Imperfect Women (2026) s01e02 Episode Script

[applause]
[melancholic instrumental music playing]
[Eleanor] I don't know if Robert
even remembers it by now
but I met him first.
That night, all those years ago,
leaning against the kitchen cabinets,
wasted on cheap beer…
I made him laugh
and it was so spontaneous and natural.
I knew he felt it too.
But then she walked over,
and I introduced them.
"Robert, this is Nancy."
[discordant notes playing]
[phone buzzes]
What is it?
Oh, my God.
[Eleanor] It doesn't even look like her.
[inhales deeply]
It's Nancy obviously,
but it doesn't look like her.
I defended Davide.
I really thought
this didn't make any sense.
It doesn't.
[smacks lips]
Everyone gets to see this now
and think whatever they want
before I've even had a chance to…
- [sighs deeply]
- I know, but…
I hope you know that whatever it is
that you are feeling, you can tell me.
I mean, it's…
bad enough to imagine her
with someone else,
but seeing that…
[sighs] I-I-I thought that when they had
the guy in custody, there'd…
be some sense of relief.
There's none.
[stammers] Do you feel any?
No. Not really.
Despite all that… I still love her.
I'd give anything to get her back.
Is that crazy or…
No.
No, it's not crazy.
This is me.
- Hey.
- Yes?
Thank you for coming with me today.
It was nice being
somewhere important to her.
Even if it was just for a little bit.
- [Eleanor] Thank you.
- [driver] Thank you.
Oh, shit. [sighs]
Hey.
Well, I came to confront you
about leaving me on "read," but… wow.
I'm sorry.
You know, if you had other plans,
you could've just told me.
I had previous plans to go
to the ballet with a friend,
and I'm… I… My phone was on silent.
You know, it feels like
you don't take me seriously.
I thought we both understood
that I'm not interested in serious, J.
That's not what I meant.
What I meant is you don't respect me,
like, as a person.
I do.
J, this is not an easy time
for me right now.
It's not really even
about tonight, though, right?
I mean, after
the St. Patrick's Day party, you…
you come over two hours
after you said you would.
The night your friend died,
I mean, you text me at 9:00 p.m.,
you show up at 1:00.
- What is that about?
- No, it was just after 10:00.
- No, it was definitely later than that.
- No, it wasn't.
El, I stayed up.
We should not be talking
about this in the street.
I think we should go upstairs.
I think we should open a bottle of wine
and maybe try to talk
about this like adults.
- Yeah?
- You said wine.
Oh, it's the wine that got you,
not the adult part.
[both chuckle]
[dark hypnotic music playing]
["Crazy" playing]
[J] Morning.
- Hey.
- No milk. No sugar.
Just coffee grounds and hot water.
- Your favorite.
- Thank you.
- Yeah. [chuckles]
- [chuckles]
You're gonna be late for work.
You know, I think my boss will understand.
- Oh, wow. [chuckles]
- [chuckles]
You know, I-I didn't know
you were into fishing. Are you?
I'm not.
Okay, well, you know, if you wanna learn,
I know this great spot at Lake Gregory--
J, you should really get to the office.
Yeah. No, I… I-I should. [chuckles]
Let me do that. I'll… I'll see you there.
Yeah.
[door closes]
[whistling]
- [child 1] I call chocolate.
- [child 2] I wanted the chocolate one.
[child 1] Too bad. I called dibs.
[Eleanor] I'm sorry, sweetheart.
I have to honor the dibs.
Backpacks on in 20 minutes, girls.
What do you say to Aunt Ellie?
- [child 1] Thank you, Aunt Ellie.
- Welcome.
- [child 2] Thank you.
- Is it too much sugar?
- There's no such thing.
- [chuckles]
I wish you were my mother. [chuckles]
So, what were you gonna tell me
- about the ballet?
- [Howard] That's it.
Okay, so, what, I'm just not allowed
to use the car anymore?
This is what happens, Marcus.
When you sit in my car and vape in secret,
it's gonna keep doing this.
- I wasn't vaping.
- Hey, guys.
- Hey, El.
- [Howard] Eleanor.
Hey, Mom, could you tell him
to cut me some slack?
- I'm trying to ask for a jump.
- Sweetie.
- Why don't you go outside with your dad?
