In Episode 1 of Inventing Anna, Life of a VIP, the series effectively introduces it’s two key players – the audacious scam artist Anna Delvey and the tenacious journalist, Vivian Kent. It highlight the episode’s engaging, fast-paced dialogue and compelling premise, though it sometimes garners mixed feedback for it’s extended pacing and the divisive subplots within the newsroom.
Inventing Anna Episode 1 – Life of a VIP (Plot & Storyline)
In the first episode of Inventing Anna, titled Life of a VIP, the fallen journalist Vivian Kent jeopardizes her career to delve into the story of Anna Delvey, a fraudulent German heiress charged with grand larceny. Amidst her pregnancy, Vivian pursues a unique opportunity to interview Anna at Rikers Island, hoping to restore her professional standing.
The premiere centers on introducing the main characters, their driving forces, and the intricate network of deceit that envelops Anna’s dual existence. Vivian, heavily pregnant and toiling away in the magazine’s basement, is eager to restore her career following a previous scandal.
She goes against her editors’ wishes—who want her to report on a Wall Street Me Too story—to chase after Anna’s untold narrative. During Vivian’s initial visit to Anna in jail, Anna displays a demanding and arrogant demeanor, outright refusing to engage in conversation. She dismissively critiques Vivian’s publication as “poor.”
Assistant District Attorney Catherine McCaw is vigorously constructing a case against Anna, portraying her as a symbol of all that is flawed with American affluence, while presenting a plea deal to Anna’s attorney, Todd Spodek.
Despite Anna’s frosty reception, Vivian takes the initiative to investigate further. She begins piecing together the puzzle with insights from Anna’s past socialite acquaintances and staff, revealing snippets of Anna’s extravagant, deceit-ridden existence.
Inventing Anna Episode 1 (Positives)
1) Julia Garner masterfully portrays Anna Delvey’s enigmatic, self-assured, and unapologetic nature, instantly immersing you in the mystery of the ‘fake heiress’.
2) This episode masterfully intertwines two captivating viewpoints – Anna’s glamorous yet questionable history and Vivian Kent’s (portrayed by Anna Chlumsky) unwavering, tenacious quest for the truth.
3) Anna’s opening sequence, along with her bold stance on her trial, creates an engaging, sassy, and dramatic atmosphere that immediately showcases her fierce independence.
4) This episode expertly draws viewers into the exhilarating and elite realm of luxury hotels, private jets, and extravagant billionaire parties, perfectly reflecting the illusion that Anna presented to her victims.
Inventing Anna Episode 1 (Negatives)
1) The premiere, lasting more than an hour, comes across as drawn-out and slow-paced, featuring repetitive moments of Anna dodging payments and mentioning elite socialites.
2) The high-society individuals are commonly viewed as insipid and disconnected from reality, making it challenging for audiences to engage with their individual conflicts.
3) The story grapples with the tension of labeling Anna as a perilous con artist while also trying to portray her as a driven, misjudged innovator, leading to a muddled message.
Conclusion
The Episode 1 of Inventing Anna, titled Life of a VIP, establishes a compelling yet divisive foundation. In this episode, we meet Anna Delvey (played by Julia Garner) in prison, alongside the determined journalist Vivian Kent (portrayed by Anna Chlumsky), who is on a quest to land a career-defining exclusive interview. This episode skillfully intertwines reality and fiction, all while crafting the extravagant and astonishing narrative surrounding the notorious New York con artist.
Shonda Rhimes’ Inventing Anna has enthralled audiences with the audacious antics of Anna Sorokin and her schemes to amass wealth quickly, particularly since it is rooted in a real-life story. True to form, the drama series showcased numerous embellishments and dramatizations of the actual events, yet Julia Garner’s portrayal of Anna remained quite faithful in many respects.
Nonetheless, capturing every intricate detail of a complex case like Sorokin’s within just nine episodes proves to be a challenge, resulting in the show overlooking certain crucial elements that viewers would deem significant to the narrative. Inventing Anna overlooked these important facts in the Delvey saga.
9 Details That Were Omitted From The Inventing Anna
1) The Demise of Peter Hennecke
Although Alan Reed did have several phone conversations with Anna’s wealth manager, Peter Hennecke (with Anna altering her voice via an app and using a burner phone) during the show, the details of how the baton changed hands in her intricate story were left out.
As one of the most astute characters, Anna needed to devise a reason for the emails to Peter not going through, so she informed others that Peter had died. Subsequently, she presented a new German character, Bettina Wagner, who had assumed control of her family’s wealth management for bankers and lawyers.
2) Anna Felt Angry About Neff Mentioning The Carter V.
One aspect that Inventing Anna depicted with precision was the bond between Anna and Neff. Indeed, the party featuring Martin Shkreli and Macaulay Culkin truly took place. The opulent dinner attended by the wealthy and famous was just as extravagant as portrayed in the series, and Shkreli did flaunt his recent acquisition, The Carter V album.
