Imperfect Women (2026) s01e07 Episode Script

[suspenseful music playing]
- [nurse] sixty.
- What's wrong?
- Pulse is climbing. 145. 160.
- What's happening to her?
- Sweetie, are you okay?
- [nurse] Mom.
- I'm right here. Mommy's right here.
- Mom, I need you to back up.
- [Mary] Okay. [cries]
- She's in V-fib!
- [speaks indistinctly] What's going on?
- Nurse, get her out of here.
Oh, my God.
Mom, you have to help by leaving.
- She's here because of you.
- Come on.
- No, please.
- [Eleanor] It's okay, it's okay.
She's gonna be okay. She's gonna be okay.
She's gonna be okay.
- No! She's--
- She's gonna be okay.
- Ready.
- [Mary] Please.
Charge to 50. Clear!
[nurse] She's in asystole.
Checking rhythm.
- Still in V-fib.
- [Dr. Chen] Charge to 100. Clear!
- [nurse] We have a pulse. BP's coming up.
- [gasping]
- [gasping, crying] Oh, God.
- [stammers, pants]
Oh, God.
[heart monitor beeping]
[Mary] Hello.
Dr. Chen said we've seen the worst of it.
She just needs to rest now.
Best go home. Come back later.
Is your baby in the hospital?
Then don't tell me what's best.
[sighs]
[Mary] Mary always thought it was
so strange how it happened.
She never did remember missing the pill.
But there it was. The undeniable lines.
At the time, she was far too young.
Her career, and quite a promising one
at that, had only just started.
What would become of her now?
From a young age,
Mary was a naturally gifted storyteller.
Adept at it.
Wielding it to distract
her younger siblings
from the chaos and uncertainty
of their family home.
Stories, especially provocative
and secretive ones
were her escape.
As fate would have it,
Mary's obsession with words
led her to Howard.
Someone who finally understood her.
Every part of her.
Not just the sweet surface
she presented to the world,
but the one she kept safely hidden.
Mary was a naturally gifted storyteller.
And the greatest story she ever told
was that life with Howard,
as a wife and mother,
was her happily ever after.
[Eleanor] Mary?
- Mary?
- [inhales sharply]
[gasps, sighs]
[sighs]
[sighs] What time is it?
Just after 2:00.
She just hasn't woken up yet.
The nurses keep coming in to check on her.
They gave me this long list
of cardiologists to look at.
[sighs]
In case there's any long-term
damage to her heart. [sobs]
Oh, Mary. I'm so sorry.
[sniffles] Where are the kids?
Are they still here?
No, I took Junie
and Marcus home last night.
And Howard?
I haven't seen him all day.
[sighs, sniffles]
Marcus wanted me
to make sure that you have this.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
[sighs]
Can we talk about the pills?
[inhales sharply, exhales loudly]
Mary Simpson?
- Yes?
- You need to come with us.
Okay. What
What should I do? I can call a lawyer.
Yeah, just stay with her.
I love you.
Thank you.
- Call me.
- Okay.
[breathes shakily]
[Cora on TV] I said some things
that weren't true,
and it distracted everyone
from what really matters.
Finding who killed my mom.
Our whole family,
we just want this nightmare over.
During this morning's press conference,
- the Hennessey family
- Ma'am?
announced a $50,000 reward
for any information
that could lead to an arrest
in the murder of Nancy Hennessey.
The family insists the victim's
husband is innocent.
Mrs. Simpson? My name is Kavita Sahni.
I work for the Department of Children
and Family Services.
We've launched a formal investigation
into what happened to your daughter.
This is the emergency protective order.
While our investigation is ongoing
and for the safety of your children,
you'll be required to leave the home.
And you're not to have any unsupervised
contact with your minor children.
What?
- Any violation of this court order
- You can't do that.
- You can't do that.
- will lead to your arrest.
No, I'm
I'm a good mother. [stammers]
You're free to request
a detention hearing with the judge.
Tell her Howard, you have to tell her
I am a good mother.
This was one awful mistake.
- You mind if I speak with my wife alone?
- Yeah.
[Mary sighs] We can fight this, Howard.
You have to tell her that
- Eleanor can help us with a lawyer.
- Where is it?
Where's what? [sighs]
Artemis woke me up
because she wet the bed.
She was looking for you.
Searched the whole house.
I assumed you'd passed out on the couch,
doomscrolling or whatever
the hell it is you do at night.
And then I checked the office.
The mess you made
You took something from my closet.
Those pills are on the highest shelf.
There's no way that the girls
could ever reach them.
