It starts out better than average. Reminiscent of an east coast sequel to Pretty Little Lies. We are offered a peak into world inhabited mostly by the wealthy and pampered, but who beneath a thin veneer of faux happiness mostly appear jaded, cynical or otherwise miserable. Some initial good writing and a strong performance by Hugh Grant draws you in for the first few episodes. Part of what makes it compelling is the uncertainty of the motives of those involved, but around the middle of the series, the ambiguity and twists begin to feel like manipulation. A clear example is Nicole Kidman's character. Throughout the series she seems remote and wooden. At the beginning we are led to believe there is more to her than meets the eye. However, we learn she isn't so much a real character but just a tool to create suspense. Moreover, there a number of scenes that appear weighty but prove to be filler. I understand the potential for the idea that the lack of twist is the twist, and we are sucked into wanting to believe just like Kidman's character. But there just wasn't enough of substance here to fill a series. And then there is the car chase at the end....well enough said
Add a Review
-
zeetgyst16 January 2021
-
dilloncamp30 January 2021This show stared off great. Complex characters, twisty intense plot, but in the end it was all for nothing. When the final episode comes around all the suspense and twists were for NOTHING! The husband being the actual murderer was way to obvious from the beginning, which is why the show was good. Each episode had you thinking "okay this is HBO it can't be that simple in the end", but it was. The fact that the answer was obvious the whole time made every complex relationship, every plot twist, every dark secret POINTLESS. In the end, after it's all revealed, you honestly feel robbed of your time. This should have been the next Big Little Lies, but oh it was so far from that perfection.
-
Really enjoyed the series thought Hugh Grant's performance was fantastic but so disappointed in the ending and some of the stuff that happened in the last 10 minutes. Was totally hoping for a twist but just a big anti-climax in the end. Such a shame could've been so many different scenarios that could've played out
-
Mocking_Jay30 November 2020Most viewers classify this show as a whodunnit murder mystery. But it is not. It is a psychological exploration of the self.
Based on the evidence, it was clear who committed the crime but what was lacking was whydunnit, the specific motive. And this is why there were so many speculations about possible suspects, when in fact, one person is on trial. So the question is: is he guilty or not? The real question is actually: why would you acquit him. And this shows how the process of doubt and people's perceptual biases work. The more you think about it, the more complex and even unrealistic solutions come to mind. Is the straightforward explanation not believable, is it too obvious? People seem to think that their first instinct is wrong and they end up unknowing/overlooking what they should have all along. It is one thing to be inquisitive but another to see what you want to see. And most wanted to see someone else commiting the crime. Why? -
masonjud-834-70522412 November 2020At the end of the most recent episode, "Do No Harm", police show Kidman camera footage of her near the crime scene on the night of the murder. She says, "So I was out for a walk, I talk walks, I didn't even know where she lived." Actually, the murdered woman mentioned to Kidman at the auction party that she lived in Harlem. Kidman doesn't live in Harlem, so why would she be caught walking there?
-
It started out with a very strong screenplay. It had intelligent dialogue. The acting performances were all very good. Unfortunately, Fernando Alves character wasn't developed. The show remain strong until ep5. Ep5 and ep6 direction did not impressed me as well as the first four episodes.
I am not sure what the point was with Sylvia Steineitz or Miguel Alves. I'm not putting down the show, but I felt the climax could have been taken in a different direction. It is certainly better than many of the other TV shows running on streaming platforms. -
umamahesvare1 December 2020Sorry for my English, I come from non english speaking country.
When someone looks guilty-he/she frequently is. I liked the ending....it is simple, obvious but in life it often is. The series shows how we often try to find complex answers and put things on a higher lever, when they are often more simple. I agree that many things were not explained, but I dont mind thar so much. The feeling of unsertainty and swiching to another suspect in every episode was interestig journey for me. Im surprised when I see so many dissapointed reviews. What did you want-Henry to be a killer? I think Johnatan being the murderer is somehow unexpected, he was in some way the only one we didnt suspect from episode 2.
