Vivian Kent is a journalist investigating Anna Delvey.
History[]
Donovan Lamb[]
Vivian had been offered an on-air job, her dream, and decided to leave Manhattan Magazine to take it. Before she left, Paul, who was a friend of hers as well as being her editor, asked her to do an article of things to love about New York. She agreed and #12 on the list was Donovan Lamb, who had made $80 million on the sock market before he was old enough to drive. She verified that this was true, talking to his friends and parents and even looking at bank statements. Despite this, she had a funny feeling. She mentioned it to Paul, but Paul told her to write it up and he'd check on it later. He then posted the list exactly as she'd written it, except with a flashier headline, which got the article picked up. That would have been fine except Donovan never had any money. He did an interview with the Post claiming that Vivian had pressured him to lie. When Landon Bloom, the editor-in-chief, asked about it, Vivian told the truth and expected Paul to as well. But Paul got promoted while her job offer was rescinded and all her work friends ghosted her.[1]
Anna's Arrest[]
Vivian saw news of Anna Delvey aka Anna Sorokin being arrested. She looked into the arrest and decided she wanted to do a story on Anna. With encouragement from Maud, Lou, and Barry, Vivian went to Landon Bloom, the editor in chief, and pitched the story. Landon reminded her that Paul Hudson assigned her stories and Paul said he wanted her on the Wall Street #MeToo story. Vivian said she wasn't interested in that story, but Paul was firm in his order.
Despite this, Vivian went to the courthouse for Anna's arraignment, where Anna was denied bail and remanded to Rikers Island. Vivian followed Todd as he left the arraignment, but he refused to comment on Anna's case. Because she was caught up in Anna's case, Vivian missed an appointment for the ultrasound that would determine the presumptive sex of her baby. She told her husband, Jack, it was worth it because of how intriguing the story was.
Vivian sat at her desk and wrote Anna a flattering letter, asking to interview her. Anna called Vivian and agreed to see her if she visited, so Vivian took the bus to Rikers and waited hours to see Anna. Anna was surprised to see her so quickly, as she'd heard media visits took time, but Vivian said she hadn't come on a media visit, because those took time to arrange. Anna wasn't sure about doing an interview, so Vivian suggested they just get to know each other and then Anna could decide. Anna expressed distaste at the picture McCaw was painting of her as a party girl, as she considered herself a serious businessperson. Vivian asked Anna for the names of some associates who could corroborate her story. She also didn't believe she'd done anything wrong and didn't belong in prison.
Desperate to find out more about Anna, Vivian went back to her office and, with help from Maud, Lou, and Barry, started calling people who might be willing to talk to her. Prosecutor Catherine McCaw refused to speak to Vivian about the case. Vivian made many calls and admitted to Maud that Anna hadn't even agreed to be interviewed, so she couldn't get any information from her.
When Paul learned that Vivian was still pursuing the story despite his order, she was called into a meeting with him and Landon. She explained that she didn't want to do the Wall Street #MeToo case because none of the women involved were coming forward with their own stories, so anything she did would be exploiting the women for clicks, which she was unwilling to do. Landon asked Paul to give him a moment with Vivian and agreed to give Vivian two weeks, during which she needed a well-sourced story.
Vivian went home, where Jack said she could take a year off and have the baby and she wouldn't have to deal with Paul anymore. Vivian said she couldn't do that because no one else would hire her with her reputation being what it was. She needed to get Anna to agree to the interview.
Vivian met with Neff, a concierge at 12 George, the only hotel where Anna had paid her entire bill. Neff said that on top of that, Anna tipped with $100 bills. She denied knowing anything about Anna, saying fraternizing with guests was prohibited. Neff asked if Vivian wanted to take a selfie in the room, as Anna had taken many there herself. That gave Vivian the idea to comb through Anna's social media, which she used to find other people Anna had associated with to interview them.
She talked to Nora Radford, Kacy Duke, Sasha Thomas, Val Boron, David Morrison, and Jenny Whitley, all of whom gave conflicting stories about Anna, including where her family's money came from and things she valued. After these interviews, Vivian went home and posted a bunch of pictures of Anna on a wall in the nursery, wondering how so many people could know so many different sides of the same person.
