‘The Undoing’ Episode 2 ‘The Missing’: Is Grace bipolar? Here's how Nicole Kidman's character could be the killer
WARNING: Spoiler Alert for ‘The Undoing’ and the 2014 novel ‘You Should Have Known’
Secrets and betrayals. A giant murder mystery. And a family with dark motives. The suspense at the heart of HBO's star-studded ‘The Undoing’ leaves a throbbing pulse with a brutal crime in the first episode ‘The Undoing’. With Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant in the lead, the six-part series follows Grace Fraser and Jonathan Fraser living in the bubble of their perfect relationship.
Overnight, a chasm opens in their lives: a violent death and a chain of terrible revelations. Left behind in the wake of a public disaster and horrified by her husband's lies, Grace discovers the truth behind a seductive stranger who enters their life. A successful therapist, she lives in New York City with her oncologist husband and their young son Henry (Noah Jupe).
Packed with thrilling hallmarks, the series opens with an introduction to Grace as she probes a patient in the first episode. “I have met few people more discriminating than you,” she tells Rebecca when she hints her partner might be bipolar. Putting up a defensive stance, she says, “I don't know him. I only know you,” adding, “This is your third marriage. An attractive man comes along and shows an interest in you and judgment, be gone... You're less of a victim of Kevin's moods than you are of your own.”
Sashaying her way in her designer dresses and oh-so-perfect curls, Grace is too good to be true. Even with her scathing remarks for her patients, she captivates the people she meets in way not many can. In another therapy session with a couple seeking marriage counseling, she tells the two, “Part of the thrill of adultery is that it exists in the shadows” and stresses on the fact that the man wanted to be “caught”. Moreover, remember how there is little shock when she gets the emergency notice from the school? She pauses for a second and resumes back to normal as if nothing happened.
As the story moves forward, she makes you sympathize with her character — and even feel sorry for her woes. But, could she turn out to be the heartless killer in the end? Many fans feel that could be true. “I actually think Grace is up to something. She was looking like her plans were wrenched when Elena turned up dead,” one posted on Twitter and another wrote, “Did Grace kill Elena & doesn’t remember doing it? Is Jonathan dead too? #TheUndoing.”
1. I meant “Hugh Grant” 🤣
— Erica • Mask + Physically Distance + Wash Hands (@PubHealthErica) October 29, 2020
2. I actually think Grace is up to something. She was looking like her plans were wrenched when Elena turned up dead.
3. There’s something up with Hugh Grant and his patients. Grace saw something.#TheUndoing https://t.co/BEsi15T0Bm
Did Grace kill Elena & doesn’t remember doing it?
— 𝒞𝒶𝓇❀𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝒱𝑒𝓃𝒶𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈 (@cazisue) October 31, 2020
Is Jonathan dead too? 🤔 #TheUndoing
Right now, all suspicions point to her husband Jonathan, but could a murder mystery be so easy to solve? There's more to it and there seems to be a lot that Grace is hiding. A more logical explanation could be that she is bipolar.
One Reddit fan elucidated how it could be true. “I have a feeling that Nicole might be bi-polar and have trouble remembering/blocking what she has done. Maybe the first client she was talking to, about her 3rd husband being bi-polar is foreshadowing,” the comment read. Another used chimed in, “Or it could be foreshadowing of her husband having a double life?” A third added, “Her story about the dad’s dog getting run over as a kid sounded made up to me too. Don’t know what significance that holds but it was pretty obvious and deliberately put there.”
Based on the 2014 novel ‘You Should Have Known’ by Jean Hanff Korelitz, the miniseries leans towards Jonathan as the prime suspect. But not all viewers are convinced even though that might have been the end in the book. Titled ‘The Missing’, the summary of the second episode reads: “After seeking refuge at her father's house, Grace (Nicole Kidman) finds herself on the receiving end of detectives' probing questions.”
Will the detectives believe her or find something fishy? Will she try to protect her husband or turn him to the cops? Directed by ‘Bird Box’ fame Susanne Bier and written by ‘Big Little Lies’ fame David E Kelley, the series keeps you on the edge of your seat. Now the biggest question is: What is Grace hiding and will she ever accept Jonathan's innocence after she learns about the pool of lies he left her in? Well, we'll have to wait and watch for the tale to unravel on screen.
‘The Undoing’ premiered on HBO on October 25, 2020, and more episodes in the six-episodic series will air every Sunday from 9 pm ET to 10 pm ET. Catch the second episode ‘The Missing’ on November 1, 2020.