MovieChat Forums > The Undoing (2020) Discussion > I feel like we were let down on the "why...

I feel like we were let down on the "why" of why he did it

posted 3 years ago by Jehosaphet (1055)
12 replies | jump to latest

Because ultimately, that seemed to be the question that needed to be answered...especially during the last few episodes when it seemed pretty likely it was the husband.
So why would this seemingly successful, family-oriented person suddenly snap into a monster capable of demolishing the hell out of that woman's skull.
I expected some extraordinary...something, but it seemed like they just had a bit of a spat...and she grabs the hammer...and that was enough for him to unleash hell and obliterate her head.

That whole scene was just kind of disappointing...there didn't seem to be any real passion there, no real palpable anger, let alone fury.
She seemed to pick up the hammer almost casually...it was weird, and then that was the conduit, I guess.
The whole scene felt forced IMO. Maybe I'm missing something, but finding out why he did it was pretty unsatisfying.

[–] Heisenberg (6281) 3 years ago

I had exactly the same feeling as you.
Add to that, they just had sex.
And he just dumped her, so for him it was a closed thing.
Ok, he must have been a real monster then.
But till that point, he never did anything even remotely monstrous.
He was actually quite the great guy.
And he loved her.
People, especially great ones, don't turn into monsters like that.
This show lost all my respect.

[–] Jehosaphet (1055) 3 years ago

That's a good point...that it was a closed thing for him. He had no real dog in the fight anymore. Yeah I liked the series but talk about an unsatisfying end...it tainted the whole thing. Everything was leading up to what the hell had happened with this guy...and it fell flat.

[–] Heisenberg (6281) 3 years ago

Well the whole series lost its meaning at that moment.
It wasn't just flat. It was contradictory to everything we've seen so far.
They wanted to surprise us and show us how we never know with these murderers.
They failed miserably.
They just ruined what they have built so far by turning him into a random monster (who also made very illogical decisions after the murder and during the trial) and her into an idiot. Even the victim was out of character.
It's like spoling a good filet mignon by adding at the last minute whipped cream, because your intention all along was to make an original dessert. It's just bad writing that left a horrid taste in my mouth.

[–] Jehosaphet (1055) 3 years ago

Well said...summed up exactly what I couldn't. Yep, fully agreed, especially your last paragraph there; nailed it.

[–] [email protected] (1288) 2 years ago

totally agree

[–] Jes' Sayin' (5947) 2 years ago

There was an implied threat that she would extort him for money for the rest of their lives.

[–] Jehosaphet (1055) 2 years ago

Ah, that'd have helped explain things...sucks I missed that, but thanks.

[–] Jes' Sayin' (5947) 2 years ago

Don't blame yourself. It was very subtle.

[–] maximmm (3034) 2 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MNRebecca (749) 2 years ago

I think the problem was, they never followed through with revealing just how psychologically ill Elena was. That would’ve made her recent behavior…the initial moves against Jonathan‘s family… seem much more threatening.

[–] Inamina (37) 2 years ago

Reasons why he killed her:
1. He's a psychopath
2. She was blackmailing him. Remember Franklin gave him 500.000$ to supposedly help with Henry's tuition. He also withdrew all their joined accounts. And she was going to keep doing it. "You will never leave me".
3. She was getting to close to Grace, even stalked her, and was suggesting that their sons play together as brothers. Weird.
4. She was also somewhat loco. She attacked him with a hammer. She could have killed him. People seam to minimize this, but charging at someone with a hammer is a big deal in my book.
Did I mention he was a psycho?

[–] Jehosaphet (1055) a year ago

Its been too long now since I've seen this, but it seems like you picked up on more than I did. That makes it make a lot more sense though...and yeah I guess being a psychopath kind of negates the necessity of having rock-solid reasoning to begin with!
Thanks Inamina