Inventing Anna

[olivermoss]

I watched the first so episodes so far. It's allegedly based on the true story of someone who conned New York elite. I've heard really good things about it, but..



The plot so far makes absolutely no sense. She flew constantly, sometimes internationally, with her boyfriend for two years. Somehow, he didn't know what name was on her ID. He paid for the tickets. When you buy tickets for a flight, legal names are needed!

Even if he sent her money and she bought the tickets each time, has he never seen her boarding pass? Seen her check in? Has she never been paged to talk to the gate attendant? Presumably, some of these tickets were first class. Did they not once use the first class lounge at the airport? When you check into one you hand over your ticket and ID, and they go "Welcome, [preferred-salutation] [last-name]".

In fact, sometimes when I've boarded the gate attendant has said my name. Some airlines just do that.

The airline also puts your full legal name on your luggage in 2 separate places, both the big flappy thing they put around the handle and also a separate square sticker on the bottom.

Him finding out her real name is the plot point the show has been leading to and there is no way, absolutely no way that happened.

Being that this is a show about a con artist, I want to follow the plot. But the plot, it makes no sense. That is absolutely not how air travel works at any level.

I don't doubt this is all based on a true story, but to have to have it work as a mini-series I assume they changed things and restructured it. But so far several things just make no sense.

This post brought to you by the fact I've flown entirely too often and also I am used to crime/con dramas that may fudge a few details, but have plots that make sense.

Comments

[mistressofmuses]

I'm not sure I'd say the plot ever seemed to really come together. There are parts that it sounds like were truly pretty close to the "real story", but some parts I had a very hard time quite believing.

Mainly how you can absolutely fool and con people, but some things (like international air travel!) remain very much something with an actual paper trail. The international travel *thing* stays super prominent, and I don't think it was ever addressed.

[olivermoss]

Wow, that would have drive me crazy. I know most people haven't flown as much as I have or have luggage stickers in their hallway, but still, it's just baffling to have that as a main plot point.

[mistressofmuses]

Yeah, it took me a while (I think until they were really leaning on the boyfriend not knowing her name) to notice how *weird* that would be with international travel. I haven't flown much, and never first class, but post 9/11? I feel like there's no way her name wouldn't have been revealed in some way. Unless boyfriend was just THAT oblivious.

With the later friends she traveled with (internationally! still!) they don't emphasize people not knowing her name so much, but even so...

If that WAS legitimately part of her grift, that she really DID somehow travel without having her real name shared around... then I want to know how! Lean into *that*, because that's some wild shit!

[olivermoss]

Exactly! If she was managing to travel while concealing her name that's the crunchy bit! That's the main grift, that's where the tension and glimpse into how cons work is!

I didn't even get into TSA check and stuff like that. It's nuts.

[mistressofmuses]

Right?? That would be an absolutely bonkers fascinating thing to look at, instead of just handwaving it!

But seriously. In a post-9/11 world, please do not tell me that even a snide socialite manages to skip TSA.

I guess at least some of the later travel was done on private flights rather than commercial, which could change SOME of the procedures, but it's still not a free-for-all.

[olivermoss]

I've heard private air travel is looser and more discreet, but a lot of what had to be commercial with the amounts of money she was chasing. Last minute tickets to other countries are a ton of money, even in coach.

If there is even a grain of truth to this, then the boyfriend had to know and be in on it. Or it's just all bombastic BS for wish fulfillment

[mistressofmuses]

I'm sure private air travel would be a lot more discreet, especially with something like a last name, and *some* of what she conned seemed to include private travel. But yeah, a hefty chunk had to be commercial, ...and that DOES become a plot point again, actually, now that I think of it: she begged her personal trainer friend to buy her a plane ticket (because she was stuck overseas) and the friend agreed but then also said that Anna had asked her to upgrade it to first class.
The later friends would probably have bought her excuse about the last name, so that may not be as big a deal, but still!

But yeah, I still find it very hard to believe the early boyfriend was that oblivious.

Parts of it DO seem to be close to the "true story" as it's alleged to have happened... but I would have liked a better look into the how of the cons, rather than the who of Anna. So maybe my dissatisfaction is just due to it not being what I wish it was.

[olivermoss]

It was promoted as a mostly true story, not... whatever emotional manipulation that all was. Unless the real con was the story and how it presented her, so she can keep making money, no con mechanics where shown and nothing makes sense.

[mistressofmuses]

Yeah, I think what it was marketed as (and what I watched it for) was very different than what it actually was.
And maybe that's part of my biggest issue with it - it feels like it IS trying to get you to be part of the con, to take her side or at least feel like you understand or care about her, even as she had a sociopathic level of disregard for people she hurt. The fact that some of the characters ultimately state as much (along the lines of "why am I so invested in her? I know she doesn't care about me.") doesn't really make it better. Emotionally manipulative is the right way to put it, I think. The show seemed to try and force certain conclusions that just... don't work for me.

And I wanted interesting shit about the con itself, beyond "she stole a credit card number" and "lied on paperwork", not "aren't you in awe of this total #girlboss?"

[olivermoss]

It's got very #girlboss, if you want it take, to be rich you just have to really want it vibes. Watch in 2 or 3 years there will be a viral video essay on how the show was the real con all along :)

[mistressofmuses]

It has super #girlboss vibes, which I just do not vibe with, lol.

I bet you're right - "the article and the Netflix show based on it were the real con!"