The Devil Wore Anna – The show begins with Anna Delvey “Anna Sorokin” (Julie Garner) patting herself on the back for starting a company. She tells reporter Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky) she enjoyed having 10 employees in her 20s. Vivian asks how she was able to start her own company at such a young age. She brags about her ability to pinpoint someone with talent. As Vivian starts to ask a question, Anna cuts her off, saying it isn’t necessary for me to like you as a person if I perceive you being a good fit for a role. It isn’t necessary for me to be everyone’s friend. Vivian informs her of a meeting between herself and Val (James Cusati-Moyer). Smirking, she asks why. Vivian believes it’s important she understand what she was like before her arrest. Anna claims to barely know Val. When Vivian asks if there is someone else, Anna claims to always be as she is now. Anna suggests she start thinking of her differently than everyone else.

Val (James Cusati-Moyer) is doing a photoshoot while Vivian waits to speak with him. Calling himself fashion, Val claims to meet a lot of wealthy girls who want to be socialites. He assures her Anna was not a wannabe, she was the real thing. Vivian asks how could, he be sure. He explains it is in the details, utilizing her “knock-off dress as an example. He describes her dress as cheap, with a mismatched print. He tells her no one will ever mistake her for Park Avenue. When he insults her shoes, she says, “I get it.” She asks him about Anna’s details. He has a flashback of Anna in a black dress at a fashion show. He describes her as having real taste, flawless, Dior, Balenciaga, and elegant. She knew the best wine, best dish, and who served the best salmon. Vivian asks if they were close friends. He says she was unapproachable, conceited, mean, and cold.

He tells her about Anna’s boyfriend, Chase. He claims Chase was obsessed with Anna from the moment he met her.

Chase Sikorski (Saamer Usami) speaks to an audience about WAKE. He claims humans spend around 26 years sleeping and dreaming. Everything you learn when sleeping evaporates immediately upon waking. He tells the audience to imagine if it were possible to analyze this knowledge, so it can be utilized later. He gets a standing ovation when he asks, “What if we could cloud source your dreams.”

Barry (Terry Kinney) asks Vivian about Chase. Maud (Anna Deavere Smith) says Val is in love with Anna. Vivian rephrases her statement by replacing love with adores and worships. She wants to know why Val chose to erase all public memory or Anna. Vivian is tongue-tied. Lou (Jeff Perry) points out that it is obvious by his Instagram profile. Vivian assures them she has two weeks to complete the story. Maud encourages them to give her what they have found so far. Lou tells her they created a timeline for Anna, utilizing posts from her friends. The timeline begins in 2011 when Anna departs Germany for London, where she planned to enroll in a Central Saint Martins fashion program. Immediately changing her mind, Anna goes to Paris. In 2013, she was working as an intern for Purple Magazine under the name, Anna Delvey. Maud asks Vivian when Anna changed her last name to Delvey.

Vivian isn’t for sure, but Anna claims it is her mother’s maiden name. She couldn’t find any evidence to support her claims. While interning at Purple Magazine, Anna and her coworkers vacationed in Montauk. Instead of returning to France, with her friends, Anna travels to Manhattan, arriving there on August 13. After a few days in Manhattan, Anna met Val who eventually removed her images from his social media. They point out, Val may have deleted her images, but their feeds still match up. Lou moves to Chase’s Instagram page, which has an image of a chess set from August 26^th.  The first-ever post on Anna’s Instagram post is a chess set. About a week later, Chase and Anna had sexual relations. From here on out, their posts match.

Chase and Anna lived in hotels across the globe. Vivian recalls asking Val who footed the hotel bills. He says Anna wouldn’t be able to access her trust money until she turned 25, leaving Chase to cover their expenses. One summer, they lived with Val and Nora. Vivian questions Val about Nora Radford (Kate Burton) who he claims is his bestie. He assures her that Nora wants him to live with her because fashion is important. He describes Nora’s love for him as being stronger than that of his “bitch mother.” She brings him back on topic. He bragged about the time he spent with Anna while living with Nora. He has a flashback of Anna calling him a “sl**” for screwing on Grindr. He dares her to shame him before describing her face as looking like an orgasm.