Neff was so excited about hearing the album, which had not yet been released, that she tweeted about it. However, Anna was not pleased with this. She expressed her irritation and requested Neff to remove the tweet, but when the concierge failed to do so, “She didn’t come down to my desk for maybe three days,” as Neffetari herself recounted.
3) Anna Expressed Her Regret In The Courtroom
Anna felt no remorse for the awful actions she took against other characters in the show, and her attitude during the courtroom scenes remained unapologetic. Throughout her trial in Inventing Anna, she hardly uttered a word, yet the real Anna Sorokin expressed some regret in her statements.
During her court sentencing hearing, Sorokin expressed her shame. “I apologize for the mistakes I made,” she stated candidly. However, just a few days later in an interview, she reversed her stance, claiming she wasn’t sorry but rather “regretted” certain choices.
As the show’s release approached, she revised her comments once more, stating, “I feel sorry for how my case is being viewed. I regret that I engaged in actions that people believe I’m glorifying now. I regret the decisions I’ve made. Certainly, I don’t believe the world would improve if everyone tried to emulate me.”
4) A Secret Benefactor Supported Anna’s Court Fashion
The fraudulent German heiress brought her chic style to prison, insisting on being styled for her court appearances. Viewers of the show were treated to replicas of her actual trial outfits, showcasing some of Anna’s most impressive ensembles.
Many speculated whether the stylist (Anastasia Walker, in reality) received payment for her work, and it turns out she did. Anna couldn’t con her way out of this situation, yet she still relied on the kindness of others. According to Todd Spodek, her luxurious pieces from Miu Miu and YSL were “borrowed on her behalf through a secret benefactor.”
5) Anna’s Parents Maintained Contact With Her
The show portrays a solitary Anna following her arrest, with only her lawyer and pet journalist Vivian Kent by her side. However, this is misleading. In a conversation with Insider, Sorokin disclosed that she had no contact during her college years, yet just months prior to the trial, her parents had been communicating with her.
They also wrote a letter to New York State Supreme Court Judge Diane Kiesel, asking for leniency towards their daughter, advocating for her and expressing their belief that Anna was prepared to make a change.
During her immigration court hearing, they even proposed that she could come to Germany and begin anew. Contrary to how they portrayed her, Anna was not as forsaken as they claimed.
6) Anna Successfully Attended Warren Buffet’s Exclusive Gathering
Following the confiscation of Delvey’s possessions by George due to her extensive unpaid bill, she opted to hire a private jet to attend Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Conference. However, TV Anna faced a setback as her pass failed to grant her entry into the conference. Consequently, she returned to New York and proceeded to another hotel.
In truth, Anna successfully gained entry to the conference. She dedicated several days to mingling with the elite and renowned, and on the final day, she unexpectedly stumbled upon a VIP dinner hosted by Buffet himself. There, she and her friends managed to sneak in and allegedly had the opportunity to meet Bill Gates in person.
7) Anna Also Requested Kacy’s Assistance While In Morocco
As reported by Netflix, Kacy departed Morocco just two days into her stay in Marrakesh due to a severe case of food poisoning, which fortuitously spared her from a significant financial loss linked to Anna.
However, upon her return to New York, Kacy received a distressing call seeking assistance to settle the bill at the Four Seasons in Casablanca, where it was assumed Anna had relocated following the incident with Rachel at La Momounia.
Unaware of Anna’s true motives, Kacy genuinely attempted to assist her friend by providing her own credit card details, and when those failed, she even offered her friend’s information. In a twist of fate, the universe seemed to align in Kacy’s favor, prompting her to independently arrange a flight for Anna to NYC to offer her support.
8) Anna Organized The Trip To Germany
Although Vivian Kent’s journey to Germany was portrayed as a result of her fixation on Anna’s narrative and the circumstances that shaped her, this portrayal is misleading. The trip was not organized by her magazine, nor did Jessica Pressler, the real-life inspiration for Vivian, actively seek out leads.
As reported by Insider, it was actually Anna who set up the trip for Pressler to delve deeper into her history, and everyone connected to her childhood was aware of Pressler’s visit. There were no surprises; Anna had even guided the journalist to the restaurants and museums she often visited.
9) She Deceived Numerous Others
Sorokin’s insatiable quest for money extended beyond just Nora Radford, Rachel Williams, and the hotels and banks she deceived. The total amount she pilfered was significantly higher than what was depicted on screen.
As per her acquaintance, she managed to con nearly everyone she encountered, with many wealthy individuals too ashamed to acknowledge that they had been duped, much less report her actions.
There are still individuals who succumbed to Anna’s allure but chose to keep it secret to protect their reputations. The damage she inflicted far exceeded the time she served in prison.