Yahoo Finance Who is the killer in The Undoing? All the prime suspects ahead of the grand finale
Is The Undoing a simple Hugh-dunnit? Or is there more to the case…
(Sky Atlantic)Who killed Elena Alves? Since The Undoing landed on Sky Atlantic back in October, we’ve found ourselves caught up in the twists and turns of Nicole Kidman’s latest glossy melodrama (if you haven't seen any of it yet, spoilers ahead...).
Playing out like a New York spin on Big Little Lies, The Undoing charts the fallout after Elena, an outsider among the posh mums at the school gate played by Matilda de Angelis, is brutally murdered following a school fundraiser.
Before her death, she’d taken an intense interest in outlandish coat-wearer Grace Fraser (Kidman) – whose seemingly charming husband Jonathan (Hugh Grant) becomes a person of interest when he goes AWOL shortly after the murder. His affair with Elena – and the fact that she seemed on the verge of telling all to his wife – certainly gives him a motive. However, the case against him seems almost too good to be true – as does Grace. Something about her is off – and it’s not just her fondness for moss-green quilted outerwear.
Though the series is based on You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz, you won’t find any conclusive answers by flipping to the novel’s final pages – showrunner David E. Kelley has made it clear that while The Undoing’s first few episodes follow the book pretty closely, things go off piste from there.
Ahead of the show’s hotly anticipated finale, we’ve taken a look at the prime suspects...
Jonathan Fraser (Hugh Grant)
Jonathan’s surely the top suspect – but is the case so simple?
Sky Atlantic / HBOThe evidence against Jonathan, gleefully played by Grant in full on sleazy charmer mode, certainly stacks up. His grasp of basic ethics is dodgy – he was let go from his position as one of New York’s top paediatric oncologists because he was sleeping with his patient’s mum, for one thing. He’d clearly twigged that Elena was on the verge of confronting Grace about their affair, thus threatening his fancy Upper East Side life bankrolled by his cash-happy father-in-law, and clearly wanted to hush her up. He even slept with her on the night of the murder, so his DNA is all over the crime scene – although, as his whipsmart lawyer Haley Fitzgerald (Noma Dumezweni) points out, this doesn’t conclusively prove he killed her.
The red flags keep coming and coming. In episode five we learn that his four-year-old sister died in his care as a teenager – and his mother claims he felt no remorse. He’d even re-told the story to his son Henry, substituting the young girl for a dog. It all paints a chilling picture of a narcissistic man with psychopathic tendencies. And yet, it’s hard not to be at least partially persuaded by Jonathan’s much-repeated plea to his wife, asking her to see that infidelity and murder are not the same thing. Plus, we’d feel a little bit short-changed if Jonathan turned out to be the murderer: Kelley surely has a final act curveball up his sleeve.
Grace Fraser (Nicole Kidman)
What is Grace hiding?
Sky Atlantic / HBOWhy was Grace captured on CCTV camera near the scene of the crime on the night of Elena’s death? She’s shrugged off the evidence against her by claiming she just likes to take long walks through New York at night, but it seems far-fetched that anyone would be that keen on hitting their 10,000 step goal. As Jonathan’s lawyer puts it: “You happened to ground yourself by walking within footsteps of your husband’s bludgeoned-to-death lover?” Hmm.
When she discusses infidelity with her clients in an early episode, she almost sounds like she’s speaking from experience – perhaps she was already aware of Jonathan’s indiscretions before the night of the fundraiser. Her fainting episode in Central Park surely has some deeper meaning, too,
Are those scenes of Elena’s attack flashbacks, or just her imagination? Has she repressed the memories or is she just very good at playing the innocent to the cops - and to everyone else? How do you explain that rubbish oil painting of Grace in Elena’s studio? We need answers, asap.
Henry Fraser (Noah Jupe)
Is Henry as innocent as he seems?
Sky Atlantic / HBOThe cherubic Henry seemed like one of the only characters above suspicion – the poor lad just wants to get a pet dog and practice his scales and arpeggios in peace! In episode five, though, that all changed when Grace discovered the murder weapon in… wait for it… her son’s violin case. We already know from a flashback scene that Henry had spotted his father (who he adores – we know this because he has a stock image of mid-Noughties Hugh Grant by his bedside) letching over Elena outside the school gates in the weeks leading up to the crime. Angered by his dad’s betrayal, could he have struck the fatal blow? Or is he just covering up for Jonathan? Either way, he’s been obsessed with the rolling news coverage of the murder investigation.
Fernando Alves (Ismael Cruz Cordova)
Is Elena’s husband to blame?
Sky AtlanticFernando Alves, Elena’s husband, has not had a great time. His wife had an affair with Jonathan – the doctor who cared for their unwell son – and then had a secret baby with him. And then she was murdered. But did Fernando do it? He has an obvious motive. So far, trying to implicate him in the crime has been the main strategy of Jonathan’s lawyer, Hayley. But the defence has been unable to come up with any physical evidence connecting him to the scene, so the theory remains difficult for them to prove.
Sylvia Steineitz (Lily Rabe)
Sylvia is never far away from the drama
Sky Atlantic / HBOGrace’s nosy lawyer friend Sylvia is so eager to get involved in the drama that it has sparked suspicion. At first sight, she seemed like a pal who just loved the goss, even walking out of an important work meeting to have a whispery chat with Grace about Elena’s murder. But she later admitted that Jonathan had asked for her legal advice in relation to his work troubles, something which Grace knew nothing about. Jonathan’s recent confession that he’d had another affair raised eyebrows among viewers that Sylvia might be The Other Woman. Even if true, it’s difficult to understand what her motivation might be - but we’re ruling nothing out.
Franklin Reinhardt (Donald Sutherland)
The show has under-used Sutherland so far - is he the killer?
Sky AtlanticWhy would anyone cast Donald Sutherland in their TV show only to leave him moping around art galleries and playing the piano while frowning? The presence of this acting legend alone raises our suspicions that Franklin, Grace’s father, might have more to do with Elena’s murder than meets the eye. Why would he have paid for Jonathan’s bail if he really believed he did it? He’s fiercely protective of Grace, so would be unlikely to want Jonathan to have the freedom to go anywhere near her if he really suspected he was violent.
Another theory doing the rounds is that Franklin may have been having an affair with Elena himself. Given that she was an artist and he moves in powerful art world circles, the connection does seem convenient. He could have discovered she was also involved with Jonathan – who he is not the world’s biggest fan of – and been overwhelmed by fury.
The final episode of The Undoing airs on Sky Atlantic and Now TV on November 30 at 9pm
