HBO's THE UNDOING (no spoiler tags, read at your own risk)

[RiskyFlush]

A thread for us to discuss THE UNDOING (and subsequent movies/tv shows/books in this genre) without worrying about spoilers.

[wirelessgrinder]

[mosdef]

Is this show good? I have not watched it because it kind of looks cheesy.

[wirelessgrinder]

are we supposed to use spoilers in here or not? title is unclear.

[RiskyFlush]

THE DISCUSSION SO FAR

@anon10396289

Watched the first episode of The Undoing. Jesus christ, do we really need another fucking miniseries about a bunch of rich doofuses embroiled in a murder? I hate literally every character, which, kudos HBO, basically guarantees that I’ll hate-watch every single episode.

Prediction:

Hugh Grant was banging the dark-haired poor who was murdered. Nicole Kidman found out and some stuff happened and then Hugh murdered the poor. Nicole Kidman saw him do it or the aftermath and now he’s lamming it and she has traumatic amnesia. Hopefully they all go to prison.

edit: Possible Nicole murdered the victim herself, we will see

@R.C

I was intrigued a bit but on the other hand I hit my quota of dramas about rich doofuses a while back.

@grue

First 2 thirds of the undoing almost lost me but the end was pretty solid. I think I’m in as its a limited series and HBO and yeah the cast. I’m a little fearful that its going to be one of those camera is an unreliable narrator “trick shows” that almost never respect their audience. Maybe will decide after next week. How is Kidman 53?

@grue

I’m in for the rest of the undoing as there’s only 4 out of 6 left but man is it so obvious and easy to see what’s coming. I mean its a book adaptation but yeah. And what’s with the constant extra super close up shots? Especially of the 53 year old star who’s clearly had a ton of work done. ugh.

@Tilted

Binged all 3 episodes of The Undoing with the wife today. Really intriguing show for anyone needing something.

@RiskyFlush

Also just watched this. I thought it would be barely tolerable, but it’s fantastic. Watch Nicole Kidman remind us she is an amazing actress. Hugh Grant doing some excellent work too.

@LFS

I also just watched the first 3 eps of The Undoing. Kidman is good but my lord leave some Botox for the rest of the world. A fun watch for sure.

@RiskyFlush

Lol but her forehead actually emotes now. I think they are working out the kinks.

My bigger complaint is Kidman’s heavily auto-tuned voice singing the theme credits. She’s not a GREAT singer but she’s more than competent. The auto-tune makes her sound like a Stepford wife.

@Rexx

I can barely watch Kidman due to the botox. Watching her trying to talk is almost painful for me. Plus I find it sad that actresses feel as though they need to distort their looks this heavily. It’s reassuring to see wrinkles on people on tv. Don’t take that away from us.

@RiskyFlush

Most recent episode of The Undoing is LIT. Terrific cliffhanger every episode. Me and the wife are having a lot of fun trying to solve the murder week to week. I’m tempted to rewatch the episodes so far and see what might stand out.

@wirelessgrinder

I just finished first ep of The Undoing, hot damn that really picks up pace as it goes along, I’m in for more for sure, sad I gotta go to sleep now

just realized i posted in the movie thread, so posting here now.

@wirelessgrinder

Also I think Nicole Kidman looks really good IMO

@wirelessgrinder

this show is really getting me into it now, cops fucking assholes as always man wtf

@dlk9s

I was talking with my wife about her when we watched the show (we played the “how old do you think she is?” game). Kidman is objectively beautiful and clearly a great actress, but her versions of both of those have never done it for me. I’ve just never been into her.

Considering my wife is a short brunette, she enjoyed hearing that.

@goofyballer

@wirelessgrinder

this show is really getting me into it now, cops fucking assholes as always man wtf

The cops are an example of why The Undoing just really doesn’t do it for me. It’s like the entire show was written by an alien who’s come to understand the human race by watching overdramatic murder mysteries and said “yes, I get it now, this is what people are”. Why are the cops always angry and suspicious of every single person? Why does Nicole Kidman look like she’s stressed and lying to us in every scene? Why does her son look sad in every scene? Why does the dead woman’s husband always look constipated?

There’s no push and pull, the writers found one note at one frequency and are like “yes, perfect, this is the one, six hours of this please”.

@RiskyFlush

Nice. I appreciate you sharing your experience of the show.

For me, there are multiple notes and they’re all among my favorites.

