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From raising children, creating new families, and rediscovering themselves, Elena and Lila may struggle in their friendship but find ways to flourish in their individual lives.
| Network | HBO |
| Premiere | February 6, 2022 |
| Genre(s) | Drama, Romance, Young Adult, Non-English, Historical |
| Noted Characters | |
| Elena (Lenù) Greco | Margherita Mazzucco |
| Next Gen Elena | Alba Rohrwacher |
| Lila | Gaia Girace |
| Dede | Sofia Luchetti |
| Nino | Francesco Serpico |
| Gigliola | Rosaria Langellotto |
| Pietro Airota | Matteo Cecchi |
| Immacolata | Annarita Vitolo |
| Enzo | Giovanni Buselli |
Summary
For several years, within the 1970s, we watch Elena continues to follow in her best friend, Lila’s, footsteps from getting into a loveless marriage, motherhood, and even being seduced by her childhood crush, Nino, once more. But not everything is about relationships for Elena or Lila, the romantic kind anyway. Both ladies also reach heights in their work as Lila surpasses her partner, Enzo, in the burgeoning IT industry, and Elena? Well, while Pietro is the one always working, Elena is the one who has published two books over a decade. Both of which focus on what life is like as a woman in a personal novel, trekking her life in Florence, and then something far more academic.
But naturally, things aren’t all about Lila and Elena and their frenemy relationship. Communism and fascism clash throughout Naples, Milan, and Italy as a whole and cause death, confrontation, and upheaval. Even without that, as the Solara family expands their reach, families, and businesses are either bowing down or being squashed.
This ultimately gives us a rather dramatic season, mainly using Elena’s point of view, that closes the chapter on Elena and Lila coming of age, with their years as teenagers behind them and now the two in full-fledge adulthood.
Things To Note
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- Who is going to be cast as the older Lila?
What Could Happen Next
- Nino and Elena breaking up, maybe after she has another kid
- Dede and Elena having an immensely complicated relationship – can you imagine her rebellion phase after her father coerced her to know her mother was having an affair with a family friend?
- Elena’s family is going to treat her as Lila’s did after she left Stefano, maybe worse
- Maybe learning why, in the first season, Elena notes Lila is missing
Review
Highlights
Understanding The Toxic Relationship Between Elena And Lila
One of the things that I found myself constantly questioning, especially in this season of My Brilliant Friend, is why Lila and Elena remain friends? Is it because neither really have the skills to form new and meaningful friendships, or maybe even the capacity? Could it be that, after knowing each other for so long, they don’t want to throw away one of the most significant relationships in their life? Or could it be, as noted multiple times by Lila and seen through Elena’s actions and hearing her inner thoughts, they draw from one another?
In the season, Lila repeatedly notes how she lives vicariously through Elena. Perhaps similar to Elena’s mom, Immacolata, figuring that, if she had Elena’s privilege, she’d go as far, if not farther, so to watch her is to get a taste of what she deserves. Yet, as Lila repeatedly says, Elena squanders the privilege of a college education, her youth, and her looks, and you can see a bit of resentment and tension from Lila because of that.
Then, on the opposite side, Elena envies Lila, who only had a 3rd-grade education, being able to command rooms and attention without making as much of an effort. It, in fact, seems to infuriate Elena to the point of obsession. Elena constantly needs to one-up Lila to prove she has truly done something, and not exist on Lila’s treaded road but be forging her own path.
However, as we see, Elena can’t escape Lila. She is the boogeyman in her dreams, and while Elena is sadly someone who seeks validation from nearly every interaction, Lila is put on a pedestal. Almost to the point that, as much as Nino is portrayed as the love of Elena’s life, you could imagine that Lila might be the one if things were different, specifically Elena’s sexuality. Lila could be the one who Elena was deeply in love with and hated for knowing she could never have her as she’d like.
Lila & The Other Ladies Of The Show
In many ways, the neighborhood, once abandoned by Elena, becomes an afterthought. Yes, Lila represents what is going on, especially after she and Enzo return, but often it is just quick news about what the Solaras are doing or Elena’s now estranged family. But, when it comes to life beyond the gossip? The women of the neighborhood present the type of contrast that makes Elena tumble further into being the boring character who is forced upon you despite all else going on.
I mean, getting Lila out of the way, watching her command control over her life, and having physical autonomy remains such a highlight of this series. While others, like Gigliola, have to take what they can get, make the best of it, and suffer – though rarely in silence, Lila isn’t like that. Her long-term plans may require short-term sacrifices, but she continually comes out on top. And it makes you always question what is going on with Lila and understanding why Elena has a low current hatred for her brilliant friend.
