Undone - General Discussion

[Black Knight]

For all discussion related to Amazon's show!

[Black Knight]

I'll kick off discussion, since I just watched S1 which dropped in the fall of 2019. It has been renewed for S2.

As someone who wears powerful hearing aids, and will one day need cochlear implants, I greatly appreciated the lead character's cochlear implants and how she sometimes uses them to purposely block out other people/the world. So relatable!

I found this show's ambiguity fascinating. It was especially powerful in the episode where we don't get Alma's POV, and so we see how she comes across to everyone else. If the show hadn't been renewed, I would have felt content with the sort of Life of Pi-ish end, in which you can decide for yourself which of the two narratives you prefer. The funny thing is, as a big SF and F person, I normally always go for the fantastic one (and I did in the aforementioned work), and the depiction of the manipulation of time here is one of the most fascinating I've ever seen...and yet, and yet, in this show's case I'd choose the schizophrenia narrative. Because it was done so well, and except for the one episode I mentioned, it was done from the POV of the (possible) schizophrenic in question, which is something I've not seen done before.

I'm curious to see how much the show will continue the ambiguity in S2. I feel like the fact the show is continuing will end up making the manipulation of time narrative the real one. Even though that wasn't my personal preference, as mentioned, it's brilliantly done as well and I'm happy to see more of it when S2 drops.

[calliope1975]

I really loved this show and binged it twice. At first, I was leaning towards she was time traveling, but after the second viewing, I picked up on how she could know things she seemingly shouldn't. The only one I couldn't figure out was the kid at daycare she kept seeing drowning. I would have been fine with the ending in S1, but I am curious how S2 will develop. 

Mostly I appreciated how these characters felt like real people. It didn't feel like acting. 

[Black Knight]

1 hour ago, calliope1975 said:

The only one I couldn't figure out was the kid at daycare she kept seeing drowning.

There wasn't an actual incident later in the season where he drowned or nearly drowned, was there? If there was, I missed it. If not, then we really don't know if she actually really saw a future or whether it was just her hallucinating. Part of it could have been transference; she herself felt a lot like she was overwhelmed, drowning. And the boy was black, so there could have been some subconscious racial bias on her part where she figured that out of the daycare group he was the one who wouldn't know how to swim, and so he was the one onto whom she transferred her own feelings of drowning.

And I agree with what you said about the acting. It's funny considering how the show was made, with the actors playing the scenes and then the animation being laid on top - but it didn't take away from the realism at all. The writing helped with that too; the characterization of everyone was so well done and the dialogue all very natural.

[tennisgurl]

What a strange, beautiful that show was, and while I have no idea what a season two would be like, I am really happy to hear that we will get one. I really had no idea what to expect here, with the trippiness of the story and the time travel and especially the rotoscope, but I was just riveted throughout. I was worried that the rotoscope could turn into a gimmick, like this would be a show that could have easily been live action or more traditionally animated but they wanted to do something more offbeat, but having now seen the show, rotoscope was the perfect medium for this story. It allowed for the realism of Almas life to contrast and mix with the surrealism of her visions and the possible time travel or possible schizophrenia, as the two kept getting more and more blurred and reality mixed more and more with the surreal. 

I really loved the complexity of the characters as well. Most everyone did crappy things or were often unsympathetic, but their flaws seemed very real and understandable and I still left the show hoping for things to work out for them. The use of time travel here is really really interesting and unique as far as time travel narratives go, but I could just as easily see this as being Alma dealing with schizophrenia, either explanation works for me really. I like that they left things ambiguous, and I am interested in seeing if they keep the ambiguity up for the next season.

[lucindabelle]

I don’t usually like the “it was mental illness” explanation but it was done so well here. It makes equal sense both ways. Schizophrenia could run in the family and dad was often a very unreliable narrator, especially when he was trying to keep her from forgiving Sam, and taking her away from the wedding.

 

on the other hand, his mom learned a tribal melody in a dream. She saw incidences in sams childhood (which he possibly could have told her about but still.) she understood what the security guard had experienced (ir was it the screensaver?)

the one thing that seems to have no non magic explanation was how she saw her mom break into the lab and how she knew it was a suicide. Unless she had just overheard it, but nothing in the show suggests that.

very early on we know dads not right not only because he leaves his little girl there but also because she says not again. He’s done it before. There’s ultimately more here to suggest dad was crazy than that he wasn’t (the experiments, the research not being good after all)

why didn’t time correct itself the moment past dad made a different choice? Why did she have to go to Mexico?

all that said, I still prefer the time travel and magic story. It’s just more surprising to me.

