Sharp Objects Season 1 Episode 8 Review: Milk

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If you've followed the breadcrumbs, nothing about Sharp Objects Season 1 Episode 8 should shock you.

Gillian Flynn offered many clues in her story, and the writers on the series didn't mask them to the point of oblivion, either.

Adora's mothering of Amma bound them together in ways that would shock even Adora.

Full of Sick - Sharp Objects Season 1 Episode 8

Camille's first instinct was to throw herself at the mercy of her mother to save her sister.

While that was admirable, her little sister was addicted to their mother's love. While Adora craved the attention she got by making her daughters ill (and every other ounce she got from Wind Gap), Amma thrived on the attention she received from Adora as a result of her mothering.

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Talk about a vicious circle.

How screwed up does a family have to be that the woman killing her daughter is met in madness by the daughter getting killed? Their need for the other is what drives their sickness.

Wrong Place - Sharp Objects Season 1 Episode 8

The entire town of Wind Gap got caught up in it, and if Richard hadn't been called back to investigate and Camille to report, the killing would have continued.

John may have been prosecuted for the murders already committed, but if Adora had kept up her work with the students in town, Amma would have continued to kill them because they were taking Adora's attention away from her.

Remember how John said Adora never gave up on the girls Amma killed? Imagine how much that must have irked ringleader Amma to want to kill them as she did.

Amma's hold over her friends was apparent from the moment we first saw them together. She led them, and without her, they were less potent, without anything of interest to do.

With Amma, they were a powerful force of youthful lust and rage, some of which we saw when the trio stumbled upon Richard and Camille that night in the street. Amma was nasty, and it wouldn't have taken much to push her over the edge into getting physical with her competition.

Lives in Jeopardy - Sharp Objects

And make no mistake about it. Even though Amma had an odd love for her sister, she also saw Camille as competition. 

If she had felt the attention draining for too long away from her toward Camille, Amma wouldn't have been as high on Camille as she sometimes seemed. That might be why she didn't go for help when Camille asked her.

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If she just waited it out, maybe Camille would die, and all of the attention would again focus on her. 

Amma had many opportunities to cry for help, but her mental illness was just as far along as her mother's.

To the Rescue - Sharp Objects Season 1 Episode 8

Richard tied the murders of the girls to Adora without any evidence other than the pliers that were in the kitchen. 

That's not the best detective work because there is no indication that a woman who kills via Munchausen by Proxy would be murderous in any other way. 

There had to be some evidence to arrest Alan as an accomplice in that, as well. At the very least, he was covering up her behavior. That much was evident when Richard knocked at the door and lied about the whereabouts of Camille.

It sure didn't look like he ever left the house, though.

Saying Goodbye - Sharp Objects Season 1 Episode 8

Amma started to look suspicious in the way she was getting on with her new friend. The way she was filmed was always with an air of mystery as if she wasn't entirely stable, and that didn't stop even when she was free of her mother.

Camille's instincts were kicking in as she began questioning the way Amma talked to others, sounded judgemental, and even the way her friend reacted to Amma in her presence.

Related: The Deuce to Return to HBO in September

I don't know what it was that sent Camille into the bedroom to start researching further into her little sister's things, but her discovery was beyond gruesome. It takes a very twisted individual to use the teeth of their murdered friends as decor in a dollhouse.

With as connected as Amma and Adora were, I have to wonder what "Don't tell mama" really meant. Maybe I'm wrong when I say even Adora would be shocked. They spent a lot of time together in that dollhouse. Could she not have seen the teeth parquet flooring?

Don't Tell Mama - Sharp Objects Season 1 Episode 8

It's terrible to imagine what was next for Camille, but if she was finally feeling good about herself, so it wouldn't be easy knowing how close she was to evil all along.

The discovery would also inadvertently help her mother's case because she's not the outright murderer that anyone thought. Hopefully, it will lead to some therapy for Camille once all of the danger is out of her life.

Unless, of course, Camille says nothing and the killings continue. I'd like to think that isn't the case.

All told, Gillian Flynn sets up these twists nicely. It felt a little bit rushed as the season came to a close, but I greatly enjoyed getting to know Camille and her pain early on in the season. While many believed it was slow moving, the introspection and revelations were some of Amy Adams best work.

The entire cast was well matched with the material, and there is still a lot left to the imagination, as it should be. 

You can look up what happened in the book online if you haven't read it. It's a little different than this but darn close. What did you think of the ending and the series as a whole? 

Milk Review

Editor Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.7 / 5.0 (31 Votes)

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.

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Sharp Objects Season 1 Episode 8 Quotes

Bill: What do you think? Is he gonna crack?
Richard: Almost everyone does if you push them hard enough -- even if they're innocent.

Richard: If you listen to all the talk around here, everyone's crazy or evil.
Bill: Only half of it's true.
Richard: That's what I'm worried about. We're lookin' at the wrong half.