- Let's find the jumper cables.
- I am so sorry about all of this.
- No, it's okay.
I promise, you will have
my full attention.
- I'm just gonna…
- Let me just make some room.
- Oh, God. I'm so sorry.
- Oh, no, no, that's okay. I'll get it.
I'll get it. Ellie, let me get that…
- What is this?
- It's nothing.
Nothing? It's a police report.
[sighs] They're public records.
Yes, but why do you have them?
Because something doesn't feel right.
I know Davide was arrested,
but he was arrested for robbery,
not murder,
because of some
random informant's testimony.
I mean, come on, it's sketchy.
The news is trying to connect it to Nancy,
and it's not.
So, you're investing
a lot of time on this.
Oh, don't do that.
Don't make me sound like I'm fragile.
[chuckles]
I get enough of that around here.
Okay.
Oh, thank you.
I just couldn't get myself to do it.
I get it.
I keep staring at old text messages
from her that I can't delete.
- Yeah.
- [inhales deeply]
- Was this your breakfast?
- I haven't had much of an appetite.
- [sighs]
- Something else going on?
Uh, i-it's just I don't wanna bother you
with it on top of everything else.
What is it?
Kit asked me today what I'm doing
for Cora's birthday this weekend.
- Oh.
- I totally forgot about it.
So now I'm trying to figure out this DJ
for some silent disco
that I have no idea if she's even into,
and I'm googling
"17-year-old girl birthday party."
Careful. You don't wanna end up on a list.
Thanks. Now, I feel like
an idiot and a pervert.
- [laughs]
- [chuckles]
[sighs] What kind of father forgets
his own daughter's birthday?
Oh, I can't believe it.
- One married to Nancy.
- Yeah.
You've never had to
think about any of this.
Yeah, but I wanna at least try, you know?
It's her first birthday after…
Nancy always made them magical.
[Nancy] I'm not gonna
give a speech, I swear.
Um, 16 years ago,
the greatest gift came into my life,
and today, we get to celebrate her.
So, without further ado,
the birthday girl.
- My baby girl Cora.
- [guests cheering]
Have fun tonight.
["Birthday Girl" playing]
[laughs]
[sinister music playing]
[Robert] I just don't wanna fuck it up.
I could help.
I mean, I've been to my fair share
of Nancy festivities.
I think I could try to figure it out.
- It's not too much?
- It's Cora. What's too much?
- There is no too much.
- Oh. [exhales deeply] Thank you.
Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
- Just send me what you have so far, okay?
- Uh… Yeah. Okay.
- [sighs]
- [door closes]
Detective Ganz, are you looking
to buy in this neighborhood?
Not with what they pay me, sadly.
[chuckles] She's beautiful.
- Thank you.
- Incredible lines.
Not many people would custom paint
a vintage 450 SL, though.
Then again, if money is no object,
what does it matter
if you devalue a classic
in mint condition?
- To each his own.
- Yeah.
Have a good day.
Actually, if you don't mind, uh…
[clears throat]
I'm sure you've seen this picture.
- Yeah, it's all over the news.
- Yeah. I have studied this picture a lot,
and what I can't get over is the…
the look on Mrs. Hennessey's face.
Right? She looks relaxed,
not a bit out of place.
But it doesn't track.
What does a Pasadena socialite
have in common with this crowd?
She wasn't always a socialite.
She had a life before Robert.
What kind of life?
[Eleanor] A tough one.
Alcoholic mother, abusive stepfather,
trailer park.
It was not easy.
Yeah, yeah.
No, we looked into her history.
That kinda makes this even more peculiar.
- Why?
- Well, a woman like that,
what does she have in common
with Robert and his family?
Or with you?
Is my friendship under investigation?
No. It is not.
Is the robbery charge just bullshit?
I feel like you wouldn't be
asking me all this
if you had a real case against Davide.
Are you looking into someone else?
Thank you for your time.
[slow tense music playing]
- [horns honking]
- [tires screeching]
- Shit.
- Roll down your window!
You have no right to be following me.
This is harassment.
I want your name and your badge number.
[chuckles] I'm not a cop.
I work for Donovan.
[chuckling] Okay.
[Donovan] Have you ever been
to a war zone?
The loss of life, it changes you.
