The Undoing

DISCLAIMER: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment sent us a copy of this for review.

“Grace and Jonathan Fraser have the life they always wanted: She’s a successful therapist, he’s an acclaimed pediatric oncologist, and their son attends an elite private school in Manhattan. But for Grace, everything unravels overnight. A violent death. A missing husband. A series of unthinkable revelations. Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant star in this gripping HBO limited series from writer David E. Kelly (Big Little Lies) and director Susanne Bier (Bird Box). An edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller filled with shocking twists and turns, The Undoing exposes the lies we tell ourselves – even when the truth is right in front of us.”

Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided us with a free copy of this Blu-ray/DVD that we reviewed in this blog post. The opinions we share are our own.

The Fraser’s world is about to be turned upside down when a young woman is found brutally murdered. With ties to their prestigious private school, and an unraveling mystery about the whereabouts of her husband, Grace Fraser must navigate her darkest suspicions on the identity of the killer. The Undoing is full of twists and turns, always keeping you guessing on what is real and what isn’t.

There needs to be more focus on limited series such as The Undoing. Telling a short story in the confines of several episodes, without the expectation of renewal or fear of being canceled, we’re able to explore a narrative in much greater detail and care than we may expect from a regular season of a show. The biggest strength of The Undoing is by far the unexpected twists and revelations we learn in each episode. It’s one of those stories you are sure you can predict early on, as I thought I had everything figured out, on multiple occasions, only to see a twist that I didn’t see coming. These twists are also smartly written; where as many stories rely on a mcguffin, or employ red herrings all over the narrative to mislead, The Unforgiven presents these in an organic way that shifts everything you’ve believed up until that point.

The show wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining if it weren’t for the incredible performances. Nicole Kidman’s character undergoes a wide range of emotion as she deals with bombshell after bombshell, experiencing panic, betrayal, suspicion, all for the identity of the killer. As she’s the main focus of the story, we see many things from her perspective, including those suspicions manifesting themselves on screen. Kidman has a natural chemistry with all of her co-stars, and her reactions to the events unfolding seem very genuine, giving the entire series a more believable feeling. Hugh Grant is captivating in this. With the mystery involving him at the beginning, to then being the main suspect in the brutal killing. His devotion to his family and wanting to prove his innocence makes him a very endearing character you want to root for.

As I mentioned, this is a limited series, only 6 episodes long. A good length for an engaging mystery/psychological thriller, which gives us more detail and depth than a film otherwise would, also giving us the closure of the story and no needless reason for a continuation of a next season. The episode breakdown is as follows:

Disc One:

1. The Undoing
2. The Missing
3. Do No Harm

Disc Two:

4. See No Evil
5. Trail By Fury
6. The Blood Truth

Video

The Undoing is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.00:1. It’s not a guarantee that HBO releases their content on Blu-ray, relegating some of the less popular or profitable shows to the standard definition Hell of DVD. Thankfully, this one does meet their requirements for a Blu-ray release, and it looks great. Stunning picture quality that comes through clear and detailed. There are a few moments of stylized looks in the series, but for the most part it’s a straightforward color palate that provides some good natural tones.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. This track sounds good, with a nice balance between the surrounds and center channel. For the most part this is also going to be straightforward dialogue-driven track, but there are moments with some impressive atmospheric effects that utilize the surrounds, especially the score which can really sound robust.

Special Features

The extras on this set are located on both discs, and contains a digital code.

Disc One:

• The Undoing Revelations: The Fraser Family
• The Undoing Revelations: Elena Alves
• The Undoing Revelations: Jonathan Fraser
• The Undoing Revelations: Sylvia Steinetz
• The Undoing Revelations: Detective Joe Mendoza
• The Undoing Revelations: Grace Reinhart Fraser
• The Undoing Revelations: Haley Fitzgerald

Disc Two:

• Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant Introduce The Undoing
• Creating The Undoing
• The Undoing Revelations: Fernando Alves
• The Undoing Revelations: Franklin Reinhart
• The Undoing Revelations: Henry Fraser
• The Undoing Revelations: The Bridge Scene

The Undoing is a highly entertaining mystery thriller that keeps you guessing until the very final moments of the series. Superbly acted, written, and filmed, this limited series from HBO is worth checking out!