Critic’s Rating: 4.1 / 5.0
4.1
There are horror stories about polygamy, and then there’s Sister Wife Murder.
Seriously, kudos to the cast of Lifetime‘s latest “Ripped From the Headlines” contribution because a girl was thoroughly engrossed in this salacious tale of plural marriages and sexy man-of-the-cloth kinks going horribly wrong.
Sister Wife Murder served as a cautionary tale regarding polygamy and often volleyed between a cheesy, overly dramatic but fun thriller and a disturbing, heartbreaking piece.
Matthew Puts The “Daddy” in Daddario … In None of the Fun Ways
They had to know what they were doing, casting handsome, charming, and talented Matthew Daddario.
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It sells the story incredibly well, highlighting the severity of what happened and how easily it escalated.
Because someone conventionally attractive, suave, and deceptively calculating as Caleb is the world’s Apex Predator.
Not to toss around psych jargon, but Caleb was a narcissist with delusions of grandeur who benefitted from pretty privilege. He knew exactly how to lure women in and keep them under his thumb, or rather his “firm hand.”
What was most notable about Caleb was that he knew who to prey on and how it could benefit him.
He entered Chloe’s life as she was still grieving her father’s loss and needing some form of security.
Caleb provided this odd blend of protective boyfriend and paternal security and comfort.
His pearls of wisdom were so hollow and sounded like he was running a pyramid scheme run by Full House‘s Danny Tanner after googling “Bible Stuff.”
Bless his heart, actually; no, not really; he’d need to have one, right?
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But alas, for a young woman easing into Christianity, Caleb connected and got through to Chloe in a way no one else had since her father’s death.
You hate to see it.
Targeting Vulnerable Women: A Tale as Old as Time
Given the similarities between Chloe and Margo, it’s evident that he utilized the same tactics on Chloe and tapped into a similar longing.
He made it his mission to groom younger, lost women who were searching for something and then exploited the hell out of all their vulnerability.
Caleb was the worst!
Daddario, on the other hand, was deliciously sleazy as Caleb.
You could genuinely understand how the initial charm could lure vulnerable women into a relationship before the pretty mask slips back to reveal a truly vile, controlling, violent man.
When that revelation comes to light, it’s seemingly too late, and the women feel trapped.
It isn’t the first time Daddario has played a “bad guy,” but all those subtleties in his performance here were particularly creepy because of how realistic it came across.
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“Calebs” surround you daily, sneak up on you, and do serious damage.
Daddario’s understated performance quietly builds through the film until Caleb slips from pleasant to violent; it’s as jarring as that first slap.
This makes the film more effective and elicits the desired audience reaction.
Dia Nash Is One to Watch as the Strong But Vulnerable Chloe
Admittedly, it took a solid five minutes to adjust to seeing this Copy + Paste of Niecy Nash-Betts.
Some of us have watched Nash Jr. in The Rookie: Feds, but seeing this miniature version of the iconic actress doesn’t get any less jarring.
Are we not supposed to marvel over the fact that she stole her mother’s entire face?
That aside, Dia Nash is a breath of fresh air in this role and was genuinely enjoyable to watch.
One cannot wait to see what’s in store for her in the future, as she can very much hold her own if she continues her acting pursuits and adds more bullet points to her repertoire.
Chloe was instantly an endearing protagonist as you sympathized with her grief and how it led her to church and Caleb, Anna, and Margo.
She sought a sense of community and sanctuary to get herself and her life together.
As a result, she was a genuine and relatable character, someone easy to connect to and understand because, despite her choices leading her down this dark path, you could sympathize with her and them.
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Even when she folded faster than a card table after Game Night (seriously, their sexual relationship happened so quickly, my tea didn’t finish steeping), it never once crossed one’s mind to call out her naivete.
Sure, she got lost in those crystal baby blues, and that jawline that could cut glass, but Caleb filled a void outside of the steamy church romps that made baby Jesus blush.
One of the most standout scenes was Chloe opening up to the group and getting emotional.
It provided the deepest insight yet into Chloe’s emotional state, and that exact moment when her rough exterior cracked, letting viewers in was how Caleb wormed his way in, too.
You knew that things would change for Chloe at that moment, and they did.
House of Horrors and Horrific Attire
Can we talk about that awkward moment when you discover that the pastor you’re having a scandalous affair with is “married” to two other women and wants to marry you, too?
Caleb was collecting wives like Infinity Stones, and wonders will never cease over the audacity of an “ain’t sh*t man.”
