The four different timelines of denial explained

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Denial Episodes 1 and 2.

Apple’s new mystery thriller series Denial is told over several overlapping timelines that combine into one overarching story. Cate Blanchett leads a talented ensemble cast of Denial Like Catherine Ravenscroft, a hard-working and acclaimed television documentary journalist from London, England. Catherine’s world unravels once a mysterious novel titled The perfect stranger comes to her doorBringing back memories of one of her deepest and darkest secrets. Denial Also starring Sacha Baron Cohen as Robert, Catherine’s husband, Cody Smith-McPhee as Nicholas, Robert and Catherine’s son, and Kevin Kline as Steven Brigstocke, a local London man who has lost his wife and son.

Denial is based on the 2015 book of the same name written by Renée Knight. The Apple series is Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón’s first return to television since 2014. Believe. Cuarón has won two Best Directing Academy Awards, one for 2013’s Gravity Starring Sandra Bullock and another for his 2018 black and white film Roma. Denial earned an impressive Repeat Tomatoes critic score of 78%, which is a satisfying rebound for the 2-time Oscar-winning actress after the massive commercial and critical disappointment of Borderlands. Denial Consists of seven parts with the final episode releasing on November 15.

Timeline 1: Jonathan and Catherine in Italy

It occurs roughly 20 years before the present day timeline

The first timeline in Denial It begins with Jonathan Brigstocke, played by Louis Partridge, on vacation in Italy with a romantic interest named Sasha (Liv Hill). They travel to Venice and Florence where Sasha must fly back to London after a family tragedy. This leaves the eager but nervous Jonathan to explore Italy on his own. He writes a postcard to his mom that reads that he is tired of the ruins and is planning to make his way to a beach. There he encounters Catherine, approximately 15-20 years before the modern plot. Jonathan spots young Catherine, portrayed by Leila George, on the beach And snaps photos of her with a young Nicholas.

The first two episodes of Denial Show how Catherine spots Jonathan snapping photos of her on the beach and also revealing where Jonathan’s film ends after the beach encounter in Italy. Jonathan is mesmerized by Catherine but works up the courage to run after her and a 4-year-old Nicholas as they leave the beach. Jonathan is quite crafty with his camera and takes several selfies in front of Italian landscapes, but the most notable photographs are the sensual ones he takes of young Catherine. The photos come back to haunt Blanchett’s older Catherine once Robert discovers them In today’s timeline.

Timeline 2: Nancy confronts Catherine about Jonathan

It occurs roughly 12 years before the present day timeline

There is one short scene in the first two episodes of Denial This does not fit into the three main timelines with Jonathan’s mother, Nancy Brigstocke. Nancy, played by Leslie Manville, reaches out to Blanchett’s Catherine to finally confront her about the death of her son, Jonathan. It is clear that Nancy knows much more about Catherine than her husband, Stephen Brigstocke, did at the time and has a direct, albeit silent, line of communication with her. Catherine finally caves one day and meets with Nancy, who reveals that she is dying of terminal cancer. Nancy notices that Catherine didn’t even send flowers to Jonathan’s funeral.

The scene clearly takes place after Jonathan’s death but still long before the main events of the series since it is established that Nancy died nine years before the present timeline. This scene could have taken place just a few years after Jonathan’s funeral or potentially as many as 10 years since Nancy was dying of cancer but still wrapped in grief for her son. The main takeaway from this timeline entry is that before her death, Nancy did everything in her power to hold Katherine accountable for her role in Jonathan’s death, which has yet to be determined. Catherine cannot stand to face the reality or intensity of Nancy, so she runs away In what appears to be the last time she ever sees you.

Timeline 3: Stephen discovers the Book and makes his plan for revenge

It occurs approximately 3 years before the present timeline

The timeline in which Stephen Brigstocke discovers Nancy’s manuscript of The perfect stranger Occurs just a few years before the present timeline and just days/weeks after Nacny’s passing. Stephen unlocks the top drawer of his wife’s desk in Jonathan’s old bedroom and discovers a pocket knife and body spray, presumably Jonathan’s, as well as the manuscript. Stephen reads the manuscript and passes it off as his own to a colleague who believes there is an opportunity for him to start his own independent publishing company. with time, Stephen was able to publish and distribute the novel under the pseudonym, EJ Preston.

Stephen begins to plot his revenge against Catherine after discovering the manuscript for The Perfect Stranger and the photographs of young Catherine Jonathan had taken nearly two decades earlier. Because of how much pressure Nancy puts on Catherine for Jonathan’s death, and how determined Stephen is to get his revenge on Catherine, it is reasonable to infer that Jonathan never made it home from Italy and that Catherine may have been the last person to see him. him alive. What is clear at this point is that Catherine somehow evaded the law and never faced criminal charges For allegedly being the reason that Jonathan is dead.

Timeline 4: Catherine and Steven in the present day

Modern-day timeline

The main part of the story and where the story really goes is in the present day as Steven and Nancy’s The perfect stranger Roman makes his way into the hands of Catherine and Nicholas. Nicholas explains that someone happened to give it to him, which could have been set by Stephen, while Catherine notably received it directly in the mail as if she had ordered it herself. Catherine’s story on this timeline starts on a high note as she accepts a prestigious award for a documentary she made while working on her relationship with her estranged son, Nicholas. At the end of episode 2, Catherine’s modern world is different from what it seems.

Steven also plays an important role in the current timeline, as he carefully manipulates Nicholas and Robert into the job by leaving them Jonathan’s photographs of young Catherine. at the present time, Both Nancy and Jonathan Brigstocke are dead and Stephen has quit his job As a professor at an elite prep school, he is given a lot of time to torment Catherine from afar. The young Catherine is a completely different person from Robert and Catherine herself, a version of her at her most unreserved and dangerous. While more backstory and timelines are sure to come up DenialThe main plot exists in the present day.