This article contains spoilers for the HBO series The Undoing.
In October of 2020, HBO released the much-beloved thriller miniseries, The Undoing. Series star and executive producer, Nicole Kidman, plays Grace Fraser- the unsuspecting wife of Jonathan Fraser (Hugh Grant). The show follows Grace, Jonathan, and their son, Henry (Noah Jupe) through a whodunnit-style psychological thriller.
While the main conflict of the film relies on the actions of Jonathan, the audience experiences the story through Grace’s eyes, and in turn, follows her journey- not his. From the onslaught of Kidman’s first appearance on screen, Grace’s presentation is put together and desirable. She has a lovely home, family (presumably coming from wealth), and a respected career.
Throughout the first 20-30 minutes of episode 1, her life appears perfect. While at work, Grace’s friend calls to share some upsetting news from their children’s school. A young mom was brutally murdered and found that morning by her 4th-grade son. From that point in the episode through the end of the 6th episode (the finale), the audience witnesses the unraveling- or, the undoing- of her perfect life.
Character Analysis
In episode one, the audience is introduced to the family and their unique dynamics. In the beginning, we see an endearing father-son conversation between Henry and Jonathan talking about his violin, and later, Jonathan calls Grace and consoles her after a hard day at work.
However, what I found more interesting was the scene of Grace at her job. Over the first episode, we see Grace advising a couple working through an instance of infidelity, and, later, a woman who comes in claiming her new husband is crazy. While both scenes provide foreshadowing for what is to come later, on my second watch of the show, Grace’s interaction with the woman caught my eye the most. During an argumentative moment, she tells the women,
I’m not blaming you. I’m just saying there’s a particular type of person that you want to be with, and maybe you’re a little too quick to see that person in the men that you meet, instead of seeing what’s actually there.
In See No Evil (Episode 4), Grace’s Father, Franklin, tells her,
“…Jonathan upset me in a profound way the minute I first set eyes on him. I did ask you want it was you loved about him. I asked you whether he seemed so perfect for you because you had explained to him what “perfect for you” meant. And he was just giving back what you wanted.”
This interaction exemplified the entire setup of the show. Components of her life, relationships, and deepest bond- her marriage- all became plights of mockery to break down her life piece by piece. Every bit of information she took at face value was twisted and distorted against her.
Nicole Kidman, the actress portraying Grace in the show, had quite the undertaking in front of her when signing onto the character. Due to Grace’s introverted and reserved nature, Nicole had to express the horror, dread, and incredible stress she was experiencing, almost entirely, through her actions and facial expressions.
Part of the intrigue of her performance comes from the nuance of her story. If Jonathan, her husband and accused murderer, is innocent, will she take him back? And, furthermore, if he is guilty, how will it affect her son? Very quickly, when she learns of Jonathan’s affair with the victim, Grace’s attention is slid away from her hurt and anger and onto protecting her son.
Tangled with the muddied emotions of betrayal, shock, horror, and fear, Grace holds intellectual processing and reasoning above her emotional entanglement towards her situation. When Jonathan makes parole, she tells him very confidently that her brain is stronger than her emotions towards him ever will be. When she starts to falter from that sentiment, Franklin pleads with her to see Jonathan objectively by saying,
“To strike at someone in an act of passion, or anger, that’s human. But to bludgeon someone to death and keep on bludgeoning them long after they are dead, that is a monster, Grace. That is a monster.”
The Courtroom
One of the most emotional scenes of the show comes in the 6th episode when Grace is put on the stand to testify about Jonathan’s character and mental state.
When I originally watched through the episode, I couldn’t decipher what Grace’s intention was when she took the stand. However, it was obvious by the end of the scene that she had decided to work against Jonathan. The question was then posed to the audience- How long had Grace been scheming against him? Did she decide at the moment? Had she been conning her way onto the stand the whole time? In an interview, Kidman described the exact mental processing Grace was going through in the moment.
“It was really hard because it was trying to find those moments where I’ve decided one thing when I get on the stand, but I can’t signal that. It was literally like living through it having to do what Grace would do and be so convincing to the jury… and then turn it on a dime.”
Jonathan
Much of the show was positioned in this incredible place of ambiguity. For Jonathan, Grace is constantly attempting to decipher if he’s being sincere or not. For Grace, the audience is constantly asking if she believes him. Both of these characters are presented in the same situations, however, she responds with her attention set on others whereas he responds with his attention set on himself.
Grace is a woman who lived her life for her husband, son, and clients. Jonathan is a man determined to serve himself. For a vast portion of the show, Jonathan’s mental condition is left somewhat unknown. However, in an interview, Grant explained the depths of his psychosis by stating,
“…he really believed [in] his innocence. He was that crazy. Although he knew deep down he was guilty, [he was] just too vain- too full of ego- to really admit it. So, when he says, ‘I didn’t do it.’ He means it. When he says, ‘I love my wife. I love my son.’ He means it. Even though he doesn’t love them at all. He just loves them, loving him.”
