Spoilers ahead for The Sinner Season 3. While Jamie Burns has dabbled in deadly games before, he revealed himself to be a full-blown murderer in The Sinner Season 3 Episode 5. So far, we know that Jamie's college buddy Nick heavily influenced Jamie's unorthodox philosophy on life and they were both fascinated with the Übermensch. But there are still so many unanswered questions.
With three episodes left in the season, Matt Bomer's Jamie is unlike any of the previous leads. While Cora and Julian had only murdered due to past trauma, Jamie has seemingly killed someone completely unconnected and not responsible for any pain he experienced earlier in his life. That means this season may not end like past ones and that makes it more difficult to predict what will happen in The Sinner Season 3. One thing is for certain: Jamie will likely only get darker and deadlier as the season comes to an end.
Here are some theories as to how that happens.
Jamie Will Kill Again
As he was being forced into modified duty, Detective Harry Ambrose claimed that Jamie will kill again. While Bill Pullman's character has made many mistakes this season, he does seem right about this. Nick had wanted Jamie to experience killing someone because he believed murder allows them to reach "freedom on the other side." Jamie passively allowed Nick to die (at Nick's urging), but he became a murderer in earnest with the guy at the Brooklyn party. With his wife Leela kicking him out of the house, Jamie is on his own and very likely to commit murder again. The bigger question is who will be Jamie's next victim.
Jamie Is Trying To Make Harry A Convert
Without Nick, Jamie doesn't have a partner in crime. Jamie has an affinity to Harry, so he might be looking to make Harry join him in his games of deadly chance. Like with Cora and Julian, Harry is too emotionally invested in Jamie's case and he seems vulnerable to Jamie's manipulation. If Harry ends up being forced into early retirement, maybe Harry would be low enough to consider putting Jamie's philosophies into action. After all, Jamie goaded Harry into hitting him in the final scene of Episode 5 and then happily proclaimed, "Harry Ambrose just showed up. It's about time."
But for people who prefer Pullman when he portrays a good guy, take comfort knowing that Harry's unwavering dedication to justice is the one constant of The Sinner, so Harry probably won't completely fall under Jamie's spell.
Jamie Will Unintentionally Hurt Harry's Grandchild
Jamie took offense at Harry believing that he could hurt Harry's grandson Eli. But what if Jamie being involved in Ambrose's life leads to Eli unintentionally getting hurt, or even killed? That would certainly cause Harry to snap and he would be more tempted than ever to hurt Jamie.
Sonya Will Join In On Jamie's Philosophy
Rather than Harry go down Jamie's dark path, maybe it will be his love interest Sonya who gets invested in the Übermensch. The artist initially was concerned that Nick and Jamie dug a grave on her property, but her secret photographs of Jamie imply that she's slightly intrigued by him. She told Harry how the car accident on her property makes her feel like, "I can't seem to get any control back" — so maybe Jamie's philosophies will speak to her.
Leela Isn't As Innocent As She Seems
One of the main victims of Jamie's behavior is his wife Leela, who just gave birth to their son as Jamie decided to start murdering people. But Jamie referred to something happening between them two years ago and in the Episode 6 trailer, Sonya wonders, "Can you imagine waking up after all these years not knowing who your husband is?" What if Leela is more aware of who the real Jamie is behind his suburban dad, prep school teacher facade and has something to do with his recent shift?
Jamie Will Kill Soto
With Harry on modified duty, it might be up to Harry's fellow detective Vic Soto to solve the case against Jamie. Some fans on Reddit are suspicious of Soto, but it's possible he could become Jamie's next victim if he starts getting more involved now that Harry is off the case. Pictures for Episode 6 show Jamie getting confrontational with Soto, so it's certainly an option.
Jamie Will Die In One His Stunts
Unlike Cora and Julian, Jamie is a far harder character to sympathize with. It doesn't seem like he'll be redeemed by the season's end and instead, he might not meet his fate in a courtroom. Nick had told him, "You have to look death in the face," so that could be foreshadowing that Jamie will die. His ego is only growing and if Jamie continues to do death tricks because of his fascination with the Übermensch, his own death seems more and more inevitable ... especially if he and Nick used to participate in burying each other alive.
Nick Is The Real "Sinner"
This theory comes courtesy of MuhHomieMahomes on Reddit, who wondered if Chris Messina's Nick fills the titular "sinner" role for Season 3. Perhaps Nick experienced some trauma in his past that the audience doesn't know about yet (since we don't know much at all about him) and Jamie was the real ringleader of their experiments. That would certainly be a departure from any of the other Sinner endings, but Jamie Burns and his motivations have already brought this season into unchartered territory.
