Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.
Episode 4 “Nancy” Recap and Details
- Director(s): Lesli Linka Glatter
- Writer(s): Haily Hall
- Public Release Date (Apple TV Plus): April 1, 2026
- Check out more of our “Imperfect Women” coverage.
- Images © of AppleTV+
Mommie Dearest: Nancy, Scott, Patty
Throughout the episode, there are flashbacks to Nancy’s teen years. We learn she was a dancer, ballet to be specific, and her step-father Scott funded her shoes, her classes, and in return? Well, despite her age, he expected gratification. The only thing shown is him kissing her neck, wanting to kiss her lips, but who knows if he ever tried to get further.
What is known is that Nancy’s mother, Patty, was jealous. Not just to the point of accusing her daughter of wanting or inviting that kind of attention from Scott, but being willing to kill Nancy. In fact, the reason Nancy isn’t a dancer now is that Patty forced her into a car, while she (Patty) was drunk, and intentionally crashed them into a wall. The damage effectively ended Nancy’s pursuit of dance as a career.
The Side Everyone Thinks They See: Nancy, Robert, Mary, Phil, David, R.L.
Fast forward to Nancy’s annual New Year’s Day party as an adult. From what we’re told, Nancy always felt out of place in Robert’s world. She’s from Bakersfield, grew up in a trailer park, and now she has a budget to throw a lavish party.
In the beginning, Robert loved it, but as it got bigger and more expensive over 17 years, he fell out of love with it. But only Nancy would know this. Mary may have peeped a bit beyond the curtain, but most people saw a nice party, the opportunity to mix and mingle, and even R.L., Robert, and Kit’s dad liked the party – even with its sizeable budget. Though, depending on who you ask, it could be because he enjoyed flirting with Nancy.
Another creepy, financially supportive dad in her life aside, what matters most here is that we meet David and Phil. David was a bartender who was from the area Nancy grew up in, and Phil is one of the maestros for the LA Metropolitan Ballet. Though what really matters here is how Phil is known for coming up with names for people and sticking to them, which Nancy jokes about.
What Goes On Beyond The Rose Garden: Kit, Nancy, Robert, Cora, David, Howard, Mary, Eleanor, Harlan
On the 18th anniversary of Nancy’s New Year’s Day party, things are very different from the first. Robert is no longer trying or wanting to have pre-party sex, and it seems he was prepping to divorce Nancy. It isn’t made 100% clear why, however. Yes, we do see Eleanor gravitate to him, even when Nancy tries to set her up with other people. But it seems things were held back and very much platonic then.
The answer could be money, as comments about Nancy’s spending are mentioned. But, as Kit makes clear, the family money is not something for Nancy to worry about. Yet, she persists and even tries to get answers from the family’s money manager, Harlan, putting him in an awkward position, for he likes Nancy, but also wants to keep his client.
As you can imagine, these secrets, from something money-wise maybe going wrong, to Robert working with a lawyer to explore separation and divorce, do a number on Nancy. Thus leading to her blowing up at Cora, who wasn’t making the day easier. She didn’t want to attend the party, decided she was going to a “White Trash” party, and all this stirred up in Nancy until she exploded and slapped Cora.
Note: She felt horrible about it, and Mary and Eleanor consoled her. She felt like she was turning into her mom, and to course correct, later she tried to apologize, but Robert got in the way. Thus presenting the idea they may have never gotten to reconcile, or Nancy get to explain why Cora’s costume triggered her so badly.
But, to solve one mystery, remember how Phil would misname people? Well, after rejecting David’s advances, since he thought a married woman was openly flirting with him in front of her guests, Howard comes by. Nancy, after Mary spoke of Howard losing classes as a professor, got him a job consulting for Phil’s latest project, and he wanted to thank her. They talk, joke a bit, and things leave off with Howard calling Nancy the name Phil dubbed her with, Louise, and Nancy calls Howard, “David.” Implying that the David during Eleanor’s chapter is Mary’s husband.
