Disclaimer Episode 5 Unfurls Catherine’s Nightmare
Fall TV season is alive and well. This month, Apple TV+ rolled out a new thriller, Disclaimer*, which tracks the life of Catherine Ravenscroftâan esteemed journalist whose reputation unravels when she receives a book written about her past. The series is based on ReneĂ© Knightâs bestselling novel of the same name. Cate Blanchett stars as Catherine, while Sacha Baron Cohen plays her husband, Robert. Kodi Smit-McPhee plays their son, Nicholas. All three actors offer extraordinary performances, as they face the dark possibility that Catherine might not be the person they thought she was.
As the plot unfolds, we learn that nearly twenty years ago, Catherine went on a holiday to Spain. During their vacation, she became involved with a young man named Jonathan (Louis Partridge), who drowned while saving her son. Afterward, Jonathanâs mother, Nancy (Lesley Manville) dug into the incident and wrote a book (The Perfect Stranger) about her findings, which just so happens to land on Catherineâs doorstep. Though Catherine would like to bury the ordeal in the past, Jonathanâs father, Stephen (Kevin Kline) wonât let it happen. He believes sheâs responsible for his sonâs death and he wants the world to know it.
At its core, Disclaimer* is a tale of two families bound together by a terrible secret. The show jumps through time and utilizes various perspectives, all of which put into question who is trustworthy and who isn’t. By letting two narrators tell the story, Disclaimer* weaves together a maze-like plot with genuinely affecting twists and turns. Itâs brilliant.
The fifth episode hit Apple TV+ this Friday, and it marks a tipping point in the show. Catherineâs husband read The Perfect Stranger and kicked her out of the house. And as Catherine scrambles to do damage control, Stephen enacts phase two of his plan. This time, heâs going after her colleagues and her son.
Apple TV+
Stephenâs Revenge Plan is Heating Up Each time Stephen delivers a copy of The Perfect Stranger, he mimes throwing a bombâsymbolizing his mission to make Catherineâs life explode. Stephen lobs another one in episode 5 when he shows up at Catherineâs office. With little effort, he wiggles his way in (apparently, London doesnât have key cards or receptionists) and confronts Catherineâs coworker, Jisoo (Hoyeon).
âThe world needs to know who Catherine Ravenscroft really is,â he says, handing her a copy. Jisoo is thrown off by the situation but takes the book anyway. When she asks for more information, Stephen offers it up without hesitation. âShe was involved with someone and when he became inconvenient, she let him die,â he says.
Jisoo is horrified but she takes the book upstairs, along with the copies Stephen brought for the rest of the office. To make matters worse, Stephen also created a fake Facebook account for his son, Jonathan, and friended Catherineâs son, Nicholas. The kid is a loner, so he accepts, and begins chatting with fake JonathanâAKA a fully grown man posing as a 19-year-old boy. Apparently, Stephenâs moral high ground is reserved solely for Catherine. Having an affair is abhorrent behavior. But…posing as a minor? Totally acceptable.
He and Nicholas form a friendship, then “Jonathan” asks Nicholas about the book. He wants to know what he thinks of the main character. Nicholas calls her a whore. Says he hates her. Then Stephen sends Nicholas naked pictures of Catherine and tells him to cross-examine a chapter of the book for similarities. As Nicholas spirals, Stephen sends another messageâand it’s truly abhorrent. âJonathan died years ago, youâre the little boy he saved. The woman, the whore, is your mother. Jonathan is dead because he tried to save you. Clearly, your mummy never loved you.â
Disclaimer: A Novel
Catherine Is Scrambling While Stephen is occupied with ruining Catherineâs life, sheâs busy trying to save it. The episode opens with Catherine arriving at her motherâs house. Her husband, Robert, kicked her out. Catherineâs mom has dementia and doesnât sense something is wrong, so when she asks if Robert is in America, Catherine agrees. Itâs much easier to lie than explain your marriage is on the brink of collapse.
That evening, Catherine crawls in bed with her mom and tells her everything. Though we canât hear it, she recounts her holiday in full detail, explaining exactly what happened for the first time. Her mother is sleeping, but it doesnât matter. Itâs cathartic. The next day, Catherine goes to work and finds that all her colleagues are reading The Perfect Stranger. Talk about a nightmare scenario! Naturally, this leads to an office showdown. Catherine tries to storm out, but her boss grabs her arm, and Catherine strikes him. It gets worse. Her coworkers filmed everything. Jisoo yells that Catherine is âso cancelled,â and on the bus ride home, Catherine sees the video has already been posted online.
Now her personal and professional life are in turmoil. Exasperated, Catherine goes to Stephenâs house and demands to speak with him. Stephen pretends heâs not home and waits until Catherine leaves to go to dinner with her husband.
Apple TV+.
Robert is Clueless as EverFor reasons I do not understand, Robert agrees to go to dinner with Stephen. I get that the man is pissedâand frankly, very confused. But…why? Having a meal with your wifeâs dead loverâs dad? It doesn’t make sense. Doesnât he have more pressing things to do? Like, I donât know, check on his son whoâs rotting away in his room?
When he arrives, Robert profusely apologies for Catherineâs behavior. âI read the book, and I want to make clear that the way my wife behaved was pitiful,â he says. Jonathan explains that his wife, Nancy Brigstocke (Lesley Manville), tried to meet with Nicholas before she died. Apparently, she wanted to see the boy that her son saved but Catherine refused. Disgusted by the news, Robert tells Stephen that he and Catherine have split, and heâs relieved to know the truth.
Nicholas is Caught in the Middle It’s hard not to have some sympathy for Nicholas. He was already on an aimless spiral, but the news of his near-death pushes him over the brink. He destroys the book, then heads straight to his drug-dealer’s den for reprieve. High on God knows what, Nicholas calls his mother sobbing then hangs up. Catherine calls back, but Nicholas wonât pick up the phone. The episode ends with him curled up on a destroyed couch.
Where do we go from here? Will we learn what Catherine told her mother? When will Stephen’s reign of terror end? I’m afraid to find out.
