Imperfect Women ep. 2 makes a bold move that may backfire

Apple TV+’s Imperfect Women has never been accused of playing it slow. Episode 2, titled “Crush,” barrels straight into the romantic tension between Eleanor and Robert, culminating in the two impulsively sleeping together by the episode’s end. It is a bold narrative choice — one that delivers an undeniable jolt of drama but also raises a legitimate question: with that card now on the table, what does the rest of the miniseries have left to play?

A calculated risk that mostly pays off

The first episode did commendable work establishing the central mystery and introducing the full ensemble. Once Mary name-dropped Eleanor’s complicated dynamic with Robert, it became clear that the will-they-won’t-they tension between those two characters would anchor the series. What “Crush” does is accelerate that timeline considerably, landing at a destination that might have felt more earned in a fourth or fifth episode. In some ways, the urgency is refreshing. The show knows exactly what kind of series it is — a soapy, character-driven whodunit — and it is leaning into that identity without apology.

The dramatic fallout is already beginning to take shape. Eleanor now possesses written proof that Robert was aware of Nancy’s affair long before she confided in him, which reframes everything the audience thought it knew about him. Joel Kinnaman, best known for playing RoboCop, brings a quietly unsettling energy to the role that makes Robert genuinely difficult to read. His performance is one of the more compelling elements of the episode, and his scenes opposite Kerry Washington crackle with an uneasy chemistry that makes their eventual encounter feel both inevitable and complicated.

Some cast members deserve more screen time

The cost of centering the episode so heavily on Eleanor and Robert is that several other gifted performers are left with very little to work with. Rome Flynn, who gave a memorable turn as Frank Lucas in Godfather of Harlem, is largely reduced here to playing Jordan as a man circling Eleanor without purpose or payoff. Wilson Bethel, who made a strong impression in the premiere, is entirely absent from this episode. Corey Stoll gets one meaningful scene — a tense exchange in which Howard confronts Mary about her increasingly erratic behavior — but his character still feels underutilized given what the actor is capable of bringing to a role.

The exception is Leslie Odom Jr., the Hamilton star who receives a proper introduction in “Crush” as Donovan, Eleanor’s nosy and opinionated brother. His character uses Eleanor’s personal stories to impress women and makes no secret of his disapproval of Robert, framing the relationship pointedly in racial terms at one point. Whether that thread becomes a more substantive part of the season’s larger conversation or simply serves to establish who Donovan is remains to be seen, but Odom Jr. makes an immediate impression.

Elisabeth Moss adds a welcome layer of unease

The episode’s most compelling subplot belongs to Elisabeth Moss, whose Mary is beginning to reveal a far more volatile side than the premiere suggested. Eleanor discovers that Mary has been pulling public records on Nancy’s boyfriend Davide and has to retrieve her from a police station after she nearly gets arrested for harassing officers. Moss plays the desperation in those scenes with real precision, turning what initially seemed like a peripheral character into someone considerably more layered and potentially dangerous.

The mystery itself has not advanced significantly — the most telling revelation remains that letter casting doubt on Robert — but Imperfect Women is building something with its characters that feels worth following. The series simply needs to resist the pull of centering everything on Eleanor and give its deep, talented ensemble the room they clearly deserve. With only a handful of episodes remaining, time is already running short.

Imperfect Women streams Wednesdays on Apple TV+.

Source: TVBrittanyF.com / Brittany Frederick