Summary

• The Sinner season 3 delves into the philosophical core of the show's themes, setting up the final chapter.
• Jamie's past with Nick drives him down a dark path, making him a victim of psychological manipulation.
• Detective Harry Ambrose makes a controversial decision in the finale, revealing the true sin that seals his fate.

Understanding The Sinner season 3 ending requires delving into the philosophical core of the 8 episodes that aired in 2020, as the finale touches on many of the show's larger themes. Debuting in 2017, The Sinner follows troubled police detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) who investigates mysterious cases that often speak to the nature of humanity at a deeper and more primal level. Originally intended to be a miniseries, the show was expanded into subsequent outings that deviated from the eponymous novel by Petra Hammesfahr.

Despite deviating from the source material, each subsequent season kept with Hammesfahr's heady themes but wrapped them in procedural drama, and season 3 of The Sinner was no different. Though season 1 of The Sinner garnered most of the award success, taking a page from other anthology crime shows like True Detective, the show found its footing by continuing to explore the same core ideas. The Sinner season 3 culminates those themes in many ways and allows a change in Detective Ambrose that set up the next, and final, chapter of the story.

The Sinner is available to stream on Netflix.

The Sinner Season 3 Recap

What Was The Sinner Season 3 About?

The Sinner season 3 deviated from foundations established in the preceding two. Each season of The Sinner features a big bad who is essentially the villain that torments Harry Ambrose and haunts the case. Season 3 is no different, but it follows an unusual path to get there to shake up the formula.

In The Sinner season 3, detective Harry Ambrose is dispatched to investigate a fatal car accident in Upstate New York, but soon discovers a twisted web surrounds the deadly crash. Ambrose immediately meets Jamie Burns (Matt Bomer), a college professor who survives the accident, while his friend Nick Haas (Chris Messina) does not. Suspicious of Jamie, Ambrose digs into the man's past and finds many strange tales.

Jamie psychologically tortures Harry, and the sadistic murderer begins targeting Harry's family.

Meanwhile, Jamie is in a spiral as his best friend and mentor Nick is dead, and he is also on the verge of a major life change as his wife Leela (Parisa Fitz-Henley) gives birth. Harry strikes up an unlikely relationship with Sonya (Jessica Hecht), a woman Jamie randomly targets. He also builds bonds with his daughter Melanie (Leslie Fray) and her son Eli (Lake David Blumm). Jamie psychologically tortures Harry, and the sadistic murderer begins targeting Harry's family, which leads to the shocking finale.

Why Jamie Killed Nick

Jamie Is A Victim In The Sinner Season 3 As Well

The crux of Jamie's entire arc in The Sinner season 3 involves his past relationship with Nick, which sets him down the dark path he eventually follows. The saddest part about Jamie is that he is a victim, and he has been psychologically manipulated by Nick, who convinces him that unwavering nihilism is the way to go. As shown in season 3, Nick's brand of nihilism leads to death, and Jamie killing Nick was almost the natural result of the years of psychological torture.

Jamie's Paper Fortune-Teller Explained

The Fortune Teller Is A Window Into Jamie's Mind

Along with all the other tactics Jamie employs to manipulate Harry Ambrose throughout The Sinner season 3, his comically villainous paper fortune-teller is a window into the mind of the burgeoning serial killer. It is somewhat silly, but it gets the point across as it shows he has already killed Captain Morris and is targeting people close to Harry, namely Sonya, Melanie, and Eli. Jamie's other tactics are more thoughtful, such as when Harry Ambrose agrees to be buried alive. The fact he resorts to a childish method shows he is unraveling.

Why Jamie Kills Captain Morris

Jamie's Plan In The Sinner Season 3 Is To Target Those Close To Harry

While Harry suspects Jamie from the start of The Sinner season 3, the legal process shields the soon-to-be serial killer, and the irony is not lost on Jamie himself. Often professing his Friedrich Nietzsche-inspired philosophy, Jamie takes Nietzsche's classic "god is dead" line and applies it to the authority figures around him in a quintessential bit of aimless nihilism.

Jamie also goes after Harry's friends and family to further disconnect the detective from the world.

While trying to shape Harry into his protégé, Jamie aims to prove his philosophy correct by killing someone who has authority over Harry in the form of Captain Morris (Adam LeFevre). However, being a sadistic killer, Jamie also goes after Harry's friends and family to further disconnect the detective from the world around him.

Why Jamie Kidnaps Eli

Jamie Knows What Will Hurt Harry The Most

Harry's 10-year-old grandson, Eli, is a new part of the detective's life in The Sinner season 3, but the child acts as a glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak world. With much of Harry's life consumed by murder and death, his newfound relationship with Eli acts as an antidote to Jamie's philosophy. Jamie's decision to kidnap Eli is logical, as it puts the most important thing in Harry's world in the crosshairs.

Many sad things have happened to Harry throughout the series, and Jamie smartly knows the loss of Eli would probably drive the detective over the edge. The choice also reflects Jamie's disconnection from his child, who is born during the season. It also shows the burning jealousy behind his actions.

Ultimately, Jamie's plan is somewhat successful, as Eli's harrowing experience makes Melanie weary of allowing her son near Harry and his tumultuous life.

In their final confrontation, Harry goads Jamie by bringing up his childhood, and it is clear that the sadistic villain attempts to carry on his trauma by pushing it off on others. Ultimately, Jamie's plan is somewhat successful, as Eli's harrowing experience makes Melanie weary of allowing her son near Harry and his tumultuous life.

Why Harry Shoots Jamie

Harry Finally Steps Over The Line

The experienced detective spends the bulk of The Sinner season 3 trying to understand his adversary, and though he could have taken him down on numerous occasions, he chooses to play by the rules. However, Harry finally shoots Jamie in the gut, killing the season's villain in one of the most painful ways possible. The decision reveals a lot about Jamie, while also being a window into the truly tortured soul of Ambrose. Jamie thinks he needs to make Ambrose a twisted mess, but he doesn't know Harry already is.

The show somehow one-ups its villain by making the hero even bleaker.

Jamie's plan is successful, and he gets a moment to gloat while dropping his hard exterior as he begs for medical assistance. It reveals Jamie is a broken man hiding behind his warped view of philosophy, while also showing that Ambrose is capable of murder just like the people he pursues. Jamie is a bleak character in The Sinner season 3, but the show somehow one-ups its villain by making the hero even bleaker.

The Real Meaning Of The Sinner Season 3’s Ending

The Third Season Of The Sinner Sets Up Its Finale

Anthology crime shows struggle with carrying over from season to season, and many themes are reserved for one outing. However, The Sinner season 3 is the payoff for the previous two seasons, leaving things open for the fourth and final season. The title indicates what the show means, as each season's villain commits sins, but season 3 shows Detective Ambrose is the real sinner. His choice to murder Jamie may have been a bit of catharsis, but it is the true sin that seals his fate.