This article contains spoilers for Imperfect Women Episode 3.
Imperfect Women continues from its strong start this week with “Monster”, an episode that thrives on confrontation and increasingly messy choices. Writer Kay Oyegun heightens the central tension between Eleanor (Kerry Washington) and Robert (Joel Kinnaman), pushing both characters further into murky territory as the investigation into Nancy’s (Kate Mara) murder resumes.
Picking up from last episode’s twist, the show wastes no time throwing its central characters back into conflict. Eleanor confronts Robert, telling him outright that he knew about Nancy’s affair before going further and asking if he killed her. Robert recalls seeing Nancy’s phone light up with an incoming text featuring a nude photo of her from a blocked number. When he confronted her, she admitted everything. He got angry and broke things, though he claims he never laid a hand on her. When he begged her to tell him who, she refused. However, she was going to end the affair that night.
It’s a tense exchange that sets the tone for the rest of the episode. Imperfect Women evidently favours making the audience squirm as loyalties, trust, and desire collide, which makes the episode all the more entertaining. Eleanor presses further, asking whether the police have seen Nancy’s journal. Robert reveals they returned it, dismissing it as useless because it features cryptic poems and letters. If Robert wasn’t shifty before, he certainly is now.
Later, the journal finds its way to Mary (Elisabeth Moss). Eleanor sees it as an opportunity to step inside Nancy’s imagination. It doesn’t take long for that imagination to turn unsettling, echoing earlier suggestions that Nancy was struggling more than those around her recognised. Mary finds a sketch she believes depicts Scott, Nancy’s stepfather, a man who terrified her. Eleanor notes the drawing resembles someone seen at the funeral, adding another uneasy layer to a murder plot that only grows darker from here.
Despite everything, Eleanor cannot seem to stay away from Robert. She ignores his calls initially, yet he remains fixated on her, admitting she’s the only person he wants to talk to. He regrets not telling the truth but doesn’t regret what happened between them. In fact, he says it’s the first time since Nancy’s death – so not long – that he’s felt anything other than pain. Against better judgment, Eleanor goes to him. It’s a frustrating, entirely predictable choice, and the episode revels in it.
Their dynamic escalates when Cora (Audrey Zahn) walks in on them in the pool. The pair scramble to explain it, insisting nothing is going on, but the excuse that they’re struggling to move Nancy’s things rings hollow. Robert deflects, chastising Cora for skipping school, shifting the focus rather than addressing the obvious. Washington and Kinnaman are convincing together, though Eleanor and Robert are no match, as the episode later confirms.
As if the personal stakes weren’t high enough, the outside world begins closing in. Zoe (Sherri Saum) alerts Eleanor to a TikTok video in which Cora implies she and Robert are sleeping together. Names aren’t mentioned directly, but it doesn’t take long for people to decipher that Eleanor is the unnamed woman in question. While disastrous for Eleanor, it’s undeniably great for the show. The mess only deepens, and the stakes rise accordingly.
Donovan (Leslie Odom Jr.) sees the bigger picture. When Eleanor tries to downplay the situation, he warns her that Robert’s family will do everything they can to shift attention away from him and onto her. She insists it’s a misunderstanding, but even she doesn’t sound convinced. Odom Jr. is a welcome contrast to Washington’s faltering delusion.
However, if Eleanor thought Mary would appease her delusions, she is in for a reality check. She admits she slept with Robert and acknowledges how it looks in light of Nancy’s death. Eleanor then explains the letter and Robert’s knowledge of the affair, insisting he didn’t hurt Nancy. Mary remains unconvinced, pointing out that Robert lied and that the letter could serve as evidence. They must take it to the police.
Eleanor refuses, clinging to her belief in Robert’s innocence and what they share. Mary counters that it’s a motive, and Eleanor could go to jail. Eleanor insists they care about each other and that Robert has chosen her now, even if he didn’t then. “Monster” adds to its mess when it’s revealed that Mary’s own marriage began through an affair. Mary, speaking like the expert she evidently is, remains adamant that what Eleanor has is a fantasy with another woman’s husband. We haven’t had drama this compelling since Big Little Lies.
The stakes rise further when Ganz (Ana Ortiz) reveals that Jordan (Rome Flynn) called the tip line created for Nancy’s murder. He told police he was with Eleanor that night and that they had a sexual relationship. The problem: Eleanor arrived at 1 AM, but Nancy’s time of death was around midnight. No one can corroborate Robert’s whereabouts, though he and Eleanor claim to have been home. No associate of Nancy’s has ever heard of David. Ganz speculates that either Eleanor mentioned the lover to throw them off her scent, or someone is using David as an alias. Eleanor refuses to say anything until a lawyer is present. Ganz recommends she get one.
Under mounting pressure, Eleanor turns to Donovan, detailing the events of the night. He reminds her that she’s no saint, though her friends get the best of her. Yet guilt plagues her as Eleanor believes she didn’t do enough that night. Nancy asked her to go with her, claiming she couldn’t end the affair alone. Eleanor brushed it off, telling her she had faced tougher challenges and that she’d figure it out.
By the time Mary arrives at Eleanor’s door, banging and declaring she knows who David is, the episode ends on another gripping cliffhanger.
“Monster” delivers an hour of tension, revelation, and moral ambiguity that leaves viewers with more than enough to dissect for the week. If Imperfect Women maintains this momentum, it will keep audiences hooked, questioning every character’s version of the truth. For now, one question dominates above all: Who is David?