- And you know that.
- Mary.
You did it.
You poisoned our baby.
Why would I do something like that?
Because I know, Howard.
I know that you killed Nancy.
And now I know it
with every single part of me.
They're about to lock you up
for a few pep pills in a tin of mints.
- And they don't even know the half of it.
- [breathing shakily]
You may never see the girls again.
You motherfucker!
You fucking liar!
- Mary! Please stop!
- You fucking monster!
- You need to calm down.
- Liar!
- How dare you take them?
- Ma'am. Ma'am!
- How dare He poisoned my child!
- [Eleanor] Hey! What
You have to listen to me!
- [Howard] My wife is just upset.
- He poisoned my baby!
[Howard] Officers, my wife is just upset.
- You fucking liar!
- Please, escort Mrs. Simpson--
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
I will take her. She can come with me.
I will not leave my girls with him, Ellie!
- No!
- Then let me just-- Stop. Mary. Stop.
- Look at me! Look at me! Stop. Stop!
- My girls--
- You have to stop. We'll figure it out.
- [panting] But he poisoned
[Eleanor] Stop.
- You're making it worse. Please.
- [panting] My girls, my girls
Let go of her. Please, please.
- He poisoned [pants]
- It's okay, it's okay.
- [breathing heavily]
- It's okay.
Mary
[Mary] This book was out of print
before it even hit the bookstore.
Howard is the only person in the world
with this translation of 'Catullus V'.
And he gave it to me years ago
when we first started dating.
He gave Nancy the same one.
And you knew none of this when
I stopped by your house yesterday?
I found out about
all of this after you left.
He's a sociopath.
He's a liar.
You learn that yesterday too?
[sighs]
You'd be surprised what you can
fool yourself into thinking sometimes.
Only see what you wanna see
and not what's there.
But this? This ring?
This has to be probable cause, Detective.
You can use this.
You can bring him in.
You can get his prints.
Compare it to anything you have
from the crime scene.
I'm telling you the truth.
My husband was sleeping
with my best friend.
He killed her. [breathes shakily]
How else would Nancy's ring
be in my house?
[knocks, door opens]
Excuse me.
Thank you, Jodi, for bringing her in.
- Please, join us.
- No, I-I don't have anything to add.
Okay.
But this is only gonna take a minute.
Hmm.
Ms. Bouchet,
do you recognize any of these items?
Yes, these are Nancy's things.
Yeah, Nancy Lauren Hennessey.
I don't understand. Is this evidence?
What's going on?
Howard got to you?
If you're asking how what's in this box
came to be in my possession, then
Yes, your husband
came in this morning, but
Help me clarify something.
How exactly did these items
get into your house?
Did he steal them from
Mrs. Hennessey or did you?
[breathing shakily]
It's not what it looks like.
- Oh, Mary. What did you do?
- [Mary] She--
She would never have even noticed
that any of it was gone.
- Nancy had so much.
- Oh, my God.
[Ganz] Your husband says you were jealous
and obsessed with Mrs. Hennessey.
Were you?
This is what he wants.
- He's trying to distract you.
- He says this is why you're accusing him
- of having an affair with her.
- No, he seduced her.
He killed her.
He is the bad guy. I am not.
You know, I've been doing
[scoffs] this job a long time.
I've met a lot of loved ones
in a lot of different relationships.
And this thing, what the three of you had,
I'm not even sure what to call it,
but it wasn't a friendship.
Thank you for stopping by.
[door opens]
[door closes]
[line ringing]
- [Marcus] Mom?
- Hey, hi.
Mom. What's What's going on?
Dad said you're not coming home.
- Where are you?
- I'm at the hospital.
Junie wanted to see Artemis.
- [sighs] Is she okay?
- Y-Yeah.
Yeah, she's awake.
Doctor said she's gonna be fine.
She can go home tomorrow night.
[groans, sighs]
- Thank God.
- What's going on?
I will explain everything
as soon as I can. Okay, honey?
Can you do something for me?
Okay, yeah. What?
Do not leave your sisters
alone with your father.
You cannot let them out of your sight.
Can you do that?
Uh, Mom, I I gotta go.
I know that is a lot to ask.
[sighs] I know.
Mom, whatever's going on
I'm on your side.
[line disconnects]
[gasps]
[gasps]
[sorrowful music playing]
I talked to Marcus.
Artie's awake, and she's doing better.
That's good.
I set a meeting in the morning
with a PI who works with my attorneys.
He has the photos from the crime scene,
and he's gonna see if we can find some
connection between Howard and the murder.
