Imperfect Women Episode 4 marks a major turning point in the narrative with the backstory of Nancy (Kate Mara). Apple TV+’s psychological thriller follows the mysterious death of Nancy, which unravels the close friendship between three friends: Nancy, Eleanor (Kerry Washington), and Mary (Elisabeth Moss). In episode 3, we learned that Eleanor did not kill Nancy, but her decision to leave Nancy indirectly led to her death.
After three episodes largely told through Eleanor’s lens, Episode 4 hands the narrative over to Nancy. The episode reveals a deeper understanding of her past and her fractured present before her death. Most importantly, the episode answers the question of who David is. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what happened in Imperfect Women Episode 4.
Imperfect Women Episode 4 Reveals Nancy’s Perspective
Kerry Washington, Kate Mara, and Elisabeth Moss in Imperfect Women | Credit: Apple TV+
For the first time in the series, Imperfect Women, Nancy takes center stage as the primary narrator in the whole episode. On the surface, Nancy appears to have built an enviable life. She is married to Robert (Joel Kinnaman), a man from a wealthy and influential family. She has spent nearly two decades hosting lavish New Year’s Eve parties that earned her social success. But beneath this polished exterior lies a growing sense of instability.
From a flashback, we see that Robert was attentive and affectionate towards Nancy. He used to compliment her on all her efforts. But in the current scenario, he has become more distant. He drinks more than usual, shows little interest in their shared traditions, and seems increasingly irritated by Nancy’s efforts to maintain their lifestyle. He criticized her spending, particularly regarding the party extravaganza.
Throughout the evening, Nancy senses tension not only between herself and Robert but also within his family. His family is trying to hide something, and her attempts to understand what’s happening are repeatedly deflected. She tried to close the gap even by being intimate with Robert, like they used to.
When she asked Robert about the meeting in New York, he didn’t give a clear answer. Later, she tried to ask Harlan, the family’s financial minister, but he refused to answer and asked her to talk to her husband. Kit, on the other hand, saw this interaction and warned Nancy not to meddle in the family issues. Despite years of marriage, she felt on the periphery of this world, never fully accepted.
What Was Nancy’s Past and How Did It Haunt Her?
Kate Mara in Imperfect Women | Credit: Apple TV+
One of the most significant revelations in Episode 4 is the depth of Nancy’s traumatic childhood. Through a series of flashbacks, the episode paints a disturbing picture of the environment she grew up in.
As a young girl, Nancy was exploited by her mother’s boyfriend, Scott. Even though she was abused, Nancy couldn’t say anything because Scott provided her money for her ballet class. Lacking guidance or protection, Nancy came to view this arrangement as a means of survival. As long as he’s paying for her dream, she feels compelled to pay the small cost.
The situation became even more devastating when Nancy’s mother discovered the abuse. Instead of offering support to her daughter, she blamed Nancy and directed her anger and jealousy towards her. One day, after Nancy returned from class, her mother drove recklessly with Nancy in the car. It ultimately caused a crash that left Nancy physically scarred.
Nancy’s traumatic upbringing significantly influences her behavior as an adult. She comes to believe that relationships are transactional and that her self-worth is dependent on others. Her earlier conversation with Mary (Elisabeth Moss), in which she expressed a wish that Mary could have been her mother while she was growing up, brings out the deep-seated trauma she carried.
Even as she built a new life, the past continued to exert its influence. Moments of stress triggered old fears, and it ultimately escalated when her daughter Cora crossed that line.
Did Robert Intend to Divorce Nancy?
Kate Mara and Joel Kinnaman in Imperfect Women | Credit: Apple TV+
At the party, Nancy found it hard to unwind because she sensed that Robert’s family had something on their minds. She worried that she might be the cause of Robert’s unhappiness. When she bumped into Robert’s father in the restroom, she promised to be more mindful of her spending moving forward. Nancy felt a bit unsettled when he casually said he enjoyed her parties and thought it was a shame there wouldn’t be any more next year.
Nancy’s growing suspicion came true when she went through Robert’s laptop and discovered an email referencing a “separation of assets.” Given Robert’s recent behavior, the idea of divorce does not feel far-fetched to her. The possibility of divorce filled her with anxiety and tension.
At the same time, her relationship with her daughter, Cora, reaches a breaking point. Nancy’s distance from her teen daughter had been building, and when Nancy attempts to connect, she is met with resistance. The situation escalated during the party when Cora and her friends dressed as “white trash” were on their way out.
Nancy was already under a lot of pressure at the moment, but when she saw her daughter mocking the poor by dressing like that, Nancy couldn’t take it anymore. She felt her daughter was mocking her past. When Cora refused to change the outfit, Nancy slapped her in front of everyone.
However, she immediately regretted it and left the house. Nancy felt she was turning into her own mother. She is forced to confront the possibility that she is repeating the same patterns she once suffered from. Thankfully, her friends, Mary and Eleanor, ran after her to console her.
When she returned home, she overheard Cora and Robert’s conversation. It seemed like Nancy never shared her past with her daughter. When she tried to enter the room and apologize to Cora, Robert asked her to give Cora some space. It’s only deepening her sense of isolation.
However, the episode stops short of confirming Rober’s intentions. While the evidence suggested that something is wrong, it remained unclear whether divorce is truly on the horizon.
Imperfect Women: What Is the David Twist
Corey Stoll as Howard in Imperfect Women | Credit: Apple TV+
The question of David’s identity has loomed large over the narrative. Episode 4 finally delivers an answer, albeit in an unexpected way. Initially, attention is drawn to a bartender named David, who interacts with Nancy during the party.
At the end of the episode, Nancy rejected his advances. She apologized for possibly having inadvertently led him on by trying to connect over shared neighborhood roots. The bartender left immediately, which means he was not the David connected to her past.
The real reveal comes through Howard (Corey Stoll), Mary’s husband. Early in the episode, Mary revealed that her husband’s class load has been reduced, which means he will earn less money. Later, Nancy introduced Howard to one of her acquaintances, Phil, who was working on a ballet titled Ariadne. She believed his academic expertise could benefit the production team. Well, it worked out as Nancy expected.
After the party, Howard stopped by to thank Nancy for helping him secure the opportunity. During their conversation, he mentioned that Phil, the ballet guy, mistakenly called him “David” throughout the evening. Nancy revealed that she had been correcting Phil for a long time because he always called her “Louise” instead of her actual name, Nancy.
She joked that “Nancy” was probably one of the old lady names he could think of. Howard responded that there’s nothing old about the name; he likes the name because it has a “whisper of dance” to it. Nancy then said he preferred Louise. As he was leaving, Howard called her Louise, and in turn, Nancy addressed him as David.
This moment confirmed that Howard could be the true David, the person everyone had been searching for. It also opened new possibilities for their relationship, and a deeper bond was probably forming as her marriage fell apart. Additionally, it highlights the fact that Nancy never revealed her secret relationship to Mary, but she did tell Eleanor. The next episode will likely reveal more details and bring the story one step closer to solving the mystery.
Show Name Imperfect WomenNo. of Seasons1Creator Annie Weisman CastElisabeth MossKerry WashingtonJoel KinnamanCorey StollKate MaraIMDb (as of April 1, 2026)5.4/10Rotten Tomatoes (as of April 1, 2026)44%
What role might Howard play in the larger mystery that the series continues to build? Let us know your thoughts.
Imperfect Women Episodes 1-4 are available to watch on Apple TV+ (US).
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