One mansion. Three eras. Three women. Three stories of adultery. Three kills. Three reasons. Three … Although no – this number is deceptive. There are many, many more of them – women, causes, murders. However, the series “Why Women Kill” is not only and not so much about this. It is about the burden of human passions. How gender roles have changed and are changing. About the main fears of the end of the past – the beginning of this century. But most importantly, about the female soul. Actually, the whole show is a hymn in her honor.
Attention! This article contains spoilers.
1963 Click! 1984th. Click! 2019th. Click! Times change each other like whimsical colorful patterns in a children’s kaleidoscope toy. The scene remains the same – a huge mansion in Pasadena, California.
In 1963, a respectable couple moved in: he is an aerospace engineer, she is a housewife, but most importantly, a wife whose main task is to provide her husband with maximum comfort. A mother hen, which, however, has no one to hatch (why is a separate tragic story, but at this stage we will do without spoilers). From the side of their relationship – an illustration of the concept of “exemplary marriage”. “It’s an honor for me to take care of him,” Beth Ann proudly explains to a neighbor who managed to partake of the secrets of feminism.
Simone, who will replace Beth Ann in this house in ten years, the concept of care, it would seem, is alien: care involves regular, purposeful actions, sometimes routine and boring, and the life of this socialite is anything but boring. Simone is a woman of fireworks, a woman of sparkling wine, turning men’s heads (her three husbands are vivid proof of this). With her, a mansion designed in a classical style is transformed beyond recognition and becomes the object of envy of “sworn friends” and curious neighbors. However, he is not alone.
I should have said that your life is not perfect.
But my life is perfect!
“That’s exactly what your friends don’t want to hear about.
The Simone-Karl couple is eye-catching and, starting from a certain point, raises a lot of questions. Like Taylor and her husband with the biblical name Eli: despite the fact that it’s 2019, the open marriage that the couple is in causes irrepressible curiosity among friends. Especially since a third member of the family appears under the roof of the same mansion that has survived another modernization.
All the “hows” of the series serve one global “why”: to show the character traits of a woman in all their diversity
It would seem that getting lost in this variety of characters is as easy as shelling pears (add here numerous lovers, each of whom has their own story; infrequently appearing in the frame, but charismatic and memorable neighbors, friends and relatives), and, jumping from era to era, you risk getting confused in the threads of the story, but the creators of the show managed to make it surprisingly solid.
The transitions from history to history are harmonious, each time is recreated to the smallest detail (clothing, interiors, music, an elusive spirit that is so difficult to recreate, but for some reason it works here), the dialogues are subtle and precise, smart and ironic (“This offends the sacred institution of open marriage!”; “I must warn you: there was a murder in this house…” – “I hope the designer was killed?”), the picture is a visual delight, and the evolution of the characters is endlessly interesting to watch (the one that seemed the most gray at the start is experiencing the most significant transformation).
But most importantly, all these meticulously verified “how” of the series serve one global “why”: to show the character traits of a woman in all their diversity, to trace the evolution of female images over the past 50-60 years and put together a hymn to female fortitude and ability to love from all this.
Oh yes. The question “why?” still remains. Why do they, women, kill? Out of hate. From self-defense. Out of love.
Everyone has their own motivation, and the reasons are pretty damn compelling. So much so that the heroines want to justify. At least for us viewers. And not only.
The Bible says: Thou shalt not kill. The Lord may not understand…
“God—maybe his wife—yes.