Entertainment
Netflix's Perfect Comedy Thriller Is All About Choices And Consequences
By Robert Scucci
| Published
I wish real life were more like 2024’s Sew Torn so I could weigh the pros and cons of my actions before I actually have to make a crucial life decision. It’s been a while since I’ve watched a crime thriller that plays with a branching narrative format, allowing its protagonist to consider the consequences before finally pulling the metaphorical and literal trigger on which path she wants to take. If you grew up with those choose your own adventure books, anxiously keeping your thumb on the page where the road forks in case you run into disaster and want to turn back unscathed, Sew Torn is right up your alley. In this case, whatever unfortunate reality unfolds isn’t your fault. You’re just along for the ride.
Half the fun in watching Sew Torn is witnessing how each scenario epically backfires before the realization sets in that maybe something more deterministic is at play. Or, even more interesting to consider, maybe our hero is spending too much time and energy making a decision at the wrong fork in the road altogether, setting off a chain of events that were never meant for her in the first place.
Branching Narrative Executed To Perfection
Sew Torn thrives on its quaint small town charm, which allows the increasingly absurd events to feel grounded because they unfold in such a contained world. Barbara (Eve Connolly) is a struggling mobile seamstress who is trying her hardest to keep her late mother’s business alive, even though she has completely lost her passion for the craft. The business specializes in talking quilts made possible by sound chips sewn directly into the upholstery, functioning much like those novelty greeting cards that play a recorded message when you open them.
Barbara is an immensely talented seamstress, and there’s something beautiful about someone who is so clearly good at what they do but no longer cares about it. It’s as if she has mastered her craft out of spite, living in the apartment above her business that is decorated with crisscrossing patterns of yarn and keepsakes operated by an elaborate pulley system she navigates effortlessly.
On her way back from an appointment to fix her only client Grace’s (Caroline Goodall) wedding dress, Barbara encounters two bikers who have clearly been involved in a violent altercation that resulted in a near fatal crash. She notices a briefcase in the middle of the wreckage and immediately runs through three possible scenarios in her head: commit the perfect crime, call the police, or drive away.
After Sew Torn’s initial setup, we get three acts that play out exactly like that. We learn that committing the perfect crime is far messier than Barbara anticipated, calling the police can spiral into potential disaster, and driving away comes with its own unexpected complications. What we don’t know is how any of these scenarios will ultimately end before we hit the same crossroads again and Barbara is forced to make a final decision.
Though these three scenarios result in wildly different outcomes, we are introduced to the same core players each time. The bikers Joshua (Calum Worthy) and Beck (Thomas Douglas), the ruthless crime lord they work for named Hudson (John Lynch), and the local sheriff Ms. Engel (K. Callan). Through these interactions, we learn everyone’s motives as viewers, but Barbara’s limited perspective prevents any of the information revealed to the audience from influencing her decision making in real time.
Barbara’s Talent Is Insane
Quirky choose your own adventure framework aside, the real appeal of Sew Torn is just how absurdly talented Barbara is with her sewing kit. She’s like Mozart but with string. With a completely flat expression, her fingers work miracles as she constructs booby traps and escape methods using nothing more than spools of yarn, sewing needles, and a level of savant-like skill that only comes from begrudgingly mastering a craft to honor her mother’s wishes.
There’s real ingenuity on display as Barbara applies knowledge from the only world she knows to survive in unfamiliar and dangerous territory. I never once questioned the physics of what she pulls off in Sew Torn because Eve Connolly sells every moment with her deadpan, slightly bewildered delivery.
As the three separate stories unravel in Sew Torn, you’ll start wondering if there is even a single scenario where Barbara makes it out the other side in one piece. Half the fun is watching her try to determine whether that outcome is possible at all. The only way to find out Barbara’s fate in Sew Torn is to fire up Netflix, hit play, and let the yarn spin on its own terms.
Entertainment
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Entertainment
Big Salad’s Birthday Sale
This week only, we’re offering 20% off annual subscriptions to Big Salad, our weekly newsletter (and the #1 fashion/beauty publication on Substack). For $4/month, you will get every issue for a year — packed with fun finds, life realizations, and essays on sex, dating, love, marriage, divorce, parenting, and friendship — plus access to our deep archives.
Last Friday, I wrote about a dating realization I had that changed everything (gift link, free for all). The comments were truly incredible, and I felt really moved by the ability to share relationship (and life) highs and lows with women who really get it. We really are all in this together.
Here are a few more issues you may enjoy…
On sex, dating, relationships, and friendship:
The genius advice my therapist gave me when my marriage ended.
What it felt like to have sex for the first time post-divorce.
How do you know if it’s time to get divorced?
Four ways I’ve learned to deepen friendships.
