Top 15 Moments From Inventing Anna

Netflix’s Inventing Anna tells the almost unbelievable true story of a woman who conned her way into the heights of New York society. Based on the New York Magazine article “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People” by Jessica Pressler, the series takes broad creative liberties while also sticking to the truly bizarre story that captivated so many.

The entire series is infuriating to watch, from beginning to end. The story plays fast-and-loose with the ethics of journalism many times, making the real-life journalist out to have incredibly poor boundaries and a savior complex.

The characters based on real people almost defy parody and are sure to make even the most optimistic viewer question the intelligence of the human race. If you haven’t already binged this maddening series, now is the time to start.

In chronological order, here are our top moments from Inventing Anna:

1. Vivian’s Second Visit to Anna in Prison (Season 1 Episode 1)

When Vivian first meets Anna in prison, a power dynamic is established very quickly. Anna quickly attempts to show her power, even while she’s behind bars. Vivian is baffled by this woman, who finds the time to insult Anna’s weight even while having a mental breakdown when confronted with the realities of prison life.

The second time these two meet in prison establishes the foundation for this relationship as the series continues. It also gives us insight into Anna’s character and how she sees those around her.

Her repeated imploring of Vivian to take advantage of the prison system’s “VIP” experience, which of course, isn’t a real thing, speaks to her values. Her final insult to Vivian that she looks poor is a poetic use of irony coming from a woman dressed in prison garb.

2. The Art Gallery Scene (Season 1 Episode 2)

Talia is among the most intriguing of Anna’s associates presented through the series.

When Anna points out an untitled still of American photographer Cindy Sherman in front of the camera, it’s such a revealing moment showing how Anna sees herself. Stepping in front of her metaphorical camera, she sees herself as worthy of the spotlight, as in Sherman’s photograph.

This moment also shows how subtly Anna operates and how she could suck people into her orbit. Using what probably was a natural talent for recognizing compelling art, she can project an image of elegance and refinement that ultimately fools so many.

3. Anna on the Yacht (Season 1 Episode 2)

First off, as an avid West Wing fan, I am always going to appreciate an appearance by Josh Malina.

In this series, he plays a financier who of course owns a massive yacht. Anna secures an invitation to the same, and chaos ultimately ensues.

When Anna and her boyfriend stay on the boat almost one week after all of the other guests have left, it’s proof of her entitlement and willingness to take anything from anyone. Talia’s furious confrontation via phone is also a preview of how many others would react to Anna taking advantage of them.

4. Vivian and Jack Receive a Taxidermized Peacock from Nora (Season 1 Episode 3)

Earlier in the series, the ultimate girlboss Nora alludes to the fact is the patron of an organization dedicated to animal welfare. Her character is an example of even the most established in the New York elite was ultimately swindled by Anna.

The ending of this episode is a commentary that works on so many levels.

The disconnect between patronizing an animal welfare organization financially while having access to gifts of taxidermized animals is alarming. The opulence of Nora’s lifestyle, who’s able to re-gift such an extravagant item, is brilliantly contrasted with Vivian and Jack’s lives.

5. Anna Pitches Alan Reed (Season 1 Episode 4)

ER fans are in for a treat seeing Anthony Edwards as Alan Reed, the man responsible for securing funds for Anna’s far-fetched dream. When Anna first meets Alan, it’s immediately clear that she is out of her element when dealing with serious financial professionals.

Anna’s persistence at this moment is notable also. She revamps her entire look and puts in what is apparently surface-level work to obtain answers to concrete questions about her business operations.

From this beginning, infiltrating major financial institutions, it’s clear her goals were little more than pipe dreams.

6. Anna Invites Alan and his Family to a Party (Season 1 Episode 4)

If there were ever any doubts on Alan’s part, the moment he attended Anna’s party with his family sealed the deal.

On the outside, it appears that the party is set in a run-down part of New York, with menacing architecture to complete the picture. His wife is immediately skeptical, but is reassured by Alan that everything is in fact on the up-and-up.

It’s the conversation between Alan, his wife, and his daughter that’s the most revealing. Their daughter is trying to find her way seems to be lacking in direction.

It’s a commentary on those with access to such immense wealth, that their children can be woefully underprepared for the real world and to make their own way.

7. Neff Parties with Anna (Season 1 Episode 5)

The entirety of Inventing Anna Season 1 Episode 5, “Check Out Time,” focuses on Anna’s misadventures staying in the most exclusive hotels in New York City.

We’ve already met Neff, the hotel employee who had a front-row seat to so much of the drama that Anna caused. She’s an intriguing character in her own right, an aspiring artist working to pay her own way.

When Anna invites Neff to an exclusive party, we get to see this lifestyle through the eyes of a normal person. Neff is star-struck by sitting next to a Culkin.

The party contextualizes the relationship between Neff and Anna and gives a new perspective on how Anna interacted with and treated those she perceived as being from a different economic class.

8. Rachel and Anna in Marrakech (Season 1 Episode 6)

Inventing Anna Season 1 Episode 6, “Friends in Low Places,” is filled with some of the most dramatic moments of the series.

