‘The Undoing’ Episode 6 Spoilers: Was Jonathan planning to kill Grace? This theory explains Elena's frantic calls
Spoiler Alert for ‘The Undoing’
“Even psychopaths have emotions; then again, maybe not...” Jonathan Fraser (Hugh Grant) is one such character in HBO's thrilling whodunnit murder mystery ‘The Undoing’. Unraveling his mind is only getting us closer to the crime. Remember how his mother tells Grace he neither felt “guilt nor grief” for his sister's death? He seems to be a systematic liar and sociopath. Now, we can't help but wonder did his plan go a little wrong?
A brilliant theory seems to suggest that Jonathan could have planned to kill his wife Grace Fraser (Nicole Kidman) instead of Elena Alves (Matilda De Angelis) and the money he took from her father Franklin Reinhardt (Donald Sutherland) could be his prize. On the night of the fundraiser, we saw Elena crying in the washroom when she met Grace. Was that a warning sign? There are many unanswered questions: Was Elena and Grace's relationship deeper than we know? What did Jonathan intend to do on his Cleveland trip? There has been no investigation into the frantic unanswered calls from Elena to Grace. Was Elena trying to alert her?
Going by a Reddit fan's theory, here's what might have happened. “Just a thought, maybe Elena wanted to see what Grace was like because she felt guilty because she knew Jonathan was planning to have her killed. The Cleveland trip would be his alibi but then Elena felt guilty and he was worried she would tell Grace. Jon said he owned the house with Grace but it was her childhood home, no way Franklin would put Jonathan's name on the deed. He borrowed money from Franklin, Jonathan had nothing, and killing Grace would give him or Henry the control to her assets and we know Jonathan controlled his son.”
Hinting that Jonathan could have been abusive, another fan said, “If it is Jonathan, then he definitely abused Grace and she has buried memories to cope with it. There are a few possible hints of that. Little clues like her dad saying she forgives people when they get heated and hit their partner in a fit of rage and the threat of violence lingering in the patients she has been shown talking to.”
“Interesting! Could explain why Elena behaved with such superiority and power with her body, literally, over Grace. Elena knew that she won. She won Jonathan. She won the money, the lifestyle. This was intoxicating for Elena,” a third posted, adding, “In one of the first episodes, Elena said she so badly, very much, wanted to be a part of things. This was about to happen for her. Then it unraveled at the auction for her, and we don't know exactly what happened. As she said, she realized how kind and nice Grace is. She had conflicts about whatever Jonathan had planned. I don't want to see it, but I do hope the last episode clearly answers why Elena was killed, as well as who did it.”
“Maybe... it does seem feasible that Jonathan loved/wanted to be with Elena (the way he stared at her photo, talks about her, etc). He also got into an argument with Elena at the auction, maybe about killing Grace? It's strange the repeated phone calls from Elena to Grace has not come up in the case yet, seems significant. Was she calling her to warn her?” another fan wrote.
A fifth agreed, “This could explain why Elena was crying at the auction also. She could have noticed Jonathan leaving, or know that he would be heading out soon and know that he was planning on killing Grace that night. I love this theory!!!”
And a sixth viewer wrote, “I think Jonathan had this all figured out well in advance. It wasn't a crime of passion. The tears on television were crocodile. He's spent his entire life charming, conning and manipulating everyone in his life, and he's convinced he'll get away with this as well. The distance from his family speaks volumes. I also think he had something going with Sylvia at one point. In the end, he'll be acquitted, and at some point when the trial is over, either Grace or Henry will find the bloody hammer, and they'll know he was guilty all along.”
In a 48-second teaser, we see Jonathan doubting their son Henry after the hammer is discovered in the violin case. Is that his way to escape from the crime? What kind of father would let the blame of a cold-blooded murder be pinned on his son?
Now it's quite possible that Grace would take the blame of the murder to protect her son. “I think Jonathan is the murderer and he planted the hammer deliberately in his son's bag, so that Grace sees it and takes the blame,” one fan said, and another wrote, “I get the feeling that there's something potentially troubling about Henry?! I think he wanted to hurt the mistress, but instead found the body and took the hammer as a memento.”
‘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 final episode ‘The Bloody Truth’ on Sunday, November 29, 2020.