Why Women Kill is an original and even unique project. Series creator Mark Cherry is the creator of Desperate Housewives and Devious Maids. Hence, his chosen direction of showing several families’ lives is not “uncharted terrain” where he is poorly oriented. The series tells about three married couples in which the wives are faced with the betrayal of their husbands, which entails murder. Each of the stories takes place in different years, but always in the same place: in a mansion in Pasadena, California. I chose this series because it is one of the most interesting and unusual projects in the last few years.
Story #1: Beth Ann Stanton and her husband, Rob. They were the mansion owners in 1963 when a woman found out that her husband was having an affair with a waitress. In this story, the wife is presented as a housekeeping mouse, ready to bring slippers to her husband’s doorstep on demand. Her husband Rob is a rather secretive man when it comes to his wife, therefore cowardly, unable to confess his sins. As events unfold, the behavior and character of Beth Ann change, and there is no trace of that cutie closer to the season finale. In the example of Beth Ann, one can see how insidious women can be, and their seduction is just a mask behind which a very inventive person can hide.
Story #2: Simone Grove and her husband, Karl. Their story took place in 1984. One day Simone finds out that her husband is also unfaithful to her, but their story goes beyond the ordinary, being entwined with very sensitive secrets. The example of this couple shows the entire palette of marital relationships. For ten episodes, we see hatred and love, feelings of friendship and compassion, sorrow, but most importantly, a sense of respect for a partner. Having lived for 10 years in marriage, the characters studied each other to the smallest detail and turned into two halves of one whole.
Story #3: Taylor Harding and her husband, Eli. This couple is a family living in the mansion in 2019. They live in a free format, “on the shore,” having agreed that new partners may appear in their bed and they will not mind it. They had to go through certain difficulties before trusting each other reached such a level. Despite their seemingly careless and short-sighted lifestyle, they understand why they need a family. They support and love each other, despite all the difficulties.
The stories unfold in three-time intervals, but neither the whole series nor the episodes separately are divided into three parts. All storylines are mixed: after 1963, the viewer sees what happened in the mansion in 2019, and then in 1984, and so on. That is, the creators, through well-thought-out transitions, develop their story at the editing stage. Due to the fact that information is presented to the viewer in this way, there is no feeling that the memory could lose something (Thompson & Mittell, 2020). The directors do not allow this to be done, constantly maintaining the dynamics in each storyline.
The series itself is declared comedic; indeed, the manner of presenting information is light and relaxed, which does not complicate the perception of difficult family relationships. However, as we delve deeper into the plot and get closer to the final episode, the clouds gather more and more over this vibrant mansion in Pasadena, which gradually switches the genre from comedy to drama. In my opinion, this series is worthwhile in terms of plot, entertainment, and acting.
Reference
Thompson, E., & Mittell, J. (2020). How to watch television, 2nd ed. NYU Press.