'The Undoing' Episode 4: Grace was near Elena's studio at time of murder. Is this why Jonathan doubts her?
'The Undoing' has left viewers at the edge of the seat as it took us on a riveting ride filled with twists and blind turns and left us wondering about what the truth really is. Elena Alves (Matilda de Angelis) was found dead by her son Miguel a fateful morning and since then Grace Fraser (Nicole Kidman) and Jonathan Fraser's (Hugh Grant) lives have been turned upside down. Jonathan's affair with Elena comes to light, and as a result, he becomes the prime suspect in her murder case. He is on the run until he approaches Grace and tries to get her to believe that he did not kill Elena.
Initially, he is unsuccessful but Grace decides that Jonathan could very well be a d**k who cheated on his wife with his patient's mother, but he is hardly a murderer. Which is why she decided to help him out by hiring one of the top lawyers in the city, Haley Fitzgerald (Noma Dumezweni). However, at the end of Episode 3, Grace is shown evidence of her involvement in the case. Turns out, one of the CCTV cameras in Elena's neighborhood, very close to her studio, captured Grace on a stroll. However, Grace seems surprised; as if she is surprised to find herself in that spot. She also realizes that the cops had known from the beginning and the reason why Detective Joe Mendoza (Édgar Ramírez) was suspicious of her was this. So at the beginning of Episode 4, we see a nervous Grace tell Haley that she felt cornered by the cops.
Haley tries to explain that Grace had made the mistake of keeping sensitive information pertaining to the investigation from the cops resulting in their suspicions. Also, Grace ends up seeing flashes from the past, especially of Elena being attacked by a hammer. It is as if the onlooker is also the attacker, in this case, at least that is what one can make from the angle of that particular shot. So that only increases the odds against Grace. Before this, we also see flashes of Grace watching Elena's husband witnessing Jonathan and Elena having sex and that also gives rise to the theory that Elena's husband is also well within the construct of a suspect considering he was at the studio at the time of the murder, has motive and access. Grace had tried her best to lead the cops in this direction as well, however, Detective Mendoza was not convinced. Instead, we see how everyone including the public is wary of the Frasers and the privilege that may lead to Jonathan being acquitted.
The conversation surrounding the case and the debate on news channels are not about whether Jonathan is innocent or guilty but about how Jonathan's class and race privilege would help him in presenting his case. Haley, who is aware of how such cases revolve around media projection decides to let Jonathan address the public directly and present his side of the story. He is not completely innocent, meaning, Jonathan had an affair with his patient's mother and even fathered a daughter. So he can in no way claim to be a flawless, sincere, family man. However, what he needs to push for is to lead people to believe that despite all his flaws, he is no murderer.
Haley understands how useful this man's charm can be, and she decides to use the same in presenting her case. Now, this brings us to the reason why we feel Jonathan could be suspicious of his wife Grace. At the end of the episode, we see Jonathan being asked if he is not the killer then who is. To this, he answers that it must be a crime committed by a person who was jealous and the rage must have led that person to kill a fellow human being.
Right before, he had been to Elena's home where he meets Miguel and his father to tell them that he really did not kill Elena. He also seems surprised by Elena's husband trying his hardest to love Jonathan's daughter and that's probably why Jonathan doesn't doubt him as much as he doubts his own wife. The fact that she was even near Elena's studio might have cemented his suspicions further and this makes us wonder if cracks within their relationship are imminent.
New episodes of 'The Undoing' air every Sunday at 9 pm ET on HBO.