The Undoing episode 5 recap: Top theories about who killed Elena

The shocking cliffhanger ending of episode five begs a lot of questions, so it appears that one particular character will have a lot of explaining to do in the series finale.

Read on for our full spoiler-filled theories about who killed Elena on The Undoing.

The Undoing theories: Who killed Elena?

Jonathan Fraser

Let's not beat around the bush: here's our prime suspect.

Jonathan Fraser (Hugh Grant) has proven himself to be an untrustworthy and staggeringly selfish man over the course of this series, with an abundance of evidence to suggest he could have murdered Elena.

We know that the two slept together on the night of her death, which partly explains why Jonathan's DNA was at the scene of the crime, but that doesn't discount the possibility that he could have also committed the murder.

Episode five gave us more reason to suspect him when his mother chillingly revealed that he never felt any remorse after causing the accidental death of his young sister decades earlier.

It certainly suggests that he doesn't value human life particularly highly, while his arrogance paints him as the type who would convince himself he could get away with murder.

Wanting out of his relationship with Elena and her infatuation with him, he could well have been her brutal attacker.

Sylvia Steinetz

An emerging theory among fans of The Undoing is that perhaps Sylvia could have had something to do with the murder.

Although she appears to be a trusted friend of the Frasers, a recent confession from Jonathan to his lawyer Haley Fitzgerald sparked speculation that she might not be such a friendly face after all.

Speaking about his past infidelity, Jonathan admitted to having an adulterous relationship with one other woman apart from the late Elena, but the scene cuts away before he reveals her name.

If the woman in question is Sylvia, it could be that she felt jealous or perhaps even betrayed by Jonathan's affair with Elena, so she killed her and covered her tracks to frame him for the crime.

Fernando Alves

Much of Jonathan's defence case rests on shifting blame to the victim's grieving husband Fernando; it's not a great look from a publicity perspective, but he certainly does have motive.

After all, it it wasn't bad enough that his wife was cheating on him, Fernando also had to cope with the earth-shattering revelation that Jonathan is the biological father of his newborn baby.

It's possible that this could have provoked a blind rage that drove him to commit the unspeakable murder, but of course, there's a distinct lack of physical evidence connecting him to the scene.

For this reason, Fernando appears to be a less likely suspect at this point in time, particularly as he has been the most adversely affected by Elena's death.

Henry Fraser

While it seems a little far-fetched that teenager Henry could have committed a crime of such brutality, the cliffhanger ending to episode five suggests he is more involved than we might have first expected.

Grace enters Henry's room while he is sleeping to do a little bit of tidying, but when she goes to return his violin to its case, she finds the murder weapon hidden inside.

Henry wakes up just as the credits roll, so we're yet to hear his explanation as to why on earth the item would be in his possession, but there are several possibilities at play.

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Although we can't entirely rule out that Henry committed the murder, perhaps after witnessing his father being close with Elena at the school gates, there has been little other evidence to back up his culpability.

It seems more likely that he may be hiding the murder weapon to keep his father out of trouble, as he has made it very clear that he wants his family to stay together after the trial concludes.

The Undoing concludes on Sky Atlantic at 9pm on Monday 30th November. While you’re waiting, visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight, or check out our guide to new TV shows 2020 to find out what's airing this autumn and beyond.