So, I had them apply for asylum,
pulled some of those governmental strings
we talked about, and…
Long story short, they now have
a thriving dental practice.
Their daughter just graduated
from Vassar last year.
That's incredible.
Well, when your heart is speaking to you,
you ought to listen.
Ladies, if you'll excuse me,
I have just a little business to tend to,
but I'll see you at the pool
a little later.
[chuckles]
That's cute. You use my stories
to pick up women?
It's a good story.
And Mom and I do
fund your little charity thing,
so it's also my story.
- "Little charity thing"? Thanks, Donnie.
- [chuckles]
The daughter went to Ohio State,
by the way.
Vassar sounded better.
- Wow. [chuckles]
- So, my guy Winston said you can sprint.
Yeah, when I'm compelled to.
In some families,
when somebody's friend dies,
they buy them flowers or a basket
or even offer a hug.
Can't relate.
They say it's the curse
of the well-bred and the wealthy.
- [chuckles] Okay.
- Not enough hugs.
Too much emotional sublimation, you know?
Right. Since your man Winston
is done stalking me,
and you can see
that I'm very safe, very sound,
maybe you guys go home.
- I would love to.
- Mm-hmm.
I have better things
to do than babysit you.
- But…
- But when tragedy strikes,
you do have a tendency
to get unpredictable.
- That's not fair.
- No?
No.
- When Dad died--
- Don't… No… Don't do that.
Do not bring him into this.
I was in a very different place back then.
Seriously?
If I had confronted you without evidence,
you would have denied it.
This is two old friends grieving.
Those look like pretty big smiles
- for grieving.
- We are honoring the passion
of somebody we loved.
E, you and I both know
you love to fix a broken toy.
Especially a certain nice Caucasian one.
- Maybe if you'd joined the BSU…
- What?
- …or some Black sorority…
- Oh, here we go.
…you'd be with a Jamal or a Terrell
- instead of stuck on you-know-who.
- I cannot.
You're an ass.
Why don't you just admit that you have
a blind spot when it comes to Robert?
And you always have.
Are you done?
- [stammers]
- Stop fucking following me.
[phone chimes]
[siren wails]
[chattering on radio]
They had a warrant.
A warrant for what?
[Robert] Some of Nancy's things.
Our financial records.
They wanted to see if I stood to gain
anything from having my wife killed.
Oh, my God.
[Robert] And they took my laptop.
I was gonna call Kit,
but she would've called my father,
and he would've turned this
into a whole shitstorm.
I think they're just doing
their due diligence, Robert.
- They're not gonna find anything.
- Of course not.
I didn't… I wasn't implying that…
I was saying that--
You're right. I'm sorry.
I just… This whole thing is just…
Maybe this isn't the best time
to throw a birthday party.
I disagree. [chuckles]
I think we have to keep on living,
you know?
Cora deserves some normalcy.
As do you.
And I think
it's what Nancy would've wanted.
[J] So, if we are gonna add
someone to the team in Liberia,
my vote would be Chelsea.
- Has she volunteered?
- [phone chimes]
[J] Uh, no,
but she's shown some initiative.
She has great local connections
I think might help us.
El… El.
Uh, yes, I'm sorry.
Yeah. No, it's all good.
Um, I can reach out to her, though,
if you'd like me to.
Sure.
Um, hey, J.
This isn't gonna happen,
but the police investigation
is getting kinda complicated, so…
if someone were to ask you about me…
I know. I got it.
I won't say anything, okay?
No, you can.
You can tell them
that I was at your place.
[chuckles]
- I thought we were being discreet.
- We are.
But, you know, if somebody asks,
then we wanna be helpful.
- Ellie.
- Yes?
Do you have a second?
Yes, of course.
Can you give me a second? Sorry.
- Oh, yeah. Of course.
- Thank you.
What's up? You okay?
It's my mom.
Someone has to pick her up
from the police station.
What? What do you mean?
[tense music playing]
I've contacted an attorney.
He's on his way.
She is not going to answer any questions
until he gets here.
We're not arresting her.
I just need someone
to take her off our hands.
I don't understand.
I found out that your friend
has been harassing my officers.
- What?
- Last week alone,
she submitted 20 public records requests,
and today she crossed a line.
Next time, handcuffs.
