The Undoing S01E06 completes the HBO mini-series based on the novel You Should Have Known. Unfortunately, the series finale only confirms what I had suspected from episode 4 onwards – that The Undoing is a poorly conceived, badly written TV series.
[SPOILERS]
Which is disappointing to say the least. The Undoing S01E06 never quite fulfilled the promise that the previous episode ended on and instead continued on its boring predictable path. Ultimately, there is no tension, no conflict and no twist. The Undoing is exactly as it seems – the killer is the person revealed from the very beginning – Jonathan Fraser (Hugh Grant).
So what was the point of The Undoing then? If Jonathan was the killer all along and his wife Grace (Nicole Kidman) never believed that he was innocent, then why support him throughout the trial etc etc etc? This makes no sense whatsoever! In the end, Grace proves to be Jonathan’s undoing (ho hum) as she sabotages his case in court and thereby ensuring that he is convicted.
When you consider the talent behind The Undoing, it seemed natural to assume that the series was worth watching. Apart from the pedigree of Kidman and Grant, The Undoing also had the award-winning director Suzanne Bier (Bird Box, Night Manager) and top TV writer-producer David E. Kelley in their corner. So what went wrong?
Well, the main problem was that the series focused on all the wrong elements of the novel. In the novel, the story revolves around how Grace picks up the pieces of her life after the murder but The Undoing tries to create a mystery around the identity of the killer – this is absent from the novel completely.
It is this false narrative that causes the series to take liberties with characterisation and plot, not to mention simple logic. Both Grace and Jonathan express wild incompatible changes in character during the course of the series. Thus, the focal point of the series shifts between the two characters when it should rely have concentrated on Grace like in the novel.
The Undoing S01E06 is probably one of the worst series endings I have ever come across. The viewer is left with an empty sensation at its denouement with only one conclusion to reach – what a waste of time! Avoid at all cost!!
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