Vivian went back to visit Anna again, who touted the benefits of a media visit. Vivian asked Anna to give her the name of anyone who could corroborate her story, as she'd gotten conflicting information. Anna was stuck on the idea of a media visit, but Vivian said those came with rules. When Vivian struggled after realizing that Anna knew about her history and reputation, Anna ended the visit, saying she was considering taking the deal McCaw had offered her. She then said VIP was always better. You just have to be willing to do the work.
Vivian talked to the other journalists in Scriberia and they all agreed that if Anna took the deal, her story was dead, because she wouldn't be able to visit Anna after she was moved to start serving her sentence. Vivian then went to her rescheduled ultrasound, where Dr. Harris told her she was having a girl. Instead of celebrating the news, Vivian started cursing. She told Jack that she wanted her reputation restored before their child was born and knowing the sex made her seem more real, which meant Vivian was running out of time. Despite this, she said she was happy it was a girl.
Later, while Vivian was taking down the collage of photos, she spotted Neff, the concierge, in the background of one of the photos. She went back to 12 George, where she confronted Neff with the picture. Neff admitted that she and Anna were friends, but said she wouldn't sell her out. Vivian then admitted she was really there to get Neff to tell her what she needed to know to get Anna not to take the deal so she could do the story. Neff told her and she went back to Rikers on a media visit.
Anna told Vivian that she was taking the deal and not doing the interview, but Vivian said if she turned down the deal and did the interview, Vivian could get Anna what she wanted: to be famous. She said everyone would know Anna's name. Anna decided not to take the deal, telling the judge she wanted to be heard in court.[2]
Interviewing Talia and Val[]
Vivian went back to see Anna and asked her about Val. Anna said that she barely knew Val, but wouldn't give Vivian the name of someone she knew better. At the office, Vivian learned that Maud, Lou, and Barry were helping research her story. They had created a timeline for Anna, starting when she left Germany in 2011. Through this and social media, they learned that she was connected to Val Boron, though he'd erased every public mention of her, and Chase Sikorski, whom she dated. She also spent time hanging out with Talia Mallay. They were unable to find Chase, who had disappeared from social media in 2016, so Vivian interviewed Talia and Val.
Talia told Vivian how she met Anna and how Anna became part of her circle, where she stayed until Anna overstayed her welcome on Henrick Knight's yacht in Ibiza after Talia invited her there. When they talked late into the evening, Talia invited Vivian and Jack to spend the night in her guest cottage, where Anna had also once stayed. They did so, soaking up all the amenities before leaving the next day.
Vivian then talked to Val, who told her that after Anna and Chase left Ibiza, they came to Paris, where he was doing some shows. It was there that he and Anna had a falling out. Chase and Anna fought and then Anna and Val got locked out of their hotel room for failure to pay. Anna tearfully told Val that her father had cut her off, so Val called Chase to come pay the bill. Them, at Chase's request, he looked at Anna's passport, which revealed that Anna's real last name was Sorokin and she was born outside Moscow. When Anna learned that Val had looked in her bag, she felt betrayed and left with Chase, despite Val insisting she couldn't trust him.
After these conversations, Vivian went back to see Anna and said they need to talk about Chase. She wondered if Chase was the reason Anna was in trouble or if Anna was the reason Vivian was unable to find Chase anywhere.[3]
Interviewing Nora and Chase[]
Anna was upset that Vivian hadn't come to visit her for a while. Vivian said it was hard to get out there with the baby, but Anna says that wasn't an excuse as people have babies all the time. She said if Vivian couldn't get out there to visit, they were done. She also demanded that Vivian bring her underwear as the ones that the prison provided were ugly.
Vivian went back to Nora to ask her more questions, because she'd discovered that Nora was more tightly entangled with Anna than she'd said, as they were tagged in many photos together and she was listed as an advisor on Chase's app. Vivian said she could go digging on her own or Nora could cooperate and have her name left out of things. Nora agreed to speak with her, but refused to let Vivian record the conversation. Nora said that she had very little to do with Anna and Chase as they were Val's friends and said she didn't like either of them. She told Vivian she thought Anna was with Chase because she thought he would introduce her to the right people, but didn't want to think about why Chase was with Anna.