Because at this point,
only hard evidence will convince them.
Right. Because of me,
our words don't really matter anymore.
You're mad at me.
I'm not.
- I don't hate Nancy.
- I know you don't.
Don't you wanna know why
I took those things because--
Do you even know why? Really?
[phone buzzing]
It's my mother.
I'm sure she's just calling to see
if I've run off with Robert
and forever tarnished
the Bouchet family name.
How is Robert?
I wouldn't know.
We have an early start tomorrow morning.
[investigator] Do you want anything?
I could get the menu.
They make a quality strawberry milkshake.
No, thanks. [stammers]
That's not necessary.
Do you have the photos?
Down to business. I like that.
You're not squeamish, are you?
These are pretty graphic.
I need to see what he did to her.
[investigator sighs]
[breathes heavily]
[exhales deeply]
Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.
- Thank you.
- Sure.
Could you show us in person?
The crime scene?
That wasn't what we agreed on.
I could lose my license.
Mary. Everything we need
is in these photos.
No, it's not.
What exactly is your goal here?
The man who did this
is not a professional.
I'm I know him.
And if he made a mistake, I will find it.
This is it. The dead zone.
The victim was murdered here.
Her name was Nancy, not "the victim."
You really want me
to say her name while I do this?
[sighs]
Your killer gets the victim here.
Trajectory of the blood splatter
tells us he's at least six feet tall.
He gets her into this spot.
She can't run, and he shoves her.
Based on the skull fracture, we know once
was all it took to get the job done.
And then she falls here.
Wait, I thought the police said
they found her body by the water.
They did.
Yeah. He dragged her about 30 feet east.
That's where he dumped her body.
[stammers] It's easier
to pull dead weight by the ankles.
But here's the interesting part.
About half way,
he stopped pulling by both her ankles.
How do you know?
Well, the patterns of
the blood smear changes right here.
I have a hunch.
Dragging the victim that whole distance
with both his hands
was probably too much for the guy.
It looks like he used his right hand
to drag her the rest of the way.
Not because he's weak.
But I think your killer
has some type of injury.
Maybe a bad back or a bum left shoulder.
[Eleanor] You're sure no one's home?
Artie hasn't been discharged yet,
and Marcus said that they're all
still with her at the hospital.
You're not supposed to be here, Mary.
Maybe we just find
the doctor's office tomorrow?
No, I can do this. [sighs] I can do it.
You don't have to prove anything to me.
I know I don't.
In and out.
- Okay.
- I'll be right here.
[Howard] Well, this wasn't very smart.
Imagine what would happen if
Child Services made an unannounced visit.
You'd be in a heap of trouble.
[breathes shakily] This is still my house.
- [gasps]
- What do you have there?
[sighs] I hate this, Mary.
You're afraid of me.
Look at you. You're shaking like a leaf.
You killed Nancy.
I wish you'd stop saying that.
They know. The police.
They know that the killer
had an injured left shoulder.
They know.
Ah, my medical records.
Is that your plan?
To take those to the police
and dazzle them with the news
that I have the world's
most common gym injury?
Can you at least sit down?
Standing feels so combative.
I-I just wanna talk
for a minute like we always have.
I-I think you owe that to me at least.
You know me better than anybody.
I don't.
I don't know you.
The man that I married,
the man that I [sighs]
The man that I fell in love with.
He never would've done
the awful things that you have done.
I haven't done anything awful.
That's you.
Don't you see?
You're tearing this family apart.
No, stop that.
Stop it.
- Stop what?
- Stop twisting things around on me.
What is your endgame here?
What do you want?
I want you out of my house
and I want you away from my children.
And I want you to rot for what you did.
And then what?
With me out of the picture,
it's not as if you'd be granted custody.
Nor anyone
in your colorfully unstable family.
[stammers] I can't see a judge
sending the girls to Grandma's pot farm
after what they've been through.
And with Godmother Eleanor
still a suspect in her friend's death--
You fucking asshole.
I guess that leaves foster care.
And I know that's not what you want.
[breathes shakily]
I still love you, Mary,
despite all your fabulations.
I can still envision us getting past this.
Starting over, starting fresh.
That's what I want.
Leaving here
and going to Ohio as a family.
I know how much you love the children.
[breathes shakily]
More than anything.
We can still be a family, you and I.
Like Chloe and Daphnis.
Troubled, but fated.
[breathing shakily]
God, I used to believe that.
Then I spoke to Jenny.
She showed it to me.
She showed me the scar.
Hmm?