New Characters in Episode 4
Scott (Wilson Bethel)
- Character Summary: Scott is Nancy’s stepfather and Patty’s partner, who financed Nancy’s pursuit of dance when she was younger. Unfortunately, he sought intimacy with her in return, and Nancy got blamed for what happened throughout their relationship, rather than Scott for being a predator.
Phil Delavigne (Cheyenne Jackson)
- Character Summary: Phil is the creative director at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Ballet, who is known for choosing people’s names over remembering the ones on their birth certificates. But, despite this part of his personality, he is quite beloved.
Patty (Jaclyn Hales)
- Character Summary: Patty is Nancy’s mom, who was an alcoholic, abusive, basically tried to kill her daughter, and, from what it seems, she is part of why Nancy tries to be completely disconnected from who she once was and where she grew up. To the point, Cora knows nothing about her grandmother or her mother’s background.
David (Connor Duermit)
- Character Summary: David was a bartender at one of Nancy’s New Year’s Day parties, who was from a similar background to hers.
Teen Nancy (Maggie Weible)
R.L. Hennessey (Keith Carradine)
- Character Summary: R.L. is not the one who developed the family wealth, as his family was rich due to oil at least two generations before him. However, he is the patriarch of the family currently and controls the distribution of not only wealth and assets, but also opportunities.
Harlan (Yanis Kalnins)
- Character Summary: Harlan is the Hennessey family’s money manager.
Collected Quote(s)
- Robert loved me so extravagantly in those days. In that powerful way you do at first. When there’s so much love between you it feels like it blurs every flaw and heals every wound. Even the oldest and deepest ones. — Nancy
- […] it’s the right diagnosis, just the wrong medicine. — Nancy
Review and Commentary
Highlights
This Should Have Been Episode 1 [85/100]
I feel like what we got from Nancy is how this show should have started out. It presents us with a reason to invest in the person who died, establish their childhood, why this friendship matters, and how things shifted over time. In comparison to Eleanor’s story, this felt like we got a foundation built out for the show to stand on, and we didn’t experience something that felt rehashed with a different writer attached.
On The Fence
Mary Being The Final Part Of The Show [74/100]
Now, let me admit, I underestimated Nancy and this show previously. So there is a chance that having Mary as the one who brings it all home may not be as bad as I currently think it might be. Take a look at it this way: Mary has been operating behind the scenes, taking note of dynamics and relationships in such a way that she may feel like she knows most, if not everything. This could be why she is shocked when Eleanor reveals a secret about Nancy that she didn’t know.
Which could lead to some bombastic moments, for there is a chance Mary knew about Nancy’s affair with her husband. She may not have known, till later, it was Nancy sleeping with her husband, as Mary may have thought it was a student, but that could be enough to see Mary snap. Heck, considering how Howard talks about Mary’s love for espionage, her episodes could be all about putting the pieces together and how she planned to get away with it.
But, I think my main fear is, comparing the first three episodes, which felt tame and routine for a show like this, to episode 4, I feel like with Nancy we may peak. Which makes Mary’s episodes likely the cool down as things wrap up. So I can only hope, between flashbacks covering how Mary got with Howard, maybe even how the friend group formed, Mary’s chapter will cover everything, and not just the events that led to Nancy’s death.
Overall
Our Overall Rating [79/100]
Chapter 1 may have introduced who everyone is, but Chapter 2 gives you a reason to invest in the storyline of the person who died, and sets a far better tone regarding why you should stick around.
What To Check Out Next
Visit our main TV shows page! There you’ll find other shows we’ve covered, or look below for more of our coverage for this series:
-
Imperfect Women: Season 1 Episode 8 (Finale) – Recap and Review
Imperfect Women ends with an imperfect finale as Nancy’s killer is revealed and Eleanor’s mom finally shows up.
-
Imperfect Women: Season 1 Episode 7 – Recap and Review
In the penultimate episode of the season, we get a lukewarm buildup towards the finale.
-
Imperfect Women: Season 1 Episode 6 – Recap and Review
So, did Mary drop the ball and make Nancy the silver lining of Imperfect Women, or did she arrive at center stage and hit it out of the park?
TV Shows We’re Covering This Season
Images used for editorial and commentary purposes. All rights remain with their respective copyright holders.