Vivian tried to get Todd's help with the story, but he said he needed to focus on Anna's case and getting through all the discovery.
Vivian was unable to locate Chase to interview him, so she talked to Rafael Stukken, who had worked for Chase's company, Wake. Rafael told her that Chase had hired him to build the app, but he's a designer, not a computer programmer. That was immaterial, he said, because Chase didn't care if the app worked. He just wanted it to look nice. Then Chase stopped paying him and hid it from Anna, who came to see Chase at Wake and found Rafael packing everything up. Rafael then told Vivian that the last he heard from Chase, he was in Dubai working for the Sheikh and only believed in face-to-face communication, though Rafael believed that was just his way of avoiding the investors.
Vivian went shopping for Anna's underwear with Maud, but after Maud gave her a hint as to how to find Chase in Dubai, Vivian decided not to spend $50 for a pair of panties for Anna. She instead started calling hotels in Dubai to find Chase. She found him, but he hung up as soon as she said she was a reporter. Vivian then called his parents, who told her Chase hadn't been home in years and wouldn't like them talking to a reporter. Vivian asked if she met his girlfriend, Anna, and learned that Suze had and loved her.
Back at Rikers, Vivian told Anna she talked to Chase's mom and the conversation convinced Vivian that her relationship with Chase was real and she loved him. When Anna visited him in Ohio and found out he was hiding because he'd run out of money, it was disappointing, but Anna said people always were. She told Vivian she liked being alone and went back to her cell, telling Vivian not to come back without what she asked for.
Desperate to get Chase's take on everything, Vivian called him repeatedly. Finally, she told him that what she had for the story so far indicated that he was the con artist and Anna was just along for the ride. She said she could publish that or he could talk to her and she could leave his name out of it. He called her back and agreed to talk. He told her about Anna starting to take his place with Nora, using her to make connections in the art world to help build ADF. This led to a fight, because Nora discovered that he had run out of money and abandoned his business. Chase also said he was shocked when, after a fundraiser where he and Anna fought, Anna packed her things and left Nora's place. He said he believed it was all a game for Anna.
Vivian was curious why Anna would work so hard to make Nora her mentor and then cut her off as soon as it worked, so Maud suggested she check with the lawyers. Vivian went to see McCaw, who refused to give Vivian anything in the discovery, but eventually agreed to share something that didn't make it in because someone changed their mind about pressing charges.
After their conversation, Vivian went back to Nora and asked why she didn't mention her credit cards, which Anna had used to charge thousands of dollars. Nora said she was embarrassed and she got all her money back anyway because her friend, Donna, is CEO of Federal Credit. She also told Vivian that Anna sent her a gift after leaving and she gave Vivian the taxidermy peacock, saying she wasn't sure if it was a thank you or a threat. Vivian took the peacock home, where Jack suggested they use it for a college fund, knowing it was worth a lot of money.
Vivian went back to the prison, bringing panties to Anna. They weren't as nice as Anna wanted, but Vivian said she'd accept them and wear them because she knew about Nora's credit cards. Anna refused to admit to that theft, but told Vivian she made a pitch deck for ADF and wanted Vivian to read it
Vivian went to Todd and told him they were on the same side and Anna wanted her to see the pitch deck. Todd said that no good lawyer would let a reporter look through their discovery, but even great ones could leave something where a reporter might spot it. As he walked out of his office, he kicked a box. Vivian got inside and pulled out the pitch book.
Vivian went back to Paul and Landon with what she had on the story and Landon told her to take a few more weeks.[4]
Investigating Alan Reed[]
Vivian told Maud, Lou, and Barry that Anna had created an entire business plan and built a team to make it happen. She also picked a building owned by Aby Rosen, the biggest, richest real estate mogul in Manhattan. All she had to do was secure the financing. Barry didn't believe she could, but Vivian had documentation that she nearly did it.
Vivian went to Alan Reed, a Wall Street lawyer Anna had hired to help her secure her funding. She introduced herself, but he panicked as soon as she mentioned Anna. She refused to speak to him even after she said she just wanted to hear his side of the story.
After speaking to Alan, Vivian went back to Anna, who told her that it's an old boys' club and people made assumptions when they saw her. But she kept working to get the money despite their opinions of her.