The entire premise revolves around Anna’s strange and at times disastrous trip to Marrakech. In hindsight, her friends admit to seeing so many red flags, one of the biggest being her refusal to leave the hotel itself since all expenses are charged to the room.

One of the most dramatic moments is actually a series of moments between Anna and Rachel.

In particular, when Anna is unable to pay for an excursion to a garden Rachel has been begging to see, there is a terrifying moment when she’s accompanied by a menacing security representative from the garden to secure payment.

It’s the beginning of Rachel seeing a new side of Anna, and of us as viewers questioning the genuineness of their friendship.

9. Kacy Tries to Help Anna (Season 1 Episode 6)

Trainer Kacy Duke is among the most sympathetic characters in a show filled with people of questionable motives. The moment we really get to see the depth of her character is when she tried to help Anna, even after everything she had put Kacy through. Anna had intentionally intruded on Kacy at an incredibly private moment.

As sympathetic of a character as Kacy is, it’s also clear she struggles with boundaries.

By choosing to help Anna at this moment, she’s giving in to the manipulation Anna used on many around her. Kacy needed to experience this moment of being taken advantage of in order to set the incredible boundaries she set later.

10. Anna’s Friends Stage an Intervention (Season 1 Episode 7)

After the fiasco that was Marrakech, Anna’s friends have a much clearer picture of who she really is… for the most part. It’s surprising that they were even willing to sit down with her and give her a chance to provide an explanation for charging Rachel’s personal and work credit cards while on a vacation Anna initiated.

The friends also rally around Rachel, providing support when she’s obviously unable and unwilling to recognize who Anna really is. Rachel desperately needed her own wake-up call. It’s a moment of compassion combined with a calling out that is played to absolute perfection.

11. Rachel Goes to the Police (Season 1 Episode 7)

Inventing Anna is absolutely packed with bizarre and surreal moments. Rachel going to report the incident in Marrakech to the police is very near the top of that list.

This is another moment where the contrast of the vast wealth inequality is so clear. Having a member of society’s upper economic echelons rely on the same institutions as everyone else and still be failed by them is a kind of poetic justice.

This moment also provides a different perspective on the entire incident. The question of who ultimately bears responsibility for Rachel’s credit cards being charged is re-considered.

Rachel was the one who provided them in a moment of crisis, yet there is so much additional context. Maybe Anna didn’t outright manipulate Rachel directly into providing the credit cards, and yet she was clearly integral in getting them all into the situation that required them.

12. Vivian Meets Anna’s Parents (Season 1 Episode 8)

It takes until the series is almost over for Vivian to actually dig into Anna’s background.

Anna’s commitment to her origin story lasts a ridiculously long time in the series’ context. When Vivian finally sits down with Anna’s actual parents, after all of the stories that have been told about them, is a moment of revelation.

Anna’s parents, her father in particular, achieve almost mythic status in the course of the series.

Seeing her father for who he really sheds an entirely new layer to an already complex and baffling story. It’s made clear at this moment how incredibly ordinary Anna’s parents are. It’s equally clear that as a parent, her father in particular takes no responsibility for the daughter he was at least partially responsible for creating.

13. Anna’s Courtroom Entrance (Season 1 Episode 9)

Inventing Anna Season 1 Episode 9, “Dangerously Close,” brings the entire story to a head.

The infamous, very real, Instagram account with all of Anna’s courtroom outfits is given a backstory. The fact that she continually held up court proceedings in the name of finding the right outfit is incredibly telling.

When Anna finally finds the right outfit for her first day in court, it’s her character thinking she’s coming into her own, that she’s finally arrived. However, the revelation that the reporters and photographers are all figments of Anna’s imagination is further proof that her version of reality is incredibly distorted.

14. Rachel Testifies in Court (Season 1 Episode 9)

Rachel’s testimony in her former friend’s trial is nothing less than a roller coaster ride.

We see her go from incredibly confident, relaying a story of being wronged by a woman she considered a friend. The tide turns very quickly, however, and she’s painted as an unintelligent woman who was simply embarrassed and is retaliating by selling her story for personal gain.

What’s most effective about this moment is that it’s left for the viewers to decide in the end. We are never told to think of Rachel in one way or another. It’s completely for us to decide whether she is truly a victim of Anna’s schemes, or a schemer herself taking advantage of a situation for her own benefit.

15. Anna Talks to Todd’s Son on the Phone (Season 1 Episode 9)

This moment is a perfect cap to a series that portrayed Anna Delvy’s schemes in all of her chaos.

Anna is trying to contact her lawyer, and instead has the fortune of speaking to his young son, who answers while his parents argue in the background. It’s arguably the most human moment we get from her in the whole series.

She speaks to her lawyer’s son at an age-appropriate level. She displays empathy and compassion for his child-sized problems and concerns. It’s proof positive that the character was capable of displaying these qualities all along and intentionally chose to treat so many people as expendable anyway.

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So much of Inventing Anna was boggling, infuriating, and uneven. In a way, it made perfect sense to show the story in this light, since the true story was just as, if not more, off the walls. Inventing Anna may not be for everyone, but it certainly makes for a wild ride.

Inventing Anna is now streaming on Netflix.

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