- What the hell did you do?
- Doesn't matter.
No, actually it matters a lot.
- I may have used the C-word.
- What?
- While throwing a stapler.
- Oh, my God.
- At a wall.
- Okay.
- Not a person.
- Are you okay?
Look, they wasted all of this time
on this Davide thing.
And meanwhile,
they won't look at any of my leads.
I circled every single David
in our college yearbooks.
I found every David
that she follows on social media.
I even found a William David
who owns a flower shop in Texas,
and she liked his post on Pinterest,
and I just…
I know it sounds crazy, but…
- Do not be mad at me for asking this.
- What?
Are you taking the…
No, El, come on.
I haven't taken more
than an aspirin in six months, okay?
[Eleanor] Okay.
I'm sorry, I can't let this go.
[stammers] But she told you, El.
She shut me out,
and you got to hear things…
And now I never will.
She shut me out too.
There's so much shit I don't know.
I wish I could just distract myself
like you can.
With work and Robert.
I think tonight we should just have
a very relaxed evening, okay?
I'm gonna get some takeout.
I'm gonna bring it over for you
and the kids and Howard.
We're just gonna… chillax.
- Hmm. Okay.
- Okay? Okay.
Didn't realize anyone said that anymore.
[chuckles] I do.
- We'll chillax.
- [chuckles]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[grunting]
- Hey, I just came to drop…
- [grunts]
- Robert. Hey.
- [grunts]
- [grunts]
- Robert!
[grunts]
- Hey.
- Hey.
[Eleanor] That looked cathartic.
Yeah. [stammers]
Whenever I wanna drink, I come down here
and hit some balls instead.
- How long have you been out here?
- Uh…
[groans] Whoa.
I guess I really wanted a drink.
[sighs] Everything okay?
Have you heard from the police?
They dropped off a few of Nancy's boxes,
but aside from that, nothing.
Did hear from your brother, though.
[scoffs]
- Are you joking?
- [chuckles]
I was pretty shocked he called me.
It's… It's been so many years.
What… I don't… What did he want?
- Offer his condolences.
- Right.
- The guy never liked me.
- Oh, come on.
Did… Did I ever tell
you what he said to me?
- No.
- Oh, it was on that fishing trip
with your dad.
Freshman year. Spring break.
[Eleanor] Yeah.
About an hour after we arrived,
Donovan cornered me and told me
that you were strictly off-limits.
Romantically speaking.
Why would he do that? [chuckles]
I'm sure he was just
doing the big-brother thing.
I wouldn't hold it against him.
I'm gonna, um, hop in the shower.
Are you sticking around?
- I'm not sure.
- Okay.
[pop music playing on speakers]
What decade do you think we're living in?
I've been out in the sun a while.
You're gonna have to give me a second.
Do you think this is the dark ages
where you get to decide who I date,
and who I don't date?
Because despite
what you and our mother believe,
I am an adult. I'm an adult.
I'm somebody who people look up to
and rely on.
I make responsible decisions
about what I want and what I do.
Okay.
All right, why don't you have a seat?
Tell me what
we're so worked up about today.
You called Robert.
That was fast. You two talk a lot, huh?
He told me what you said
back then when you first met him.
That you forbade him from dating me.
That's a deep cut. [sighs]
Do you wanna tell me why?
Come on, E. We both know why.
No, I really don't.
I think I might need to hear you say it.
All right.
I see it.
You're both smart, sensitive,
like-minded people.
In a vacuum,
if the rest of the world doesn't exist…
you're the perfect interracial
Ken and Barbie.
- But because the world doesn't--
- Not the world.
- His family.
- No, you don't know anything
- about his family.
- The Hennesseys are old money,
bone-deep entitlement.
They think, uh, accountability is a myth,
and ethics are a joke.
Who do you think pulled the strings
to get Davide arrested?
That is a classic
Hennessey move right there.
Closing ranks to protect their own.
No. You sound ridiculous right now.
Robert did not kill Nancy.
She had a lover. His name was David,
and David killed her.
- So maybe Robert found out about David.
- He didn't know about David.
He didn't even know about the affair
until I told him,
and by the time I told him,
Nancy was already dead.
Wait a second. You…
You told Robert
that his wife was stepping out on him?
Yes.
