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| “ | Everyone presumes they know their own family, but I can assure that’s not the case. | „ |
| ~ Jonathan's most famous line. |
Dr. Jonathan Fraser is the main antagonist of Jean Hanff Korelitz's 2014 novel You Should Have Known and its 2021 television miniseries adaptation The Undoing. He is a narcissistic sociopath who is on trial for the murder of his mistress, Elena Alves, while playing mind games with his wife, Grace, and son, Henry.
He was portrayed by Hugh Grant, who also portrayed Forge Fitzwilliam in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Blitzen in the American dub of Robbie the Reindeer, and Phoenix Buchanan in Paddington 2.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Jonathan was born into a wealthy British family. When he was 14, his four-year-old sister, Grace, was struck and killed by a car while he was babysitting her because he left her alone with the front door open. He never took responsibility or showed remorse, or even grief, for Grace's death, instead blaming his parents and estranging himself from them as an adult.
As an adult, he became a pediatric oncologist, not because he wanted to help sick children, but because he thrived off of being worshiped by his patients and their families. He married a psychiatrist, Grace, with whom he has a teenage son, Henry, both of whom love and admire him - or rather, the façade of a selfless, compassionate healer that he had carefully constructed over the years. They live in an upscale apartment in New York City, and send Henry to the prestigious Reardon Academy, with the backing of Grace's rich father, Franklin Reinhardt. Franklin despises Jonathan, but reluctantly gives him money because he wants Grace and Henry to have the best that money can buy.
Unbeknownst to his wife, Jonathan has had several affairs, and has even slept with some of his patients' mothers. He was reprimanded by his superiors for his behavior, but he did not stop committing these indiscretions until he was finally fired following an internal investigation proving that he was the biological father of the infant daughter of Elena Alvez, who is also mother to his former patient Miguel. Jonathan keeps his firing a secret from his family by pretending to go to work every day.
The Undoing[]
Jonathan tells Grace and Henry that he is going to a medical conference in Cleveland, Ohio for a few days. During his absence, Elena Alvez is found dead, having been bludgeoned to death with a hammer, and her husband Fernando is the main suspect. When police question Grace, who knew Elena casually through Henry's school, she becomes concerned, and tries to contact Jonathan. After discovering that Jonathan left his cell phone at home, she tries to call him, but he is unavailable. She calls the hotel hosting the conference, and finally up to his room, only to find that someone other than Jonathan is staying there.
Fernando Alvez is found to have a solid alibi for the murder, and suspicion falls on Jonathan, who is still missing. The detective on the case, Joe Mendoza, tells Grace about Jonathan being fired, and she learns of his infidelities. To shield Henry from the press and police, she goes with him to stay at Franklin's beach house - where Jonathan surprises her, pleading his innocence. As he embraces Henry, Grace calls the police, who arrest Jonathan.
Grace and Henry visit Jonathan in jail, where he admits that he had an affair with Elena but denies killing her. Franklin reluctantly hires attorney Haley Fitzgerald to defend Jonathan, but privately tells Grace that Jonathan came to him months earlier asking for money and advises her to cut ties with him. Fitzgerald gets Jonathan released on bail, and he goes to see Fernando, telling him he is innocent; Fernando wants nothing to do with him, but allows him to hold his infant daughter. Fitzgerald then arranges a televised interview with Jonathan in which he denies killing Elena and suggests that he knows who did.
That night, Grace finds the hammer used to kill Elena among Henry's things, and Jonathan insinuates that Henry may have committed the murder. Henry tells them that he had found the hammer in the woodshed behind their house and hid it to keep Jonathan out of trouble. Jonathan disingenuously apologizes to Henry for doubting him, but Grace has finally seen him for what he is and realizes that he must have committed the murder. At his trial, Grace sets up a trap for Jonathan by testifying that he is a kind, empathetic person, which gives the prosecution an opportunity to ask about his sister; when the jury hears of Jonathan's callousness and lack of remorse, it does irreparable damage to his case.
A flashback reveals that Jonathan did indeed kill Elena. After Jonathan distanced himself from her after he was fired, Elena confronted him. When she threatened to tell Grace about their affair, Jonathan flew into a rage and hit her, and then bludgeoned her to death with a hammer.
With his conviction all but certain, Jonathan panics and kidnaps Henry. He tries to persuade Henry that the murder was merely "a mistake", and that he is still a good person. Henry at last sees through Jonathan's charm, however, and calls him a murderer. With the police now in pursuit, Jonathan stops the car and threatens to jump off a bridge, even as Henry begs him not to. He ultimately surrenders to the police as Grace arrives via police helicopter and takes Henry away to safety.