In the first ep when I was paying attention a bunch of stuff didn't make sense.

Or maybe it's more about selling the fantasy from the other side - the idea of how it would feel to be drawn into her circle

That's a very good point. It was like they just went for certain emotional beats and didn't much care how they got there. It's like a fantasy of easily breaking in or getting swept up in her wake. A bunch of wish fulfillment that makes no sense just doesn't work for me... especially since it involves things I am familiar with like NYC and air travel.