Apple TV’s newest series Bad Sisters adapts the Flemish show Clan, following the Garvey family before and after the death of one of the sisters’ husbands. The man – John Paul – had been verbally abusive to all of them, as well as condescending and controlling toward his wife and daughter. The series follows the sisters’ attempts to kill John Paul in one timeline, with insurance agent Thomas Claffin trying to prove the unnatural manner of his death in another.
The black comedy may revolve around John Paul, but its best moments focus on the sisters, who have to work together to hide their connection to his death. Their dynamic is what makes the show so effective, as it quickly makes the audience root for their success. Some characters are sympathetic and lovable and others are utterly detestable, but all fit perfectly in the well-oiled machine that is Bad Sisters.
John Paul Williams
John Paul is explicitly written to be a character that nobody could love, and actor Claes Bang does a brilliant job playing the part. He is cruel for his own amusement, and the soft-spoken tone he uses as he insults his wife and daughter feels all-too-realistic for an abuser of this kind.
RELATED: 10 Family Drama TV Shows You Should Revisit
His personal beliefs would be considered suffocating to almost every audience member, and his petty manipulations keep him from being the enjoyable kind of evil character. He is the worst kind of person anyone could have as their in-law, to the extent that the audience is cheering the sisters on as they arrange his downfall.
Thomas Claffin
Thomas Claffin is an insurance agent seeking to deny Grace her husband’s life insurance pay-out, and while his story is sympathetic, his tactics leave a lot to be desired. He invades the Garvey sisters at John Paul’s funeral, tricks Grace into signing a form to get an autopsy done, and is generally willing to do underhanded things in order to keep from having to pay.
While the audience knows that the Garvey sisters were plotting to kill John Paul, Thomas has no reason to believe that there is foul play involved. He just can’t afford to pay out the life insurance policy. Had he done all of this to a grieving widow whose husband wasn’t a piece of garbage, he would be seen as despicable, and being right doesn’t mean that what he did was acceptable.
Ursula Flynn
Ursula is the least likable of the siblings, in large part because she doesn’t have much of a personality in the first few episodes. She dislikes John Paul, has three children, and is having an affair with her photography teacher. There may be some characters that audiences can excuse for cheating, but there isn’t enough known about Ursula’s family to say one way or the other.
John Paul tries to ruin Ursula’s marriage after discovering clues to the affair, which puts the audience in the unlikely position of having to agree with the monster or approve of infidelity. Given that there isn’t enough detail yet to go either way, Ursula’s story falls flat in comparison to the more engaging stories of her sisters. She isn’t necessarily unlikeable, but she is forgettable, which is a bad place to be in a comedic show.
Grace Williams
Grace is a very sympathetic figure, but it’s hard for the audience to connect with her because she is already so defeated by her husband by the time the story starts. After more than a decade with him, she buckles under the slightest pressure, which has prevented her from truly connecting with her daughter or her sisters.
RELATED: The 10 Worst TV Couples Of All Time, According To Reddit
Assuming the show follows the path of its predecessor, her character will gain strength in later episodes, which may push her higher in the audience’s esteem. As it stands, however, she seems destined to be in the shadow of her former self, a cruel fate that does a disservice to such an important figure. In many ways, the show revolves around her, but she has not been able to step into that spotlight thus far.
Becka Garvey
Becka hasn’t been explored much yet, but every scene she has been in portrays her as the free-spirited youngest sister, who has a tendency to live life according to passion, instead of reason. Similar to season one’s presentation of Phoebe Halliwell from Charmed, she is known for her many boyfriends and unreliability.
While these seem like bad things, they can be really enjoyable in a character precisely because she has so much growing up to do. The audience can go on that journey with her, which prevents them from feeling bored by characters who have everything together. In addition, her relationship with Matthew becomes a place where the conflict between the Garvey and Claffin families can be resolved, as both characters are headstrong and passionate. She may not be driving the plot, but she could very well drive the resolution.
Matthew Claffin
Matthew is certainly the better of the Claffin brothers, and one of the best characters in the show. He understands right and wrong better than any of the other characters and has a lot of charm working in his favor. His relationship with Becka also provides a nice spark of light in an otherwise morbid show.
RELATED: 10 TV Couples Like Greys Anatomy’s Meredith And Derek Who Were Worth The Drama
Matthew understands why Thomas feels the need to prevent a pay-out. Still, he also understands that losing the business would be better than essentially stealing money from a grieving widow. Put simply, he knows where to draw the line, and is probably the only character that audience members would actually want to be friends with in real life.
Bibi Garvey
Bibi is angry and wants to make John Paul pay for his crimes, and that’s easy for the audience to get caught up in. At his worst, it’s hard not to cheer for the Garvey sisters’ latest scheme to wipe him out, and Bibi is the representation of that impulse. She lost a lot to the man, and is driven to make sure he gets paid back accordingly.
While the willingness to murder a man may not be the best trait in a real-life friend, it is perfect for a black comedy. The audience is given permission to hate John Paul just as much as she does, and her anger becomes a vessel for every audience member who knows a John Paul in their own life but isn’t able to take them out themselves. It’s cathartic to listen to Bibi, which makes her one of the show’s most likable characters.
Eva Garvey
While Bibi is pushing for John Paul’s death and Grace is trying to cope with it, Eva becomes a figure capable of protecting them both. Eva is a strong matriarchal figure, having raised all of her sisters, and that strength radiates in every interaction. While the others plot against John Paul behind his back, Eva confronts him directly, making sure Grace and Blánaid get what they need.
Eva is determined to protect her sisters and niece, whatever the cost, and that devotion drives every decision she made. It makes her agree to help kill John Paul, tells her to protect Grace even at personal risk, and puts her in the line of fire if it will keep the others safe. It’s no wonder that the show’s creator, Sharon Horgan, took on that role. Eva is by far the most likable character, and that fact makes her the easiest of all the main characters for audiences to truly connect to.
NEXT: 10 Best Sibling Relationships In Comedy TV Shows
