'The Undoing' review: The build-up to this Manhattan murder mystery is mind-blowing!

The HBO miniseries 'The Undoing' is a psychological thriller that takes you through the lives of the well-to-do Frasers and how it takes a turn when they meet an enigmatic woman named Elena Alves. During their initial meeting, little do they know, that this woman will be bringing in a storm and nothing will ever be the same again. The series is based on the 2014 novel 'You Should Have Known' by Jean Hanff Korelitz.

Meet the Frasers- Grace (Nicole Kidman) and Jonathan (Hugh Grant). While Grace is a therapist, Jonathan is a child's oncologist and the couple lives in a poshManhattan house with their young son Henry. Nicole Kidman's character is someone who is still trying to make sense of the eliteManhattan social circles and even drops a hint at moving out of the city, which is quickly dismissed by her husband. To keep up with the upscale society appearances, she involves herself in a fundraiser committee in Henry's school. During one such meeting, she is introduced to Elena Alves. A 'scholarship mother', Elena is different and unlike many others is not trying to 'fit in'. She is not afraid to show who she really is- a fact that's evident when during a fundraiser meeting, she starts breastfeeding- without caring about people's judgment.

It is a day after the fundraiser night that the lives of the Frasersturn upside down. Elena Alves is murdered and prime suspects keep on changing as more details wereunmasked.

From here the nail-biting murder mystery begins with the makers adding a new twist almost every 15 minutes. The show picks up from the first episode itself and manages to keep you hooked throughout the three episodes. Full points for the build-up over here! Suspense, thriller, drama, mystery- the series has it all.

'The Undoing' will remind you a lot of another show of the same genre called 'Big Little Lies'. It seems like these two shows are made with the same spices to create two different dishes. Having seen both of them the viewer is bound to make comparisons.

Even though the two have different plotlines and characters, there are certain elements that connect them together. For starters, they share the same writer and creator David E Kelley, and Nicole Kidman as one of the main protagonists. Both the shows revolve around the lives of the rich, upper-class women, with their elite social lives being disrupted by a murder of a known one. Not to forget even though their lives fall apart, their clothes are always as marvelous as they can be. While 'Big Little Lies' had three main protagonists and Nicole Kidman was one of them, 'The Undoing' is entirely Kidman's stage to shine.

You can also draw a little comparison between the characters of Grace and Celeste (from 'Big Little Lies'). In 'The Undoing' we see a little role reversal in Kidman's character, while she was undertaking counselling in 'Big Little Lies', here she is the one who is providing it to other people. However, the indecisive nature of her character remains the same. Just like season 1 of 'Big Little Lies' she goes back and forth on many decisions involving her husband.

'The Undoing' works on an excellent screenplay and non-linear narrative, with the murder mystery unravelling in the most unpredictable way you can think of. It felt like the show till now has been made for Nicole Kidman, and she has shown us why she is worthy of all the attention. Her character Grace is a really complex one, who is experiencing many different emotions all at once, as she tries to make sense of what's going on around her. Kidman manages to ace all these emotions with her facial expressions. Another addition to the promising cast is Huge Grant, who is known for his roles in 'Notting Hill', 'Bridget Jones's Diary', 'Four Weddings And A Funeral' and manages to be as charming as ever. We start seeing him more from the second episode onwards and he plays his part beautifully to make this psychological thriller more nerve-wracking.

The remaining cast members of the series such as Noah Jupe, Lily Rabe, Edgar Ramirez, Matilda De Angelis and Fala Chen also play their parts well and make this thriller an interesting watch.

'The Undoing' is streaming on Disney + Hotstar.