This interview contains spoilers from "VII," the finale of "Disclaimer," now streaming on Apple TV+. The final beats of "Disclaimer" utterly upend what had come before. Up to this point, we're given to believe that Stephen (Kevin Kline) is on a misguided but fundamentally fact-based mission to avenge the death of his son,

Shock twist in finale of Cate Blanchett show leaves viewers divided - The thriller, directed by Alfonso Cuaron, also stars Kevin Kline, Leslie Manville and Sacha Baron Cohen

If a picture speaks a thousand words, then the concluding episode of Disclaimer makes it clear that those words might not reflect reality—or at least not all of it.

I'm always conflicted when film and TV use sexual assault as a plot device. Too often, it can feel like hollow shock factor, brutalization for brutalization's sake. That Disclaimer positions Catherine's rape as a twist, especially after six episodes of what feels more like a pulpy thriller, threatens to push the show into shock-factor territory.

The writer-director's seven-part Apple series comes to a close with crystalizing certainty, while still arguing for a world filled with more careful questions and less righteous satisfaction.