The one that she got
the night she tried to
to leave you.
Mmm.
The words. Your stories.
That's one thing,
but a scar on a body is proof.
Because that's what you do, right? Right?
You take a fragile woman,
then you hollow her out
until you are all that is left.
There's one thing I don't understand.
Why Nancy, Howard?
You could've had anyone.
Why her?
I'm sorry, Mare.
I'm so sorry.
But I wasn't the one
with a thing for Nancy.
That was you.
- No.
- I know you loved her.
You thought she was so beautiful.
That's why I went along
with your little game.
It was It was actually quite hot,
watching how turned on
you'd get fantasizing about being her.
Wearing her clothes
Welcome back, Mr. and Mrs. Hennessey.
Putting on her earrings
[Mary breathes shakily]
You even wanted
to smell like her. [chuckles]
- [kisses]
- Please stop.
Remember how much fun we had?
[breathing deeply]
Fuck me.
Tell me how much you want it, Nancy.
[moans]
[sighs]
Now you take those to Detective Ganz,
you tell her the whole story.
Because if I'm guilty
so are you.
[door opens]
What happened? What took you so long?
Let's go.
[Mary] Stop the car.
Ellie, stop the car please.
Ellie, pull over! Stop the car!
- Here?
- Stop the car!
Okay.
[Mary] Stop.
[Eleanor] You okay?
What's happening?
Shit.
Mary!
What are you doing?
Mary, what are you
What happened?
Please talk to me. Tell me what happened.
I can't do it.
- I can't do it.
- What?
I can't do it, any of it.
I can't go to the police.
What are you talking about?
He wins.
- No, he can't win.
- Howard wins.
I could lose my children,
do you understand?
- I could--
- But if he goes to jail
He won't, don't you see that?
He's so much smarter than I am, Ellie.
Every move I make, he's two ahead.
He is so much smarter than me.
Why am I even doing any of this?
Nancy thought I was pathetic.
No, Nancy loved you.
Yes, she was fucking my husband!
Howard may be a piece of shit,
but Nancy is not without blame.
She's not.
Ellie, please. I can't.
I cannot lose any more than I have.
I can't lose them, I can't
[inhales deeply] I can't.
He He's a murderer!
He's a fucking murderer.
He murdered our best friend!
That's it. That's all that matters.
I understand that you are tired.
I understand that you are afraid.
I am too.
We're gonna go home,
we're gonna get in bed, we're gonna sleep,
and tomorrow we will wake up, together.
We will go to the police with
Howard's medical records, like we planned.
Please.
[ominous music playing]
Mare.
Mary?
Oh, God.
- Mary?
- [line ringing]
- [Mary] Hey, you've reached Mary.
- [Juniper] And Junie.
- Shit.
- [Artemis] And me!
- [Mary] We can't come to the phone right
- Oh, no.
- [line ringing]
- Please. Mary?
- [Mary] Hey, you've reached Mary.
- [Juniper] And Junie.
- [Artemis] And me!
- No, please.
- [line ringing]
- [Mary] Hey, you've reached Mary.
- [Juniper] And Junie.
- [Artemis] And me!
[Mary] We can't come to the phone right
now, but if you leave a message,
- we'll call you back.
- Mary, where are you?
I won't say a word.
I'm gonna be good.
I promise.
[kisses]
Mary!
- Eleanor, for Christ's sake.
- Where is she?
- You are aware I have neighbors?
- Where is Mary?
She doesn't wanna see you.
What? What did you do?
Nothing. This was her choice.
She came back of her own free will.
She wouldn't.
This might be a foreign concept to you,
but marriages have their ups and downs.
Mary is my wife, I am her husband,
we are a family.
Mary!
And despite what you may think, Eleanor,
you're not a part of this family.
Now get the fuck off my property
before I call the police
and have you arrested for trespassing.
Sh
Mary!
Oh, my God. Mary?
- What happened?
- [Howard] Get off my property.
What are you doing? You know what he did.
He killed Nancy.
Don't be a coward, Mary.
- Leave.
- He knows what he did!
- Right now. Leave.
- Mary!
I'm going, I'm going.
[sobs]
- [line ringing]
- [Mary] Hey, you've reached Mary.
- [Juniper] And Junie.
- [Artemis] And me!
[Mary] We can't come to the phone right
now, but if you leave a message, we'll
[doorbell rings]
Ms. Bouchet.
Is Mr. Hennessey expecting you?
Is he home?
- He is but he's not alone.
- It's very urgent.
When have I ever not done what you asked?
