The tea on Inventing Anna

By Lilly Rosier, 2023

Published 5/3/22

Money, wealth, con-artist, and power. This is how I would describe Anna Delvey (or should I say Anna Sorokin) in the hit Netflix Original, Inventing Anna. The TV Series was created by Shonda Rhimes, who is also known for Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and Bridgerton. According to IMDb, Inventing Anna is as described, “A journalist with a lot to prove investigates the case of Anna Delvey, the Instagram-legendary German heiress who stole the hearts of New York's social scene - and stole their money as well.”

I did not know much going into the show, but I have to say I was happily surprised. The series shows the lead as a random journalist, Vivian Kent, to cover Anna Delvey’s story. By the end of the show, you could understand her craze for such a wild story and I completely liked her as the lead character. Vivian Kent represented the side of the story (that is not entirely true) in the view of the press and the world at large. It showed how obsessed everyone was with the infamous Anna Delvey, regardless if she was a real German heiress or real person at all.

However, the real star was obviously Anna Delvey herself, played by Julia Garner. At first you hate her, then hate her even more, then feel remorse, and back to hate. The team who crafted the show did a great job at constantly spinning the story and point of view; I honestly didn’t know who to root for. After finishing the show, I watched clips of the real Anna Delvey and the similarity is uncanny.

In my opinion, another standout role was the defense lawyer, Todd, played by Arian Moayed. His character development was one of my favorites. He switched from being a ruthless coldhearted lawyer to a determined and understanding defender. As a Scandal lover, Katie Lowes has always been a talented actress. Seeing her now as the Vanity Fair writer, Rachel, was one of the biggest spins yet. She really gave it her all and showed how Anna’s scam affected herself. Alan Reed, a New York lawyer who did fall victim to Delvey's scam, was a great representation of the corrupt system among mischievous men in power.

All in all, there are so many words I could give for this show. Is it the best show I have ever seen? No. Does it give a good grasp on scandals that way too often occur between the wealthy? Yes. Anna, yes, was annoying with the obviously fake German accent, but I enjoyed the unique take on the crime. Especially through a journalist's eye. I recommend this to anyone that enjoys true crime, dramas, or even reality TV shows. It brings a lot of different categories into play.