Because he was worried.
He was gonna call the police,
and I wanted to help.
It seems like all you do lately
is help Robert.
You wanted to be his backup plan.
You have no idea
what you are talking about.
- Oh, no?
- No.
[guests laughing]
I can't believe Mommy went to jail.
I didn't.
I was practicing civil disobedience,
which we all have a right to do.
But I'm sorry that I scared you guys.
- I wasn't scared.
- Oh, okay.
- Dad was.
- [chuckles]
[chuckles]
What? Hey, I'm still working on that.
I think we're done here.
That is, unless anyone
wants to help me clean up.
- Not it!
- Not it.
Hey, hey. No, no, no. H…
Get… Junie, get back here.
- I'll help. I'll help.
- Thank you.
They were scared.
They don't wanna say it, but they were.
You just left with no explanation,
and then we get a call from the cops.
I know she meant a lot to you,
but so does your family.
They… They're still here. They need you.
- We need you.
- [stammers] I don't know how to…
I don't know how to let it go, okay?
Thank you, Eleanor,
for the help and the noodles.
- No problem.
- [Howard clears throat]
- [Mary huffs]
- [door opens, closes]
[sighs]
He has a right to be concerned.
I know. I know.
Um, okay, so I need you
to keep an open mind.
- [breathes deeply]
- About what?
I found an address for Davide.
- No.
- Aren't you sick of them
thinking that we don't deserve answers
because we're just her friends?
- Of course, I am.
- He painted her.
He-He partied with her.
He may know something about what happened.
We can't just interfere
with the investigation.
Ah. [sighing]
She doesn't talk back.
Who?
There's this grief counselor on YouTube,
and she suggests that you talk
to your deceased loved ones.
So I've been trying that.
You know, when people
aren't in the house or asleep,
so they don't think I'm crazy. [chuckles]
And I just talk to her.
I tell her, you know,
how Artie just lost another tooth,
and how Howard may have a lead
on a new job, and…
But she doesn't answer.
She doesn't talk back.
And I have so many questions.
Please help.
[sighs] Hello.
[Davide] Leave me the hell alone.
[stammers] Sir, we're not reporters,
we're not police officers.
We're friends of Nancy's.
We just want to talk.
[Davide] Go away.
[Mary] No.
We will not go away.
- Let us in. Please.
- Mary.
Are you out of your fucking mind?
Please. She was our friend.
[panting]
Please.
[Davide] She saw my work at a collector's
and reached out.
I thought she was one of those white women
who, no offense,
wanted me to paint what they think
is their true authentic self.
But after a few sketches,
it was clear
that she was someone different.
She wanted me to paint her scars.
She said they were
from an accident that she caused.
She said the scars were her fault?
They most definitely were not her fault.
Davide, from the photo, it seemed
like you two knew each other so well.
I don't even remember that picture.
She was barely at the party.
I think the guy she brought
- wasn't having a good time.
- What?
[Mary] What do you mean
the guy that she brought?
Davide, do you remember
what he looked like?
He was white.
Do you think she could've been
with Robert?
No. No, he had never seen that photo.
Can you look at this…
- He would've told me.
- Hold on.
Can you look at this photo for me?
Do you recognize this man?
[Davide] If I remembered anything
more than his race, I would've said so.
I told the police. It's on them.
- You barely looked at the photo.
- No, you've asked your last question.
This… [speaks Xhosa]
[in English]
I was put in jail. And for what?
I did nothing. Nothing.
Okay. We've taken enough of your time.
Thank you.
Where were you?
Excuse me?
Your best friend was in a death spiral.
She was drowning in her own misery.
That's what I saw.
That's what I painted.
So, where were you
when she needed you the most?
She wasn't hiding it.
If you didn't see it,
it's because you didn't want to.
Come on. Come on, let's go.
I'd like the centerpieces
to be a bit more consistent.
And I'd like three people at every corner.
I don't want a bottleneck.
- No. The entire time. Okay? Thank you.
- [Kit] …your fault.
Your fault.
- [Robert] She did not--
- You did not.
I told you over and…
Hey. Everything okay?
[Robert] Despite my strong objection,
my family went ahead and hired that
crisis PR firm to pressure the police.
They're the ones who leaked that photo.
Can you fucking believe it?
