend the next several years in and out of a psychiatric facility. And, she’ll probably need therapy and medication for a very long time.

Cora’s family will share in the repercussions as well. Luckily her son won’t remember Frankie’s murder or the preceding events, but he’ll witness the aftermath. Mason struggled with everything and almost abandoned Cora, so he’s unpredictable. He’ll need to resolve his trust issues, but both the trauma and public shame might prevent him from ever trusting her again.

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