HBO’s The Undoing: Do No Harm (Episode 3) Review
*This Review Contains Full Spoilers*
On this week’s episode of HBO’s The Undoing, Do No Harm, Grace (Nicole Kidman) attempts to learn more about Jonathan’s (Hugh Grant) trouble at work as she grapples with what to believe about his innocence and he attempts to reconnect with Grace and Henry (Noah Jupe) as his trial commences.
With Grace calling the police after Jonathan suddenly arrives at their hideaway home, the Fraser family becomes more and more divided with how to handle these new truths. Not only has Henry also become aware of his father having an affair, but now the truth is out that the new baby that Elena (Matilda De Angelis) had when we first met her is actually Jonathan’s. It’s a crushing blow that really threatens to tear everything apart and make everyone turn against Jonathan.

Honestly, things aren’t looking too good for Jonathan at this point. With his lies making him untrustworthy, his past affair making him connected to Elena’s death, people ready and willing to cut ties with him, and seemingly the entire city looking for his head on a platter, there’s no amount of charm or wit that can get him out of this one. Even worse is that his current lawyer, a public defender named Robert Adelman (Douglas Hodge), isn’t exactly fond of him and even the top lawyer that Grace eventually gets for him named Haley Fitzgerald (Noma Dumezweni) isn’t exactly thrilled about their odds or it seems like even defending him. Even Sylvia (Lily Rabe) has her doubts about Jonathan’s odds at an innocent verdict and it doesn’t help his family is losing faith in him being innocent.
Thinking back to a time when Jonathan asked him for money for what seemed like sensible reasons, Grace’s father Franklin (Donald Sutherland) now is full of regret that he likely gave Jonathan money for more selfish reasons and embodies the feelings of betrayal that are littered throughout this episode. Now, it’s understandable that so many people see Jonathan as guilty because, well, he’s really done this to himself. While Grant makes him hard not to like with his undeniable charm, it’s hard not to have reservations about his innocence with how he’s been so secretly deceitful. There’s no chance of the words “faithful” and “trustworthy” can ever be associated with him ever again and the scathing critique of him from his co-worker to Grace acknowledges an egotistical side can definitely be felt. All of this makes it hard to say that Jonathan’s time in prison and the awful scuffle he gets into isn’t deserving.
However, Grace and Henry aren’t super quick to believe that he’s guilty and wrestle with their feeling throughout the entire episode. At first, the two are immensely frustrated and ready to cut him off entirely, but it’s hard for them to just rip him out of their life because of how embedded he is. Even when Grace doesn’t want to help him in the slightest and everyone tells her that she needs to protect herself, she helps him anyway and even defends him when Elena’s husband Fernando (Ismael Cruz Cordova) has a confrontation with her after she realizes he’s following her. Even while Henry is quick to question his father if he did all the things he’s accused of when him and Grace visit Jonathan, he just as quickly feels sorry for him. It likely helps that Jonathan delivers a seemingly heartfelt apology that’s made better through Grant’s amazing delivery. Again, Grace and Henry aren’t on the fast track to forgiveness yet when it comes to Jonathan, but they can’t just let him go either. I guess what Franklin says about Grace is true – she really tries to see the humanity in everyone.

While Franklin keeps acting a little suspicious with him being so hellbent on Jonathan being guilty, although it does make a little sense since it seemed like there was some tension between the two, the real suspicious one here is Mendoza (Edgar Ramirez). He still acts very aggressive and accusatory towards Grace for some odd reason and almost seems like he wants to slap the cuffs on her the second he sees her. He even visits Franklin to try and intimidate information out of him to no avail and it almost seems like he’s trying to hide something. However, as Grace comes to him and his partner, O’Rourke (Michael Devine), to stop Fernando’s advances, he drops some evidence that changes everything and gives us a clear reason to why he’s so suspicious of Grace. It turns out that she is also a suspect in this case as a surveillance camera shows her walking near the scene of the crime. Now, where does this leave us? Well, I’m not too sure, but it nothing is like it seems here with The Undoing and there’s plenty more secrets to be revealed along the way.
The Undoing adds in more juicy and shocking reveals this week that change the tide of everything we’ve come to know and delivers some heartfelt performances with mixed emotions from the entire cast. We’re far from the conclusion of this tantalizing mystery and it looks like there’s plenty more secrets and truths to be uncovered that hopefully can deliver the thrilling momentum that’s been established.