Bad Sisters-Boom-Review: The Wagon Goes Boom

It’s Eva’s (Sharon Horgan) 50th birthday, and she’s working out with her menopause coach, Eileen (Justine Mitchell). The two are talking about Eva’s libido, and I’m worried that this is foreshadowing a hook-up with Ian (Owen McDonnell). Eileen acts as a coach and therapist, uncovering how deep Eva’s grief goes. Eva is shocked that Eileen has taken a new client, Angelica Collins (Fiona Shaw). The wagon continues to invade all aspects of the Garvey sisters. 

Fergal (Barry Ward) and Houlihan (Thaddea Graham) interview Eva about the money that Grace (Anne-Marie Duff) had taken out, but Fergal continues to be distracted by his ex-wife taking his daughter to live in Australia. Houlihan is getting better with interview questions, catching Ian in a lie about how he and Grace met. Ian told the investigators they met online, but Eva shared that it was through a bereavement group after Ian lost his sister. Fergal offers a good idea for Houlihan to bring Ian Grace’s effects and catch him off guard, but then he goes back to being obsessed with his personal life.

Eva receives a birthday gift from Grace. It’s a karaoke machine with instructions to play song 42. Nothing sadder than seeing the lyrics to Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” after receiving a gift from a ghost. Eva summons the sisters over and walks through all of the ways that Angelica can connect them to JP’s death. They agree to let Angelica scatter Grace’s ashes. Well, not the actual ashes, but what’s left in Eva’s fireplace. 

Angelica has decided that Grace’s ashes should be scattered at sea and suggests making a day of it with flapjacks and a flask. Becka shares that she has access to a boat, and Angelica’s final instruction is not to include Blanaid (Saise Quinn), Ian, or Eva in the outing. Angelica shares that she doesn’t feel like Eva has been respecting Grace’s memory and is being inappropriate with Ian. Although her timing stinks, she’s not wrong. Eva is adamant that there’s nothing going on, but… there’s chemistry. 

Houlihan surprises Ian with Grace’s effects and asks some additional questions. She finds a picture of Ian and a woman who he says it’s his sister Colleen, who died in Canada. I’m getting strong: “I have a girlfriend in Canada, but you wouldn’t know her” vibes. Houlihan catches him in the lie about attending Angelica Collins’ bereavement group. He does get in a good line characterizing Angelica as feeding “off your grief.” Everyone is dropping misdirected truth bombs. Ian claims he did not know about the $20,000 withdrawal. 

I’m not sure how many more scenes I can take regarding Fergal and his personal life. I get it; he’s obsessed, and it’s compromising his professional ability. Will his willingness to do anything cost them the case, or can he see why the Garvey sisters are so protective of Grace and each other? Never trust a character who tells another, “I’ll fix it, I promise.” 

Speaking of false promises, Ian gets Eva new slippers and tells her he won’t let her be lonely, but also admits that he told Angelica to leave the Garvey sisters alone, so Eva thinks his motives are fueled by family. The two acting as surrogate parents must be confusing for Blanaid, who continues to rebel against Eva and says, “I’ll do what I want,” in response to Eva telling her not to go over to Angelica’s after school. Ian lets it slip that the sisters are throwing Eva a surprise party. Just what the situation needs. 

We do get a great scene between Becka and Bibi, who are buying supplies for the party. I could watch these two banter all day. They pick out a biscotti tin to serve as Grace’s urn at the party store, and you can see their love. 

Back to Fergal (and my attention starts to wander…) who consults a lawyer to fight for custody and is told he will see significant funds to fight.

The entire family is together, and Eva is dressed a bit like Ariel from The Little Mermaid. It seems like a typical gathering until Roger (Michael Smiley) shows up with oysters and asks Eva out. Really, Roger, the whole Garvey family? What’s your deal? Eva has a forward but kind way of letting Roger down and invites him to stay. Roger can see what everyone else sees: an intimacy between Eva and Ian. 

But then we get a scene of the sisters singing The Cranberry’s “When You’re Gone” and Becka shares news of her pregnancy. You can feel their grief. This show does such a good job of showing how crazy loss can make you. 

It’s high noon, and the sisters (minus Eva) board a boat with Grace’s faux remains in what looks like an ice bucket, but Angelica is running late. That crafty wagon lured Blanaid over to her house and gave her money to go shopping. Did Angelica send social services over to Eva’s house during the frantic search for Blanaid?

Houlihan is still focused on finding the money, thinking it will connect all of the events. This gives Fergal an idea of where the money could be. He heads to Grace and Ian’s house. How many people on this show dabble in light, breaking and entering? He finds the money in the turtle habitat. Is he desperate enough to use it to fight for custody? 

Eva is out of her mind about Bla missing and goes to the police. Fergal and Houlihan are only too eager to gather information. Eva finally confides that they think Angelica was stalking and blackmailing Grace and has moved on to Bla. Ian calls with news that he found Blanaid and Eva’s clams up again, but she gives enough new information to give Houlihan a new angle. Eva rushes to see Blanaid, who says some horrible things to Eva before stomping away. Ian moves in and kisses a distraught Eva.

Angelica finally arrives at the dock, and they find a spot to scatter Grace’s ashes, which blow right into the sisters’ faces. The whole act is surreal, and Angelica goes in for the kill, telling the sisters she needs to be the one to guide Blanaid because Eva is too busy consorting with Ian, suggesting that Eva did this before with JP. The sisters are horrified that Angelica is implying that Eva was not raped by JP and starts to talk about not trusting Ian when…TWACK. Angelica is knocked over by the boom and falls into the water. The sisters panic and try to find a way to save Angelica. Whatever the plan was, it wasn’t this. Becka jumps in the water to find Angelica but comes up empty. Add another body to the list.

Is Ian the real villain in this story? Did his sister really die, or does he prey on women and then kill them? 

You can really see JP in Blanaid when she’s mean to Eva, even if it’s out of grief. She really knows how to land a punch. 

Really, who is in the trunk from the first episode?