In Prime Video’s gripping finale of THE BETTER SISTER, secrets, lies, and long-buried truths unravel in a cascade of revelations that reframe everything we’ve seen. At the heart of the story are two sisters—Chloe Taylor (played by Jessica Biel), the ambitious magazine editor, and Nicky (Elizabeth Banks), the troubled but fiercely loyal mother—who must finally face what really happened the night Adam (Sam Jaeger) was murdered. What begins as a tragic loss becomes a mystery, then a battle for justice, and finally, a test of sisterhood.
The finale kicks off in chaos. Adam is dead, found in a pool of blood in his Manhattan apartment by Chloe. The media spins, the detectives close in, and the once-polished image of Chloe’s perfect life begins to crack. At first, all eyes turn to Chloe—her motives, her behavior, even her career are scrutinized. But soon, attention shifts elsewhere. As the investigation widens, so does the suspicion. When Ethan, Adam’s son and Chloe’s stepson, becomes a suspect, the story takes a chilling turn.
Let’s walk through how The Better Sister arrives at its jaw-dropping conclusion, and what it means for each character involved.
CHLOE’S WORLD FALLS APART
Chloe Taylor, the powerful and poised editor of The Real Thing magazine, has always curated her life for success. Her marriage to Adam, though strained, gave her the security she craved, and her relationship with Ethan seemed close. But when she receives a disturbing package—threatening messages and a doctored nude image—it signals that someone is watching, and someone wants to scare her. Adam recommends hiring security, but Chloe puts it off.
That night, everything shatters. After an event, Chloe returns home to find Adam’s body—brutally murdered. Her 911 call triggers the storm to come.
Detectives Nancy Guidry (Zakiya Young) and Matt Bowen (Kyle Vincent Terry) take charge. Chloe’s calm exterior begins to show cracks under Guidry’s intense questioning. Her home becomes a crime scene. Her alibis are examined. But the true shocker comes when Ethan learns about his father’s death—and it’s revealed that Chloe isn’t his biological mother. That role belongs to Nicky, Chloe’s estranged sister.
NICKY RETURNS AND OLD WOUNDS OPEN
Nicky, once married to Adam, lost custody of Ethan after a violent altercation during a drunken episode—an event that led Adam to file a restraining order against her. Chloe stepped into Ethan’s life shortly after, building a strong bond with the boy in Nicky’s absence.
But when the detectives contact Nicky, legally still Ethan’s guardian, she’s forced to return to New York. Her arrival reignites bitter tensions. Nicky and Chloe clash over how to protect Ethan, with both believing they know what’s best for him. As their uneasy alliance unfolds, the police uncover damning evidence placing Ethan at the scene on the night of Adam’s death.
Suddenly, Ethan becomes suspect number one.
ETHAN UNDER FIRE
Ethan’s timeline falls apart under police scrutiny. His alibi doesn’t hold, and his relationship with Adam, once assumed to be healthy, is revealed to be tense and volatile. Chloe and Nicky, desperate to protect him, hire Michelle Sanders (Jayne Atkinson), a sharp attorney experienced with teen cases. Michelle gets Ethan released, but the damage is done—he’s shaken, and the suspicion hasn’t gone away.
Then comes the twist.
THE TRUTH ABOUT NICKY
All along, the mystery surrounding Adam’s murder was layered in complexity. But in the finale, the real killer is revealed: Nicky.
Years earlier, Nicky secretly gave Ethan a burner phone to stay in touch. Over time, they began talking again, and during one of these secret exchanges, Ethan told Nicky something chilling—Adam had been physically abusive toward Chloe. It terrified him. Nicky, already on edge and emotionally unstable, took action.
She confronted Adam. He became aggressive. And in the heat of the moment, Nicky stabbed him.
She fled back to Ohio, pretending she knew nothing. The call from the NYPD reached her just as she walked in the door. Nicky told no one, not even Chloe.
But the past has a way of catching up.
When Chloe learns from the private investigator that Adam had orchestrated Nicky’s downfall years ago—drugging her to make it appear she endangered Ethan—she realizes Adam destroyed her sister’s life for control. The restraining order, the custody battle, everything was based on a lie.
That changes everything. Chloe goes from skeptical to fiercely protective. When Nicky finally confesses to killing Adam, Chloe doesn’t turn her in.
Instead, she decides to protect her.
THE GENTRY GROUP AND BRADDOCK’S DOWNFALL
While the sisters reconcile and plot their survival, another enemy lurks—Bill Braddock (Gabriel Sloyer), Adam’s boss, and a shady player in the mysterious Gentry Group. Chloe learns that Adam had been working with the FBI, investigating Braddock’s corrupt dealings. But the FBI, led by Agent Olivero (Raúl Castillo), leaves her hanging when she offers to help.
On her own, Chloe digs through Adam’s belongings and uncovers a hidden stash—audio recordings and documents exposing Braddock’s ties to illicit deals. She copies the files, sends them anonymously to Officer Matt Bowen, and uses a fake set of files to manipulate Braddock.
Her plan works. In a joint effort, Bowen and Olivero raid Braddock’s home and arrest him. His fall shifts attention away from Adam’s murder and makes it seem like his death was tied to corporate crime.
It’s a brilliant misdirection. The sisters are safe… for now.
NICKY’S FINAL MOVE AGAINST DETECTIVE GUIDRY
Detective Nancy Guidry remains the biggest threat. She’s relentless and has grown increasingly suspicious of Chloe and Nicky. But Nicky has one final card to play.
Chloe’s private investigator had uncovered a hidden piece of Guidry’s past—an old incident where she beat up an innocent Black man, mistaking him for a suspect. The case was quietly buried, but the records still exist.
Nicky retrieves the file and uses it to blackmail Guidry. She doesn’t want money. She wants her to stop pursuing Adam’s case. Guidry is cornered. Any further push would risk her own career.
With Braddock behind bars, Guidry silenced, and Ethan no longer under suspicion, the sisters finally have the breathing room they desperately needed.
A NEW BEGINNING
In the final scenes, Chloe and Nicky sit in silence, the weight of their choices heavy in the air. They’ve lied. Manipulated. Even killed. But they’ve also protected the only thing that matters—Ethan. The boy is finally safe, and for the first time, he has both mothers in his life, standing side by side.
The murder of Adam began as a puzzle. By the end, it becomes a story of sisters—flawed, broken, but unshakably bonded by blood and pain.
Chloe may have built her life on success, but it’s Nicky’s loyalty and sacrifice that saved them all.
Still, as the camera lingers on Chloe’s face, one can’t help but wonder—how long can they keep the truth buried?
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