What I like the most about the author of the series in capability to creat such atmosphere of hollowness in wealthy and perfect life. From the episode 1, we see the perfect family, but somehing is off...we can feel it.
I dont know...for me the series is good. Not the best I saw, but still pretty good. The cast is also amazing, and so is camera, light, music(so and so), editing...
I would recommend it, definitelly -
nicholasdaniel-802065 December 2020Off-topic: This is my first review on IMDb - I'm certainly not a cinephile but I think I can recognize something wrong when I see it.
Specifically, this series plays some tricks in the course of its episodes that I did not enjoyed at all. I felt led in certain directions only to be misleaded, plot paths whose only aim was to "stretch the soup". I did not feel respected as a viewer. Perhaps these words may seem a bit drastic... but the closed paths the plot takes you to are too many that it is impossible to ignore them.
1) First of all, Johnathan's guilt was already clear to the aware viewer starting from the second / third episode: in fact, Johnathan's "business trip" had been scheduled for a few days (we learn about it during the first episode). However, he says he ran away the day after the murder because he was afraid of the situation that would inevitably put him in an uncomfortable position. It is therefore clear that the murder was premeditated but... No character, ever, emphasizes this fact. For me it is just unbelievable, such neglect disturbed me up to the last episode.
2) For several episodes we are led to believe that Grace is the killer. The agents even name a series of phone calls that Grace would have received from Elena, phone calls that take place off-camera and initially make us believe in a surprise epilogue in which it turns out that Grace and Elena knew each other much more deeply than presented during the first episodes ... epilogue that obviously will not come. Those phone calls are no longer brought up. That's not sidetracking to me, It's just a pointless waste of screentime.
3) During Johnathan's TV interview, he says he knows who the culprit is. Cliffhanger. We await the next episode to know the answer, most of us are expecting a twist where he says he thinks it was Grace. Twist that does not arrive. Later, and with much less emphasis, we learn that Johnathan's suspect is Elena's husband. Groundbreaking.
4) At some point in the series, for no reason, we see Grace's father secretly going to spy on Mr Alves. We are therefore led to believe that Mr Reinhardt is up to something, but this suspicion turns out to be meaningless and another dead-end plot path.
5) When Haley talks to Johnathan in prison we are introduced to the idea that there is a second woman in Johnathan's past. The subsequent events of the series (at least to me) led me to believe that it could be Grace's best friend, Sylvia, who is introduced to us right away as one of the main characters (we know that she gave some advice to Johnathan regarding his dismissal). Unfortunately, aside from her small role in the epilogue, it seems Sylvia's job is to be ambiguous and carelessly answer Grace's phone calls.
I think that's all... I might have missed something though.
On a positive note, the series had a great photography and the acting was excellent from almost everyone. Sutherland and Grant especially were amazing. Kidman was great too, but at times she seemed a little confused on how to portrait herself: I think this was intentional, or maybe she wasn't sure either about the involvement of her character on the murder.
Lastly, let me just say that I don't demand a thriller series to be immediate or explicit: I'm fine with plot tricks to sidetrack the viewer, I just don't like it when I feel like the plot is treating me like I'm dumb.
My verdict: Not great nor bad. Some major plot holes. Definitively entertaining if you turn off your brain and just enjoy the suspence. -
marijanikolic-1176725 February 2021I really loved first five episodes. Grant, Jupe and Sutherland gave us great performances, Kidman did well. Some characters were useless or barely used, such a shame. Last episode seemed like classic Hollywood story. Ending had to be better. You should watch it. In the end it is a pretty good psychological thriller.
-
tonybjo16 January 2021It was a captivating story that keeps the viewer interested throughout although with some clichée anti-climactic cliffhangers but generally pretty good. The acting is also pretty good for the most part although Kidman's facial surgeries seem to be somewhat detrimental to her acting. Hugh Grant did a good job in a more difficult role than he's used to, and the kid was impressive too. The problem really shows up in the end. When the explanation finally comes in the last episode it just feels lack-lustre and too simple. All that intrigue only for it to end with the easy way out. I had hoped that it would turn out that Grace's friend was the killer because that could have been both an interesting twist and be explained logically. Sadly it just ignored several episodes of build-up and hints and in the end it wasn't even believable. I highly doubt that a man can not show any hint of psychological trauma, visible for a psychiatrist wife to see, throughout a marriage of 14 years. The ending knocked the rating down from a 7 or 8, down to a 6 at best. I feel like the actors themselves should've complained at the final episode's plot, disappointing..
