Shonda Rhimes had signed a big money deal with Netflix and this is one of those projects. It's based on the true story of Anna Sorokin. Anna Delvey (Julia Garner) has been arrested for being a fake rich German aristocrat in the New York ultra-rich world. Pregnant disgraced reporter Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky) fights to investigate her convoluted story.
It's money. It's lies. It's a story of New York hustling. It has the potential for some deep dive into the mind of a serial faker and desperate hustler. Instead, Shonda does a simple night swim in those waters. That's not to say that she doesn't do anything with the darker material underneath Anna. Garner's obviously-fake flat voice also frustrated me a little although I understand the need for an obviously-fake accent with this character. In many ways, Shonda is making this show about Vivian and leaving Anna as a more unknowable person. It's probably the safer choice but it does leave me wondering if I actually care about anything happening to Anna in one or two of the episodes. It's a nine episodes limited series and that's kinda how I felt about this. There's a couple of flatter episodes but mostly, this is a very fascinating story.
It's money. It's lies. It's a story of New York hustling. It has the potential for some deep dive into the mind of a serial faker and desperate hustler. Instead, Shonda does a simple night swim in those waters. That's not to say that she doesn't do anything with the darker material underneath Anna. Garner's obviously-fake flat voice also frustrated me a little although I understand the need for an obviously-fake accent with this character. In many ways, Shonda is making this show about Vivian and leaving Anna as a more unknowable person. It's probably the safer choice but it does leave me wondering if I actually care about anything happening to Anna in one or two of the episodes. It's a nine episodes limited series and that's kinda how I felt about this. There's a couple of flatter episodes but mostly, this is a very fascinating story.