Imperfect Women: the end of the series explained

What should we understand about the murder and this final scene with Mary? The showrunner says it all.

The end of the mini-series Imperfect Women is now available on Apple TV (also here via MyCanal) and inevitably, the same question is on everyone’s lips: who killed Nancy? And above all… how does it end? The destinies of Kerry Washington, Elisabeth Moss and Kate Mara scrutinized.

Spoiler alert!

First, a key point: the series moves away from Araminta Hall’s novel. In the book, the culprit is Marcus, Mary’s son, who accidentally kills Nancy, upon discovering her adultery. Here, total change of trajectory. Showrunner Annie Weisman assumes this choice:

“Yes. The book has a different ending, but we found that, for fans of the novel, it was more fun to have something more unexpected. And then in the meantime, some series (like Presumed Innocent) had already used a similar culprit. Sometimes you can get burned, so you have to keep it fresh…”

Besides, the main thing is elsewhere. The series doesn’t play the final twist card at all costs: “It’s not really constructed as a story where the biggest twist comes at the end. It can become a little artificial to always say: ‘You think it’s him, but in fact it’s not.’ Honestly, the biggest twist comes in the middle of the season, with the identity reveal. Then, the idea was more to switch to a thriller: you have all the information, we’re no longer hiding anything… but the real question becomes: is he going to get through it? And will they survive?”

The person responsible for Nancy’s death is Howard. But far from the cold and calculating killer, the series takes another direction with Mary’s toxic husband and Nancy’s lover:

“We don’t see Howard as a sociopath. He didn’t plan his action. For us, it’s an act of rage and impulse that he then tries to rationalize. And it’s often like that in real life: people say: ‘She pushed me,’ ‘she betrayed me,’ ‘it wasn’t really my fault’… There’s a denial of responsibility.”

And that, the series strongly supports this idea according to the showrunner: “He tries very, very hard – and frankly without success – to convince himself that something terrible has happened, but that it is not really his fault. Their relationship comes from deep wounds, so when she leaves him, it hits him in this broken place. And that’s also where the violence is born.”

Basically, Imperfect Women is not just about a murder, but about an emotional spiral:

“One of the themes of the show is that anger and love can sometimes look the same. Desire, passion and violence can be tragically linked. It’s this level of intensity that becomes dangerous.”

And the observation is clear for Annie Weisman: “The most dangerous place for a woman is her home or her relationship. The data is clear. This is where the majority of violence takes place. This is why friendship between women is essential. We protect each other, we watch over each other. We cannot get through it alone.”

There remains this very last scene which completes the series and also leaves a strange ambiguity lingering. Mary seems to have turned the page. She found a smile again, with her children, at Robert’s house. And her last look is for him, tender, supportive, with a smile at the camera, which opens the door to all interpretations:

“It’s typically the kind of scene that I prefer to leave to the public. The ending was very collaborative between us. We discussed every detail, every word, every shot. Some wanted something cleaner, but others pushed to keep a dark side. Notably Elisabeth Moss in fact. Because these women remain imperfect women, as the title says…”

Imperfect, to the point that Mary could start a relationship with Robert, the lover of her best friend Ellie and the widower of her other best friend Nancy? Annie Weisman leaves room for doubt: