YMMV / The Sinner

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Was CJ and Percy's short-lived relationship a genuine one, or did Percy start a relationship with him out of guilt over having killed his brother? Given how mentally unstable and depressed Percy was and the fact that she was initially going to tell CJ the truth before he kissed her, the second interpretation is highly probable.
  • A common fandom debate regards whether the show ended with Harry being in a worse state than when the show started or not; the ending leaves it ambiguous as to whether he's truly found peace, with there being an interpretation that he'll end up committing suicide off the same cliff that Percy did. Since he's seen some of the absolute worst that humanity has to offer, seems to be a walking Doom Magnet wherever he goes, and has essentially ostracized most of the people in his life, that very much could happen.
• Diagnosed by the Audience: It's not entirely clear what's up with Season 4's Sean Muldoon, but between his disorder and his drug habit, he wasn't seen as capable of taking care of Percy.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Lou Raskin from Season 4 is very popular for being a loyal friend to Harry who ends up sticking with him despite his initial doubts about the case, and for being one of the few genuinely kind and good-natured people in a show filled to the brim with troubled and morally ambiguous characters.
• Fan Nickname: "Discount Jon Snow" for Mason, due to his actor Christopher Abbott's resemblance to Kit Harington.
• Fan-Preferred Couple: Even though Jamie is married to Leela, fans prefer to ship Jamie and Nick, as their deeply toxic and co-dependent pseudo-romantic relationship (essentially a much more immature version of Hannibal/Will) is a very interesting dynamic to follow and Matt Bomer has a lot of chemistry with Chris Messina.
• Ho Yay:
  • In season 2, there is a lot of subtext between Harry and his old buddy Jack, culminating in an argument where Jack mentions that after Harry left Keller, he spent a lot of time wondering if he'd done something to drive Harry away.
  • Harry and Jamie share a good amount of subtext in Season 3 as well. After Harry befriends Jamie in an attempt to get a confession out of him, he essentially takes over what Jamie was in his own friendship with Nick, allowing Jamie to play twisted mind games on him (including burying him alive for eight hours) in order to build trust. The two of them get quite close with each other, and as their strange bond deepens, Harry develops some genuine care for Jamie, leading to him visiting Jamie in prison to apologize for getting him arrested, which plays out like a breakup scene.
• Squick:
  • In "Part VI" from the first season, the Incest Subtext between Cora and Phoebe becomes just plain text, as Cora, guilt-ridden over her plans to abandon her family, has sex with Phoebe, who has been secretly lusting after her for quite a while. It is deeply uncomfortable to watch.
  • In the second-season finale, we learn that Jack raped Marin and is thus Julian's biological father. The act itself isn't too graphic, but the subtext of a middle-aged man having sex with his daughter's girlfriend is pretty stomach-turning.
• No Yay: The show absolutely loves this trope, with nearly every season containing disturbing sexual tension between two characters who really shouldn't have any: Cora and Phoebe in Season 1, Harry and Vera in Season 2, with Jamie being a magnet for this in Season 3, having this dynamic with Nick, Sonya, and Harry. Season 4, on the other hand, lacks this element.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Season 3 largely drops the show's Reverse Whodunnit style of approaching the murders for a more cut-and-dry mystery, focusing more on Harry and Jamie's complicated relationship with each other as they become Mirror Characters. This did not go over well with many fans, as the show's signature "whydunnit" structure was compelling and set it apart from other mystery shows, and most of them had come to expect the twists and turns that had defined the previous seasons.
• Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: This is not a show about likable people, particularly not Cora or Harry, who seem determined to destroy themselves in extraordinary fashion.

---