The Undoing
2020
Original language: English
- drama
- crime
- mystery
The story
Grace and Jonathan Fraser are living the only lives they ever wanted. Overnight a chasm opens in their lives: a violent death and a chain of terrible revelations. Left behind in the wake of a spreading and very public disaster, Grace must dismantle one life and create another for her child and her family.
What it’s like
Cool, polished Manhattan interiors do much of the work here: marble lobbies, pale upholstery, glass-walled offices and tree-lined Upper West Side streets, shot in clean, high-key light that gradually turns colder and more clinical as the story goes on. Camera work leans on slow dolly moves, long closeups held a beat too long, and frequent reflections in windows and glossy surfaces, so faces seem to float between what is shown and what is hidden. Score is sparse and tense, built on low piano figures and held strings, with courtroom and hallway silences doing much of the unsettling. The vibe is glossy, anxious and quietly seductive, a slow-burn psychological thriller with a heavy undertow of grief and betrayal. It suits a rainy weekend binge, a late-night watch with the lights low, or anyone who likes a whodunit that is as much about marriage and motherhood as about the crime. Pacing is deliberate, with long episodes that unspool in layers, and the emotional register is cool and wounded: a woman rebuilding her life while the story keeps asking what she really knew. Violence is a single brutal death near the start, with the aftermath handled through talk, evidence and grief rather than gore; there are frank sexual scenes and affair material. For viewers who enjoy adult drama, elegant performances and a steady drip of doubt.
More TV shows like The Undoing
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved The Undoingand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