The book that profoundly changed my friend’s sex life.
Reader question: “I want to talk dirty in bed, but I’m nervous.”
Nine habits that are making my 40s my favorite decade.
On fashion and beauty:
How to style a shirt like a Copenhagen girl.
7 things we spotted people wearing in Paris (plus, two magic Paris itineraries).
13 beauty products we always finish.
Do I get botox or filler? Readers asked, and I answered. 🙂
At age 46, I finally figured out my hair.
Gemma’s #1 drugstore beauty find.
Our 13 favorite swimsuits.
And, most of all, amazing life insights from women we love:
Ashley C. Ford on why poverty makes it hard to figure out what you like.
Anne Helen Petersen’s book-filled island cottage.
Three people share how they changed their careers. Then, three more women share!
Brooke Barker’s great conversation starter.
Hunter Harris tells us what movies and shows to watch right now.
Abbey Nova’s jaw-dropping garden makeover.
Natasha Pickowicz wants you to throw yourself a party.
My sister’s parenting hack that I can’t stop thinking about.
Alison Piepmeyer’s amazing wallpaper before-and-after photos.
15 incredible books to read.
Nine ways Kate Baer is coming out to play in her 40s.
Here’s the discount link for 20% off annual subscriptions, and here’s the Big Salad homepage, if you’d like to check it out. We would love to have you, and thank you so much for your support and readership. Joannaxo
P.S. We also offer 50 comped subscriptions per month for those who’d like to read Big Salad but aren’t in a place to pay for it at the moment. Just email newsletter@cupofjo.com to get on the list. Thank you!
Entertainment
Brûléed Yogurt? Yes, Please!
Did you know you can brûlée, like, anything? I always forget brûléeing is an option, because it’s one of those fancy cooking processes that’s too much fuss for home cooking. The thing is? It’s really not. All you need is a broiler and the courage to turn it on. (I suppose you might also need a fairly clean oven, or you’ll set off your smoke alarms — but I do that once a month anyway.) And once you’re in the swing of it, it’s truly so much fun.
“I love brûléeing the most simple things,” says our friend Jerrelle Guy, whose gorgeous cookbook, We Fancy, comes out this week. “Warm oatmeal, fresh bananas, grapefruit halves, the peanut butter on my peanut-butter toast. And whenever I brûlée my yogurt, it becomes decadent. I think of it as a no-bake crème brûlée.” For breakfast! Or whenever!
This week, we’re excited to share this fun, creamy, tangy new recipe from Jerelle’s book. True to the title, this is indeed a fancy dish, but Jerrelle is the kind of recipe writer who knows that fancy doesn’t need to be complicated (this is the woman who judged our boxed brownie taste test, after all). When she says you can do this — in less than 30 minutes, no less — you can trust her. And doesn’t a warm, citrus brûlée sound so good right now? Definitely worth braving the broiler. Let’s crack a window and do this thing.
Brûléed Lemon Yogurt With Berries
From We Fancy, by Jerrelle Guy
Serves 2-4
For the berry pico
1/2 cup blueberries and strawberries (fresh or frozen), diced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
Kosher salt
For the yogurt crème brûlée
1 cup Greek yogurt (full-fat) or labneh
Turbinado sugar or granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Make the pico: In a small bowl, combine the berries, thyme, lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Set aside to allow the berries some time to release their juices.
Make the yogurt: Divide the yogurt among four 4-ounce ramekins (or two 8-ounce ramekins), or small heat-proof bowls, and spread in a smooth, even layer. Wipe any splattered edges of the ramekins with a clean kitchen cloth. (If making ahead, you can cover the yogurt and refrigerate for up to three days, until ready to eat. You can also leave it overnight to make the yogurt firmer.)
Brûlée the yogurt: Sprinkle sugar over the tops of the yogurt in a thin, even layer. If using a broiler, set an oven rack just beneath the heating element and turn the broiler on high. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and slide under the broiler. You can also use a blow torch, moving in slow, circular motions over the yogurt. Burn the sugar until it beads, then caramelizes and melts into puddles. Remove from the oven (if using), and allow the yogurt to rest for a few minutes until the sugar hardens. Top with the pico and serve.
Note: If you want to make it even fancier, Jerrelle suggests mixing the yogurt with 2-3 tbsp of lemon curd and 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract, before transferring to the ramekins, to add a pleasant tang.
Thank you so much, Jerrelle! We love the new book!
P.S. Molly Yeh’s classic egg-in-a-hole, and seven delicious muffin recipes.
(Photos from Jerrelle Guy. Excerpted from We Fancy. Copyright © 2026 by Jerrelle Guy. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.)
See results from over 25 AI models side by side with this game-changing tool
Big Salad’s Birthday Sale
