“My greatest advantage as a dancer was my tolerance for pain.”
The drama of “Imperfect Women” episode five will have you clutching your seat, your pearls, or your Bible if you’re into that. Nancy’s betrayal in her final months is finally (somewhat) revealed and it’s even more scandalous and treacherous than one would’ve anticipated.
Let’s break down episode five: Louise.
A Calm Before The Storm
The episode opens two months before Nancy’s death, continuing to showcase how her marriage has rapidly deteriorated. Finding an entire empty liter of whiskey in the trash is a flashing red light for Nancy, as Robert’s escalating drinking causes not only stress for Nancy, but it’s a bit of a trigger for her. The show poignantly highlights how Robert’s alcoholism mirrors Nancy’s mother, making her home feel less like a sanctuary and more like a cage.
Nancy navigates volunteering and realizing people really only care about her opinion because of her money. She’s constantly and consistently dismissed and ignored while trying to help the ballet production. The same job she got for Howard (Corey Stoll), who is using his professor experience and knowledge to assist the production. This treatment at work, plus her flailing marriage leads her to getting closer to Howard. If you’re used to these kinds of drama shows, you can see red flags waving from a mile away.
The “David” and “Davide” Twist
The show’s handling of the David/Davide mix-up is well-executed. This episode expands on Nancy’s relationship with the artist Davide “DH” Boyette and her commissioning art from him and attending his parties. But he’s not the man she was seeing and when you realize a Black man was put through the ringer based on sharing a similar name to a person who may or may not exist, it’s more than a little frustrating. I wish the show had focused a little more on how the justice system will bend over backwards to put blame on the wrong person, especially if they’re Black, but alas that’s not really the point of “Imperfect Women.”
A random sequence of events lead to Nancy and Howard growing closer as they bond over the classics and sharing secrets. She was trying to hide the fact that her ex-stepfather has been reaching out to her ever since she re-opened that can of worms; he calls her while she’s with Howard and she tells her him to not tell anyone. Keeping secrets with a friend’s husband, and specifically from the wife in question? Red flag. When Nancy and Robert have dinner at Howard and Mary’s, things escalate with drunk Robert insulting Nancy and Howard comforting her in the kitchen alone. Red flag.
This leads to their inevitable, mutual betrayal. What started as shared wine after work and professional bonding over annoying the ballet director quickly escalated into a full-blown affair. Sleeping with your friend’s husband because of your own insecurities is like hitting an emotional rock bottom. Howard, however, starts to show himself to be far more sketchy than just a simple “other man.”
Truths and More Lies
In a surprising twist, Nancy and Robert actually find a moment of genuine connection. We learn the potential divorce questions were Robert’s misguided way of trying to protect Nancy after he lost money on a bad investment and his father took control of his spending. He wasn’t leaving because he didn’t love her anymore; he was trying to secure her future. Moments like this make you want to shake Robert, because if he had been open and honest from the start… well, the entire series probably wouldn’t exist, would it?
But in the world of “Imperfect Women,” no good deed goes unpunished. When Nancy tries to ghost him following a reconciliation with Robert, Howard’s true colors emerge. At the ballet premiere, his whole nice guy facade slips, turning physical and threatening to tell Robert everything. Just as Nancy decides to be honest with Robert about her mistakes, the threads of her life collide. Robert finds the nude photos Howard (on a burner phone) sent to her phone, loses control, throws shit at a wall, and sends Nancy fleeing into the night; all while a hidden Mary watches outside in the darkness.
Final Thoughts
This chapter’s ever-increasing dread was masterfully done. Like seeing an impending car accident on the highway, it’s hard to look away even though you can probably guess exactly what’s going to happen. Nancy’s choices are her own, but without complete honesty from her husband, it’s obvious why she spiraled into chaos. Her violent and upsetting past that she never quite healed from causes her to make incredibly stupid decisions in the present.
It actually makes so much sense that her and Eleanor would be close friends; they’re both birds when it comes to men. And it’s no wonder she never confided in Mary about the affair, because hello? She’s fucking her man. Rich women are wild. Next week, we enter into Mary’s perspective and learn what she knows, more about her life with Howard, and how she found out who “David” actually is.
Rating:
Check out our non-spoilery review of the entire season here.
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