SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Imperfect Women Episode 2.

Well, Imperfect Women didn’t waste any time at all. Episode 2 being titled “Crush” made it clear that the Apple TV drama was going to focus on Eleanor’s “something” with Robert, and it ends with the two of them impulsively sleeping together. Everything falls into place exactly as the audience will expect—but that also begs the question of what will the miniseries do for an encore?

The first episode of Imperfect Women ably laid out the mystery and all of its players. As soon as Mary mentioned Eleanor’s dynamic with Robert, everyone knew that the “will they, won’t they” between those two characters would form the spine of the series. Yet “Crush” pretty much solely dives into that dynamic and pushes it to a place it could have gotten in Episode 4 or 5. In some ways that’s exciting; in others, it might not work out so well.

On a positive note, the show is going right for its biggest moments and not being too coy. Imperfect Women has a very clear identity as a soapy whodunit and so it’s giving people something to talk about one way or the other. Either they want to know more about Eleanor and Robert and all the awkward emotional fallout of that tryst, or they now think she’s in as much trouble as the protagonist of a Lifetime movie. After all, Eleanor now has written proof that Robert knew about Nancy’s affair well before she told him. And Joel Kinnaman did play RoboCop, so he’s very capable of creating that ominous persona. Kinnaman’s quietly uneasy performance is one of the better things about Imperfect Women.

But the flip side of that is that by focusing almost entirely on the Robert of it all, the miniseries is risking underwriting some other talented actors. One has to feel not only for the character of Jordan, who’s now basically an unwitting prop, but also for Rome Flynn—who gave such a dynamic performance as Frank Lucas in Godfather of Harlem. There’s so much more he can do than scenes of Jordan trying to make something with Eleanor happen. Wilson Bethel, after piquing the audience’s interest in the premiere, is totally absent in Episode 2. Corey Stoll has a strong scene when Howard confronts Mary about her erratic behavior, but his character seems like he hasn’t reached his full potential yet.

The one actor other than Kinnaman who gets something substantive to do is Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr., who’s properly introduced in “Crush” as Donovan is revealed to be Eleanor’s nosy, judgmental brother. He uses her anecdotes to make himself look better with women. And he speaks openly about his disdain for Robert, which is in part due to the fact that Robert is not a Black man (at one point snarkily referring to the pair as “interracial Ken and Barbie”). It’ll be interesting to see if that’s an idea thrown out purely to establish Donovan’s character, or if a discussion of race will be incorporated into the rest of the season.

Elsewhere, Elisabeth Moss gets to stretch her wings as Mary may be more volatile than she first appeared. Eleanor discovers that Mary has been pulling public records about Nancy’s boyfriend Davide, and then also has to pick up Mary from a local police station after she’s nearly arrested for harassing the police. The scene in which Mary convinces Eleanor to go to Davide’s home is unsettling because Moss plays Mary with such desperation. It’s an interesting turn for a character whose biggest problem in the premiere seemed to be hiding a cigarette. But there’s still not a lot to say about who killed Nancy; the biggest reveal is that letter throwing shade on Robert.

Imperfect Women Episode 2 does a deep dive into the Apple TV show’s central dynamic, and in that respect it absolutely delivers. Kinnaman and Kerry Washington are great together, even if the script telegraphs their characters’ romantic encounter. As soon as Robert talks about not wanting to go to the Ojai house alone, viewers know exactly what’s going to take place there. But that doesn’t make it less interesting to watch, while Odom Jr. makes a splash in his debut. The series just has to be careful not to focus in so much on Eleanor that it forgets all the other interesting stories it has to tell—especially since there are only a handful of episodes in which to tell them.

Imperfect Women streams Wednesdays on Apple TV. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Apple TV.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.