The Undoing Finale Has Divided the Internet

Warning:  Major spoilers ahead. Don’t read further unless you’ve seen the series finale of The Undoing. 

It seemed like the entire internet watched the series finale of HBO’s The Undoing on Sunday, November 29. For those unfamiliar with the show, it centers on a New York City therapist named Grace (Nicole Kidman), whose husband, Jonathan (Hugh Grant), is accused of murdering a woman named Elena Alves (Matilda De Angelis). As the show unfolded, we learned Jonathan had an affair with Elena and was the father of her newborn baby. But he contested up and down that he was not her killer, despite his tangled relationship with her.

So naturally the internet jumped into theorizing mode to figure out who Elena’s killer really was. Did Grace actually know about the affair and murder Elena out of rage? Was it their young son, Henry (Noah Jupe), who hid the murder weapon in his violin case? Or was it a wildcard, like Grace’s chic, very-together lawyer friend Sylvia (played by Lily Rabe)?

Well, it was none of those people. The killer turned out to be—drum roll, please!—Jonathan. Yes, that’s right. The murderer was exactly who we expected it to be. No twists, no turns—just impeccable acting, great coats, and lots of heavy breathing from Nicole Kidman.

The lack of “gotcha” in the finale upset some viewers, who labeled it “disappointing.” Some even said it “sucked.”

But there were many who enjoyed it. “I’m shocked that some of y’all didn’t love The Undoing finale,” one person tweeted. “That was one of the most exhilarating hours of television I’ve seen in years! Not every show has to be Lost/Westworld with a mad libs of twists.”

This is a good point. What The Undoing lacked in a jaw-dropping twist it more than made up for in perfectly layered tension. Kidman’s character taking the stand to “advocate” for Jonathan but actually shining a light on his sociopathic behavior was a thrill in itself. 

Whether you loved or hated The Undoing, it was certainly fun to watch something in real time as a collective. I miss event TV! 

Originally Appeared on Glamour