1. everyone outsmarting everyone
2. unreliable narrators
3. a murder mystery
4. extreme codependence
5. the hubris and catastrophe of infidelity

And most of all is seeing people of privilege crack under pressure. Even the people who start the story innocent end up guilty by the end.

Now maybe that doesn’t do it for you, but I could consume nothing but this sort of stuff day on end.

@wirelessgrinder

@goofyballer

. Why are the cops always angry and suspicious of every single person? Why does Nicole Kidman look like she’s stressed and lying to us in every scene? Why does her son look sad in every scene?

Cops are assholes, kidman has alot to be stressed about, and her son has a lot to be sad about is what i took from it.

+1 to what Risky said

@RiskyFlush

Plus, in this kind of story…the cops could be in on it! Easiest way to convince people a suspect is guilty is to apply so much pressure that they break the law in an equally devastating manner.

@wirelessgrinder

caught up through all 4 EP of The Undoing, looking forward to the rest. Solid cliffhanger on EP4 as Risky said.

@grue

There’s absolutely no chance that the killer is not

Kidman’s blond mom friend who it wound up that Grant slept with

right?

@wirelessgrinder

Ah i guess yea that could be, didn’t she make some comments about Elena at the party like she was jealous of her and maybe make some comments about the husband prior to the murder as well?I feel like they might just drop a bunch of red herrrings “The Killing” style tho

@LFS

It’s obviously

Donald Sutherland’s housekeeper

@dlk9s

I haven’t watched Episode 4 yet so I haven’t read all your spoilers, but I just wanted to join in the conversation.

@wirelessgrinder

I read that the undoing is only six episodes???wtffffffff

@RiskyFlush

Good. And for the love of christ keep it as a contained mini-series. I am jumping ship if they announce s2.

@wirelessgrinder

Ya I didn’t open the article but when I Googled there was a headline about no season 2 confirmed at least as of yet, they kept the night of to 1 season tho, shoulda kept big little lies to 1 as well

@RiskyFlush

I am in total agreement about Big Little Lies. Having said that! Season 2 is fantastic and I’m making an exception just this once.

@wirelessgrinder

Yea I enjoyed season 2 as well, but easily coulda been kept to 1

@Rexx

The US needs to embrace the one off stand alone series instead of being money grubbing capitalist pigs trying to drain every last cent out of something.

@Trolly

Yeah, I find my self much more enjoying shows that have a contained one season story.

@Rexx

The UK is much better at doing it. They’re also better at doing shorter seasons of regular shows so the quality doesn’t dip.

@LFS

Still in mid-watch of The Undoing but:

• Many detectable accents in this episode. For a trial in Manhattan there sure are a lot of people from other countries.

• Regardless of anything else these people are terrible parents lol

• Pictured here, a production still of Nicole Kidman:

@anon10396289

lololololol they edited Toobin out of the episode but still have his voice talking about the case.

@wirelessgrinder

The undoing episode 5

@RiskyFlush

So good!!!

@LFS

IMO Episode 5 of The Undoing was:

Shark-jumpingly bad. The whole thing with Hugh Grant being responsible for his sister’s death, the call with his mom (by the way, “none of us is” and “none of us are” are both acceptable uses), the reveal that the kid saw his dad flirting at school (foreshadowing!), blah. Kidman being a therapist and the insight that might give her had apparently been given up on, thank God, then we have scene with Donald Sutherland “In your professional opinion, would killing his sister make him more or less empathetic…”. I posted the thing about them being horrible parents before the end of the episode because of them bringing him to court and abandoning him at the table at the restaurant (they would not have gone out to eat at a restaurant after court under any circumstances anyway). And she’s supposed to be this wise therapist!

So now I guess that Hugh Grant really did kill her, but the kid is somehow involved, which will prevent Kidman from revealing what she found.

@wirelessgrinder

Lol i think you have all valid points there. I thought the thing with her finding the murder weapon, while shocking, is a bit much really. I don’t think the kid killed her, maybe he found the murder weapon and hid it on his own or his dbag dad told him to hide it and he did cuz he loves his daddy. It was also quite obvious when she goes into the room thats what was going to happen. I thought the same thing about them eating at the restuarant after court haha.I feel like the whole sister story was just to show he’s a sociopath and make viewers lean hard into “he killed her”.

@anon10396289

Reluctant to use spoilers, since this is getting The Affair level bad and honestly who cares but I guess someone might.

