Two Birds, One Throne – The show begins with Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky) interviewing Anna Delvey “Anna Sorokin” (Julia Garner) In Rikers Island. Vivian apologizes, admitting the baby is making the travel difficult. Anna asks who was responsible for Bloomberg terminating her position. Vivian tries to get her back on track by asking about the Anna Delvey Fund. Correcting Vivian, Anna says Anna Delvey Foundation. She asks, where the idea for the foundation comes from. Anna denies Chase helped her pick the name. They were building two separate businesses simultaneously. Vivien is having trouble believing Chase didn’t help her build the Anna Delvey Foundation. Anna reminds her she is multilingual, a mathematical genius, and a photographic memory. She describes herself as “brilliant” and “gifted.”

Smirking, Anna says pregnancy is a “shit excuse” for not visiting her because women have babies every day. She threatens to cut her off if she doesn’t visit. Before making her exit, she requests new panties, but nothing cheaper than Bergdorf or Natori.

Vivian doesn’t seem interested in Jack’s (Anders Holm) question about the crib location. She is worried about Paul (Tim Guinee) because Anna isn’t giving up any information. Trying to get her focused on the baby, he asks where they should place the changing table. He suggests by the window, so they can see outside when they change her diapers. She denies being aggressive with Anna. He says maybe the crib can go where you are standing. She refuses to put the crib there because of Anna’s investigation board. He asks if the wall will still be there after the baby is born. She questions if Chase Sikorski (Saamer Usmani) and Anna’s relationship was a front for different schemes.

Vivian visits Nora Radford (Kate Burton) to discuss Anna. Nora is surprised to see Vivian since they have already spoke. She refuses to be linked to Anna because of her seven board of director positions. Vivian reminds her of how Anna and Chase lived with her while they were in a relationship. Nora is an advisor for Chase’s Wake app. When she threatens to write an article based on information from online sources, Nora reluctantly agrees but only if she is off the record. Vivian agrees to put her in the background. Nora asks for more clarity on the meaning of background. She assures her the article will not include her name. Nora refuses to permit the use of a recording device even after Vivian promises to delete it later. She takes notes instead.

Nora starts by telling why Anna and Chase moved in with her in 2014. Chase invested all his money into Wake while Anna wanted to be independent of her father’s money. They lived with her for several months. Vivian asks about their relationship at the time. Nora claims she knows nothing of their relationship. They were friends of Val (James Cusati-Moyer). She claims to have known what type of person Anna truly was right from the get-go. Anna looked down her nose at other people and refused to get out of bed before noon. Vivian asks how she felt about Chase. She wasn’t fond of him either.

Nora has a flashback of being awakened by a loud noise. After getting up, she picks up something. When the front door opened, she hurriedly flipped on the flight. She is relieved to see Anna and Chase. Kissing his cheeks, she asks if he got to see the Chanel fashion show. She questions why Val isn’t with them. Anna informs her Val went to see his father in Alabama. Chase assures her there is no need to worry. He reminds her about Chase’s motto, work hard and play hard before repeating. She informs them of her dinner plans at Kleinsmith’s. Anna puts her clothes away when she calls Nora an “old bitch.” Chase tells her to quieten down, so Nora doesn’t hear. He believes Anna is jealous of his and Nora’s relationship. She accuses him of embarrassing himself by kissing Nora’s ass.

Chase admits he is kissing Nora’s ass for his company. He assures her she will be doing the same thing for her foundation. As they snuggle, she asks how many people will be at the meeting. When he says three, she ensures him her foundation will need more people for hospitality, designers, and PR. They make out.

Nora informs Chase Greer is asking to be put on the list. She suggests he be invited to her dinner, so they can discuss an investment deal there. When he recommends 500K, they touch glasses. Nora pokes fun at Anna for her late sleeping habits.

While they wait to be called in, he suggests she study the bio to make them think she did her homework. Looking over it for about a minute, she is through. Shocked, he decides to put her so-called eidetic memory to the test. She answers correctly. She tells Gabriel Calatrava (Gabriel Sloyer) her plans to make her foundation, a refuge for the elite artists. He recommends she start by talking to a gallerist or curator. If they are on board, he will design the space for her foundation.  They meet with Thomas & Fortman founder, Sasha Thomas (Kathleen Garrett). Anna explains how she wants a private club, with an onsite hotel and restaurants. She describes Sasha’s art collection as “impeccable.” Sasha refuses to get involved until Anna hires an architect to design the space.  They meet with Richard Lavin who asks about investors.

As they prepare to leave for Nora’s dinner party, Anna suggests they set up more meetings. Chase reminds her of how he pulled strings to get today’s meetings. She refers to Gabriel, Sasha, and Richard as being “small-minded.” He says they meet someone at Nora’s dinner party. Nora gives Chase a jacket to ensure he impresses. She doesn’t realize Chase invited Anna to her dinner. Chase tries to convince her to let Anna come, but she refuses. He apologizes to Anna for leaving her alone before heading out the door. She looks out the window to see Chase and Nora enjoying themselves.

