The Sinner: The 10 Saddest Things About Jamie

Content Warning: This list includes mention of abuse and murder.

Jamie Burns went down as the first serial killer in The Sinner, but the saddest part is that he was the victim of a toxic relationship with Nick Haas, who used his influence over Jamie to turn him into a monster even after he left him and made a life for himself. He was potentially the worst sinner in the show, but also potentially the most tormented.

Jamie needed someone to hold his hand and guide him in the right direction, and he hoped that Harry Ambrose would be that man. However, Harry was more interested in truth and only wanted to bust him for murder. In the end, Jamie died sad and afraid at the hands of the very man he considered a friend. He wasn’t the most likable character in the show, but you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

10 He Only Wanted To Talk To Nick

When Jamie called Nick and met him at the restaurant, Nick assumed that he was finally willing to go back to the kinds of activities they did together in college. Jamie was more interested in actual friendship at the time, though, and only hoped that Nick would be that friend.

He was expecting a baby and under lots of pressure at work which might have triggered his old dark thoughts. Nick was the only friend he had at the time with whom he could discuss tough issues in life with. Jamie was wrong, though, since Nick had never changed. Nick Haas still believed that having a great job and a family was a fallacy, and that true happiness lay in his fantasy world, which now included killing people.

9 He Couldn’t Open Up To His Wife About His Past

Jamie and Leela were a dream couple, with Leela owning a booming business while Jamie was a respected lecturer at the college. They had created their little heaven away from Jamie’s dark past, which he never told Leela about. By the time Nick came back to Jamie’s life, it was too late to start opening up to Leela about the dangerous life he lived and the strange influence Nick had on him.

Telling Leela about his history with Nick, which included jumping off bridges and burying people alive, might have broken up his marriage because Leela would never allow such a person around her baby. Jamie was then forced to live a lie all that time until it destroyed his life.

8 He Threw Away The Life He Had Worked So Hard To Create

Jamie had lived his entire life with Leela without falling victim to Nick’s influence, which means he never intended to become a serial killer. From the flashbacks, there was no murder throughout the time that Nick controlled Jamie’s life. During their time in college, Jamie was in control and managed to stop himself from going over the edge with Nick.

He then realized that Nick was dangerous and decided to start a whole new life with Leela and even got a job that he obviously loved. Whatever made him call Nick and bring his influence back into his life caused him to lose everything he had created.

7 He Hoped Harry Would Replace Nick

When Nick died, Jamie became guilty and lonely. He had family and friends around him, with Leela trying to help, but they didn’t understand him. There was a void in his life that could only be filled by someone who understood how to live life on the brink of death. When Harry opened up to Jamie about his own dark thoughts, Jamie felt they had a special connection.

Harry even convinced him to visit the psychiatrist, so Jamie believed he had someone that understood him. He thought he could connect with Harry the same way he did with Nick, but Harry wouldn’t live such a life. Harry was more interested in the truth. When he discovered his mistake, Jamie was hurt twice over.

6 He Nearly Destroyed Emma’s Life

Emma was just an innocent student that admired Jamie’s approach to life, but she ended up as a victim of his darkness. Jamie thought that Emma was like him, though, and that he could shape her in his own philosophy. He was right to tell Emma to follow her dreams, but risking her chances of getting an admission to the university was wrong.

Instead of helping Emma heal and pursue a successful career life, Jamie was convincing her to go down the same path he did. He let to Emma getting into trouble with her parents and even caused her to change her mind about going to university.

5 He Almost Killed His Baby

Jamie didn’t love his own life that much, but he loved Leela and the baby; otherwise, they would have been the first victims. Dead Nick started tormenting Jamie even before the baby was born, and it only became worse after Leela had the baby.

He had helped Leela while she was in labor and was more than deserving to at least touch the baby. However, when he held the baby, he imagined Nick controlling him and only thought of squeezing the life out of it. If Leela hadn’t walked in on time, the baby would have died.

4 He Blamed Himself For Nick’s Death

Jamie tried to stop Nick from killing Sonya and burying her in the grave on her own property. He was willing to climb on top of buildings with him and even jump off bridges but killing people was too extreme for Jaime. Nick wouldn’t stop, though, so Jamie forcefully pulled the handbrake leading to the crash.

He didn’t call the ambulance on time because Nick nodded for him to delay, but his death destroyed Jamie. He couldn’t get over Nick’s death and probably felt obligated to accomplish Nick’s dark ideas as a way of remembering him. The guilt led to his deterioration which caused him to kill all those people.

3 Harry Betrayed Him

Jamie was turned into the villain of the third season, but Harry was partly the reason why he committed the other murders. He was grieving Nick’s death, but Harry didn’t know that. Harry’s strong desire to get to the bottom of everything drove him to get close to Jamie, pretending to understand him.

If Harry had left Jamie alone, he may well have stopped after killing the fortune teller. He believed Harry was his friend, so when Harry broke trust by secretly recording his confession, Jamie went back to Nick’s philosophy and decided to come after Harry’s friends and family.

2 He Still Loved Leela

Leela Burns’ life was destroyed by events that had nothing to do with her. She never knew about Jamie’s strange relationship with Nick, which is why she didn’t understand when her husband turned into a murderer after his death. She still loved him, though, and Jamie loved her as well.

Jamie realized that he was dangerous for her and the baby and agreed to stay away from the house after his confession of killing the fortune teller. Before Harry killed him, Jamie visited Leela, and the two shared a moment, although on opposite sides of the window. It was sad watching him love his wife so much, yet knowing he couldn’t be with her.

1 He Wasn’t A Threat When Harry Killed Him

Jamie was obviously wrong to start going after Harry’s friends and family. He ended up killing the innocent precinct chief at the golf club before kidnapping Eli, both of whom had nothing against Jamie.

He didn’t mean to kill Eli, though, since he had all that time with the boy before Harry came. When Harry arrived, he tried to reconnect with him the way they had bonded at the grave, but Harry was too shocked by his crimes to let him go. Harry chose to kill him even after he was disarmed and was no longer a threat to him.

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