The Disclaimer series finale is now streaming on Apple TV+, concluding the psychological thriller. Let’s recap the episode and see if our questions were answered in episode 7.
Spoiler alert! Please note there are spoilers ahead if you are not caught up on the Apple TV+ miniseries. Go stream the latest episode before reading on.
Directed by Alfonso Cuaron and based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Renee Knight, Disclaimer follows Catherine (portrayed by Cate Blanchett), a respected and award-winning journalist. Catherine’s career and marriage are threatened after a novel is released that is based on a vacation Catherine and her son went on years ago.
This novel reveals dark secrets that Catherine never told anyone about. It includes the death of Jonathan, a young man Catherine had sex with. Needless to say, this comes as a shock to Catherine’s husband Robert (Sacha Baron Cohen), and her son Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Audiences learn that this book was written by Jonathan’s late mother, who put the story together based on pictures taken by Jonathan.
All this time, we believe Catherine to be a monster. A woman who had an affair with a naive teenager, who heroically saved her son Nicholas from drowning. We also believe that Nicholas ended up in the water because of a neglectful Catherine. Jonathan does manage to save Nicholas, but he gets caught in the waves and dies before he is brought out of the water by lifeguards.
What really happened to Catherine?
Episode 7 reveals the dark truth about Jonathan. While I did believe parts of the story about Jonathan, I always had my doubts about a few things that didn’t make sense. For starters, this book is based on a few pictures, so it’s impossible to know all of the details if you weren’t there. And this is Jonathan’s mom writing the book, she will of course be on her son’s side no matter what. However, I never would’ve guessed the full truth.
Catherine breaks into Stephen’s (Kevin Kline) home to share her side of the story – and it is shocking. As it turns out, Catherine never seduced Jonathan. She did notice him looking at her and taking photographs and found the attention flattering. But Catherine never took it any further than a glance or two.
All this time, Jonathan is not the sweet, innocent young man everyone believed him to be. Jonathan follows Catherine to her hotel room and enters uninvited. Threatening her at knifepoint, Jonathan forces Catherine to take the explicit photographs. Catherine believes these are to blackmail her so she doesn’t tell anyone. Jonathan proceeds to rape Catherine all night.
This is why Catherine was exhausted the following day and fell asleep when Nicholas made his way to the water. And it is why Catherine did not care about Jonathan dying. She knew he was struggling in the water, but didn’t alert anyone.
Is Catherine telling the truth?
Yes! I believe everything Catherine told Stephen, and this is why… Not only does Catherine’s story add up, but Jonathan’s mother did not have all of the details. She wrote the book based on very little evidence. Even Stephen, Jonathan’s father, admitted that he was not as innocent as his wife portrayed him to be. He comments that his wife always excused Jonathan’s behavior and that he just went along with it.
There’s also the call Sasha’s mother made to Jonathan’s parents. Sasha did not leave her vacation with Jonathan because her aunt had passed away. She left on bad terms and it’s clear that Jonathan did something to her. Finally, Catherine tells Stephen that she had taken photos of her injuries.
Stephen finally has a change of heart and decides not to kill Nicholas. Instead, he does the right thing and tells Catherine's husband the truth about Jonathan.
A little too late for Robert
Robert is shocked to learn the truth and asks Catherine for forgiveness. But it’s a little too late for Robert. Catherine says that though she understands Robert, she can’t fully forgive him for not giving her a chance to share her story. Catherine tells Robert that it was too easy for him to believe Stephen instead of allowing Catherine to explain.
Catherine and her son do fix their relationship, at the very least. Nicholas even apologizes to his mother for how he treated her and for what happened.
It’s refreshing to see a series with a proper ending. Disclaimer answered all our questions and concludes the stories of the main characters. I also love how the miniseries is only seven episodes as it doesn’t drag the story and only features what we need to know. What did you think about Disclaimer?