Why Women Kill series premiere recap: Murder Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry
By Ariba Bhuvad
Let’s talk about CBS All Access’ new dramedy, Why Women Kill, because it’s pretty freaking amazing.
Why Women Kill is from the creator of Desperate Housewives, Marc Cherry, so you can only imagine the levels of epic it can reach. I, for one, loved the series premiere and everything the show is going to be about. The title, Why Women Kill, is rather self-explanatory and quite literal once you watch the first episode of the series.
The series follows three female characters all living in different decades, dealing with some form of cheating in their marriages. While we are treated to three different stories, each of them takes place in this grand house in Pasadena whose appearance changes depending on the decade.
Let’s start with the 1960s housewife, Beth, played by Once Upon A Time’s Ginnifer Goodwin. She’s the epitome of the loyal, loving woman that goes above and beyond for her husband, who comes home every day to a clean house and hearty meal. She’s very much the Jane Cleaver type if that helps put her into perspective.
Of course, she sees nothing wrong with devoting her every day to the man who provides for her, despite the fact that her new neighbors are a bit flabbergasted by just how much she submits to his demands. You see, her husband is an aerospace engineer which affords them the luxury of moving into a fancy big house. Presumably, that’s the exchange she receives in all of this.
More. Why Women Kill: Alexandra Daddario to join CBS All Access drama. light
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Everything is hunky-dory, until one day Beth learns that her husband may be cheating on her. She refuses to believe it, but when she sees it for herself, her entire world is flipped upside down. Suddenly, she’s presenting strange questions to her husband about his death and talking about ways that he could die.
He doesn’t know this, but his infidelity has some wheels turning in Beth’s head, and I have a feeling it won’t end well for him. However, there is a catch in all of this. Beth decides to go to the diner where this woman works and somehow ends up befriending her in the process as a means to hurt him. I have a feeling this whole plan will crash and burn, but let’s see.
Okay, now let’s move on to the 80s, where in the same home there is now an extremely wealthy mixed couple living. The woman is named Simone (played by Lucy Liu) who is now on her third marriage and according to her and everyone else, living the dream. Her life is pretty much perfect until she learns her husband is gay and having an affair with a man.
Upon learning this huge secret, Simone immediately plans to divorce him and tells him to pack his things. Later that night, she comes up to their room to find that he is passed out due to overdosing on pills. Instead of worrying about his potential death, she’s more concerned with the fact that he’s taking the easy road out and wants him to be miserable for what he did to her.
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Last but not least, we head to 2019, to again, the same house, but this time a couple in an open marriage. The wife, Taylor (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) is bisexual and told her husband, Eli (Reid Scott) from the get-go. This is why they have an open relationship that takes place outside of their home and without any emotional connection.
However, when one of Taylor’s flings, Jade (Alexandra Daddario) ends up being stalked by an ex, Taylor brings her home for a few days. At first, Eli is refusing but once he sets his eyes on her, it’s game over. It goes from a resounding no to “she can stay here for a few weeks”. Are we starting to see the whole Why Women Kill vibe here?
Next. Succession: Ranking the members of the Roy Family. dark
All in all, Why Women Kill is gearing up to be one hell of a series, and the best part is the humor infused throughout it. Whether it’s the 60s or 2019, there is a certain allure to the dialogue, characters, and story that stays consistent throughout the entire episode. I’m super excited to see how the rest of the series plays out, but one thing is for sure, I am hooked!
Why Women Kill airs new episodes every Thursday on CBS All Access!