Were you supposed to laugh when nicole found the murder hammer in the kid’s room? Because I laughed a lot. Man I hate everyone in this show but actually Hugh is starting to kind of grow on me.

So I think that Hugh probably murdered the lady and the dumb annoying kid walked in and then saw the dead lady and Hugh was like oh hey she was just like that. But, uh, here take this hammer and don’t throw it away or anything, just keep it in your closet or whatever. Don’t tell mom! And he did this because he’s a sociopath and he’s planning on using his son having the hammer as a defense. So next episode he’s going to take the stand and be all well actually my son did it and he has the hammer. Sad!

I’m pretty sure this whole dumb show is just a recycled plotline from one of those dumb HUGE TWIST David Kelly lawyer shows.

@wirelessgrinder

yea i think you are pretty close here.

Also they search warranted the house though in first EP i believe, so the hammer didn’t go straight there, but i think you’re mostly right about how it went down.

@anon10396289

The kid definitely didn’t kill her, that whiny little baby lacks the upper body strength to smash the lady’s head in.

Also can we talk about how this murder lady and her husband were poor, salt of the earth folks who, uh, kept a second apartment for the lady to do her, uh, artwork. Kept a second apartment…in Manhattan? To do the sculpting? As poor, salt of the earth folk do. Was anyone involved in the writing of this show worth less than eight figures?

@wirelessgrinder

They are in harlem actually but your point still stands.

@anon10396289

ah, ok. Still. Withing walking distance of Nicole’s house. COME ON. What would that sculpting/boning apartment be, $2500 a month?

@wirelessgrinder

yea none of the Nicole walking by her apt randomly makes sense either, will be interesting to see if the kid somehow got over that way by himself as well.

In the first EP i believe when Nicole asks Elena if she wants a ride home I believe Elena says no a car ride will take 30 mins, subway is much faster. Although I guess thats from wherever that fundraiser was being held, but I don’t see how its possible that Nicole/Elena live anywhere near eachother so not sure how Nicole is out randomly walking by her place and not sure how the kid will find his way there if indeed thats how it turns out but I guess the writers said who cares?

Also yea that kid wouldn’t have the strength or the will to kill her.

@LFS

@wirelessgrinder

I don’t see how its possible that Nicole/Elena live anywhere near each other

Upper west side and Harlem aren’t that far from each other, if she really likes walking. But even in today’s New York City I think it stretches credibility that a rich lady is walking around like that at night.

Well it seems we agree the show pretty much jumped the tracks. Just so many details that don’t make sense. Also, has it been answered why Donald Sutherland spends so much time in that museum?

@RiskyFlush

I believe it’s time for us to make a dedicated Undoing thread without spoiler tags.

[RiskyFlush]

All spoilers all the time. Please do not use spoiler tags ITT.

[RiskyFlush]

Don’t forget to ban yourself

[RiskyFlush]

Why are you listening to someone who told you his balls are goofy?

[wirelessgrinder]

Yea she looks great

[RiskyFlush]

Excellent excellent. So about the show… How are you liking it?

[Jalfrezi]

Surely the kid didn’t do it?

So he’s covering for mum or dad. Maybe mums a split personality and guilty husband is taking the rap for her.

[grue]

Still sticking with blond friend/1st grant affair partner did it. She plants the hammer in kidman’s house, kid finds it and hides it from cops. Because that’s the laziest and most obvious ending to a very very obvious show. Still watching of course . Fuck, this is 10x better than the night of which I also staggered through.

[wirelessgrinder]

Yea i watched all of the night of but it was way worse than this

[anon10396289]

can I have an exemption as every single post I’ve made about the show has been negative?

[wirelessgrinder]

But if you know you didn’t commit the murder what’s the harm right? Lul

[wirelessgrinder]

Especially with that detective clearly being a bastard

[Jalfrezi]

@anon46587892

Obvious who the killer is but I won’t spoil it for everyone

The Donald?

[wirelessgrinder]

TBH that scene where he goes to the victims husband is probably the worst scene, i had forgotten about it but I remember thinking during that time like WTF how did they write this?

[Jalfrezi]

Yeah, same here. It wasn’t credible and I said as much to mrs jal at the time.

[Jalfrezi]

Take a guess…

Whodunnit?

• Jonathan (floppy fringe)
• Grace (botox girl)
• Fernando (victim’s husband)
• Henry (WASPies son)
• Blonde lawyer friend
• The Donald
• Ingenious suicide
• Other (write in)