HBO The Undoing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I never watch opening credits.

You must skip the prologue in a book too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never watch opening credits.

You must skip the prologue in a book too?

Nope I read those, because they actually contain relevant information, whereas the opening credits do not always have much more than some shots of the sky and crappy music.

[Anonymous]

Anyone besides me think the actress who plays Elena looks a little bit like Jennifer Lawrence?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone besides me think the actress who plays Elena looks a little bit like Jennifer Lawrence?

Yes, I thought so too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Ok, I’ve watched the entire series and still don’t understand how the opening song relates at all to the story. I know it’s a cover of a Mamas and Papas song (which I love) but not seeing any connection between the lyrics and images of a (presumably) young Grace, and the plot. Maybe there’s not supposed to be any connection. It just... is.

The girl in the opening isn’t Grace, it’s Jonathan’s young sister who died under his watch. You can see boy Jonathan’s reflection in a puddle at one point in the intro.

The opening looks like a dreamy, pleasant scene that goes with the song unless you know the “reality” behind it, in which case it comes across much more tragic and sinister. The song is an old one, much older than The Mamas and the Papas.

Nope.

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/10/undoing-nicole-kidman-singing-opening-credits-song-dream-a-little-dream

This was written in October when yes, as the VF writer notes, the viewer is "meant to assume" the redhead is Grace. But just as you assume there is a twist and the murderer isn't Jonathan, you assume it's Grace but it isn't. The ending shows it was the sister and you were fooled, just like you were fooled into thinking the murderer was the friend, or Sutherland, or Kidman herself.

Kidman doesn't want to "leave the dream world" about her relationship with Jonathan until her life is shattered, and part of that involves learning about the sister.

I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with you about this. Until someone from that production says otherwise, I’m going with the little girl representing Grace.

“We’ll have to assume, then, that she’s meant to stand in for the young and innocent version of Kidman’s character, Grace. Loss of innocence is very much a theme of both the series and the credits themselves; at one point, the child’s bubble is literally burst. Series director Susanne Bier told Vanity Fair’s Still W https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/10/undoing-nicole-kidman-singing-opening-credits-song-dream-a-little-dream atching podcast that Grace’s fantasy world is exactly what’s undone by the events of The Undoing.”
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/10/undoing-nicole-kidman-singing-opening-credits-song-dream-a-little-dream

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone besides me think the actress who plays Elena looks a little bit like Jennifer Lawrence?

Yes, from the first scene she was in.
Someone upthread called her “Hispanic Jennifer Lawrence” but she is actually Italian (another foreign actor of the show - the casting was somehow very anti-US).

And I thought she was the one whose age didn’t work for the show: she is 25 in real life, and her “son” was 10.
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant were actually believable ages to have a 12 yo, though (but not for meeting in medical school in early 2000s).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone besides me think the actress who plays Elena looks a little bit like Jennifer Lawrence?

Yes, from the first scene she was in.
Someone upthread called her “Hispanic Jennifer Lawrence” but she is actually Italian (another foreign actor of the show - the casting was somehow very anti-US).

And I thought she was the one whose age didn’t work for the show: she is 25 in real life, and her “son” was 10.
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant were actually believable ages to have a 12 yo, though (but not for meeting in medical school in early 2000s).

Teenage mother from the Barrio is quite common.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone besides me think the actress who plays Elena looks a little bit like Jennifer Lawrence?

Yes, from the first scene she was in.
Someone upthread called her “Hispanic Jennifer Lawrence” but she is actually Italian (another foreign actor of the show - the casting was somehow very anti-US).

And I thought she was the one whose age didn’t work for the show: she is 25 in real life, and her “son” was 10.
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant were actually believable ages to have a 12 yo, though (but not for meeting in medical school in early 2000s).

Kind of irrelevant - the "playing age" was close enough to believe, if not the true ages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Ok, I’ve watched the entire series and still don’t understand how the opening song relates at all to the story. I know it’s a cover of a Mamas and Papas song (which I love) but not seeing any connection between the lyrics and images of a (presumably) young Grace, and the plot. Maybe there’s not supposed to be any connection. It just... is.

The girl in the opening isn’t Grace, it’s Jonathan’s young sister who died under his watch. You can see boy Jonathan’s reflection in a puddle at one point in the intro.

