At its best, TV shows what life is really like, not just the highs and lows but also the complicated and often conflicting things that happen in between. The Better Sister Episode 6, which is called “Steadying Hand,” does precisely that. Underneath its slick surface and over-the-top courtroom drama is a surprisingly deep look at trauma, identity, and the kind of justice that doesn’t get a lot of attention.
This week’s episode does a good job of moving the story along. The trial of Ethan, who is suspected of killing his father, comes to a head, and viewers are thrown into a tornado of legal deceit, personal betrayals, and unsettling realities. Chloe’s surprising testimony about how she put up with Adam’s abuse tilts the scales in Ethan’s favor. The moment feels both happy and sad like years of silence are finally coming to an end.
The verdict brings peace to Ethan, but it causes mayhem for everyone else.
Table: Key Details for Episode 6, “The Better Sister”
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Episode Title | Steadying Hand |
| Series | The Better Sister (Limited Series, Season 1) |
| Platform | Amazon Prime Video / Freevee |
| Air Date | May 30, 2025 |
| Main Characters | Nicky Moretti (Elizabeth Banks), Chloe Taylor (Jessica Biel), Ethan Taylor (Connor Jessup), Jake (Gabriel Sloyer) |
| Major Plot Points | Ethan is acquitted of murder; Chloe reveals Adam was abusive; Jake takes the Fifth; Nicky strips on the beach in symbolic baptism; courtroom drama intensifies. |
| Notable Scenes | Chloe’s testimony; Adam’s cold open confession; Nicky’s emotional breakdown; sisters reconcile under the bathroom stall divider |
| Themes Explored | Abuse, justice system bias, sibling reconciliation, manipulation, survivor silence |
| Official Series Link | The Better Sister on Rotten Tomatoes |
The cold open, which is a confessional like no other, is the emotional and visual center of the show. Adam is angry and doesn’t feel bad about what he did. He blames his son and wife, but he never faces his guilt. Corey Stoll does a great job of underplaying how clever it is to trick people. His performance has the quiet intensity of a man who has turned silence into a weapon and is using it to preach blame while pretending to be sorry. He does not want forgiveness; he wants approval.
If this scene gives you a mental shock, the courtroom scenes will give you emotional pain. Chloe’s sudden charge against Adam, who has since died, is both a way for Ethan to save his life and a trap for Jake, who loves her. This part of the story is unclear. Is Chloe motivated by justice, guilt, strategy, or a crazy mix of all three?
The writers of the show also make room for weirdly funny times. Was it one of the most divisive? Nicky’s swim was a metaphor. Nicky takes off her dress and wades into the ocean during a nervous walk with her AA friend Ken. She later calls it a baptism. It’s the moment that could go wrong, but somehow, it works. It’s both cinematic and spiritual, catching the confusing messiness of personal rebirth.
Taking the legal thriller and making it new, one episode at a time
People have said that The Better Sister is like Presumed Innocent and Dead Ringers, but it doesn’t thrive on complex plots. Instead, it relies on chaotic emotional realism. Legal purists may be angry about the inconsistencies in the case, but for most people, the hearing is less about the law and more about getting their feelings out. Rules aren’t always necessary. How you feel does.
That doesn’t mean the show never falls apart. It’s common for plot convenience to come before reality. For example, FBI agents disappear, and Jake’s strangely planned silences show a “just go with it” attitude toward storytelling. Still, these slip-ups stress the main point: that life, and especially justice, doesn’t always follow explicit rules.
The emotional structure of the season is built around a single, quietly heartbreaking scene: two sisters holding hands under a bathroom stall divider. No music that soars. Not any trouble. Just hurt; we all shared humanity. This small act says the most in a show full of shady relationships, murder cases, and last-minute baptisms.
What’s Next?
As the show’s ending draws near, The Better Sister will not end in the usual way. Who killed Adam? Was it fair or unfair that Ethan was set free? And will Nicky and Chloe ever get their lives back on track? These questions are still wonderfully unanswered.
There are a lot of reused IPs and formulaic stories on TV, but The Better Sister stands out because it’s not afraid to be messy. There is a show that isn’t afraid to look at the gap between what we want to think and what we know to be true. And that’s where its strange, disturbing power comes from: making you feel bad.
Want to know more about Episode 7 and the shocking ending? Keep up with our coverage on WhatToWatch.
Our 2025 Peak Streaming series takes a close look at the shows that shaped the cultural conversation this year. This article is part of that series.