Because Alan refused to speak to her, Vivian went to Winter Lau, whom Anna had approached looking for a $40 million loan. Winter explained that it wasn't odd that someone with a $60 million trust fund would seek out a loan to start a business, as rich people never wanted to risk their own money. If it worked out, both sides would make money. And Anna's money was in Germany, so she needed capital in the US to get things started. Most people turned down her loan application because they didn't take her seriously until she changed her look and started making strategic business connections.
Vivian couldn't figure out why Alan would work so hard for Anna when Anna never paid him anything. She wondered if they were having an affair, but Winter laughed at the thought, saying Alan never colored outside the lines. Winter instead proposed that he'd fallen for it because an account like Anna was offering could bring in money for years. He wanted to catch the big fish so badly he failed to see that it was a scam.
Maud, Lou, and Barry then informed Vivian that Anna had stolen a jet. More precisely, she chartered a flight to Omaha and never paid the $35,000 bill. Vivian knew she'd used it to go to Berkshire Hathaway, as she had that in her notes. She met with the CEO of the private jet company, Ron Wheaton, who explained that Anna had all the right connections, which is why he left her fly without paying first, because he thought she'd be good for the money. Someone like Vivian couldn't do the same thing because she didn't look or act the part.
After learning that Anna had used a virtual sim card and a voice changing app on her phone to pretend to be her own business manager, Peter, Hennecke, Vivian went back to Alan and asked if he knew Peter was fake all along.
Vivian asked Anna about tricking Anna, but Anna said Alan was never in danger of losing anything and would actually probably get promoted.[5]
Conversation with Neff and American Investigated[]
Vivian talked to Neff about Anna's time at 12 George, the place she stayed longer than any other. She learned that Anna quickly established herself as an exceptional tipper and Neff made connections for her all around town. Everything was good until Neff learned that Anna had at $34,000 bill and hadn't paid anything on it. She confronted Anna, but Anna just made excuses until she ended up locked out of her room for non-payment. Anna then paid the whole bill by wire transfer and also paid Neff the money she owed before leaving down.
When Vivian went to work, she learned that America Investigated was doing an episode on bad journalism and had interviewed Donovan Lamb. She insisted she was fine and continued her work, but when she went to visit Anna, Anna picked up on her bad mood, which led to a fight and Vivian ending the interview early.
Paul found Vivian and told her America Investigated had reached out to get a comment from her, but Paul persuaded them to give her a whole interview. Vivian told him she had work to do and walked away. She later told him she'd consider it, but after having Jack review the promo for her, which depicted Donovan as the victim, she ultimately decided not to do the interview. She said if Paul wanted to set the record straight, he could do the interview himself.
When Anna called Todd and told him Vivian had hurt her, Todd called Vivian to ask her about it. Vivian denied hurting Anna's feelings and hung up. However, she later visited Todd and told him the whole Donovan Lamb story, saying that was why she hurt Anna's feelings.[6]
Learning About Morocco[]
Vivian talked to Noah, who had gone to Morocco with Anna, Kacy, and Rachel. He had gone along to document their trip and gave Vivian the footage, but said he didn't feel comfortable telling her what had happened in Morocco. He was also willing to license it to Manhattan Magazine. Vivian took the footage and showed it to Todd, Jack, and Margaret at dinner. It was normal except one clip of Rachel begging someone and Anna telling Noah to turn the camera off. When Noah said that he didn't want Vivian to make Rachel look stupid, Vivian realized the two of them were dating. She told him she wanted to do Rachel justice and talking to her directly would help with that.
Wanting to learn more about Morocco and unable to track down Rachel to talk to her, Vivian talked to Kacy, who had been forced to return home soon after they arrived when she got sick. Kacy said she believed it was the universe protecting her from what happened next. Anna ended up charging Rachel's work card with the whole cost of the trip and then called Kacy, saying she'd been mugged. Kacy bought her a ticket home, then was surprised when Anna turned up at her building. Kacy allowed her to stay for one night before making her leave.
