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SPOILER ALERT: This article contains major spoilers from the Season 1 finale and Season 2 premiere of “Bad Sisters,” streaming now on Apple TV+.
‘Bad Sisters’ was never intended to return for a second season. The Sharon Horgan-penned thriller, an adaptation of a Belgian limited series about a group of sisters who try to kill their violent brother-in-law, clearly didn’t lend itself to a recurring format. But the chemistry between the Garvey sisters in the Apple TV+ version – played by Horgan (as Eve), Sarah Greene (as Bibi), Eva Birthistle (as Ursula), Eve Hewson (as Becka) and Anne-Marie Duff (as the abused Grace) – left the audience begging for more.
Horgan, who has written and starred in shows like “Catastrophe” and “Pulling” (and also appeared opposite Nicolas Cage in the 2022 feature “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”), admits she has a “germ” of an idea envisioned where the story could go during the shooting of Season 1, although by the time she got into the Season 2 writers’ room — at Apple’s request after the first season’s success — “it couldn’t be more different.” could have been,” she says. “But I feel [it was] in a way that was more in line with what I naturally do, because it was less of a crazy formula about attempted murder, and more emotional. More about their relationships – and of course the fallout from what happens in season 1.
In season 1, as fans will recall, it turned out that although each of the Garveys had tried to kill JP (nicknamed ‘the Prick’ and played by Claes Bang) to spare Grace from further abuse, it was Grace herself who delivered the fatal blow inflicted. But as viewers will now discover in season 2, Grace’s new beginning is tragically cut short after she dies in a car accident.
As the Garveys – and the audience – cope with Grace’s shocking death, Horgan and the rest of the cast, plus lead director Dearbhla Walsh, spoke to Variety about how it affected them on and off screen and how the story will resonate throughout the rest of the season.
Grace’s death comes as a real surprise, especially since it’s so early in the season. Sharon, how sure were you that you were going to kill her?
Sharon Horgan: There was a while where we thought, ‘Can we do that? [continue] the tone of the show Grace has lost? Because the tone of the show is a fine balance between comedy, tragedy, drama, thriller and sometimes farce. Once we figured out we could do it, we didn’t doubt it anymore. We knew it would be quite shocking and terrible, but I thought it was important to show the extent of the damage that can happen. [in an abusive relationship].
Dearbhla Walsh: It was important that it never felt like a gimmick. And episode 3 [which drops on Nov. 20] It was quite a challenge to have an authentic funeral and then transition.
Anne-Marie, did Sharon warn you about Grace’s fate before you read the script?
Anne-Marie Duff: I knew about it for a while before the scripts arrived, so I had no surprise for the soap opera. I think it’s a brilliant idea because it shakes things up and changes the landscape, and suddenly there’s a huge amount of freedom in that. And it was also one of those repeated questions: “What happens to Grace in season 2?” And it removes that from the conversation.
Eva Birth List: I also think what happens to the audience is they think, “Well, if that is possible, if that is is going to happen, it could be anything [can] happen.” And it really keeps everyone in the background, and that makes for very enjoyable viewing.
Anne-Marie, do you see Grace’s death as almost Shakespearean, in that she ultimately had to be punished for committing murder?
Duff: Yes, there is something about that. It’s like that scene where she confesses [about murdering JP] With Owen, I always think it’s like the scene in “Tess of the D’Urbervilles,” where she talks about the baby and the rape and all that, and you understand the need to testify and tell your truth. But at what price?
Episode 3 shows Grace’s funeral. Did you stay to watch it get shot?
Duff: No. And I purposely didn’t read any of the script messages. I haven’t read any other scenes, so I looked at it the way you looked at it.
How did it feel when Anne-Marie was away from the set, was there also a sense of sadness?
Horgan: Because we were all doing scenes together and she was suddenly gone, I have to say it was emotional. The whole recording, the whole sequence, felt like we were on an emotional rollercoaster.
Eve Hewson: It was a little strange when we did all our scenes because we knew that would be the last time the five of us would be together. Even the crew didn’t know because Sharon and Dearbhla kept it a secret. They only wanted a certain number of crew members present at the car crash so we could really keep things tight. I think Dearvlah accidentally let it slip one day on set, the whole crew was like, ‘What are you talking about? What do you mean it’s Anne-Marie’s last day?’ So yeah, that was funny.
The funeral was recorded in a real church with a real coffin in the room. What was the atmosphere like on set that day?
Birth list: You automatically get almost a kind of physical reaction to it. It’s something we’ve all experienced and it puts you in a certain state of mind and a tone takes over, a change of tone, when that happens.
What was it like filming the funeral as the sisters oscillate between laughing and sobbing?
Hewson: I was like, this is so truly Irish, and this is how we grieve as people. We are not the ones to wallow in self-pity and we are much more likely to use humor to get through our pain. And I think [Horgan] That’s so beautifully captured that I feel like when people watch it, it will remind them of things. It reminded me of my grandfather’s funeral. I remember we were all driving in the car, and I was just laughing, and I was like, ‘I don’t even feel anything! I don’t even feel sad, I’m doing well!” And I was really hyper and dizzy, and then I had to get up and do a reading and as soon as I got there I burst into tears. Sharon really shows that side of humanity where you are so stressed that you feel 500 emotions in 10 minutes.
These interviews have been condensed and edited for space and clarity.