The Undoing is a psychological thriller miniseries based on the 2014 novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz. The series is written by David E. Kelley, directed by Susanne Bier and stars Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Noah Jupe and Lily Rabe. The Undoing episode 5 is directed by Susanne Bier.
The Undoing episode 5 recap
The Undoing episode 5 mostly takes place in the courtroom, with Haley going full force to break down the prosecutor’s case. She tries to sow the seeds of doubt in the jury’s head, and it’s great to see. I love Haley’s character because she is full of wit, focus and smartness. Not one moment does she falter, and she also never missteps. It’s like she has already thought of every possible outcome beforehand. You might expect courtroom scenes to be boring or slow, but that’s not the case with this episode. It’s a delight to watch, and you wait with bated breath to figure out what’s going to happen next.
Haley makes a strong case, and at some point, you, the viewer, is also forced to question whether Jonathan really did it or not. Were the police thorough in their investigation? Did they actually question everyone? Were they too focused on Jonathan to make objective decisions? It’s a treat to watch it unfold. However, if you’re expecting a quick answer, you’re in for a disappointment.
The ending scene of The Undoing episode 5 is shocking and makes you question everything that has taken place before this. Without spoiling anything, the murder weapon is discovered at the most unexpected of places, after which the scene cuts o black and we see the end credits. This little (ok, huge) revelation is excruciating because it throws out all possible suspects in the case. Or is it someone else’s deeds? Is there a major framing involved? We’ll have to wait and watch.
The Undoing episode 5 also has Grace getting to know horrifying things about Jonathan. I think we have established quite well that he is a compulsive liar who will do anything to get sympathy. That plays well here when Jonathan reveals a truth to Grace, who then gets to know the nitty-gritties of the situation from his mother. It doesn’t shock you, because you expect something horrifying from Jonathan, but it contextualises his lies and gives you more reason to doubt him.
Some of the scenes from The Undoing episode 5 reminded me of The Third Day. No, not due to its content, but due to how it was shot. Those “fevered dream” aspects are back here, with people thinking about their pasts coming back in beautiful, dream-like flashes. Honestly, it’s so great watching this series – not just because of the script, which is great, but also because it was shot beautifully.
However, I have one problem here. When Jonathan divulges his secret to Grace about his “family dog”, Grace reacts with sympathy towards her husband, in spite of knowing that he is, at this very moment, a murder suspect. In another scene, Jonathan questions Grace’s whereabouts on the night of the murder, but she still stays with him and doesn’t find this alarming! I don’t understand why she would take these things so lightly and be okay with her husband’s infidelity. Either it’s very stupid, or Jonathan is an excellent manipulator.
Also, quick question, why did Grace think that it was a good idea to tell Sylvia her husband’s biggest secret? She knows that Sylvia is friends with the prosecutor. Does this play into the story somehow?
So, the next episode, being the last, will hopefully shine some light on who did this and why and will contextualise everything that we have seen so far. It’s tense and tight, and hopefully, it leaves us all on a high note.
The Undoing episode 5 is streaming on HBO Max and Disney+ Hotstar.
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