Chase returns to find Anna still awake. He informs her of Greer’s offer to invest $1 million in Wake. She wants Nora to help with her foundation. He explains how Nora wouldn’t be good for the Anna Delvey Foundation because she is like an advisor. With Nora on her team, other people will be willing to join them. He says she needs someone like Nora, but not her because she prefers working with minority entrepreneurs. She accuses him of not wanting to share Nora. He says Nora doesn’t care for you very much.

In the present, Nora tells Vivian that Chase never took anna seriously. Vivian asks why she thinks Anna was with Chase. She believes Anna thought Chase would lead her to the right person, but he never did. Nora claims to not know Chase’s whereabouts.

In a flashback, Anna is looking at Nora’s art collection when she emerges from upstairs. She calls one of the pieces “impressive.” Nora explains how it is a Polay, which she acquired in 1997. Anna admits to being a fan of Polay’s early work, but not her latest warehouse sculptures. Nora invites Anna to join her on a trip to Bergdorf Goodman. Smiling, Anna accepts the offer. Nora greets Donna Zaveri (Donna Murphy) who Forbes ranked as one of “The 100 Most Powerful Women.” Nora and Donna are escorted into a room, where Susan Alcott (Geraldine Lee) and Patricia Conti (Antu Yacob) are waiting. They discuss the building that formerly housed the Church Missions House, which is up for lease. Susan describes the building as “stunning,” suggesting someone acquire it. Anna looks up at the building on her cellphone.

In a flashback, Anna asks Nora how they all met. She explains how they knew each for since the old boys’ club and decided to make their own club. Anna tells her women can be isolated in the business world that still feels like it is run by men. She blurts out the name of her social club. Nora suggests she buy something for Chase. Anna appears confused. Nora says he can’t continue conducting meetings in hideous scrubs. The register attendant (Iyesha Barrie) asks if she wants to sign for the clothes to be added to Nora’s account. The total is over $27,000.

Anna informs Chase about the old Church Missions House building. While the describes the building, Chase is glued to his cellphone. He explains how he has a speech at Open Air in Berlin. She offers to go with him. He refuses her offer because he needs to focus on his work. She says no, you are supposed to be helping her build the Anna Delvey Foundation. He assures her the foundation will come together in time. When he offers her a loan, she reminds him of her father. This is something she wants to do on her own.

Vivian explains to Todd (Arian Moayed) how Silicon Valley invested $3 million in the Wake app in 2015. She says Chase went on a hiatus eight months later. When Todd refuses to let Alexi (Kyle Beltran) answer the phone, Vivian questions what is happening. He asks Vivian what she wants. She tells him it is a mystery how Chase went missing. She suggests he let her go through the discovery. He tells her no way. Vivian asks why they aren’t answering the phone. He informs her of Anna’s continuous phones calls, where she asks for things. She offers to help, but he refuses.

Anna visits the former Church Missions House.

In a flashback, Susan, Patricia, and Nora have a discussion while Anna sits alone. Chases text her, with various images of Berlin. He claims to have found some investors for her company. Nora asks if she would like some take-out. She hands Anna the menu and her credit card to pay the delivery driver. When she delivers their food, Donna approaches to thank her. Anna asks if she knows where Chase is at. Donna says someone is interested in investing in the Wake app. She informs her of Chase being in Berlin. Donna tells her Open Air was canceled. Irate, Anna calls Chase to ask if he is at Open Air. He says yes, it is great. Raising her voice, she tells him Open Air was canceled. He hangs up the phone. Every time she calls him, Chase refuses to answer his phone.  She calls to inform him of her suicide plans. When she lays the phone down, she eats a snack.

Anna visits Wake, where she meets Rafael (Ethan Dubin) who is packing up his things.

Vivian meets Rafael to talk about Wake. He claims to have been hired to develop the Wake app. His specialty is wireframes, not the backend. He tells her Chase never cared about Wake. He didn’t care if it functioned properly, just making it look cool. Chase just stopped paying him one day. None of this was ever disclosed to Anna.

In a flashback, Rafael suggests Anna talk to Chase.  He claims to not know where Chase is staying. He pleads with her to tell Chase to pay him if she catches up with him. She asks if he programs computers. He says no. She wants him to tell her where Chase’s Instagram posts came from.

Rafael tells Vivian Chase is supposed to be living in Dubai, working for the Sheikh. She asks if he has an address or phone number. He believes Chase is hiding out from investors.

