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Episode 6 “Mary” Recap and Details
- Director(s): Daina Reid
- Writer(s): Kyle Warren
- Public Release Date (Apple TV Plus): April 15, 2026
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- Images © of Apple TV+
Life When You Can’t Rely On Beauty or Wealth: Mary
With a soft reset, Imperfect Women reintroduces us to Mary. We’re reminded that, unlike Eleanor, she doesn’t come from money, and unlike Nancy, beauty was never one of her top assets. However, she is resourceful, smart, has a way with words, and is generally creative. That is, whether she is making stories for adults, her daughters, or even potentially making puppets to enhance her story.
But it isn’t lost on Mary that Nancy, especially after her death, now casts a long shadow over her life. Be it in people’s interest in her or just missing one of her closest friends. Which, with her still having terse feelings towards Eleanor, means she has no one to reminisce with.
A Slow Unraveling: Howard, Mary, Detective Ganz
While Mary is generally busy, either with the children, keeping the house up, or her daily errands, this doesn’t mean the devil’s playground in her head stays at bay. We discover Mary has drug problems, of which Adderall seems to be her drug of choice. It’s something she has some form of control over now, but it used to be pretty bad.
Thankfully, though, when Detective Ganz comes to visit, she isn’t focused on Mary’s past issues with drugs. She is trying to figure out where Mary was the night of Nancy’s murder, and Howard provides an alibi. Mary was drinking, she came home drunk, and he put her to bed. This doesn’t answer where he was, but as Robert is brought up, Ganz’s attention is pushed towards his direction.
However, being that Ganz is questioning if maybe a woman killed Nancy, and still seems to be meandering about, even with Eleanor seemingly on her radar, this frustrates the hell out of Mary. Thus leading her to, once again, want to push to find answers on her own.
A Crack In The Rose Colored Glasses: Howard, Eleanor, Nancy, Jenny, Mary, Marcus
Enter a passage from Howard’s translation of Catullus, found in a secret compartment of Nancy’s sketch pad. A line is noted that looks familiar to Mary. It’s the one that Howard made note of when they were dating, and he was having an affair on his first wife, Jenny.
This leads to Mary suspecting things, trying to confront Howard, but he knows how to manipulate her, so deflecting and gaslighting her comes with ease. Plus, with him getting that job in Ohio, there could be the idea that, if she really wants to play this game, he can just leave her behind. Perhaps that’s why, when it is clear there is no talking to Howard, Mary tries to compile what she already knows and has discovered.
The claddagh ring she gave Nancy was hidden in the closet. Howard gave Nancy the line from his book, underlined, as he did Mary years ago. Mary saw the two arguing, and it seems clear that Howard is David. Also, Marcus reveals Eleanor was with him, so that clears Eleanor of any wrongdoing. But what about Howard? Is he capable of violence?
Knowing she has a blind spot regarding Howard, Mary has the audacity to visit his ex-wife, who lets her into her home, invites her to sit, and fields questions about her marriage. Note, at one time, Jenny, Howard’s ex-wife, was friendly with Mary, even her mentor, as she was focused on having a career in writing. But then her focus became Howard, and we saw what happened there.
But, to Mary’s shock, Jenny reveals that Howard’s version of events was a lie. Jenny wasn’t suicidal or had threatened to harm herself. Also, he didn’t leave her; she left him. Then, to make matters worse, he not only begged but said he would reject Marcus, deny that he was his kid, for Jenny. Then, when she rejected him again, he pushed her down the stairs, of which she has scars to prove. All of this pushes Mary to go to Eleanor and say she believes Howard is David.
Yet, before any cops could be called, we’re told one of Mary’s daughters got into her secret stash of Adderall and is in the hospital. Now, whether or not Howard set this situation up or not is anyone’s guess.
New Characters in Episode 6
Jenny (Sandrine Holt)
- Character Summary: Jenny is Howard’s first wife, with whom he didn’t have any kids, and she was also Mary’s mentor. From the way Howard put it, Jenny was mentally unstable, and he left her to be with Mary. Jenny, however, has a different take on the dissolution of the marriage.
Collected Quote(s)
- Concern makes a fine excuse for curiosity – Mary
Review and Commentary
Highlights
Mary – Unhinged [83/100]
What I appreciate with the handling of Mary is that, they make it very clear she has issues. She is talking to Nancy’s ghost, who appears a few times and then there is the narration. Add in a drug addiction, which seemingly got bad one time, and the push that Mary’s potential has been suppressed for Howard’s ego, and you get someone who seems longing to pop.
Now, are we given any push maybe Mary killed Nancy anymore? No. But there is this vibe that, even if Mary didn’t kill Nancy, she might be capable of killing Howard.
On The Fence
Wishing We Got More of Jenny & Mary’s Background In General [77/100]
I found myself longing for, especially after Nancy’s chapter, more backstory. Sadly, we don’t get that really with Mary. It rushes through her being the eldest of five and growing up on a pot farm. Her being Jenny’s mentee at one time? That isn’t given the time it deserves.
Heck, I was really hoping to see when she met Eleanor and Nancy, never mind what they thought of the affair back then – but that didn’t come about. We don’t even really learn why Nancy and Eleanor, from her point of view, have been lifelong friends.
It’s a bit of a give and take. We do get details, but not more than we must have, and with Jenny, I feel like we really missed an opportunity to see more of Mary in her prime. Never mind getting the opportunity to see and understand why her participation in a writing group really is a big deal and not just something to do for her.
Wondering If It Isn’t Howard Who Killed Nancy And This Is All A Ruse [74/100]
Something about Howard killing Nancy feels too obvious. Granted, the only other option that seems real at this point is Robert, but even that doesn’t feel like a satisfying reveal. But as we’ve said since the beginning, who killed Nancy has never been the show’s draw. It has always been the individual lives of these women, when they were alive, and Nancy’s death seemingly only triggered them to refocus on themselves. Almost like a wake-up call that life is too short to keep your feelings, especially unhappiness, a secret.
Overall
Our Overall Rating [78/100]
While Mary’s storyline holds up the momentum of Nancy’s, I would submit it doesn’t create the leap in quality her storyline did. It presents something different, respectable, and certainly showcases Elisabeth Moss’ talent, but it doesn’t make the murder mystery more noteworthy. Also, while we assume Mary will get at least two episodes focused on her story, it does feel like it rushes through some of the details of her past in ways that are unsatisfying.
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:
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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.
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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 5 – Recap and Review
As we dive deeper into Nancy’s story, there is a need to question if Imperfect Women will peak with her or when Mary gets the baton, she’ll take us home.
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