I don’t claim to be some Nostradamus of the zeitgeist—able to immediately discern what will and will not amuse America—but I am relatively clued in to pop culture, and I write about this stuff for a living. So I stopped binge-eating. Inventing AnnaThe Netflix-Shondaland limited series, based on the viral New York magazine article about con woman Anna “Delvey” Sorokin, I thought, That was fun. I’m sure other people will feel the same, because I understand such things.
After all, HustlersThe 2019 movie is based on another. New YorkJessica Pressler, who also wrote the magazine feature on Delvey, was a critical success. Hot topics included scammers Elizabeth Holmes, Billy McFarland, the Fyre Fest guy (who is a minor character on the show), as well as the Operation Varsity Blues parent. I assumed Inventing AnnaThe same audience would devour the food. Gossip Girl and made Shonda Rhimes’s ScandalIt was a huge hit. It was a hit. SuccessionTrashy, but a good idea. Who wouldn’t like that?
It turns out that the series is a lot more popular than we expected. The series reached the top of Netflix’s streaming charts, but the reviews and reactions online have been mixed. It currently has a Rotten Tomatoes audience score 33%. Reading the reviews only made my confusion worse. Some people found it ridiculous, while I found it fun. My peers found it hilarious that I chose to be amused by the same choices. Maybe I’m wrong, or maybe it’s a matter of preference. But maybe the show, based on a story people had so many feelings about, wasn’t given a fair shake. I offer my rebuttal in the spirit of healthy debate.
Let’s start with Anna and the actor who plays her, Julia Garner. According to one reviewer, “Garner’s character choices…all the inconsistency and evasiveness, with that awful accent…might make some feel cheated, or even like she botched the role.” Though the piece actually praises her performance, it still says she’s seemingly miscast. This sentiment is repeated in other outlets. The general consensus is that Garner is a great actor because of it. OzarkIt was disappointing because Anna’s accent is irritating and we never learn what makes her tick.
Here’s a theory: Anna is semidelusional and a compulsive liar. She has a strange accent. Garner does this perfectly. When she bursts into tears, it’s bizarre because Anna is bizarre. Vivian will answer the question about what makes a con man a conman, which I will cover in a moment. And the answer is: You can never really know another person if they won’t let you. It’s called Inventing AnnaAnna is Dr. Frankenstein’s creation. A frustrating, compelling, enigmatic central character whose motives are never adequately explained…is allowed. This show does it well.
Source: Glamour