Vivian discusses the case with Maud (Anna Deavere Smith). She has concerns about Paul (Tim Guinee) who accuses her of not having convincing evidence, just a story. Maud suggests she tell Paul to suck it. They look at panties for Anna.  Vivian accuses Anna of driving Chase crazy. Maud tells Vivian how she worked in Dubai when the Libyan Civil War was going on.

At Manhattan Magazine, Vivian tries several hotels in Dubai, hoping to get in touch with Chase. Lou (Jess Perry) helps Vivian with the calls. She finally gets put through to Chase’s room. When she introduces herself, he immediately hangs up on her. While looking through Chase’s Instagram posts, she finds a post of him in front of a house, with the hashtag #OHIO. She calls Chase’s mother, Suze Sikorski (Alice Ripley).

Vivian visits Anna at Rikers. Before she has time to take a seat, Vivian tells her there is no underwear, but something much better. She tells her about speaking with Suze who believed Anna genuinely loved Chase.

In a flashback, Anna visits Chase’s family in Dayton, Ohio.  Roger Sikorski (Robert Newman) answers the door and asks if she is lost. When Suze approaches, she calls Anna pretty. Chase pops around the corner while she stands at the front door.

In the present, Anna tells Vivian, she liked his mind games in the beginning but eventually got tired of them. It became obvious, Chase never had an original idea in his life.

In a flashback, Anna scolds Chase for lying about having immigrant parents. He explains how he went to Berlin, but then his mother called. She asks what is happening with Wake. He assures her it is fine. She reminds him about owing Rafael money and closing Wake offices. He tells her the money is gone. Flabbergasted, she demands to know what he did with $3 million. He claims some of was utilized to cover travel expenses and services to develop the app. He blames her for wanting a lavish lifestyle. He informs her about the investors and Kickstarter breathing down his neck. She asks about Nora. He suggests they lay low until Nora’s friend gives them $2 million. Once they get the money, he promises to do nothing but focus on her foundation. He pleads with Anna to work with him as a team. She reluctantly agrees.

Back to the present, Vivian tells her it must be lonely to not find someone who can keep up. Anna says she likes being alone. Without warning, she gets up to leave and warns her to not come back empty-handed.

Vivian tries to contact Chase again in Dubai. When he answers, she immediately goes on a rant about him being the star of her article. She threatens to write an article about him defrauding investors, being a con artist, and hijacking Henrick Knight’s (Joshua Malina) yacht. He pops up on her computer screen, saying he wants to be called “The Futurist,” not “tech boyfriend.” She agrees.

In a flashback, Anna and Chase arrive at Nora’s place. Nora is thrilled to see Chase. She sends Anna to pick up their lunch. Anna walks past the Church Missions House building on her way back to Nora’s. While Chase talks to someone about an investment, Anna sits quietly listens, rolling her eyes. She joins Nora outside in the garden. Nora asks if she is wearing her glasses. He assures her they are not. She asks if Val has contacted her. She asks if something went down during fashion week. Anna spills her guts about the night they lock her out of their hotel room. She reminds Nora of how Val takes his pills. Nora agrees.

She claims to have paid the hotel bill, but her father controls her trust. Nora says Val’s salary couldn’t support very much. Whispering, Anna tells her about Chase disappearing when he was responsible for paying the bill. She says Chase left her and Val in the cold. Nora questions why Chase would act in that manner. Anna denies she and Chase had been fighting before he left. She says you know how everything is going with the company. Nora questions if she is talking about Wake. Anna immediately realizes she said too much. Nora demands Anna to tell her everything. Anna makes her promise to not tell Chase she heard it from her.

At dinner, Nora asks Anna about her business plans. Chase immediately interrupts with a suggestion regarding the name to avoid vanity rumors. Nora asks why a woman can’t use her name for a business.  He explains how a business name needs to speak volumes like Wake. Nora says when he established Nora Radford and Associates no one cared. She suggests Anna get connected to people in the art world. She asks her to accompany her to a fundraiser for the Storm King Art Center tomorrow. Chase tries to interject, but they ignore him.

Chase informs Anna of telling Nora about Wake. Anxious, he says Nora asked for Wake’s records. Anna assures him Nora can work with them both.

Back in the present, Chase says he should have figured it out, but didn’t. Nora had asked him to attend the fundraiser before inviting Anna. He acknowledges his name was still on the list.

In a flashback, Nora and Anna are discussing the party when they look over to see Chase. Nora introduces Anna to gallerist Michael Xufu Huang (Austin Ku). She gives him a rundown of her business plans for the Anna Delvey Foundation. Michael introduces her to Sasha whom she met previously. Nora introduces her to Richie Notar (Richie Herschenfeld). Anna meets Gabriel who tells her he received a call from Richie. Nora introduces Anna are her protégé to her friends. Richard contacts her as well to inform her of calls he received from Gabriel and Sasha.