- I'm sorry, sir.
- Eleanor, wh-what are you doing here?
I need to talk to you.
- I'm afraid that's not possible.
- It's rea--
As you can see,
my son is circling rock bottom.
- This is important.
- Then have your attorneys reach out.
Howard killed Nancy.
[scoffs] What?
Robert, I'm so sorry,
but he was having an affair with Nancy.
I don't know when it started,
maybe when they were working together.
But he did this. He killed Nancy.
Mary has evidence.
Do you remember the-the Claddagh ring
that Nancy wore?
- Yeah.
- She was wearing it that night.
And Howard took it off of Nancy's dead
body and he hid it. And Mary found it.
Well, it's solved then.
This-This-This can't be true.
It doesn't make any sense.
Robert,
I believe Mary.
Why, uh Why not take this to the police?
We did. We tried, but it's [sighs]
It's very complicated. But one call
from you to the chief of police--
Absolutely not.
Have Constance do it.
I'm sure your mother has sway
with the department.
In Boston, maybe. But this [stammers]
You don't understand.
Howard is dangerous. Mary is in danger.
- No.
- Why?
This family has already been put
through the wringer with bad press.
I will not take the chance.
You will.
The woman was cheating on you.
[scoffs]
You remember what you said to me
after the first time you met her?
You said
she's gonna corrupt our bloodline.
Our bloodline,
like we're some kind of superior breed.
She wanted to please you the most.
The closest thing she ever had to a father
was a fucking predator
that assaulted her.
I promised that I was gonna protect her.
Thought I could make her happy,
but I couldn't.
'Cause
you wouldn't let me.
You infantilized me.
You always have.
Because of you,
Nancy never saw me as a man.
You wanna be a man?
Act like one.
Dad.
You're gonna call Chief Albright.
Because if you don't
I'm gonna go public with everything.
Every offshore account,
every illegal transaction,
every cover-up.
I'll make sure that all our dirty laundry
is on the front page
of every news outlet for the next year.
I'll make sure that when I'm done,
the Hennessey name won't be worth
more than a fucking paper clip.
Kenneth. Yes.
I need a favor.
[sighs]
But I don't wanna be stuck in a car
for a week.
Oh, come on, June Bloom.
It'll be an adventure. And you know what?
We can stop at every national park
along the way.
Is Mommy coming with us too?
[Howard] I don't see why not.
We have some, uh legal hurdles
to get over first,
but your mother and I are
on the same page.
[knocks on door]
Sit.
[Junie] What's happening?
[Mary] Just stay with your sisters.
It's fine, sweetie. We'll find out.
Detective. Officers.
Mr. Simpson, I have a warrant
to bring you in for questioning
in connection to the April 8th murder
of Nancy Hennessey.
Let me see.
And if I refuse?
Then we get a warrant for your arrest.
It's okay, girls. I'll be home by bedtime.
Howard, I didn't do this.
I didn't do this.
It was not me.
Someone needs to call DCFS.
My children can't be left unsupervised.
No, please. Please don't.
I didn't do this, Howard.
I had nothing to do with this.
Please, Howard.
Please.
[engines start]
I'm right here. Mommy's right here.
- Come this way.
- I love you.
I'm right here.
Tell me what to do.
What do I do?
I don't even know how this happened.
Worst-case scenario,
your husband is arrested,
and we have to temporarily place
your girls in a foster home.
You can petition the court
for a custody hearing.
But in your case,
it could take weeks, even months.
Best-case scenario?
Your husband is released,
and he can come pick up your girls.
Let's hope for the best.
What about a godmother? A godmother
could take care of them, right?
Why don't I get you the contact
information for a legal aid, okay?
Okay.
[Eleanor] I can't believe you.
After everything. He killed her!
Mary, he killed her. He's a predator.
And you just went back to him?
We could've found a way
to bring the girls back to us.
I would have moved heaven and earth
to do that.
I have to make this right.
For Nancy, I have to make this right,
with or without you.
[line clicks]
[tense music playing]
[newscaster] We've got breaking news
in the Nancy Hennessey murder case.
Sources say it all started
with an anonymous tip.
We now confirmed
the credibility of the video.
What you are about to see
shows who police officials believe
to be the prime suspect
in the murder of Nancy Hennessey.
The man in the video has been identified
as Bakersfield native, Scott Reed.
The footage was taken the night
of Mrs. Hennessey's murder
at the Arroyo Seco Park.
A search is underway.
Authorities warn that Mr. Reed is
considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information
on his whereabouts is urged
to contact emergency services.