My Brilliant Friend: Season 4 Episode 3 – Review & Recap

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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Storyline Recap

A Mother’s Suffering – Immacolata, Elena, Elisa, Marcello

While Elena has been avoiding all the familiar faces of the neighborhood, with her work stalling on her book, she decides to see her mother for the first time since the incident. Immacolata isn’t in good health. She pushes the idea that a vein burst in her stomach due to Elena’s assault, and things aren’t good with the rest of the family. Elisa is pregnant by Marcello, who is also the boss of Elena’s brothers, and Elena being a well-known mistress doesn’t help.

The real kicker here is that this cough Immacolata has might be cancer, which makes all the time Elena has shied away from home all the worse. Especially since her children barely know her side of the family.

I’m Tough On You Because I Love You – Elena, Dede, Elsa, Lila, Nino, Enzo

With Nino offering the opportunity to go to New York City, Elena is excited, but so comes the question of what to do with the kids? Pietro is working, Adele is not an option, MariaRosa isn’t either, and Immacolata is clearly too sick. So, despite how he likely knows she badmouths him, Nino says Lila could be an option, and she turns out to be.

Mind you, Lila was at the point of wanting to end her pursuit of friendship with Elena when she was asked, but it seems being needed is a love language for Lila. Does this come with her usual to-the-point, maybe even gruff, attitude? Yes. But, while Dede and Elsa were staying with Lila, she helped normalize, even make cool in some ways, Elena’s life. You can see this was a blessing, for while Elsa may still be young enough to go with the flow, Dede is taking note of things and her mother’s decisions.

But, what may truly bring the two closer together is they are now pregnant at the same time. Lila is by Enzo, who is still her partner, and Elena is by Nino. Now, if you thought Lila would let this just be a happy moment and move on, you don’t know Lila because she pushes Elena to use this as a test for Nino to see if Elena is his number one priority or if she is a permanent mistress.

No Matter What, We Can Never Be Perfect – Nino, Elena, Eleonora

So, what was Nino’s response? He was excited but maintained this desire to balance his life with Elena and Eleonora. This was upsetting, but then seeing Nino and Eleonora as a family, an ideal family, not existing as Nino would push as if he was unhappy? Sadly, it wasn’t the last straw, but pushed Elena’s bubble to pop. And even with being allowed or invited around Nino’s family, that doesn’t fix things. It just reminds Elena what she signed up for, which includes Nino’s creepy father, who still lives for the high of Elena, at one time, looking at his poetry in a positive light.

Other Noteworthy Information

• Elisa now played by Claudia Tranchese
• Marcello now played by Lino Musella
• Enzo now played by Pio Stellaccio
• Eleonora now played by Valeria Bello

Review

Highlights

Lila’s Return

Since the beginning, we’ve been a Lila stan, and I’d submit Elena is someone we’ve always tolerated until Lila comes around. Why? Well, because Elena’s story is familiar. She is the one who left because she was smart enough and had the support and the drive, and over and over, she shows us that common sense doesn’t have to match academic achievement.

Now, this isn’t to say Lila hasn’t done many a foolish thing, but I’d submit she never played the victim, didn’t dwell in her misery, and have that go on for multiple episodes, if not a season. So, Lila showing up nearly always acts as a wake-up call for Elena and a push for her to do something rather than settle into the life she was given. With us watching three episodes of Elena being double dumb for Nino, and even putting him over her kids, I hope seeing Eleonora with Nino and them being one happy family will be what she needs to move on.

On The Fence

Things Feel A Bit Drab

We need Elena to move on because the focus on her relationship with Nino and her life revolving around him is making for a drab season. I’m still very much in the mindset of trying to figure out what happened to Lila, which was hinted in the first season, like it was a mystery. So, with that in mind, this extended time with Nino and learning he has become like his father, Elena is as stuck in a toxic relationship like her mother, just without physical abuse, it just isn’t giving me what I’d want or need.

So I dearly hope that with Elena allowing herself back in Lila’s orbit, and maybe willing to leave being a moon in Nino’s universe, things can get interesting.

The Gist

The TLDR Recap/ Review

1. Being back in the neighborhood means Elena has to see her family and address her love/hate relationship with Lila.
2. Regarding her mother, things are complicated as Immacolata deals with losing her children to Marcello, dying, and the one good child losing her wits to a Sarratore.
3. But, what her mother doesn’t know is that Elena is pregnant. Which just so happens to coincide with Lila being the same.
4. Neither have an ideal pregnancy, but while Lila’s body fights to regain autonomy, Elena is still a mistress, no matter what Nino says, or him bringing Elena around her family.
5. This felt like a rather light episode where nothing of interest happened, even with Elena and Lila announcing their pregnancy and Elena trying to blow up Nino’s spot in front of his wife.
6. But this is the final season so to expect something major to happen would be foolish, when you think about it.
7. However, at the very least, Lila is back on screen, and Irene Maiorino matches the same cutting words and looks Gaia Girace gave.
8. I gotta admit though, I feel like they are holding her back and making it so Lila is more talked about than seen, since, no matter who plays Lila, she’ll always be the more interesting character.

General Information

Episode Title

Compromises

Release Date

September 23, 2024

Network

HBO/ Max

Director(s)

Laura Bispuri

Writer(s)

Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci, Saverio Costanzo