Is Imperfect Women Worth Your Time? Final Verdict and Ratings
Apple TV is back with another thrilling mystery. This time starring Kerry Washington, Elisabeth Moss, and Kate Mara. Will Imperfect Women be a killer who done it, or will you guess the reveal right from the start? The lives of three women in a decades-long friendship are shattered by a crime that brings to light guilt and retribution, love and betrayal, and the compromises we make that irrevocably alter our lives. As the investigation unfolds, so does the truth about how even the closest friendships may not be what they seem.
This is an eight-episode twisted story about three best friends who seem to share everything with each other, but discover they each conceal facts about themselves and each other once a tragedy strikes. Now, in addition to the three powerhouse women that I mentioned right at the start, this also stars Joel Kinnaman, Corey Stoll, Audrey Zawn, Jackson Kelly, and Leslie Odom Jr. Now, I think the one thing this story has going against it immediately is that the characters, they’re all mainly uppity, privileged, rich folks whose largest issue is typically they don’t know what to do with all of their money. Thanks to the portrayals, it is possible to look past the opulence and excess and see the flawed individuals for who they are. And while they may not all be sympathetic, an understanding can be built around their pasts and how it affects their presents.
And it’s said right there in the title, these are imperfect women. The storytelling becomes enveloping, especially as we dive more into each of the three women and then all of their secrets that they’re hiding. I appreciate that the episodes aren’t broken up into evenly divided story arcs. Instead though, they play out like a novel where a character may receive three chapters, or in this case episodes, while another only needs one. Now, each of the arcs though, it feeds into the others, building out the mystery and then the suspicions.
I have oscillated between about three or maybe four suspects as the show went along. I think you can guess the reveal before it’s given, but I saw enough doubt to brush off one suspicion to then favor another. Point is though that there’s enough complexity and convolutions within the plot that I doubt you’re going to guess the answer too early on. For the performances, the three leads are spellbinding and powerful. Sometimes they’re despicable and self-centered, other times they’re sympathetic and worthy of our concern.
Kerry Washington displays a strength that is inspiring, but I was enthralled at how she convincingly puts on this strong front that then belies many of her insecurities, especially when it comes to family. And just like all of the characters, she makes some terrible decisions, most of which an apology isn’t going to fix, but these actions create doubt-worthy interactions that add to the overall intrigue. And Elizabeth Moss is once again outstanding, playing a quiet and subdued character who conceals a lot of her flaws and baggage just about from everybody, except the camera, which allows us to see her warts and all. I love how Moss creates a character who is consistently underestimated, which usually plays out in her favor, but sometimes can also lead to some nail-biting tragedies. Kate Mara probably portrays the character with the most complex storyline.
She’s got a devastating background that allows her to be semi-excused for some of the bad behaviors and the decisions that she makes. I’m thankful though that the show doesn’t showcase all of the trauma that she endures, but we do get to hear about it, which might actually be worse because our minds then create the imagery that the series isn’t going to provide. Now, the dynamic within the trio, it’s both healthy and caustic. It’s a little heightened for the series, but it doesn’t become so fantastical that the relationships can’t even be a tiny bit relatable. And then when the emotional upheavals are then thrown into the mix, some caused by skewed relationships, others just simply by secrets, the drama crescendos to levels that are satisfyingly dark and hopeless.
The entire aesthetic is convincingly built just thanks to lavish settings and then opulent environments. The camera work quickly establishes the prestige and money that flows through the hands of several of the characters, instantly allowing us to see the type of lifestyle that they’re accustomed to and how that may influence their motives. There are some wonderful drone and aerial shots that show off the wealth of the characters, also working to subconsciously create this distance between us common folk and the lifestyles of the rich and the famous. It wasn’t overused, but it was still effective in putting us in our place. The first two episodes drop at once, so that will allow you to get nice and invested before having to wait week to week to follow along.
And because this is a limited series, we don’t have to worry about the story dragging out unnaturally, extending elements for just no good reason. But with that, the final episode, it rushes the momentum. There’s this massive building suspense that starts in the very first episode, but once we’re at episode six and seven, the tension is huge, creating an inescapable tidal wave of drama. And while I don’t want the final ep to drag everything out, a few of the progressions came about a little too conveniently, getting us to the finale with less complexity and more convenience. And I was still satisfied with the conclusion, but could have used a bit more patience during delivering that final blow.
Another element within the story that felt more weighty than it actually was involved Joel Kinnaman’s family. Now, because of their extreme wealth, the family is close-knit and wildly dysfunctional, creating motives and ill will that permeates way beyond the blood relations. I understand the involvement of these peripheral people within the plot, especially as it works to create some needed doubt and suspicion, but their inclusion within the story comes across as more of a convenience rather than something substantial within the arc. They mostly serve to pop in and out of the narrative at key moments to ruffle some feathers, maybe instill some uncertainty, or provide a motive. I didn’t hate this segment, but it wasn’t as influential as I think the writers believed that it would be, especially when it came to the mystery aspect.
Overall, Imperfect Women is a solid mystery that showcases the talents of not only the three indomitable leading ladies, but also the flawed men within their lives. The intrigue of the story, it’s compelling and exciting, drawing out elements appropriately for increased development and world-building, while also creating a multi-layered whodunit that offers up a handful of viable suspects for us to guess at. While the final episode is somewhat rushed and certain character insertions aren’t as weighty as the story believes, the series as a whole provides intricately complicated arcs that are matched to equally tangled players. Washington, Moss, and Mara are exceptional as a trio and individually, capturing the gamut of traits needed to portray their characters as sweet, enigmatic.
I give Imperfect Women 4 and 1/2 out of five couches. So, if you watched any great mystery series lately, I would love to get some recommendations in the comments below, and then bonus points if they’re non-English recommendations.