Costuming
After my initial watch of The Undoing, one specific element of the show stayed in my head for days on end. Grace’s coats. More specifically, the green coat she wears in many of the sequences throughout the show.
Regardless of the genre, project type, or budget, costuming always plays a vital role in storytelling in entertainment. I remember explaining to my mother how infatuated I was with this particular garment and she asked me, “Well, what do you think the coat was supposed to represent?” My preliminary guess was a representation of hiddenness, and I wasn’t entirely wrong.
As it turns out, my intrigue into her long coat was entirely warranted as Suzanna Bier was extremely particular about this element. Before that, let’s look at why it worked objectively.
Part of costuming is storytelling and part of costuming is working with the actor’s body to create a flattering silhouette. Nicole herself is pale, tall, and skinny.
Because of her complexion, Kidman is classified as a true spring and warm, bright colors tend to look good on her. The coat itself is full-length with a definitive waist and large hood. The silhouette accentuates Nicole’s height and showcases beautifully dramatic motion as she walks down the New York streets.
Signe Sejlund, the costume designer on the show, wanted to create looks that were timeless and classic. For Grace, the artist knew that Nicole Kidman had been chosen for the role and was able to create a wardrobe specifically for her. When creating her look, Sejlund and Bier wanted to create a “twisted fairytale” theme for her character. The dramatic colours and silhouette added to that narrative.
When Nicole was going through costume fittings for the role, Kidman stated that Bier was very adamant about being at every fitting. After multiple sessions and dozens of garments, Suzanna decided that they would custom make the coat. Nicole confessed that she thought the decision was fairly overboard, but came to the conclusion that Bier made the right call during production.
Grace and Jonathan’s clothing did much to propel the ideas of classism set forth in the show. Throughout the series is dressed in deep reds, purples, blues, and greens to reiterate her powerful, confident, and mature nature. While Kidman is known to colour and straighten her hair for many of the roles she plays, Suzanna was very adamant about having Kidman’s large red curls on display for her character.
Conclusion
Though a fairly disturbing show at times, The Undoing provides a fascinating look into the world of the human capacity for evil. In my opinion, David E. Kelley (creator) and Suzanna Bier (director) captured the deep fear of humanity in the show. Many women, including myself, fear ending up in a situation similar to this. Suzanna Bier wanted to create a character piece about human psychology and, throughout Grace’s eyes, she very much accomplished her goal.
Sources
American Cinematheque. “THE UNDOING | Q&A with Nicole Kidman & Hugh Grant.” YouTube, Google, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G68EzFhNWK0&list=PLmrT2wTGky_Slb0fWTF1sHZLZr0ZP4Omg&index=9&t=1016s. Accessed 29 May 2025.
GoldDerby/Gold Derby. “’The Undoing’ costume designer Signe Sejlund reveals origins behind iconic Nicole Kidman green coat.” YouTube, Google, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gas4Xa1jUJE&list=PLmrT2wTGky_Slb0fWTF1sHZLZr0ZP4Omg&index=11&t=12s. Accessed 29 May 2025.
HBO Max, creator. The Undoing. 2020. HBO, 2020. Max, https://www.max.com/shows/undoing/32b441d9-77ef-4362-ad18-b1635eb8558d?utm_source=universal_search. Accessed 29 May 2025.
SCRAPS FROM THE LOFT. “The Undoing- Episode 1- The Undoing | Transcript.” Scraps From The Loft, 26 October 2020, https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/tv-series/the-undoing-episode-1-the-undoing-transcript/. Accessed 29 May 2025.
SCRAPS FROM THE LOFT. “The Undoing- Episode 3- The Undoing | Transcript.” Scraps From The Loft, 26 October 2020, https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/tv-series/the-undoing-episode-3-do-no-harm-transcript/. Accessed 29 May 2025.
SCRAPS FROM THE LOFT. “The Undoing- Episode 4- The Undoing | Transcript.” Scraps From The Loft, 26 October 2020, https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/tv-series/the-undoing-episode-4-see-no-evil-transcript/. Accessed 29 May 2025.
“The Undoing (TV Mini Series 2020).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8134470/. Accessed 29 May 2025.
Vanity Fair. “Q&A with Hugh Grant on The Undoing.” YouTube, Google, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5VfVNuEqXo&list=PLmrT2wTGky_Slb0fWTF1sHZLZr0ZP4Omg&index=3&t=199s. Accessed 29 May 2025.
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