They're the reason Davide Boyette
was arrested. My family.
That's disgusting.
They thought it would
help keep the press off of us.
Apparently, who gives a fuck
if an innocent man has to sit
behind bars for weeks?
And you've never met him, right?
[stammers] Never met who?
Davide.
I mean, the first time you saw him
was on the news.
Eleanor, you were here.
We saw him together.
What are you getting at?
I'm… No, I'm not getting at anything. I…
I just know what it means
to be from a powerful family.
Sometimes you can't see
how they're pulling the strings.
Well, you managed
to make your own way in the world.
- You think?
- Yeah.
I constantly feel them
looking over my shoulder.
Yeah, but you do the things
that matter to you.
I-I admire that.
Always have.
[Cora] Dad?
Dad!
- Hey.
- Why are Mom's things boxed up?
Uh, I was… I was just organizing.
[Cora stammers]
You-You can't get rid of them.
[Robert] Cora, that's not what this is.
You have to understand,
it's very difficult for me
to have her things all around…
So, what? You're just gonna erase her?
[sighs]
No. No, he can't do that.
That's impossible, Cora.
This is all I have!
What's in these boxes
is all I have of left of my mom.
I understand, sweetie. I…
Oh, Cora. Come here.
[sighs]
You know my car belonged to my dad
before he passed?
And he gave me this necklace.
And I even have a fishing rod of his
hanging on the wall in my apartment
because I want to feel his presence.
So I keep all of those things
really close to me.
So you can do that.
You can look at all this stuff and just,
whatever reminds you of her,
you take that. You keep it close to you.
And the rest of it,
we will make sure
to put somewhere very special.
Like, maybe the Ojai house.
That way you can go there
whenever you want to feel her presence.
Okay. [sniffles]
You don't have to let go of your mom.
Your dad would never ask you to do that.
[Cora sniffles]
- [sniffling]
- Oh, sweetie.
[Cora cries]
Hey, thanks.
[sighs] I don't blame her
for calling it off.
She'll probably have more fun
back at school anyway.
I really fucked up this birthday.
I'm the one who insisted
that you throw her a party.
Y-You've done nothing but help.
I think Cora just needs some time.
It's so unnatural, you know?
Nobody prepares a kid to lose a parent.
No one prepared us. [chuckles]
You know, part of me was relieved
when the police came and took her things.
I don't want to erase her,
but everywhere I look
is something of hers just shouting at me
about this secret life that she had.
A fucking affair that she kept from me.
It's deafening. It's all around.
Well, I think that the Ojai house is gonna
be the perfect place for all this stuff.
[Robert] Yeah.
[sighs] It's gonna be hard
to go out there alone.
["With Or Without You" playing]
[birds chirping]
[music continues]
[music fades, ends]
[chuckles]
[sighs]
[chuckles]
[chuckling]
She used that on every person
- in my family.
- Mm-hmm.
- Everyone hated it.
- [chuckles]
And nothing made her laugh harder.
Every time she used it,
she would laugh for hours.
[chuckles]
[exclaims]
[chuckling]
- [chuckles] That's funny.
- [laughing]
I didn't know how much pain she was in.
[cries]
How could I have not seen
what she was going through?
[sighs] Hey, none of us did.
I missed it.
I just… I just missed it.
- [cries]
- Hey, it's okay. So did I.
Oh, God. [cries]
[crying]
[breathes shakily]
[gentle music playing]
[sighs]
[breathing deeply]
[Eleanor moaning]
[pants]
[both panting, moaning]
[moans, pants]
[Eleanor moaning]
[both panting, moaning]
[Eleanor sighs, moans]
[crickets chirping]
[sighs]
[Eleanor]
She asked me once if I liked Robert.
I remember how quickly I said no.
She must have known I was lying.
How could she not?
I was never as good as she was
at pretending.
At creating my own reality.
[sighs]
So maybe this is my chance.
And maybe she would understand.
Because she was lying too.
Lying to Robert.
Lying to all of us.
[Robert] Nancy,
I need to start with an apology.
My reaction was extreme.
I was horrible to you
and I'm sorry I scared you so badly.
But you can hardly
blame me for being angry
when you're sleeping with someone else.
[tense music playing]
Hey. You okay?
["Secrets" playing]