Life of a VIP
In the first episode of Inventing Anna, we follow Anna as she tries to scam her way out of a debt she can’t pay. She’s a woman with a quick wit and an easy smile, but she’s also a con artist who has been known to use her skills to get what she wants.
Anna’s arrest is a big story, causing ripples across the social stratosphere. A whole host of characters begin to squirm and try to navigate this bombshell, grappling with the gravitas of this revelation. ..
Vivian Kent, a reporter for the New York Times, has been trying to get an interview with Anna, the woman who was recently sent to Riker’s Island for sexual assault. Despite being given a riveting and provocative article to write about, it’s not enough. Vivian wants an interview with Anna, but she’s rejected though with an off-hand “metoo” comment from her editor Paul. Vivian ends up defying her editor anyway, showing up at court to watch Anna get sent to Riker’s Island.
Jack is frustrated with Vivian’s lack of punctuality, but he can’t help but be impressed by her eagerness to get a story and to avoid any potential delays with the scan.
Vivian brushes this off as she writes a letter to Anna herself, asking to meet as she believes there is a bigger story and wants her side of it all. So naturally, Anna gets in touch and agrees to meet. ..
Vivian meets Anna, a woman who tells her she is not superficial and is trying to build a business. Delvey isn’t an alias either, it’s her Mum’s maiden name. Vivian wants to dig deeper and as she listens, Anna clearly manipulates her and claims she didn’t do anything wrong.
Mags tells Todd that she’s not comfortable with the deal and that they need to get Anna out of this. Todd decides to go ahead with the plea deal, but Anna is very unhappy with it.
Anna’s team is constantly put on hold and gets nowhere when trying to talk to someone about Anna. Eventually, they are called out by Paul, who is interested in the case. Naturally, this gets Vivian into hot water as she has clearly defied her editor.
Vivian gets the room with Landon, her boss, and refuses to do her “MeToo” story, grumbling that Paul “never gives her anything decent.” When Landon learns she managed to talk to Anna in Rikers, it does pique his interest. Eventually he agrees to give her two weeks. If she can get an exclusive interview and a well-sourced documentation of this, she’ll have a pass. If not, then Paul will reassign her.
Vivian gets to work, scouring through social media and chatting to hotel staff, where she was prolific for leaving hundred dollar bills as tips. Anna is not budging and she keeps pedaling the media visit and the perks that come with it. During another visit at Rikers, Anna fires a question back about Vivian and her attire. Specifically how she looks poor. Anna encourages her to splash out and get some designer gear, refusing to answer her questions. Instead, she brings up the plea deal on the table and considers going for that instead. As Vivian walks away, Anna tells her to work harder. Only then does Vivian realize that she might actually speak up if given the opportunity
Vivian is stressed and feels the weight of the world on her shoulders, especially when she believes Anna is going to take the plea deal. Between her pregnancy and career, Vivian doubles-down on trying to find information to use. Specifically, she finds a woman named Neff who worked at the hotel at the time of Anna’s arrest. Neff refuses to be interviewed, claiming she doesn’t want to sell out her friend. ..
When Vivian mentions the plea deal, Neff sees straight through her facade and her hustle, eventually seeing Vivian open up and admit she wants what’s best for her career – and for Anna. So naturally, Vivian organizes the VIP treatment for Anna at Rikers Island.
Anna Delvey, a young woman who has been accused of fraud and grand larceny, decides to go to trial in order to fight back against Vivian. Anna believes that her story can help others who are facing similar struggles, and the publicity surrounding the trial will reach out to those who live in high society. ..
The Episode Review
The main point of contention in this episode is Anna’s accent. After watching the episode, I went and did some research and it seems that Anna’s accent is pretty close to her actual voice. However, Julia Garner does a pretty decent job of it.
The show has already set up a really interesting story with Vivian and her partner, but it’s the development of her character that is most intriguing. We’re left to wonder what she plans to do with her new child and whether or not she will be able to keep up the tough exterior she’s put on for us so far.
The acting in general and the storytelling is pretty good, and it’ll be interesting to see if this show includes flashbacks to show what Anna did. Either way though, Inventing Anna gets off to decent start and serves as a tantalizing glimpse for what could be coming next!