Variety was the spice of life, as he somehow smoothed over getting McNasty with Margo during the retreat and convinced Chloe to join his harem.
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Baby girl should’ve done a quick Google search on the polygamy lifestyle to get an idea of what she was signing up for.
Assuredly, she would’ve politely backed out of that mess had she done so.
Admittedly, their wedding was kind of cute with all that handholding with the wives as the First Wife “married” them.
And Chloe looked gorgeous.
Hell, even the picture they all took together was precious.
But she jumped feet first into a House of Horrors with no idea that she was signing up for a twisted wife hierarchy situation, frumpy clothes, housework, and taking care of the communal baby.
And that’s not even including Caleb’s controlling nature reeling its ugly head with the mind games he played with sexytime, pitting the women against each other, and, you know, the horrendously abusive nature.
It’s safe to say God did NOT sanction this foolishness.
I’m pretty sure God’s line is busy whenever Caleb calls, and Caleb simply takes liberties upon himself.
Chloe’s age shone through most once she got into that house and rebelled against everything like a teenager, regardless of the consequences.
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But that’s essentially what saved her, and I was delighted that she never lost that fighting spirit and that youthful quality to question and push against everything unapologetically.
The strength and courage she exuded kept her from submitting and ever accepting this as her new normal.
Pour One Out for Margo
Ashley Dulaney was a delight as Margo.
She succeeded in making this woman so likable and sweet that her death was utterly devastating.
The most endearing moments and displays of sisterhood (minus that yucky sister-wife stuff) were between Chloe and Margo.
You sensed that Margo was filled with excitement that she had someone in that house with her so she wasn’t so isolated and alone, but she was also terrified for Chloe.
Margo didn’t wish that situation on her worst enemy, and what kept her trapped with Caleb and Anna was Maizy.
She also feared she had nowhere else to go because of her troubled past.
If only she could accept that her mother would’ve happily welcomed her back with open arms much sooner.
As the two youngest brought into this disturbing marriage, Margo and Chloe connected over their backgrounds and feeling trapped, but for a bit, they at least had one another.
You could tell that Margo was losing her spirit before Chloe got there, like a wild horse broken and finally tamed.
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However, Chloe brought that spark back in her, and eventually, she was willing to challenge Caleb as well.
A culmination of issues seemed to brew regarding Margo.
Overhearing Caleb’s view of their daughter’s future was certainly the last straw for Margo, but having to listen to Chloe getting abused and seeing another young woman enduring what she had to was a driving force for her.
It was interesting how, through Chloe, she saw that this woman didn’t deserve the situation they were in, and through that, she was slowly realizing that neither did she.
Of course, her tumultuous relationship with Anna was likely another factor.
The film did a great job of subtly pushing Anna as a red herring suspect in Margo’s disappearance and murder.
Pretty People Get Away with Murder (Except This Time)
It was an off element of the film despite all the grace and conflict that Ashley Williams brought to Anna.
Unlike Chloe and Margo, Anna didn’t feel like a fully-fledged character.
They were angling for Serena Joy from The Handmaid’s Tale, but it didn’t quite click.
The thought process was to show the complexities of how women like Anna can be victims and complicit enablers.
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But very little was compelling about how Anna came across as a brainwashed, dutiful wife for most of the film and then came through clutch in the end “because plot.”
Her excitement over the prospect of a new baby was illuminating, if not predictable.
But nothing else about the character resonated, including why she chose to save Chloe over obeying her husband.
She went from the First Wife solid in her faith in God and her husband and seemingly a willful participant may be in it for producing children, to rattled and his undoing.
But it could have translated better with a little insight into her mind.
Nevertheless, Ashley Williams is so endearing as the romantic lead in our favorite fluffy films that it was nice to see her play someone more buttoned up and disturbingly flawed.
Maybe after burying the second wife, whom she barely seemed interested in, and seeing that her husband had gotten increasingly more violent was all it took to knock some sense in her (insensitive pun unintended).
Nevertheless, it was a relief to see that this particular abusive polygamist who danced with the devil got his just deserts.
I guess Caleb wasn’t God’s favorite after all.
Sister Wife Murder certainly wasn’t my absolute favorite in Lifetime’s extensive Ripped From the Headlines repertoire.
Still, it was enjoyable, with a solid (and ridiculously beautiful) cast and an understated tone.
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But now I’m curious about your thoughts, TV Fanatics.
Hit those comments below and let us know if you tuned in, what your thoughts are, and so much more!