The Undoing
By Charlotte Dekle
Source: IMDb
logline: A modern twist to a classical "whodunnit" tale, when the life of a wealthy New York therapist turns upside down after she and her family get involved with a murder case.
Source: IMDb
"This is not juggling; this is called misdirection" is the opening line to the magicians Penn & Teller's Masterclass. The purpose of Penn Jillette's juggling was to distract you from the true magic that was transpiring. This deceit came to mind while watching The Undoing on HBO Max. Except there was no magic trick unfolding; it was just duplicitous with no payoff. Although, these lies don't preclude you from enjoying this six-part miniseries. It just slightly erodes your interest in the main plot of the story. The narrative goes as follows: A therapist's life unravels after discovering that her husband might be responsible for a widespread disaster. The disaster at hand is the murder of the enigmatic 'new woman in town' Elena Alves (Matilda De Angelis). But the show does not center on Elena or her depth as a person. Instead, the show concentrates on the affluent Fraser family. The two parents (Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman) are doctors, and the son (Noah Jupe) is attending a private school. The show would rather dissect Elena's (whose child attends the private school on a scholarship) economic disparity compared to the other denizens of this elite New York private school than focus on developing her character. That contributes to the biggest flaw in the show, its depiction of Elena. Elena's existence seems to be for pure audience titillation. Her beauty and sex appeal is the driving factor behind her character. Even her demise frames her as this sumptuous woman whose beauty is corrupted by blunt force. You trek through these six episodes with a deerstalker cap and a notebook, and you've even taken up smoking—all these Holmes-ian procedures to prepare to solve the mystery at hand. If you abide by the rules of any mystery show, you know the butler couldn't have done it. It is most perplexing when you watch a story, and you solve the conundrum by the end of Episode 1. While you are presented with new evidence as each of the six episodes unfold, the conclusion dawns upon you; the butler did it. Well, the proverbial butler did. In this aesthetically pleasing version of New York City, the ratio of red herring to human is 3 to 1. If you're not a staunch mystery aficionado, a red herring is a clue that is deliberately misleading or deceitful. However, the red herrings that this show manipulates are more like a detour, an obstruction on the way to the inevitable resolution. And the conclusion coats the show with a general atmosphere of malaise that both outrages and depresses you. One of The Undoing's highlights is its saturated depiction of New York City, which seems to be the show's primary character. While watching, you wonder whether The Undoing is brilliant or dull. If you, like me, went through and suppressed the "it can't be them, that's too obvious," thought process, you may think it is the former. The reveal unveils the real climactic twist; it was the latter the whole time. Despite the harshness of what you just read, The Undoing was enjoyable. It just got a little too carried away with the juggling that it forgot about the trick.
my favorite character:
Hugh Grant as Jonathan Fraser: the performances are probably the highlight of the show. To celebrate one particular performance, Hugh Grant is the one to celebrate. While Nicole Kidman, Donald Sutherland, and Noah Jupe give worthy performances, Grant takes the cake for his portrayal of Jonathan Fraser. Utilized to perfection is Hugh Grant's bashful screen persona. If you're not familiar with a standard Hugh Grant role, it goes as follows: a charming man charms his way into his dream life. This charm takes Grant's magical performance far, elevating it from your classic (spoiler alert) villain to a much more charming and conniving psychopath.
this show is rated TV-MA. here’s why:
Violence and Gore
Sex and Nudity
Language
Frightening and Intense Scenes
my favorite part: This is less of a favorite part because this show was kind of infuriating. But these are just things I’ve noticed, this show's characters are afflicted with a rare illness known as "flashbacks to scenes you were not present for-itis." Side effects of this life-changing disorder include mid-sentence flashbacks and seeing displays with absolute clarity that you did not witness. Nicole Kidman seems to endure this malady the most. That is not to disparage Nicole Kidman's performance; she does what she can with a very one-note and uninteresting character. Also I hear this show is remarkably similar to Big Little Lies which I haven’t seen. But if you have, it’s kind of like that.
where to watch:
IMDb:
