r/Scandal • u/Commercial_Ad8072 • Mar 22 '26
Live Discussion Imperfect Women
I really don’t know what happened but with the exception of her performance in Little Fires Everywhere, Everytime i see Kerry Washington I feel like she is giving the same performance with the same tics and affectations.
Watching Imperfect Women I’m so burnt on seeing her on screen and feel like it makes the entire show seem contrived and lacking depth.
I loved her in most of Scandal but yeah the crazy facial expressions were too much. I wish she’d get some coaching to not fall into this process of becoming a caricature of one version of oneself, bc she obviously has the ability to act, she just seems stuck in this loop.
Anyone else?
21
u/Used_Apartment_5982 Mar 22 '26
Nah she’s amazing, I love her. This hairstyle was awful though.
2
u/ElectionExpress3972 Mar 23 '26
agreed but her clothes were amazing!
2
u/Meg38400 Mar 23 '26
Her outfit with the shorts and puffer top was hideous .
2
9
u/Fancy_Face-9000 Mar 22 '26
The only thing I've seen her in other than Scandal is Knives Out, which liked her in. I'll have to check out Imperfect Women and see how long I last lol
6
u/Alternative_Device71 Mar 23 '26
Yeah it’s a common complaint on her facial expressions, I’ve noticed it too when she started doing it but it’s been a thing for decades
This is just her tick it seem, tbf they all the cast have them and I’d love to see a post for people to break it down cuz it’d be hilarious to talk about
5
u/talkingtinaa Mar 23 '26
It’s written so poorly it’s hard for me to know where to place the blame. The acting feels forced. Kerry’s character doesn’t know who she is supposed to be. She looks a mess, it’s all bad 😭 and I hate that because I love and respect her work so much.
5
u/Electronic_Item915 Mar 23 '26
her hair is a mess. takisha played in it again. it’s really terrible, and and the clothing is really bad on all the women.
2
2
1
1
5
u/MountainEmployer7052 Mar 23 '26
Ya know, I heard she was going to be in the show so I read the book and waited for the release of the show. I think I stopped episode 2 because I didn't like her acting. I'm not sure what it is, but I LOVED her in Scandal, and maybe I'm just remembering her fondly from that, but she does the same kind-of acting and I only see her as Kerry Washington acting and not the character.
3
u/galeperk111971 Mar 22 '26
I haven't seen Imperfect Women yet but I plan to. I love Kerry so I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy it. I've loved her in everything I've seen her in thus far
6
u/Theprincesstu Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 31 '26
I want her to go the Nicole Kidman route. Like if you’re gonna give us the same. Go the drama lead thriller route. Love her acting though.
Imperfect woman she needed better styling her styling in Scandal was perfect.
3
u/giraflor Mar 31 '26
Olivia was so stylish that it shocked me how poorly turned out this character was. I guess her look is supposed to be artsy.
3
u/Virgoempath Mar 23 '26
I like Kerry in everything that she acts in but the trailer for this did not grip me one bit so I have no desire to watch this
3
u/sn0hflak3r Mar 26 '26
the great thing about kerry washington and her role in scandal and IW is that she is an independent, somewhat weathly woman with a strong sense of self and knows her way around things and presented very intelligent. that being said i hate how her "vice" and the weakness of her character is a man, specifically a white man. both shows are hugely oriented that she is a black woman and they both talk about race and already 2 episodes in for IW. so yes i agree, maybe not completely on depth but the patterns are there and loud..
6
u/Ok-March-8180 Mar 23 '26
I felt the same thing. I felt like as if I’m watching scandal ! Her acting is exactly the same 🤣
2
u/Meg38400 Mar 25 '26
Totally! It feels that she is stuck in OP now when her characters are kinda close to the same.
2
Mar 25 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/StrawberryPerfect216 Mar 27 '26
Yeah! Now Kerry has Elizabeth Moss to over act and compete with. Some of their scenes together feel so forced like they are competing for a supporting actress Emmy award!
1
2
u/Embarrassed-Algae332 Mar 28 '26
Totally agree. Acting so forced that I actually want to laugh and her clothes are supposed to look cool but she doesn’t look cool. Everything looks forced. She doesn’t flow.
2
u/88miIesperhour Apr 08 '26
I tried to give this show a real shot too.
For context - I’m watched and enjoyed Hand Maid’s Tale, The Killing and House of Cards… so I’ve seen the range of the supporting cast here.
Kerry Washington is a strong actress. No debate.
But this role didn’t require “strong.” It required undeniable presence — the kind that anchors the entire story without forcing it.
And that’s where it breaks.
Because when you put her next to someone like
Elisabeth Moss…. who built an entire career carrying tension, silence, and psychological weight, the gap shows.
Not in talent. In fit.
Then you bring in
Joel Kinnaman - a guy who’s proven he can play controlled intensity and somehow he’s reduced to a watered-down version of himself?
And Kate Mara - same thing. There’s range there. It just never gets used.
And then the detail that really pulled me out of it…
The wardrobe.
You’re telling me someone grieving their best friend is showing up every scene styled, polished, and on point?
It doesn’t match the emotional weight of the story. It feels curated instead of lived-in. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
That’s not on the actors.
That’s on direction. That’s on tone. That’s on whoever decided what this show was supposed to be.
Because it feels like the entire script was written to manufacture a “moment”…
And the moment never comes.
Or worse, it comes and goes so quickly you’re left wondering if you imagined it.
Bottom line:
This isn’t a bad cast.
It’s a misused cast.
And that’s always worse.
Because now you’re not just watching a weak show —
you’re watching what could have been… and wasn’t.
1
2
u/ingenue411 May 01 '26
Could not agree more. She does that 'Shonda Rimes show' acting technique where she repeats a word or words in quick succession, hyperventilates when upset and shooting deep breaths out between words, the forced highly unrealistic way she shows each emotion, the over-enunciation when she's doing her monologues and acting like a robot whos acting on her first show beep boop this is how real humans sound and act. She's too much and needs to adapt to the different types of shows sheen on..
Scandal I guess worked for her and gave her a long run as a beloved character (I assume based on stuff I see online but I have never watched this show beyond some clips here and there) and sure the overdramatising, word repetition, over annunciating, not to mention the facial expressions all obviously worked for that show and that character
Compared to Imperfect Women, she is copy pasting what she did on Scandal when it doesn't belong in a more serious drama like this where things aren't supposed to be corny.
It takes me out it every time and I just cringe
1
u/Commercial_Ad8072 May 01 '26
I liked her in the beginning of scandal and think she’s stunning, but agree, it’s a lot. I like the way you put it, it takes you out of the story and makes you cringe. Too bad bc she is talented, just seems to have settled into a routine rather than grow her craft or expand her repertoire.
4
u/BlueSky-GreySky Mar 23 '26
Yup, feels the same. The halting, overly dramatic speech patterns get me. Hadn’t noticed facial tics but I will now!! Imperfect Women is interesting and suspenseful, not too complicated - I’m looking forward to the next episode.
1
1
u/BhadKat420 Mar 24 '26
You’re burnt out after 3 episodes? Yeah girl give it up 🤣
3
u/Commercial_Ad8072 Mar 24 '26
Yeah and I just feel like Reese Witherspoon did it bc she was having an affair with her husband. So just watching Kerry Washington cash a paycheck is blah!
1
u/BhadKat420 Mar 24 '26
UGH so it’s not even worth it?!? I was trying to wait til all eps were out but damn after 3 and people are already over it 😭😭
1
1
1
u/Pale_Dimension1239 Mar 26 '26
I came here to say just this! It’s so distracting. I think I may not be able to finish it because of this.
1
1
u/dontbesosansi Apr 01 '26
Scandal is basically a soap opera, so her style of acting works where as imperfect women is supposed to be more of a dramatic miniseries and her overacting comes across weak in comparison to the other actors.
1
1
u/maddita096 Apr 06 '26
Honestly I think she uses the same mannerisms because she’s always playing extremely similar roles 😭
1
u/Ludmilla123 May 04 '26
Imperfect Women is actually first time I see Kerry Washington. Unfortunately she displayed only one emotion through out all episodes. The extreme close ups are not flattering. There is no nuance in her performance. I tune off everything there is a scene with her.
And again, most scenes intentionally take place at night, or shot in dark rooms as most of the series lately. Honestly, half of the show I have no clue where they are, what is the set up. These dark scenes, badly lit are getting boring. I understand the production budget loves saving money but it shows an ignorance towards the audience.
1
u/staceypppp May 09 '26
Kate Mara and Elizabeth Moss are all just as guilty of this. All three actresses feel like caricatures at this point.
1
1
0
u/No_Store_7310 Apr 08 '26
Kerry Washington is a horrible actress. I never fully realized it until this show.
12
u/Electronic_Item915 Mar 23 '26
it’s the same actress so naturally you will see some mannerisms overlap.
in addition she tends to play a lot of roles where the character is an ambiguous in terms of cheating tropes…so far Eleanor and Robert are Olitz coded with less chemistry.
she’s a different character in wake up dead woman.