‘Disclaimer’ Episode 5 Unfurls Catherine’s Nightmare
Autumn TV season is alive and well. This month, Apple TV+ rolled out a new thriller, Disclaimer*, which tracks the life of Catherine Ravenscroft—an esteemed journalist whose reputation unravels when she receives a book written about her past. The series is based on Reneé Knight’s best-selling novel of the same name. Cate Blanchett stars as Catherine, while Sacha Baron Cohen plays her husband, Robert, and Kodi Smit-McPhee is 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, Jonathan’s 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 Catherine’s doorstep. Though Catherine would like to bury the ordeal in the past, Jonathan’s father, Stephen (Kevin Kline), won’t let that happen. He believes she’s responsible for his son’s death and he wants the world to know it.
At its core, Disclaimer* is a tale of two families bound by a terrible secret. The show jumps through time and uses 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. It’s brilliant.
The fifth episode hit Apple TV+ on Friday, and it marks a tipping point for the show. Catherine’s husband has read The Perfect Stranger and kicked her out of the house. And as she scrambles to do damage control, Stephen enacts phase two of his plan. This time, he’s going after her colleagues and her son.
Stephen’s Revenge Plan Is Heating Up
Each time Stephen delivers a copy of The Perfect Stranger, he mimes throwing a bomb—symbolising his mission to make Catherine’s life explode. Stephen lobs another one in episode 5 when he shows up at Catherine’s office. With little effort, he wiggles his way in (apparently, London doesn’t have key cards or receptionists) and confronts Catherine’s coworker Jisoo (Hoyeon).
“The world needs to know who Catherine Ravenscroft really is,” he says, handing her a copy. Jisoo is thrown off by the situation, but she takes the book anyway. When she asks for more information, Stephen offers it up without hesitation. “She was involved with someone, and when he became inconvenient, she let him die,” he says.
A horrified Jisoo takes the book upstairs, along with the copies Stephen brought for the rest of the office. To make matters worse, he has also created a fake Facebook account for Jonathan and friended Catherine’s son, Nicholas. The kid is a loner, so he accepts and begins chatting with fake Jonathan—aka a fully grown man posing as a nineteen-year-old. Apparently, Stephen’s moral high ground is reserved solely for Catherine. Having an affair is abhorrent behaviour. But...posing as a teenager? 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 him naked pictures of Catherine and tells him to cross-examine a chapter of the book for similarities. As Nicholas spirals, Stephen sends another message—and it’s truly abhorrent. “Jonathan died years ago, you’re 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.”
Catherine Is Scrambling
While Stephen is occupied with ruining Catherine’s life, she’s busy trying to save it. The episode opens with her arriving at her mother’s house. Her husband, Robert, has kicked her out. Catherine’s mom has dementia and doesn’t sense something is wrong, so when she asks if Robert is in America, Catherine agrees. It’s much easier to lie than to explain that your marriage is on the brink of collapse.
That evening, Catherine crawls into bed with her mom and tells her everything. Though we can’t hear it, she recounts her holiday in full detail, explaining exactly what happened for the first time. Her mother is sleeping, but it doesn’t matter. It’s 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 she strikes him. It gets worse. Her coworkers have filmed everything. Jisoo yells that Catherine is “so canceled,” and on the bus ride home, Catherine sees that the video has already been posted online.
Now her personal and professional life are in turmoil. Exasperated, Catherine goes to Stephen’s house and demands to speak with him. He pretends he’s not home and waits until Catherine leaves before going to dinner with her husband.
Robert Is as Clueless as Ever
For reasons I do not understand, Robert agrees to go to dinner with Stephen. I get that the man is pissed—and, frankly, very confused. But...why? Having a meal with your wife’s dead lover’s dad? It doesn’t make sense. Doesn’t he have more pressing things to do? Like, I don’t know, check on his son, who’s rotting away in his room?
When he arrives, Robert profusely apologies for Catherine’s behaviour. “I read the book, and I want to make clear that the way my wife behaved was pitiful,” he says. Stephen explains that his wife, Nancy, tried to meet with Nicholas before she died. Apparently, she wanted to see the boy her son saved but Catherine refused. Disgusted by the news, Robert tells Stephen that he and Catherine have split and he’s 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 won’t 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.
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