 

oh and 100 percent it was a tiger in life of pi. I really hate the other solution. Much too Pat.

Edited July 12, 2020 by lucindabelle

[catsitter]

On 7/12/2020 at 5:02 AM, lucindabelle said:

I don’t usually like the “it was mental illness” explanation but it was done so well here. It makes equal sense both ways. Schizophrenia could run in the family and dad was often a very unreliable narrator, especially when he was trying to keep her from forgiving Sam, and taking her away from the wedding.

 

on the other hand, his mom learned a tribal melody in a dream. She saw incidences in sams childhood (which he possibly could have told her about but still.) she understood what the security guard had experienced (ir was it the screensaver?)

the one thing that seems to have no non magic explanation was how she saw her mom break into the lab and how she knew it was a suicide. Unless she had just overheard it, but nothing in the show suggests that.

very early on we know dads not right not only because he leaves his little girl there but also because she says not again. He’s done it before. There’s ultimately more here to suggest dad was crazy than that he wasn’t (the experiments, the research not being good after all)

why didn’t time correct itself the moment past dad made a different choice? Why did she have to go to Mexico?

all that said, I still prefer the time travel and magic story. It’s just more surprising to me.

 

oh and 100 percent it was a tiger in life of pi. I really hate the other solution. Much too Pat.

We don't know for sure that the grandmother learned the tribal melody in a dream - maybe she lied about it or was mistaken, or the Dad lied about it or was mistaken.

I think she could have figured out that it was her Mom who broke into the lab from the clues that the assistant phoned her Dad to ask whether to call 911, and that he told her not to. Alma heard his side of the call.

[AnimeMania]

Animated Series ‘Undone’ Unveils Season Two First-Look Footage From Prime Video

Season Two of the animated series Undone will air on Prime Video, Friday, April 29.

In Season Two, Alma (Rosa Salazar) realizes there are deeper mysteries in her family’s past. However, no one in her family is interested in digging up uncomfortable truths with her—until she finally convinces her sister Becca (Angelique Cabral) to help her look. As the sisters search for answers, they unravel a complex network of memories and motivations that have shaped who they are today. They realize by healing this family trauma they can make all of their lives better.

Recap of Season 1

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by AnimeMania

[jhlipton]

For me, as soon as "Dad" said that he murdered his assistant, I would be done helping him and spending my effort keeping her alive.  Dad deserves to die, she does not.

On 5/13/2020 at 9:47 AM, tennisgurl said:

I really loved the complexity of the characters as well. Most everyone did crappy things or were often unsympathetic, but their flaws seemed very real and understandable and I still left the show hoping for things to work out for them. 

I started watching Fleabag and OMG, what a repulsive character, and so not fun. Alma is at least witty in her sarcasm.

On 7/11/2020 at 9:02 PM, lucindabelle said:

he understood what the security guard had experienced (ir was it the screensaver?)

She knew too much detail.  I don't think the screensaver showed the name of the daughter, for one thing.  So I'm still leaning toward magical time travel.  Also, saying that shamen are just schizophrenic seems awfully belittling. 

 

 

[AnimeMania]

 

[AnimeMania]

[catsitter]

I really liked the ambiguous ending of the first season and I feel it is a shame that the second season will surely have to resolve the ambiguity one way or the other. But I'm sure I'll watch it anyway and find out the answer!

[AnimeMania]

‘Undone’ Review: Brilliant Animated Series’ Season 2 Is Multiverse TV at Its Finest

IndieWire Review

[overtherainbow]

Well that was interesting. This season definitely focused a lot more on the time travel aspect, less on the characters and their own personal journeys. I liked the addition of the half-brother

[AnimeMania]

Undone Co-Creator Kate Purdy Talks Escalating the Emotional Stakes in Season 2

[JH Lipton]

That was fun, except for the ending.  Of all the timelines that were created, she went back to the one where her dad murdered his assistant!  I think that I would have preferred if they ended in the new and improved timeline. The creators are hoping for a Season 3, but I'm not sure that what timeline it will follow.