Honestly, I did not know what to expect when watching this series. But, as I turned on the show, I saw Shondaland and realized I had decided to partake in one of Shonda's clever creative minds, except this time, the story is real. At least the parts that are true according to the series.
While watching this show, I tried to imagine the day that Anna Sorokin woke up and decided she would be infamous, no matter what. Anna created a back story of having a wealthy father who set up a fat trust fund that was not within her grasp. Anna's story was desirable with the capability to pull at people's heartstrings. Everyone wanted to be like Anna; hell, Anna wanted to be Anna. She sold her narrative to herself, which is how I believe she attracted New York's elite.
I don't want to give too much away, but they will probably be spoiler alerts in this post. So, if you haven't seen the show, come back and read this later. Otherwise, keep reading as I review my take on the women characters.
Women Power At Its Finest
Anna Delvey (Anna Sorokin)- Her Own Heiress
Most people would turn their nose up at the things Anna did, but you have to admit she created her world. She knew how alluring wealth with a bit of a sob story would attract people, most notably her dreams. I wonder if Anna could tap into her identity, how her life would have turned out. She was a badass, like an unapologetically badass. Maybe she knew how much of a badass she was and knew that adding the money would speed up the process.
Anna had the knack to get people to buy her things. I mean, a person proclaiming to be rich had people purchasing items and booking trips for her. So why did people feel compelled to buy something for someone they knew did not have direct access to their money?
The 'heiress' was also generous with her friends, well, until the trip to Marrakech with her friend Rachel, but we will get to that later. I believed she loved her tight circle; however, she was more committed to the idea of herself than she was to them. At a young age, she surrounded herself with a powerful group of people who were so intelligent and established but fell for her delusions. Why? Because money talks and wealth exudes power.
Even after Anna had "borrowed" a jet, bamboozled banks and hotels, committed fraud, and lived on a yacht rented by someone else, she still was able to grab sympathy from reporter Vivian Kent and her attorney, Todd Spodek. They wanted to believe that Anna was the real deal. However, it was hard for them to accept she was a fraud and that a person would buy into their fantasy.
Vivan Kent-Searching for Redemption
Vivian was just as headstrong and determined as Anna, except she was on a mission to escape her reality and redeem her career. Unfortunately, the show implied that she published a false story in her past that discredited her as a journalist. Vivian was bushy-eyed and set on Anna's story to revitalize her career and accomplish her goal. But, after reaching her accomplishment, she started to feel a shadow of guilt for exploiting Anna's story.
Vivian wanted her unborn child to be proud of her and was persistent in making this happen before her child was born. It was almost like she forgot she was pregnant at times because her co-workers and husband had to remind her from time to time. If tunnel focused was a person, it would be Vivian. She rode fifty eleven buses to visit Anna in prison and even took a trip to Germany to redeem Anna's reputation.
She was the epitome of determination and, in the process, gained some friends, including Anna herself. She did not give up on her goal and went against the grain to do so. I love a good going against the grain story, especially when it involves a woman overriding the authority of male chauvinists.
Neff Davis-Loyal & Dreamer
Anna and Neff both had dreams; however, Neff was more of a dreamer. Before Anna conned Neff out of the money she tipped her, Neff was a stalemate into becoming the film director. Anna initially became Neff's inspiration to follow her dreams and ended up in Anna's privileged-heiress web. Anna introduced Neff to the life she dreamed about and introduced her to a group of people she had only seen in movies. Although Anna showered her $100 bills, that is not what attracted Neff to Anna. Sure, the money lured her, but she and Anna developed a genuine friendship, and she looked after her over time.
Neff was the only friend that did not abandon Anna. She was also the only person that Anna paid back. I believe this happened because Neff was different from the rest. She was a "common" person and not entangled in that wealthy elite world. Neff worked at a hotel and was not as flashy as Anna's other circle. Perhaps, Anna was drawn to her because she experienced the benefits of being yourself. If Anna did not fall so deep into her fake persona, I believe she would have shared her true self with Neff.
Neff was a sense of normalcy for Anna, while Anna was Neff's window to a new world. This friendship worked and is still working today. I checked out the real Neff's Instagram, and it appears she is working on her film and is still unafraid to profess her friendship and loyalty to Anna publicly.
Rachel Williams-Taking Her Power Back
Hands down, Rachel wanted Anna's life. She loved reaping the benefits of Anna's wealth and privilege. Although Rachel had an ideal career at Vanity Fair, she wanted more-the prestige. Rachel shared the obsession with Anna of becoming famous and wealthy; the only difference was Rachel was riding off someone's coattail, well until the end. This bond led to a blind trust, which led to her getting conned out of $62,000 on their Morroco trip. Not only was she fooled, but it ruined her career reputation.
I would like to believe that after Morroco, Rachel decided that she was the author of her life. She took charge and filed a complaint against Anna and later capitalized off the event while keeping the girl circle out of the loop. Rachel did not disclose her deal with Vanity Fair nor the reversal of funds to the business credit card to her friends.
The shady part was her getting Anna arrested and acting oblivious when it happened. This act took her power back, yet she kept it to herself to maintain her friendships. I believe Rachel kept this secret to avoid admitting that she was no different from Anna. However, Rachel wanted the dream just as bad and eventually did what she could to obtain it.
Kacy Duke-The Lucky One
As I watched the series, I could not figure out how Anna attracted Kacy as a friend. Anna was initially Kacy's client, yet they ended up hanging out and becoming friends. Kacy had access to the stars, was financially set, and appeared in tune with the universe. The fact that she picked up on energy makes me question her empathetic powers when it came to be friends with Anna and Rachel. However, she liked to see the good in people, which may have happened.
Kacy was the only person Anna had paid and not conned. She also dodged getting duped in Morroco when she became ill and returned to the states before things went awry. After Anna returned from Morroco, Kacy opened her home to Anna for the night only to never make that mistake again. In a way, she was the lucky one out of the entire girl circle. She knew all of the tea but refused to drink out the cup.
Final Thoughts
These women were remarkable in their way and made a heaven of story. Some would argue that Anna is a terrible person, and others would define her as karma to the elite; I describe her as someone that was her own kind. Although she went about it the wrong way, one could learn the power of persistence. Anna was close to her dream, but her karma bulldozed her plans. I would not say she is a superhero, but if "you can do anything you set your mind to" was a person...it would be Anna.