Reactions have begun pouring in for the finale of the Cate Blanchett Apple TV+ series Disclaimer and it has left viewers divided thanks to a shocking twist.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Disclaimer episode seven.
The mystery thriller, directed by Gravity and Children of Men’sAlfonso Cuaron, told the story of journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Blanchett) who is blackmailed over the death of Stephen Brigstocke’s (Kevin Kline’s) son Jonathan (Louis Partridge) via a novel written by his deceased wife Nancy (Leslie Manville).
Throughout the series, viewers are led to believe that Ravenscroft (played by Leila George in flashbacks) had seduced Jonathan 20 years earlier, while she was on holiday in Italy with her young son Nicholas, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee in the present version of the story.
Jonathan is believed to have died in a drowning accident when saving Nicholas, as Catherine chose not to alert paramedics to him after he had requested to come back to London with her, which would have caused issues with her husband Robert (Sacha Baron Cohen).
However, in the finale, Catherine finally confronts Stephen and tells her side of the story, which is far darker. After her chance encounter with Jonathan on a beach, he quickly becomes obsessed with her and breaks into her hotel room, threatening her at knifepoint.
Choosing to protect herself and her son, Catherine agrees to comply with Jonathan’s demands, who first makes her pose for nude photographs before raping her. While the drowning scene plays out as it has throughout the show, Catherine’s motivations are now different as the person who saved her son is actually her rapist, leading her to choose not to save him.
It’s a shocking twist, that had been building throughout the season and despite its predictability still left many impressed.
“The plot twist that Disclaimer takes in ep 7 took the show from good to great. What an interesting way to present this story,” said one viewer.
A second wrote: “Disclaimer‘s series finale is a must-watch! The twists and turns are unbelievable. Watch it to find out!”
A third person added: “This was a terrific mini-series by Alfonso Cuaron. A fascinating story about guilt, revenge, forgiveness, love, hate, life and death with Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline in the leading roles.”
One viewer, although stunned, questioned why they weren’t given an explanation about Jonathan’s sudden change of behaviour: “What an ending! It was a tough episode to watch, especially the flashbacks,” they wrote. “This show nails how perception shapes reality. I just wish there was an episode explaining Jonathan’s behaviour.”
Others were left less than enthused. One person said “The idea of Disclaimer is very interesting, but the execution was so poor. Such a shame since it could have been a good exploration of cancel culture, misogyny, exploitation of other people’s pains for our own gains, and revenge.”
Another questioned: “Can one mega twist perhaps put the embarrassingly stagey writing and performances into perspective?”