Vivian also talked to Neff, who said that Rachel abandoned Anna. She was happy to be friends when Anna was paying for everything, but left as soon as that dried up. Wanting to get Rachel's side of the story, Vivian left her several messages.[7]
Writing Her Article and Giving Birth[]
As Vivian started wrapping up the research for her article, she became frustrated because she still couldn't find Rachel and felt that the whole story hinged on Rachel, as the only one of Anna's friends named in the suit. Paul came to check on Vivian's progress and asked for a draft to read. Vivian told him she would have a draft for him soon. Once he left, Maud, Barry, and Lou told her to start writing and they would find Rachel for her. Vivian put on her head phones and started writing. She was interrupted when Maud called her away from her desk to tell her she found Rachel, but Vivian wasn't going to like it. She told Vivian Rachel wasn't talking because she'd sold her story to Vanity Fair. Vivian was upset at being scooped and said she needed to tell Landon, but Barry, Lou, and Maud stopped her, saying she should wait to see the story herself first.
Later that day, the story was posted and Vivian looked at it. She learned that Rachel had written it herself. Vivian met with Paul and Landon and told them Rachel's piece wasn't journalism and her article lacked content, which Vivian's wouldn't. Paul wanted to cut their losses, but Landon told her to write the article and he would decide.
Vivian continued her work on the article until she had a pain in her abdomen. She went outside and called Dr. Harris to meet her at the hospital. At the hospital, Dr. Harris examined her and said the baby's head was engaged, meaning she'd go into labor in the next two to three days. She also told Vivian to take it easy, which Vivian promised to do. Vivian then talked to Jack and told him she needed to finish the article before the abby was born. He asked if she could do it in two days and she said she had to.
Vivian talked to Todd about the article and he said it made Anna look bad and mentioned lots of things they didn't know about. Vivian then talked to Kacy about the intervention, which no one had mentioned to her before, but was in Rachel's story. Kacy told her they'd staged an intervention with the intent of getting Anna to call her parents and ask for their help, but Anna ran away from it. At the end of the conversation, Kacy said all three of the girls were toxic and she wanted to be removed from the narrative. Vivian panicked, because she needed Vivian for the article, and begged Kacy to think about it.
Vivian went back to writing. Maud told her other people were asking to have their parts removed. Vivian refused, but Maud reminded her that legal had final say. Neff came to see Vivian, telling her the article made Rachel seem like the victim and asking her what she was going to do about it. Vivian said she was going to write her article and let the facts speak for themselves. Neff waited in her office while she wrote for a while before leaving. Vivian worked on her article for over twelve straight hours. At one point, she told Lou that she had 7000 words and 5000 of them were good. And her water hadn't broken yet. When she finished, everyone at the magazine read it. Vivian knew it was good, but Paul told her legal said they needed Kacy. Vivian said she'd call Kacy, but when she stood up, her water broke. Despite this, she called Kacy and told her she needed Kacy's permission. Kacy agreed on the condition that Vivian would remove all identifying details. When Vivian hung up, Jack led her out of the building as everyone applauded.
At the hospital, Vivian's labored progressed until her blood pressure dropped and the baby went into distress when she was at 10 centimeters. Dr. Harris told her she had to push or she'd have to have a c-section. Vivian said she was tired, but Jack got her to rally by telling her she was losing and that she wasn't special for having a baby because people do it every day, in fields. That gave her the motivation she needed to push and their baby was born. As she enjoyed her newborn daughter, her article was printed.[8]
Trip to Germany[]
After Vivian's article was published, it quickly became one of Manhattan Magazine's best performing pieces in five years. She took a copy of the magazine to Anna at Rikers. Anna wasn't impressed, feeling that Vivian's piece said she was lying about ADF. Vivian point out that Anna had lied, but Anna still believed that Vivian didn't know her at all after all that work.
Left feeling like people had missed the point of her story, but unable to articulate what it was, Vivian did more research into Anna's past. When Landon and Paul asked her what she wanted to do next, Vivian told them she wanted to go to Germany to find Anna's parents and learn more about her past. This caused an argument between her and Jack, because he believed she'd gotten too close to Anna. Vivian said she knew Anna wasn't because of what happened at the Chateau Marmont and she believed there was more to the story that she wanted to find.
