Everyone watching the season finale of The Undoing on Binge yesterday – and throughout the season – had one question: who tf killed Elena Alves? And it was answered very neatly and gruesomely, so we can all move on with our lives.
Before I get into this, I need to be clear so that no one gets riled up in my mentions. This is spoiler central. Every spoiler is here. Consider The Undoing spoiled. Go away if you’re not into that.
The episode five cliffhanger put Henry Fraser, son of Jonathan, the accused, and Grace, our Nicole, at the centre of the mystery, when his mum found the murder weapon concealed in his violin case. SHOCKING. But any theory about Henry’s culpability was quickly put to rest, as the adults, bar Jonathan, accepted Henry’s ‘I wanted to protect Dad’ explanation. Jonathan, increasingly desperate to stay out of jail, questioned what his son might be capable of.
Instead, the episode focused on the events of the trial, and whether Grace truly believed in her husband’s innocence, as no other convincing suspects had been uncovered.
Would she try to protect her husband and keep him in her child’s life? Or would she tell the truth in the hopes of protecting Henry from a man branded by his own mother as a “sociopath”?
Grace insisted on getting on the stand, where, after talking about her husband’s capacity for empathy, she revealed that his own mother had told her that he had shown no guilt or grief when, in his teens, his four-year-old sister died under his care.
The answer was right there all along – of course Jonathan was the killer. The boyfriend is always the killer. (On a serious note: in Australia, on average, one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner.)
The reality of the situation was confirmed not when Jonathan was convicted, but when he tried to flee with his son on the final day of the trial. What is a TV drama without an intense police chase? Big budgets equals helicopters, baby!
And while the twists and turns of The Undoing led to an obvious conclusion, fans online were gripped for the entire ride, positing outlandish theories about the killer every episode and admiring Nicole Kidman’s lush coats.
Sure, it wasn’t a perfect TV drama, but Hugh Grant was there in his new mid-life role as a charismatic TV villain (see: A Very English Scandal) and Nicole was back on the prestige TV drama train after Big Little Lies. Throw in Donald Sutherland as Grace’s dad and hot cop Édgar Ramírez and you’ve got a viral show.
Fans weren’t disappointed that The Undoing‘s big reveal wasn’t really a reveal at all and apologised for j’accusing basically everyone but Jonathan. That’s how charming Hugh Grant is.
Hugh Grant out here murdering his cancer patient’s mom whom he has a baby with from an adulterous relationship, while blaming his own child for murdering her and ruining countless lives at every turn and I’m like….#TheUndoing pic.twitter.com/PdRSdLWxi9
— Matt Skiles (@MattSkiles2) November 30, 2020
Sylvia told us in the first episode and I still blamed her. #TheUndoing #TheUndoingHBO pic.twitter.com/NARmFyirkp
— CP (@gymmomoftwo) November 30, 2020
Not gonna lie, I even thought I could have done it for a sec #TheUndoing pic.twitter.com/BgNvXq25rk
— Gervis Cash (@gerrrrv) November 30, 2020
they told us who the killer was day one and we were all out here like this blaming everyone and the extras. i cannot ???????????????????????? #TheUndoing pic.twitter.com/YCdu9DOjBb
— max rockatansky (@finnsrvy) November 30, 2020
Fucking bravo to #TheUndoing for the most obvious finale that wasn’t obvious at all. What a ride. pic.twitter.com/NqIE12mIq6
— caitlen with an e (@hakenbox) November 30, 2020
All of us realizing that we were right and it was Jonathan #TheUndoing pic.twitter.com/ZVwhHcTjEH
— Alexa (@Carrieee01) November 30, 2020
The plot twist is there is no plot twist! #TheUndoing pic.twitter.com/9UjgykBaPu
— KATHY (@kathydantzler) November 30, 2020
not me creating like 8 different theories for the undoing and none of them being right………….. #TheUndoing
— may queen (@sarahburhans_) November 30, 2020
Me: Blaming every single character all week
Also me: I KNEW IT WAS HIM!!!!!!!!#TheUndoingHBO #TheUndoing pic.twitter.com/DDbGnSuXMJ— Dani Ruff (@daniruff11) November 30, 2020
I actually didn’t mind the ending. Just mad my girl gonna have an L on her record ???? #TheUndoing pic.twitter.com/sGfs2ElQvH
— Stan Zbornak (@Trey4rd) November 30, 2020
My apologies to Sylvia, Mendoza, Henry, Grandpa, the Headmaster, that one mom in the cream coat, the kids in the park, the door man, juror # 6, etc, whom all were suspects in my head the past 6 weeks. My bad. #TheUndoing
— A Marie (@AcquiescentNoMo) November 30, 2020
HBO: The killer is Jonathan.
Me: Yeah, but what about –
HBO: No seriously, it‘s Jonathan.
Me: Ok, but Grace’s dad…or Sylvia…
HBO: It was Jonathan.Me finding out it was actually Jonathan:#TheUndoing pic.twitter.com/5zp0iSI2z8
— Alanna Golloher (@alannagolloher) November 30, 2020
I don’t even want to hear people complaining about that ending cause I didn’t see anybody fucking predicting that. That’s all I’ll say. I liked it. #TheUndoing
— Ria (@BarstoolRia) November 30, 2020
I owe every character an apology ???? #TheUndoing pic.twitter.com/Wn5J3cBczx
— diva (@cloudyremedy) November 30, 2020
I mean I had all types of theories brewing lmao even the baby was a suspect. #TheUndoing pic.twitter.com/Zvo3vWffba
— TBJ⚜️ (@_babytayy2) November 30, 2020
You can catch up on all of The Undoing on Binge.
