Diksha Sundriyal
The fourth episode of Apple TV+’s ‘Imperfect Women’ shifts the narrator, with Nancy getting to tell her side of the story. The first three episodes unfold primarily from the point of view of Eleanor, but more gaps are filled as Nancy presents her perspective, while answering the burning question: Who is David? Before that, however, she talks about having a violent childhood, how she wanted to escape it, how her friendship with Mary and Eleanor helped her through it, and how her marriage to Robert was the escape she had always dreamed of. Still, there is no such thing as a perfect life, and if anyone should know that, it’s Nancy. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Nancy’s Seemingly Perfect Life Falls Apart
When Nancy threw the first New Year’s Eve party after getting married to Robert, things were as perfect as they could be. He doted on her, and there was nothing else she wanted. 17 years later, the magic has disappeared in the cracks of their marriage. Robert is more drinks, less romance, and even fewer words. When earlier he used to compliment everything about her party planning skills, now he tells her how much money she is wasting on this extravagance. He remains distant, even as she tries to get close to him and have an intimate moment, like they used to before. But that doesn’t change anything. Throughout the party, she senses the tension between him and his family, noting that something is going on, but no one is bothering to fill her in on the details. She has no doubt that this is because, even after all these years, she is still an outsider to the family.
In the midst of the preparation, she talks to the bartender named David. There is a spark as he starts flirting with her. Meanwhile, her attention is taken over by the problem with the gift bags, so she asks Mary and her daughters for help. While Nancy’s marriage is going through a rough patch, Mary reveals that her family is not in a great place either. Her husband Howard’s class load has been reduced, not voluntarily, which means he will be making less money now. When Nancy offers to help, Mary dismisses it, saying she has already helped them out a lot. This doesn’t discourage Nancy, who talks about how she wishes Mary were the mother she had, while also wishing she were a good mother like her friend. When she tries to talk to her daughter, Cora, she is not only stonewalled, but it is pointed out that she never made an effort to talk to her either.
Despite Nancy assuring her that they will talk once the party is over, Cora doesn’t show any interest in it. She is also going to leave later in the day to celebrate the day with her friends. A dejected Nancy leaves the room, only to overhear Robert and Kit arguing over money problems in the next room. When she asks him if they are in a financial bind, he doesn’t give her a clear answer. Later, she notes Robert, Kit, and their father fighting, and she tries to ask Harlan, who is in better touch with the business and financial side of things. He politely tells her to ask her husband, and later, Kit tells Nancy not to talk to Harlan and poke her nose in the family’s issues.
Nancy’s Past Threatens to Ruin Her Future
In a flashback, we see a young Nancy taking money from her stepfather, Scott. What makes it shocking is that Scott is not giving her money because he feels responsible for her as a parent or out of the goodness of his heart. It turns out that he is sleeping with her, and while Nancy knows it’s wrong, this is her way of surviving things. Eventually, her mother finds out about it, and in anger, she takes her daughter on a drive that ends in a crash. A piece of glass tears into Nancy’s shoulder, and that’s where the scar comes from. She contrasts the violent lashing out in her family with the passive aggression of Robert’s family. In an interaction with her father-in-law, she promises she will stop throwing the New Year’s parties and cut down on her spending, only for him to lament the possibility because he likes her parties.
Things get worse for her as she snoops in her husband’s emails and finds one about asset separation. Given his recent distant nature, she wonders if Robert is planning to divorce her. She carries this tension and anxiety back to the party, and finds Cora and her friends on her way out. They are dressed as “white trash,” and Nancy takes it personally. She believes her daughter is mocking her past, though it isn’t until later that she realizes that she never discussed her past with Cora, so she had no way to make fun of it. In any case, her anger gets the best of her in the moment, and she slaps her daughter, though she also immediately regrets it. As her friends try to console her, she wonders if she is turning into her mother. Later, she tries to apologise to Cora, but Robert tells her not to be around for a bit, which makes her feel all the more alienated.
Nancy Meets David
Even in all the chaos, Nancy finds the time to be there for her friends. She tries to set up Eleanor with one of her divorced friends, but Eleanor doesn’t respond as enthusiastically to the idea. She is insistent on staying single and keeping her freedom. Nancy also introduces one of her acquaintances to Howard. The man is a ballet dancer and is preparing for the Ariadne show. Nancy believes that Howard’s academic background can help with the project, opening the path for a job, even if temporary. Later, when the party is over, Nancy sits down to take it all in. The bartender, David, hits on her, but she refuses his advances.
He accuses her of leading him on the entire evening, and she reflects that perhaps she did when she tried to connect with him over the fact that they came from the same neighborhood. She apologises for giving him the wrong idea, and he leaves, confirming that he is not the David she had an affair with. When the bartender leaves, Howard walks in, thanking her for the job opportunity. He also talks about how the ballet guy can’t seem to get her name right and has been calling him David all evening. Nancy laughs, saying that she has been through the same thing, even though she has been correcting him all along. They part ways, knowing they will see each other again soon when the work on the show begins. As he leaves, Nancy bids him goodbye and jokingly calls him “David,” showing that the name has stuck, while also proving that Howard has been David all along.
Read More: Is Imperfect Women Based on a True Story?
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