The Cleaning Lady (Season 3 Episode 4) Review/ Recap
As Thony deals with her family being lost in the desert, Nadia begins to stumble trying to use whoever she can to find Arman.
[Unless Said Otherwise] Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Plot Recap
With Spoilers
Careful who You Are Dealing With – Nadia, Katherine, Jorge, Ramona
Nadia’s desperation leads her to a vulnerable position. She liquidates one million dollars and hands over $100,000 to a bounty hunter to find Arman. This triggers two things: The first is Katherine, who sees the transaction, using it as an excuse to freeze all of Robert’s assets and force Nadia to heel.
Following her is Ramona coming face to face with Nadia since she has become aware of the bounty hunter. Like with Thony, Ramona comes with the push of peace and cooperation. Naturally, upon seeing Jorge with Ramona, she thinks that isn’t possible, but with her money locked up, what choice does she have?
So, by opening up to Ramona and seemingly gaining her trust, Ramona blows up Robert’s sports betting place so Nadia can collect the insurance money to hold her over until she can free up Robert’s money, which the FBI has locked up.
Plans Gone Awry – Fiona, Camilla, Chris
Things look dire for Fiona, Chris, and Camilla after they are abandoned in the desert. They lack water, will soon face desert heat to freezing temperatures, and there is no sign of civilization anywhere near where they are.
Luckily, when they split up, Fiona is able to find another coyote who is kind enough to let them join their current group, and through all this, Camilla and Chris bond.
Jorge Warming Up To Thony? – Jorge, Thony, Fiona, Camilla, Chris, JD, Jaz, Luca
However, their bond is almost ended when self-appointed border patrol swoop in and attack their truck. But, with Jorge and Thony already looking for them, since Thony was causing a big stink, they are rescued before anyone could become seriously hurt. This leads to Thony’s family finally being reunited in the United States, but as things begin to calm down and Camilla goes to find her mom, it becomes clear that JD is going to reassert himself for Jaz’s safety and could even get involved in Luca’s case.
Cast Guide
| Character’s Name | Actor’s Name |
| Nadia | Eva De Dominici |
| Katherine | Clayton Cardenas |
| Jorge | Santiago Cabrera |
| Ramona | Kate del Castillo |
| Fiona | Martha Millan |
| Camilla | Esméralda Camargo |
| Chris | Sean Lew |
| Thony | Élodie Yung |
| JD | Ryan Sands |
| Jaz | Faith Bryant |
| Luca | Sebastien LaSalle, Valentino LaSalle |
Review
Highlights
Ramona Presenting Herself As Formidable
Thus far, Ramona hasn’t been presented as strong. Between Jorge undermining her and Thony exploiting her relationship with Arman to get what she wants, Ramona has not seemed like La Jefa. However, in this episode, there was a push to remind us that power may have often been shown, mainly by men, through coercion, guns, and explosive moments, but that isn’t always necessary.
Soft power, in terms of negotiation, knowing when to let someone feel like they are in power, is necessary for long-term survival. Ramona wouldn’t have the FBI contacts and the large organization she has if she didn’t let machismo men think they had some kind of power, influence, or even autonomy. It’s all about picking and choosing when to show hard power, blow something up or kill someone.
And what makes Ramona formidable is, considering how long of a rope Jorge and Thony have, and how it seemed like she was going to kill Nadia rather than help her with her problem, you don’t know when she may decide to use her resources.
On The Fence
Jorge Warming Up To Thony
While Ramona has shown soft power is necessary and a powerful tool, I’d submit Thony has long overextended her hand regarding presenting the appearance she has power. But, lucky for her, part of soft power is about forming alliances, and in terms of Garrett, Arman, and others, she has learned how to manipulate many through using Luca, offering her abilities as a doctor and cleaner, and maybe even seduction.
But, I believe that it shouldn’t work every time. So Jorge warming up to her, seeming like the latest person to fall for her, it is worth rolling your eyes.
Nadia
I think Nadia is just about at her expiration date. Without Arman, with the level of desperation, she is playing, unless she is ultimately a wild card who blows up Sin Cara, Thony’s life, or the FBI, I’m unsure of what they could do with her.
Long-Term Plans For Thony’s Family
With Chris and Fiona home, so ends the saga and the opportunity for them to have a storyline outside of Thony. So, the question is: What’s next? Chris gave Camilla his number, but who knows if anything will blossom from that? JD will seemingly drum up issues we saw from his last time being featured on the show, allowing Jaz to have screen time, but what else is there?
Will the FBI get involved since Katherine knows Thony is up to something, never mind is well aware of Thony and Fiona’s immigration status? Knowing Arman is gone and it being unlikely they will recast the role, there is just a desire for one storyline to have an end goal that can be foreseen in some way.
Background Information
| Episode Title | Agua, Fuego, Tierra, Viento |
| Release Date | March 26, 2024 |
| Network | FOX |
| Director(s) | Batan Silva |
| Writer(s) | Eddie Serrano |
| Previous Episode | Season 3/ Episode 3 |
| Series Page | The Cleaning Lady |
| Character Guide | The Cleaning Lady Cast and Character Guide |
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