SummaryBeth Ann, a 1960s housewife (Ginnifer Goodwin); Simone, a socialite in the '80s (Lucy Liu); and in 2019, lawyer Taylor (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) discover they each have been cheated on by their respective partners in the Marc Cherry dark comedy-drama.
SummaryBeth Ann, a 1960s housewife (Ginnifer Goodwin); Simone, a socialite in the '80s (Lucy Liu); and in 2019, lawyer Taylor (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) discover they each have been cheated on by their respective partners in the Marc Cherry dark comedy-drama.
The tongue-in-cheek tone can be tricky. But beginning with the opening credits, which is set against the Frank Sinatra classic “L.O.V.E.” and pulpy comic book scenes, Why Women Kill gets the tone just right. Cherry knows how to make social commentary while making us laugh and take a discerning eye to our lives. The series is funny. ... And the stellar cast pulls it off.
Thus far, the ’60s plotline appears to be the most emotional, the ’80s the most humorous, and the contemporary the most confusing. It remains to be seen if the end result of all this intrigue will be satisfying, but for now, the series’ arch tone and visual splendor are enough to stick around for the ride.
It’s too bad that apparently we have to wait until the end of the season for these characters to connect. It’s obvious from the start of the series that they really could have benefited from each other.
While Why Women Kill has nuanced leads, the show stumbles in its use of high camp. It’s a stylistic choice that adds levity but that allows the show—at least in the first two episodes made available to critics—to avoid interrogating the realities that drive its characters to take extreme measures.
Marc Cherry is the Mark Zuckerberg of complicated, high-camp women: He gives us the product we think we want, but in the end, it still only feels like a facsimile of the real thing.