When she admits to liking Chase, he reminds her of where he grew up in Ohio. He tells her Chase is fundamentally a farmer. She describes him as being normal, which she likes. He questions if Chase is just after her trust fund. Disagreeing, she says he pays for everything. She admires him because he’s self-made. Val reminds her, he is self-made as well. She admires him too.

Lou questions why Anna chose New York for her business. Maud suggests she ask Chase. Vivian hasn’t been able to locate him. The last time he posted on his Instagram page was in 2016. Lou pulls up a 2014 Instagram post of Chase, Anna, and another lady taken in Ibiza. When Vivian recognizes the lady, she hurriedly rushes into her editor, Paul’s office. She excitedly tells him about Anna spending time with Talia Mallay (Marika Dominczyk). He seems uninterested. Talia previously agreed to speak with her, but first, she needs him to authorize transportation to the Hamptons. He refuses to pay her travel expenses to the Hamptons.

She lowers her standards to a rental car and a cheap hotel room. Paul (Tim Guinee) suggests she contact her via a landline. Tripping out, she reminds him of the trouble she went through to get Talia to agree to their meeting. He relents, but not without saying he believes her socialite social will kill her career.

Neff (Alexis Floyd) tries to convince Neff (Alexis Floyd) into visiting Anna at Rikers Island. She suggests they take turns visiting her. Rachel believes Neff is joking. Neff reminds her that Anna was her bestie. Rachel denies Anna paid her way. Neff disagrees, saying she bought her earrings, jacket, and shoes. Rachel accuses her of letting Anna buy her. Raising her voice, Neff dares her to repeat what she said about Anna purchasing her, a black woman. Rachel flees the scene.

Vivian visits Anna’s attorney, Todd (Arian Moayed) to discuss Talia Mallay. When she asks, “What do we have on Talia Mallay,” he questions why she thinks they are working together. He assures her they are not working together. She questions what the prosecution has on Talia. He orders her to leave his office. She angrily stomps out of his office. As soon as she leaves, he asks Alexi (Kyle Beltran) what they have on Talia. He assures him they have nothing before grabbing a box from the DA’s office. Todd is surprised ADA Catherine McCaw (Rebecca Henderson) only sent over one box of discovery for Anna’s case.

Vivian and Jack (Anders Holm) talk about $30-million homes while they drive around. She assures him all the houses in her neighborhood couldn’t value more than $10 million together. Pointing at a house, she says no one should live in a house that big just as Jack pulls in the driveway. Talia emerges from her mansion while Vivian tells Jack she will call him when she is done. She is surprised to see so many people visiting with Talia. Talia says she loves to entertain. She tells Vivian about her new beachwear line, suggesting she put on a kaftan for more comfort. Vivian initially refuses the offer but relents. Talia is embarrassed to say she couldn’t cook until 25. She had servants to do everything for her.

Vivian switches on her recorder just in time to catch a question from Talia about Anna running Rikers. Vivian asks about her relationship with Anna. They went on vacation together a few times. Talia describes Anna’s attitude as not giving a fu**. She says, “Anna had great taste in art.”

Anna pops up on the screen. She is viewing a piece of art when Talia joins her. Talia informs Anna she is bidding on the piece before asking her opinion. Anna tells her the only art piece in the exhibit worth a dime is a film still by Cindy Sherman. Talia describes it as another dress-up piece. Anna explains how City became famous.  Talia thinks Anna works for Damian. Anna assures her she doesn’t work for Damian or anyone else. Anna tells Talia her father buys whatever she wants and one day she will inherit it all. Talia says working for something beats inheriting it.

Back to the present, Talia tells Vivian she purchased Cindy Sherman’s film still. She continued to spend time with Anna until she and Chase showed up in Ibiza.

