Thankfully, one Disclaimer star has spoken out about the ending of the Apple TV+ thriller recontextualized the whole story, following fans wondering what actually happened.
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón and based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Renée Knight, the plot of Disclaimer is about documentarian Catherine Ravenscroft (Cate Blanchett) being confronted with a distorted view of her past by Stephen Brigstocke, the vengeful father of a boy she let drown in Italy 20 years ago.
However, the final episode of Disclaimer, released on November 8, recontextualized the entire plot. Many viewers quickly wondered which aspects of the story were influenced by the unreliable narrative, specifically Sasha's exact situation with Jonathan.
Disclaimer Star Confirms Suspicions About Ending for Sasha & Jonathan
One of the stars of Apple TV+'s Disclaimer confirmed what fans had been thinking about the show's shocking ending.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, when asked whether audiences were meant to see the reveal of Jonathan Brigstocke's true nature coming, his actor, Louis Partridge, denied it, saying, "I don't think [Alfonso Cuarón] wanted me to leave any clues other than the ones that were there and covered up."
Partridge pointed out some examples of "moments" that would lead viewers to reconsider past parts of the narrative, such as why Sasha abruptly had to go home. It was not because her aunt was hit by a lorry in London, but that Jonathan had "been hitting her:"
"So there are these things that [we] gloss over, and then in hindsight, it’s like, oh, the reason she had to go home was because he’d been hitting her."
He elaborated on how Nancy's unheard conversation with Sasha's mother was her reaction to being told what her son had done and her refusal to believe Sasha's mother:
"The reason Nancy wouldn’t accept what this lady was saying to her is because she was telling her something about her son that she didn’t want to hear. So you’re right, that version of Jonathan is preserved."
As many fans had assumed using some of these same clues, Jonathan was abusive to Sasha during their trip to Italy, which is what caused her to leave. Partridge believed that Nancy wanted to preserve her son as this "innocent boy who was derailed by this witch" and that "Nancy is the real monster:"
The Jonathan in a jar that she wants to protect and preserve as her innocent boy who was derailed by this witch, this Medusa on the beach, as opposed to him being the guy he was. It’s chilling. Nancy is the real monster, really.
Fans Become Frantic For Sasha
Considering that so much of Disclaimer's narrative was framed through the lens of Stephen's late wife's book, The Perfect Stranger, the reveal of Jonathan's true nature made fans rethink his relationship with Sasha.
Fans had been questioning why she abruptly left Jonathan on their Italy trip, immediately assuming that their relationship was abusive. Many fans pointed out how disapproving Nancy, Jonathan's mother, found Sasha throughout the show, for example, believing that she had gotten their son into smoking.
Another aspect of their relationship that was reexamined was the opening of the first episode when they were having sex on the train, and Sasha kept telling him to stop. However, fans don't have to wonder what happened to Sasha anymore, as one of the stars made her relationship with Jonathan crystal clear.
Thankfully, audiences finally have some answers, with names like Louis Partridge confirming what many had long predicted.
Every episode of Disclaimer is streaming on Apple TV+.