The opening looks like a dreamy, pleasant scene that goes with the song unless you know the “reality” behind it, in which case it comes across much more tragic and sinister. The song is an old one, much older than The Mamas and the Papas.

Nope.

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/10/undoing-nicole-kidman-singing-opening-credits-song-dream-a-little-dream

This was written in October when yes, as the VF writer notes, the viewer is "meant to assume" the redhead is Grace. But just as you assume there is a twist and the murderer isn't Jonathan, you assume it's Grace but it isn't. The ending shows it was the sister and you were fooled, just like you were fooled into thinking the murderer was the friend, or Sutherland, or Kidman herself.

Kidman doesn't want to "leave the dream world" about her relationship with Jonathan until her life is shattered, and part of that involves learning about the sister.

I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with you about this. Until someone from that production says otherwise, I’m going with the little girl representing Grace.

“We’ll have to assume, then, that she’s meant to stand in for the young and innocent version of Kidman’s character, Grace. Loss of innocence is very much a theme of both the series and the credits themselves; at one point, the child’s bubble is literally burst. Series director Susanne Bier told Vanity Fair’s Still W https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/10/undoing-nicole-kidman-singing-opening-credits-song-dream-a-little-dream atching podcast that Grace’s fantasy world is exactly what’s undone by the events of The Undoing.”
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/10/undoing-nicole-kidman-singing-opening-credits-song-dream-a-little-dream

Agree to disagree, but VF isn't contradicting anything I wrote. The reporter is making an assumption, that isn't production making a declaration. We agree on the song referring to the destruction of Grace's fantasy world, and we agree that the viewer was meant to assume (originally) that it was Grace who was the redhead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone besides me think the actress who plays Elena looks a little bit like Jennifer Lawrence?

Yes, from the first scene she was in.
Someone upthread called her “Hispanic Jennifer Lawrence” but she is actually Italian (another foreign actor of the show - the casting was somehow very anti-US).

And I thought she was the one whose age didn’t work for the show: she is 25 in real life, and her “son” was 10.
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant were actually believable ages to have a 12 yo, though (but not for meeting in medical school in early 2000s).

Teenage mother from the Barrio is quite common.

I agree, I think you are meant to assume she was a teen mom and that fits with her storyline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never watch opening credits.

You must skip the prologue in a book too?

Nope I read those, because they actually contain relevant information, whereas the opening credits do not always have much more than some shots of the sky and crappy music.

I love opening credits - they can be very creative and have lovely music. All those episodes in, and I still watched the Game of Thrones opening credits every. single. time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never watch opening credits.

You must skip the prologue in a book too?

Nope I read those, because they actually contain relevant information, whereas the opening credits do not always have much more than some shots of the sky and crappy music.

I love opening credits - they can be very creative and have lovely music. All those episodes in, and I still watched the Game of Thrones opening credits every. single. time.

I could watch the Big Little Lies opening credits over and over again...the scenery was fabulous. It made me want to pack up and move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never watch opening credits.

You must skip the prologue in a book too?

Nope I read those, because they actually contain relevant information, whereas the opening credits do not always have much more than some shots of the sky and crappy music.

I love opening credits - they can be very creative and have lovely music. All those episodes in, and I still watched the Game of Thrones opening credits every. single. time.

I could watch the Big Little Lies opening credits over and over again...the scenery was fabulous. It made me want to pack up and move.

Does anyone remember the opening of Big Love (The HBO show about the polygamist family)? Very weird and HBOish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never watch opening credits.

You must skip the prologue in a book too?

Nope I read those, because they actually contain relevant information, whereas the opening credits do not always have much more than some shots of the sky and crappy music.

I love opening credits - they can be very creative and have lovely music. All those episodes in, and I still watched the Game of Thrones opening credits every. single. time.

YES!! GoT opening credits were masterfully done. And that music!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never watch opening credits.

You must skip the prologue in a book too?

Nope I read those, because they actually contain relevant information, whereas the opening credits do not always have much more than some shots of the sky and crappy music.

I love opening credits - they can be very creative and have lovely music. All those episodes in, and I still watched the Game of Thrones opening credits every. single. time.

I could watch the Big Little Lies opening credits over and over again...the scenery was fabulous. It made me want to pack up and move.

Does anyone remember the opening of Big Love (The HBO show about the polygamist family)? Very weird and HBOish.

Yep, I do. I love imaginative openings.