Anna is speaking with Michael when Chase interrupts to speak with her. Raising her voice, she explains how much time she invested in Wake. He admits to seeing her passport in Paris. She reminds him of how he has been lying about having immigrant parents. He tells her she is not of German descent. She tells him he is a shitty businessman. Accusing her of being his copy, he demands she give him 40% of the Anna Delvey Foundation.

In the present, Chase tells Vivian that Anna refused to stay with Nora. Vivian asks why she would leave when Nora got her connected. He says it was probably just a game. He boasts about Anna being in Rikers while he is furthering technology in Dubai.

Lou questions if Vivian is on Chase’s side. She denies being on either side. Barry (Terry Kinney) suggests Anna is a lone wolf. She believes something happened between Chase and Anna.

Vivian meets with ADA Catherine McCaw to talk about Anna. She asks if Anna received complaints from Nora. Inhaling, McCaw looks down at her sandwich. She refuses to answer the question. She threatens to write an article that blames Chase for being the crook in the relationship. Shrugging it off, McCaw assures her the article would be incorrect. She takes a bite of her sandwich before saying it wouldn’t be legal to share information from the discovery. As Vivian prepares to leave, McCaw says it is legal to share information that isn’t in the discovery. Someone was going to file a complaint against Anna but changed their mind.

Vivian visits Nora who is surprised to see her. She asks about her credit card records.

In a flashback, Nora receives a phone call about strange charges on her credit card. The unauthorized credit card charges included Neiman Marcus $800, Bergdorf Goodman $17,000, and Barney’s $4,000. She asks if there is a list of items purchased at Bergdorf. As the gentleman names off the items, Anna packs her stuff into a suitcase. She has a flashback of utilizing Nora’s credit card at Bergdorf without her authorization. While of a food run, Anna jotted down Nora’s credit card number. As Nora reviews her credit card statement, she screams, “Fu**ing cunt.”

Back to the present, Vivian says $400,000 worth of credit card charges on Nora’s credit card. Nora admits she was humiliated. Vivian questions why Anna did it. Nora believes she would have given her money if she asked for it. She tells her about a gift she received from Anna. Vivian suggests she file charges against Anna to get her money back. Her friend Donna who is the CEO at Federal Credit got her money back. She is upset with Bergdorf for letting Anna make the purchase on her credit card because they know her taste. She pulls out a large box. Nora has a flashback of the day she received the package. Val places the box on the table. The package came with a note from Anna. Val tells her to open it.

Vivian shows Jack a gift she received from Nora. The same gift Nora received from Anna. A large peacock. She tells him the value of the peacock is more than any piece of furniture in their apartment. Jack suggests they keep it for their baby’s college fund.

Vivian delivers underwear to Anna who refuses to believe they are Bergdorf. She informs Anna of her knowledge of Nora’s credit cards. She offers another chance to tell her story, or she will do it without her. Anna claims she forgot about the peacock. Vivian asks if she really stole Nora’s money. She treated Nora like she treated her like a prop. She did what was necessary to get her dream team. Vivian asks if stole Nora’s money, Ignoring the questions, Anna suggests she check out her pitch deck before their next visit.

Vivian gives Todd a bill for Anna’s panties. He refuses to pay for them. She says it is proof we are both on the same side and care about this story. Todd admits Anna is driving him crazy. She offers to help him again before telling him about Anna’s pitch deck. He assures her no lawyer would permit a journalist to go through a client’s discovery. She pleads with him to let her help. He says even the best lawyer screws up sometimes like leaving their discovery unattended while taking a break. She thanks him while he heads out for coffee. She immediately digs into the discovery box.

Vivian shows Paul and Landon Bloom (Armand Schultz) the images from the Anna Delvey Foundation’s pitch deck. Paul suggests she takes a few more weeks to dive into the story.

In a flashback, Anna is in a meeting with Richard who says Sasha contacted him about her foundation. He suggests they find her a property first. She tells him there is a property in mind, the Church Missions House at 281 Park as the episode comes to an end.

 

Inventing Anna

Anna Sorokin’s deception is gradually coming to life. The writer doesn’t know if she wants to make Anna the bad girl or the good girl. In one scene, she is the victim, the next she is the victimizer. It seems she was surrounded by people from the elite class who were more interested in Chase than her. Of course, this is how the show portrays it. I haven’t researched the so-called true story yet because I wanted to see the writer’s take first.

Julia Garner’s voice impersonation of Anna is downright cringeworthy and incorrect.

The episode is unnecessarily prolonged. They could get the story across in a 45-minute episode. Can never understand the need for an hour+ long episode. Instead of showing multiple visits to the same acquaintance, do it in one or two scenes. Confusing is the word I’m thinking of.

Still no improvement in the acting. The weird facial expressions are a bit much at times.

The episode deserves a 7. Get more Inventing Anna recaps here. Support the ReelMockery team by clicking the link to learn more.