But Lila isn’t alone. The aforementioned Gigliola gets a handful of scenes when she communicates directly with Elena that are memorable. For like Lila, being vulnerable isn’t something she has the opportunity to be too often. So having her be honest, open herself up, and expose the parts of her that have given up, just thinking about it, makes me emotional and really pushes the idea the writers know there is a world outside of Elena. The problem is, this show is all from Elena’s point of view, so to stay on anyone too much means to break the premise.
Yet, it’s not just the adults who I feel deserve praise for the complexity of their performances. Even Elena’s daughter, Dede, deserves applause, especially in the season finale. This child is subject to a woman, Elena, trying to not be like her mother. So Dede is generally loved and well protected. However, their world comes crashing down due to their mother putting her own happiness before that of her children. As shown, it pushes Dede to wonder if she can be part of her mother’s joy or with her father being abandoned, does that mean she will as well? After all, she is a potential liability, and her mother left her each time she went to have fun and be happy. So with the proclamation, she is leaving. So what does this mean for her?
Now, I won’t say Dede’s actress will put you through the wringer and cause tears, but she is entrusted enough to deliver what is needed to dismantle anything you could use to justify Elena’s actions. Never mind, push you to remember the sub-heading of the season regarding “Those who leave, those who stay.”
Elena & The Side Effects Of Prolonged Cruel Treatment
For nearly all of Elena’s life, she has lived in Lila’s shadow. It’s well established, but what isn’t probably noted as much is how that lack of light, since Lila was blocking the shine like a canopy in the forest, really took something from Elena. There is a moment in episode 7 that has really stuck with me. There has always been a “but” when it comes to any compliment or accomplishment in Elena’s life.
Elena published a book, graduated college, and all these major things. Her mother makes it seem if she was given the same privilege, she’d do just as well. When Elena presents Lila with her book, she is happy for her but feels it isn’t her or her voice when she tells Elena the truth. Pietro marries Elena, but rather than provide her the tools to flourish like the rest of the women in his family, he damns her to housework and raising children she didn’t want to have so early in their marriage.
So when it came to Nino, just giving a compliment and not making it sugar on top of s***, it helps you understand why Elena is how she is and makes herself small and doesn’t speak up when it matters. Why she is so in her head and doesn’t truly live out loud. Heck, I’d even say her whole affair with Nino? That is her first time truly rebelling and seeking out what makes her happy rather than following the example set by others (even though Lila had him first).
But, overall, what we’re trying to say is, Elena is finally taking a real risk. Elena is finally not just seeking to be content or seek a means to escape from the neighborhood. So it should be interesting to see if she now has a consistent reason to smile.
Low Points
Elena Perpetually In Lila’s Shadow
A major issue in the last season, and still an issue in the episodes of season 3, is this show can often feel like a drag when we’re supposed to focus solely on Elena and not watch her share a scene or screen time with Lila. The reason for this is obvious, since, as noted at least a few times thus far, Elena is constantly compared to Lila. So with that, it pushes Lila to feel like the lead, the one you should be interested in, and to be left with Elena, who is still figuring herself out? If not repeating Lila’s mistakes with slightly different circumstances and people? It grows tiresome.
Add in how much space Lila takes in Elena’s head to the point that she cannot see or talk to her for days and weeks, yet she is still a constant presence? It makes you hate when Elena has something good going and is really proving herself to be the brilliant friend, not Lila, and then Lila makes a last-minute appearance like:
Overall
Our Rating: Positive (Watch This)
While Elena can sometimes be frustrating to watch as she allows people to put her down or she obsesses over what Lila would do, something about her feels made for those who don’t see themselves as the main character of their lives. Elena is the epitome of being on autopilot and doing all you’re expected to do in order to have a happy life, and then realizing the goalpost will forever move no matter what you do.
Go to school, find a career, get married, have kids, make a home, host dinner parties, stay in contact with old friends, etc. There is this idea that you’ll be happy or at least have access to joy by doing all of this. Yet, as Elena showed us, many of these things only make you miserable and even question who you are outside of these accomplishments people say you have made. And for that, we say season 3 of My Brilliant Friend is something to watch. It can be aggravating in the moment, but it makes you think more and more in the long run and presents one of the most compelling coming-of-age stories, not just focused on women but done in a serial format.
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