-
gabriella-712317 December 2020This is a message to the actresses, mostly studios, agents and whoever else who put the pressure on women to look perfect. On high definition TVs the evidence of injection fillers in the face, botox and mini-facelifts are distracting from the story and making it difficult for the viewer to believe in the character, the whole time is spent analyzing what's strange about the actress's face. Apart from that I recommend the series. Intriguing.
-
southdavid2 June 2021Better late than never, this Bank Holiday weekend I finally found the time to catch up with "The Undoing", another of 2020's zeitgeist shows that I missed at the time. I don't think I've got any grand new perspective to offer here, I found it a well-acted drama, with a couple of interesting twists, but with an ending that I found a little underwhelming.
The life of privilege that Grace Fraser (Nicole Kidman) enjoys begins to unravel when her husband Jonathan (Hugh Grant) is accused of murder. The victim is Elena Alves (Matilda De Angelis) an artist, whose son attends the same school as the Frasers son, Henry (Noah Jupe). Grace learns that Jonathan has been hiding aspects of his life from her for years, not least that he and Elena have been having an affair.
So what did I really think? I thought that it was reasonably enjoyable. I liked the fact that the episodes often ended on cliff-hangers, or with potentially major reveals, however, they were a little less effective than they might be, given that I watched the whole series over a couple of days. The performances were reasonably good. Hugh Grant's recent renaissance continues with his turn as a the duplicitous but generally engaging Jonathan. I would, perhaps, like to see Nicole Kidman show a bit more range again, as this is another rich, wife, victim role straight after "Big Little Lies". Edgar Ramirez is a little wasted in a generic detective role. Donald Sutherland, perhaps like Nicole, could do with playing something other than rich, emotionally distant roles for a while. Nobody noticeable lets the side down though.
I was with the plot until then end. This is hard to talk about without spoilers and the show is really one big reveal of who killed Elena. . . But I'll say this, I don't think that the reveals on the final day of the court case would have been as damning as they are made out to be. Nor did I find the events of the last few scenes to be as interesting or satisfactory a conclusion as I hoped.
It's all fine, don't get me wrong, a good enough story elevated by some star power - it just didn't merit the hype it had at the time. -
shanayneigh5 November 2021It started out very good, the first half is great and there is an intriguing mystery. But it soon starts to fall apart. The trial is so over the top and written with less finesse than a bargain basement Law and Order episode with people shouting and overacting, especially by the woman playing the defense attorney. The end is a dud and a complete cop out with one of the main characters suddenly becoming a maniac without any buildup.
The acting is generally fine, with two exceptions: Edgar Ramirez and the boy playing son (who wasn't very good in the A Quiet Place movies either). Every moment with them on screen is painful.
There is potentially a great two hour movie here, but telling this fairly simple story in six hours was excessive.
What a wasted opportunity. -
dayana42110 November 2020So much garbage out there, but The Undoing in quality. Well made , well acted and a gripping story line. We need more quality shows like this HBO.
-
vickibaker-111 November 2020Well for all those reviews labelling this show 'boring', I disagree. This series is for those who like to use their little grey cells to solve the mystery themselves. It is not 'spoonfed' to the audience. My husband and I rewatched the first three episodes last night to see if we missed clues. As for the reviews not reviewing the show but commenting nastily on Nicole's face: I, personally, see no signs of work done (she has admitted to having tried Botox, but (like me) decided it was not for her. She is a very intelligent actress playing a specific character. It's almost like the naysaying reviewers have forgotten that acting is pretend... It is a very talented cast. The young lad playing Nicole and Hugh's son is on track to a long illustrious career in acting (I hope).
-
lanzinisimone13 January 2021"Much Ado About Nothing" Great cast, compelling storyline, poor final episode.