Anna and Chase pop up on the screen. Anna is looking at an image of Hendrick Knight’s boat, which Chase finds intriguing. He was at a Silicon Alley event, where Knight was speaking. He believes Knight’s investment in Wake could be beneficial. Anna reads Knight’s profile. Excited, Chase says alert Talia we are visiting Ibiza. She reminds him they are in Chelsea. She relents, sending Talia a text as Chase suggested. Talia invites them to dinner. He says to tell her we will come tomorrow. Anna is not keen on the idea but goes through with it. He picks up the phone to book their tickets to Ibiza. Val tells them goodbye as he heads out for three days of fashion shows. She excitedly tells him about their trip to Ibiza.

Anna and Chase arrive at Knight’s boat to meet Talia. Chase goes on a tour of the boat while Anna meets Bryce (Angeline appel) and Steve Lago (Angus Benfield). Bryce questions if she saw her at Soho House. Anna denies visiting Soho House. Bryce offers for Steve to get her in if they refused to accept her. Anna admits she rather spend time in McDonald’s.

Todd meets Catherine who asks if he had an appointment. He accuses her of not giving him all the discoveries for Anna’s case. She denies ever playing dirty. He demands to have all the evidence in her possession by the end of the week. She questions if he’s trying for her to break the law just to meet his demand. He repeats his demand before leaving.

Neff meets Kacy Duke (Laverne Cox) to talk about Anna. Kacy asks if she threatened to beat up Rachel. She denies the allegations, reminding her of who she is talking about. Neff is disappointed with Rachel’s behavior toward Anna like she doesn’t know her. Kacy refuses to join Neff in visiting Rikers Island to see Anna. Neff is shocked by her reaction. Kacy explains how the person in Rikers, isn’t Anna Delvey.

Anna and Chase celebrate with Talia. She is shocked when Hendrik Knight (Joshua Malina) says he believes her accent is Russian. Chase is confused by his comment. Anna shrugs it off. While Anna talks to Bryce and Talia, Chase is trying to convince Knight into investing in WAKE. Knight assures him it is subjected data, which has no value. Steve agrees with Knight when he says there is nothing worse than listening to people talk about their dreams. Talia is not happy Chase. She believes he is pushing Knight too hard. Talia angrily walks over to pull Knight away from Chase. Anna asks Knight his age before admitting Talia’s attitude toward investment in WAKE reminds her of her father in high school.

She goes on a tangent about getting old. Talia tells her to stop when Knight interrupts. She continues pushing the investment until Knight gives in. He offers an investment of $100K. Talia tells her she is amazing. Chase invites her to be his partner or the head of PR. Anna promises to think about it.

Back to the present. Talia tells Vivian how close Anna and Chase were. Knight called to alert her about Chase and Anna staying on the boat. Irate, Talia asks why a guest would stay on someone’s boat. She orders her to get off the boat. Vivian asks how they were able to gain access to the boat after everyone left. Talia tells her it cost a lot of money to hire a crew to run the boat. Vivian suggests it may have something to do with Anna’s entitlement. Talia refuses to believe it was Anna’s idea, but Chase’s. She blames it on her being stupidly in love with Chase. Talia offers her a guest house instead of the hotel.

In the guest house, Vivian walks into the restroom to find Jack lying on the floor. When she discovers the floor is heated, she joins him. She admits to wanting to “fu** the floor.” He tells her to wait because it gets better. Inhaling, she smells sage. He takes her toothbrush and tosses it off to the side for one of Talia’s expensive alternatives. She describes the best as feeling like kittens. They reluctantly turn home.

Vivian meets Val once again to discuss Ibiza. He asks if she knows what happened there. She asks why he is so intrigued. He tells her about meeting Chase and Anna in Paris. Their attitudes were different. While they stayed at the Hotel Gulacsy, he was worked hard, they partied hard.