When Vivian arrived in Germany, she was greeted by Mira, her translator. Vivian told Mira she wasn't sure she believed that Vadim really ran a small trucking company, because Anna lived so lavishly after leaving Germany. She also said that she believed recent Russian history was important to the story. They speculated that Anna was smuggling money for her father in Germany. They went to the location of the villa Anna lived in in Germany, but found an empty lot. As they were standing there, Vivian saw Vadim Sorokin, Anna's father, exit the building next door. she called out to him, but he said to leave him alone and walked away.
Vivian and Mira went to a restaurant, where the determined that the place they had visited was where the villa was. They tossed around ideas of what might have happened to it. Then they went to a local butcher, who told them Vadim tried to tell him a freezer, but he didn't trust Vadim because he doesn't believe Russians and Turks want to be part of real German society. Mira and Vivian left after telling him his sausage sucked.
Next they went to a school Anna had attended in Germany. A teacher said that Anna was normal, if a little shy, though she admitted that could have been because her Germany wasn't perfect at the time. After speaking to the teacher, Mira told Vivian that schools like that were used to exclude people, especially immigrants, meaning Anna would have struggled there.
Vivian and Mira spoke to a wine merchant, who informed them that the villa was condemned and demolished, meaning Anna had lived in a contaminated villa. After this, Vivian concluded that Vadim really was selling refrigerators and had gotten the villa because no one else wanted it. And Anna was an awkward school girl. A woman nearby, Heidi, overheard them talking and asked if they were talking about Anna Sorokin. When they said they were, she said she wished she didn't know Anna, that Anna was mean to her at school. She was quiet at first, but then became the fashion police. Vivian got drinks with Heidi, plus Lina, Clara, and Frieda, who all went to school with Anna. They told her that Anna was mean to other kids if she didn't like their outfits. People at school also believed her father was a gangster and were scared of him and Anna.
Once they were gone, Vivian said there was something big there, but Mira didn't believe that was true. All they got was gossip and rumors. Vivian declared her intent to force Vadim to speak to her. They went to Vadim's workplace, where he said he wouldn't speak to any reporters. Vivian told him she knew Anna and was the one to break the story. Vadim agreed to talk to her. He told her that he didn't know why Anna did what she did. He said all he did was try to provide for his family. Vivian asked to meet his family and come to his house, but he got upset and left.
That night, Vivian followed Vadim home. She attempted to peek in the windows, but after Ivan Sorokin, Anna's younger brother, spotted her, Svetlana Sorokin, Anna's mother, invited her inside. Vadim apologized to Vivian, saying it's been stressful for them with all the reporters. Svetlana also revealed that she didn't know the name Delvey, despite Anna claiming it was her mother's maiden name. Vivian told them that Anna was a criminal mastermind and she was trying to figure out where Anna learned that. Svetlana told Vivian that it was easy to imagine her and Vadim as monsters, but children don't come from their parents. They come through them. And it's easy when you have a child like Ivan, whose soul is your soul, but difficult when you have one like Anna, who was like a stranger in the house. Vivian asked if Svetlana knew that Anna tried to kill herself. She came to Germany hoping to find out why. Svetlana realized that Vivian cared about Anna, but told her that Anna was good at making people care about her, but they had learned to let go, so Vivian would as well. When Vivian asked about this, Svetlana said that Anna was always beyond them.
Vivian returned to her accommodations that night and told Mira she was going home early and scrapping the article, but said she'd make sure Mira still got paid. She told Mira that no one should ever have to hear what Anna's parents said about her.
Vivian went home and found that she had mail from Germany, from Vadim. It was Anna's psychiatric assessment from Cedars-Sinai, which the hospital had sent to her parents. He said he couldn't find the answer in them, but thought maybe Vivian could.
Vivian took the paperwork and showed it to Anna, asking her why she described her father so differently to Dr. Millikan from how she described him to everyone else. She realized that Anna didn't really try to kill herself because that's not the Anna Delvey story. It was just another scam. Anna played everyone in New York and LA and then played Vivian. She said that Anna's visa was about to expire, but that time pauses for hospitalizations, including rehab. Anna was just buying herself some time. She also told Anna that she'd met her father and he was just a father who loved her. Vivian told her she was rooting for Anna and said she didn't have to keep conning people. She encouraged Anna to kill Anna Delvey and stop the con, go back home to Germany to be with her family. Anna said that wasn't her story, so Vivian asked her what her story was. Anna told her she had to figure it out for herself.[9]
Anna's Trial[]
As they prepared for Anna's trial, Anna called Vivian to ask who else was covering it. Vivian said probably The Post, but she didn't know for sure. Anna wanted Vivian to draw more interest, but Vivian said she wasn't doing that.
