The cast of the Apple TV+ dramaDisclaimeropened up about the shocking twist in the series’ final episode. The psychological thriller, written and directed by Oscar-winner Alfonso Cuarón and based on Renée Knight’s 2015 novel, stars Cate Blanchett as Catherine Ravenscroft, an acclaimed documentary journalist who becomes the subject of a mysterious novel that seems to expose a long-buried secret from her past. The story unfolds in a non-linear format, revealing crucial events from a young Catherine’s (Leila George) sordid affair in Italy with Jonathan (Louis Partridge) and its present-day repercussions.
In an interview withUSA Today, George and Partridge discussed the intensity of their roles at the center of the series’ twist. The series finale reveals that Catherine was actually the victim of a series of sexual assaults by Jonathan, portrayed as the innocent victim inThe Perfect Stranger, the novel written by his mother, Nancy, that haunts Catherine throughout the series. Here’s what they had to say:
Partridge:“I’d been told there was some nudity, but that was pretty much it. In terms of my character, that just came out of nowhere for me, which was initially a bit daunting. [It] was very much something we had to sketch together: what makes a person like this, and why someone might feel entitled to do something like that.”
George:“That was the hardest thing for me: being tortured, in a way, and having to sell it as a smile. And making it look like true enough of a smile that it could look like a seduction scene, but at the same time, it’s horrific what’s going on.”
Partridge:“We wanted to keep them starkly different and create the biggest contrast we could, which was this wide-eyed, innocent kid and this selfish aggressor. As an actor, it’s a pretty big gulf to have to go between.”
George:“When you know the first four episodes are told from the perspective of his mother, you look back and see that Catherine is this complete male fantasy. You see her walking toward Jonathan with the light behind her and the music playing, and it’s almost amusing. The second time I watched it, I almost laughed in those moments because it’s this ridiculous level of fantasy, and yet you believe it at the start because you’re told that’s real.
We hear all the time that women are afraid to come out and say when something’s happened. If they go to court, then they’re told, ‘Well, you were asking for it’ or ‘You were wearing a short dress.’ Catherine has racked through all those different questions in her head and decided that it wasn’t worth the potential attack.
What Disclaimer’s Cast Reflection On The Series' Ending Means
George & Partridge’s Thoughts Highlight The Power Of Perspective
Nancy depicts her son as a casualty of Catherine’s seduction in her novel, sparking a revenge mission led by Stephen, Jonathan’s father. However, the truth, as told by Catherine, tells a different story. Jonathan entered her room uninvited, held her at knifepoint, and raped her, forcing her to smile for incriminating photos that haunted her in book stores and her husband’s (Sacha Baron Cohen) hands throughout the season. This reveal entirely reframesDisclaimer’s four different timelines,showing that Catherine’s struggle with thePerfect Strangerwas not to hide an affair but to survive and protect her son.
The Perfect Strangerand Jonathan’s photos become a powerful tool in shaping the audience’s perception. By writing Catherine as a seductress, Nancy absolves her son and allows herself to portray the son she remembers rather than face his brutal transgressions.The series’ final episode gives Catherine the opportunity to unpack the trauma on her own terms. Doing so, Cuarón masterfully portrays how certain textual and visual cues can be manipulated to obscure the truth as well as the societal tendency to discount survivors of sexual assault, especially when relying on external narratives.
8 Biggest Unanswered Questions After Disclaimer’s Finale
Disclaimer ends with a shocking twist revealing the truth about Catherine and Jonathan but leaves a few notable loose ends and unanswered questions.
George and Partridge’s comments reveal the deliberate effort behind the series' sun-kissed fantasy and the grim reality. This crushing juxtaposition forces the audience to grapple with the ease of believing the abuser’s narrative over the victim’s. Bygradually revealing Catherine’s traumaand letting her voice shine through,Disclaimerchallenges viewers to examine the discriminatory value bestowed onto certain voices andraises questions about the nature of truth and power, particularly in a society where sexual assault victims are not easily believed.
The Final Episode Speaks To The Experience Of Survivors
Disclaimer’s ending powerfully illustratesthe danger of accepting a narrative without questioning its origin and intent. The series’ twist forces audiences to face their assumptions, shedding light on Catherine’s silent battle and the societal challenges faced by many, many survivors of sexual assault in a world where it often feels safer to stay quiet. Through Cuarón’s nuanced storytelling,Disclaimerultimately delivers thought-provoking commentary on how belief and perception are often guided or overcome by bias, and the resilience needed to confront painful truths in the name of justice.
Disclaimer
Cast
Told in seven chapters, “Disclaimer” is based on the novel of the same name by Renée Knight. Acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Blanchett) built her reputation revealing the misdeeds and transgressions of others. When she receives a novel from an unknown author, she is horrified to realize she is now the main character in a story that exposes her darkest secrets. As Catherine races to uncover the writer’s true identity, she is forced to confront her past before it destroys both her own life and her relationships with her husband Robert (Sacha Baron Cohen) and their son Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