Val has a flashback of Anna angrily accusing Chase of ruining her relationship with Talia. Chase reminds her of his offer, the Angel level of Wake. She doesn’t want the position. He asks if she knows the value of the position. She responds by calling him a moron, “A percentage of nothing is still nothing.” Val watches in amazement as the two tear each other to shreds. She doesn’t want to work at Wake, she wants to do something big on her own. Val interrupts, telling Val to back off. Chase shows no appreciation for their VIP tickets, which weren’t easy to get. Chase insults his work, “It’s clothes on stick people.” Chase leaves Anna to Val who eventually calms her down.

At the Hotel Gulacsy, Val receives a call from Chase who believes Anna is lying about her trust fund. He asks Val to look at her passport. Val assures him he is wrong.

Back to the present. Vivian asks if he told Anna about Chase’s phone call. He says there was no need to. Val has a flashback of the hotel manager (Benjamin Thys) confronting Anna about a bank transfer. The manager claims to have contacted her bank and was told she hasn’t provided them instructions. None of her credit cards worked. He demands cash or a new credit card. Val suggests she contact her father to inquire about a new working card. She accuses him of siding with the manager. Val makes the payment, so he can access his medicine and go to bed. The manager continues to refuse them access to the room without a working credit card. She takes a seat on the step and opens up about her father cutting her off.

Chase returns to the hotel to cover the room fee. He stays with Anna while Val retrieves his medicine. He checks Anna’s passport. Back to the present, Vivian asks Val if Anna was broke. He says no just broken.

Val approaches Chase and Anna who are making out in a restaurant. Chase hands her his credit card when she mentions shopping. He tells Val Anna has agreed to be his partner in Wake. Val tells him about the name on Anna’s passport. Her name is listed as Anna Sorokin, which is Russian. Anna was born outside Moscow. Val suggests Anna and her father were run off by the Russian president. When Val recommended, they help her, Chase takes off without an explanation. Less than an hour later, Val met up with Chase and Anna. Chase accuses Val of going through Anna’s bags without her knowledge. Val told her it was Chase’s idea. Chase denied the allegations. She refuses Val’s offer to get away from Chase.

Back to the present, Vivian says it must have been traumatic for him. He refuses to give her Chase’s contact information.

Todd receives a truckload of evidence boxes for Anna’s case. Neff homes on the Rikers bus to visit Anna. Glitter Shadow Officer (Miche Braden) calls for Sorokin several times before Neff realized they were calling her.

Vivian meets with Anna to talk about Chase. She refuses to tell her anything.

Anna walking down the sidewalk, with two armloads of shopping bags appears on the screen. She stares at her reflection in a shop window. Chase is waiting at the hotel when she returns. He says Sorokin several different ways. She admits to changing her last name. He accuses her of changing her identity. She asks why he is acting like a baby. He demands to know who she is, but she refuses to answer the question. She tells him about her business idea, an exclusive, one-of-a-kind club for artists. She describes the club as a place for her and artists to belong. She asks if he will build the club with her or stand in her way. He promises no one will ever question her identity. He lies about Val seeing the passport.

Back in the present, Anna utilizes her hands to cover her face while she briefly squelches as the episode comes to an end.

 

Inventing Anna Review

It is becoming more clear why Anna is behind bars at Rikers. If there is any truth to the show, Anna pulled the wool over a lot of people’s eyes. She was conniving, conceited, and self-centered. Her hunger to become someone notable was too powerful to resist. No one mattered to Anna, but Anna.

The acting and dialogue are subpar. The extended episode was at times intolerable, thanks to a lot of unessential filler. Unnecessarily drawn out beyond belief.

Neff’s ridiculous comment about purchasing a black woman was totally unnecessary. There is no doubt, this conversation never took place. Maybe a verbal disagreement, but nothing about purchasing a black woman. The show is about an overzealous con artist, not slavery.

The flashbacks are the best part of the show. The present-day scenes are boring and many unnecessary.

The episode deserves a 6. Get more Inventing Anna recaps here. Support ReelMockery’s work by clicking here.