On Anna's first day in court, she refused to get dressed because she said the clothes the court provided were ugly and the clothes her stylist provided were dropped off at Rikers instead of the courthouse. Todd begged Vivian to go buy Anna an outfit. She agreed in exchange for all the discovery he had on the case. When she returned, Anna got dressed and court began.
Vivian sat in the audience with Neff. When they saw Anna looking around the room, Vivian realized she was hoping for a larger crowd. Neff tried to take pictures, but Vivian stopped her, saying only press was allowed to take pictures inside the courtroom. Neff tried to get Vivian to take pictures, but she just pointed to the professional photographers in the room and said to get pictures from them. Neff did so and used them to make an Instagram account tracking Anna's trial styles.
Vivian watched as witnesses were called and testified to their involvement with Anna. On the day Rachel was set to be cross-examined, Anna again refused to get dressed, delaying court again. After a day in court, Vivian and Todd went and got a drink. Vivian told Todd to do what it took to win, even though he'd promised Anna not to use his best strategy. While they were together, Todd ignored a call from Anna and encouraged Vivian to do the same when Anna called her. She ignored him and answered the call anyway.
That night, Vivian went through her closet to find a dress for Anna to wear in court. Jack found her and said it was unlike her, which she knew and hated. She said she felt obligated because she'd created this monster.
On the final day, Todd gave his closing statement, in which he tanked Anna, doing exactly what he said he wouldn't do. After the jury was sent to deliberate, Vivian waited with Todd. When Todd said he was leaving to go on vacation with his family once the trial was over, Vivian was shocked, but they agreed their paths would cross again.
They returned to the courtroom for the verdict. Anna was found guilty on all but two counts.
Back at work, Landon and Paul told Vivian they wanted Vivian to write a follow-up as the trial had given additional attention to her original article. However, as they discussed this, Vivian got up and walked out. She went to the bathroom, where she cried and paced. Lou found her in there and she told him she cared about Anna more than she wanted to admit and didn't know what to do. Lou told her she needed to move on to the next story as that was her job.
After Anna was sentence for four to twelve years, Vivian met with Todd again and Todd implied that Vivian's article was responsible for her receiving such a long sentence. Vivian pointed out how Anna's trial was also bringing Todd more business.
Vivian went to Rikers for one last visit before Anna was moved to prison. Vivian apologized to Anna, saying she felt her article was to blame for Anna's sentence. Anna told Vivian that she had made good on her deal and Anna was famous now, which she wanted. They made peace and Vivian agreed to visit Anna in prison.[10]
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
She is married to Jack Mercer.
Familial[]
She and Jack have a daughter, Maddy.
Professional[]
Scriberia Writers[]
After being disgraced by Donovan Lamb, Vivian's desk was moved to Scriberia, where they put the writers they couldn't fire, but didn't trust with anything important. Initially, the writers there, Maud Lewis, Lou Shaw, and Barry Klein, didn't like her, but they grew used to her and even helped her while she wrote the article on Anna Delvey.
Career[]
She is a journalist with Manhattan Magazine.
Notes and Trivia[]
- Netflix bio: A reporter working to salvage her career with just the right story. The Anna Delvey story is her golden ticket – she is willing to face any problem to get it. But as she works on the Anna story, there is one problem she never expected – Anna herself. The more Vivian pursues the truth about Anna, the more attached to Anna she becomes.
- The character of Vivian was based on Jessica Pressler, who wrote the article on which the series is based.
Gallery[]
Episodic[]
Episode Stills[]
Appearances[]
| Inventing Anna | |||||
| #01 | "Life of a VIP" | #04 | "A Wolf in Chic Clothing" | #07 | "Cash on Delivery" |
| #02 | "The Devil Wore Anna" | #05 | "Check Out Time" | #08 | "Too Rich for Her Blood" |
| #03 | "Two Birds, One Throne" | #06 | "Friends in Low Places" | #09 | "Dangerously Close" |