-
brucecarter-503953 December 2020The Undoing has shown at last that Hugh Grant is not a one trick pony . He shed his English foppish acting style and turned in a really good performance .Helped by a strong cast ,it made compelling viewing. I hope Hugh continues down this path . The Undoing is well worth binge watching . Enjoy Bruce
-
edwardocarty3 November 2020What a great show with some fantastic twists already and superstar acting. However following Nicole Kidmans most recent unnecessary self imposed changes to her face it makes it difficult to know is she acting , is she sad , happy , frightened .... otherwise very good show
-
lucidskyline19 November 2020This is a "Oh my God, don't say I have to wait a week until the next episode" kind of show. Great thriller. Great acting by Kidman, Grant and Sutherland. Well worth setting aside an evening just to watch.
-
flynnflon11 December 2020It's usually because of the writing.
In this case, it's the performances that drag this down, for me.
The Good:
Six episodes aren't a huge investment. There are great performances from secondary characters. Donald Sutherland!!! Hugh Grant is very good, in this
The Bad:
Nicole Kidman. From the theme song, to her strange acting choices (body language, vocal cadence, etc), I wish someone else was cast in the role.
The Son. I'll blame the director here, because this young actor seems to perform in ways that were woefully unconvincing.
The Detectives. Again, from the start, the choices made for the actual performances are strange, and often nonsensical.
The Finale. It's a letdown, for sure, Not much more to be said.
But perhaps the worst part of this limited series, is that for 5.5 episodes, it kept me mildly interested in seeing the story reach its conclusion. And when it finally did, I legitimately felt an annoyance that I had wasted my time.
Another commenter used the Law and Order analogy, and that's pretty accurate. Outside of the brief nudity and language (and obviously the A-List cast), it really comes off like your average L and O episode-only with that show, it's just a 60 minute time investment.
Perhaps this might have made a better 2 hour movie. -
jaimemedina-3628823 November 2020I'm on the 5th episode now. I had been wanting to review at the end but had to write my thoughts.
This is such good television. Every one is on the edge from Kidman, to Grant, and Sutherland and the preternaturally gifted Noah Jupe. I've never seen a better performance from Hugh Grant.
The story winds around the secrets that unravel slowly, deliberately. The tension is real and unflinchingly. But the writing is the true star here. Kelley certainly knows how to put a series together, but this feels like new ground for him. He does a great job of keeping everyone guessing.
I don't know who did it. I have my suspicions. It sure is fun watching them play out! -
krassimirbanchev-4834230 November 2020Looked like a twist at the end... it wasn't. Really disliked Nicole Kidman's acting, thats usual however, can't really say I'm disappointed with her though- can't get disappointed if you don't expect anything at the end.. Hugh was great. Storyline was great until the end - last episode ruined it...
-
mps-0997730 November 2020I thought this was good up until the last bit of it. The ending was boring. No real twist or anything. The way it built up I was expecting some crazy twist, and was very disappointed that it ended without one. Just a "yeah, he did it." Also, just as a side note, the kid hides the murder weapon, cleans all the evidence off of it because he didn't want his dad to get in trouble, but then all of a sudden he's shocked to find out his dad killed someone?
-
Best show I've watched in quite some time. If you enjoyed Big Little Lies, you'll likely enjoy this too. The Undoing definitely keeps you guessing. Although many of us have been spoiled by full-season releases on streaming services, waiting a week for the next episode helped build suspense and allowed time to discuss theories with friends during covid lol. It's comical that many of these "bad" reviews seem to focus primarily on changes to Nicole Kidman's face (??) or claim to have disliked it but go on to spend even more of their precious time writing an essay-length review. I think some of these are either fake or written by people who should just relax and enjoy it for what it is - a purely fictional tv show for entertainment purposes. Perhaps those who need everything to be "realistic" should stick to factual biographies &/or dry documentaries.
-
rlwaldr1 December 2020Who was the other girl that Hugh Grant had an affair with? They mentioned this in passing but never revealed who. I figured it was Nicole Kidman's best friend, the blonde woman.