'The Sinner' Season 3 Episode 7 hints at Jamie Burns going on a rampage after Ambrose's betrayal
Spoilers for 'The Sinner' Season 3 Episode 7
There are corners of your mind that you do not shine a light on because deep down, you know, you have buried something dark there. It could be childhood trauma, a memory that shows you in a negative light or even an incident that spotlights how very much we are all capable of violence when the situation demands it.
In 'The Sinner' Season 3 Episode 7, we see Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) being forced to face these dark corners after agreeing to get buried in a grave by Jamie Burns (Matt Bomer).
Ambrose is buried underneath for eight hours and when Burns releases him from the coffin, Ambrose is highly traumatized. With nowhere to go, Ambrose had nightmares about his relationship with his father. Ambrose also had one about his mother accusing him of leaving her behind and abusing him physically as she did so. It sheds some light on who Ambrose is as a person and we peel layers off of the detective just as we have come to peel layers off of the criminals in the show.
After all, 'The Sinner' has always been more about the criminals and less about the crime. It was always about the murderer's intentions, the reason behind the crime and the mindset of the killer more than anything.
However, this time around, we get to watch Detective Ambrose being put under a microscope as much as Burns is.
After Ambrose is dug back up, he manipulates Burns into believing that the two now share a deep connection after having faced death. In the heat of the moment, Burns ends up confessing about how he stopped Nick Haas (Chris Messina) from receiving the help that he needed after the accident.
Ambrose, who claims that he has only been playing the part of a friend to get close enough to Burns, records Burns' confession and hands it over to Detective Vic Soto (Eddie Martinez). Ambrose tells Soto that this is his collar to claim if he arrests Burns and distances himself from the case. Not unexpectedly though because the moments after Ambrose had stepped out of the grave, it was clear that his experience with almost touching death had brought him closer to understanding Burns' motive for his otherwise terrifying actions.
This connection is something that Ambrose hadn't expected, but now that it has been formed, there is a part of him that feels guilty about having manipulated Burns. Guilty enough to apologize to Burns after he gets arrested by Soto.
Ambrose's anger at Sonya for having hidden how she had met Burns at her farm recently is also more about his anger at himself for having let Burns affect him so deeply. When Sonya tries to explain how she was intrigued by everything that Burns had known, his knowledge and struggles despite being scared of him as well, it is a reflection of Ambrose's conflict as well.
To him, Burns is supposed to be another murderer to lock behind bars, but there is something beyond all that.
This connection is not only from Ambrose's side but also from Burns' as well. Burns truly believes that Ambrose would now be on his side, after all, he must understand the lick of attraction that one feels after such a close call with death.
The violence that people usually bury deep within gets a chance to resurface within Burns when he learns that he has been betrayed by the one man he believed was truly on his side. This also triggers further violent behavior by Burns.
Burns' behavior pattern so far clearly indicates how each time he came close to killing someone, the trigger had always been emotional unrest. With Nick, what pushed Burns to kill him, was the constant pressure that Burns was in to hide his true self and the reality of his relationship with Nick from his wife Leela and others in his life.
With the man at the party, the trigger had been his guilt at having killed Nick. This time around, it is Ambrose's betrayal that has burned him and this pushes him to attack Dorchester's Captain. The man that Ambrose reports to. But what now? Will it be a rampage?
That is something we would have to watch out for in the next episode of 'The Sinner' will air on Thursday at 9 pm ET on USA Network.