My Brilliant Friend: Season 4 – Review | Too Much Is Rushed To End On A High Note

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Number of Episodes	10
Season Premiere	9/9/2024
Season Finale	11/11/2024
Network	HBO Max
Genre(s)	Drama, Non-English (Italian), Historical (1970s)
Character Name	Actor
Elena	Alba Rohrwacher
Nino	Fabrizio Gifuni
Dede	Vittoria Cozza
Elsa	Fatima Credendino
Pietro	Pier Giorgio Bellocchio
Lila	Irene Maiorino
Enzo	Pio Stellaccio
Alfonso	Renato De Simone

Plot Summary

With Elena back under the influence of Nino, she spends years of her life choosing him over her eldest children, Dede and Elsa, and even throws away her marriage to Pietro in the process. However, the most painful thing to watch is seeing her also set aside her once burgeoning career for this man.

As this happens, Lila, who is still in the old neighborhood, thrives. With a computer business, with a software program that is the envy of even the Solaras, Enzo by her side, and a growing sense of power, things are good – until they aren’t. For as seen over three seasons, Lila’s high points never last, just as Elena’s low points don’t either. But, as Elena finds herself returning home, the two, who sometimes seem more like frenemies than anything else, find each other, bond, and help each other navigate the tumultuous life they have for daring to be smart and bold women.

Review

Our Rating (72/100): Mixed (Stick Around)

Due to rarely getting the chance to enjoy having new actors or what this phase of life brings to their characters, the final season of “My Brilliant Friend” often feels rushed in the worst way. It simply wants to hit the main points of the story and not allow us to fall in love with these characters all over again.

Audience

With this being the final season, I would submit “My Brilliant Friend” more geared to people who want to finish the story and finally gain some grasp on what happened to Lila, which is hinted at at the beginning of the series when she is noted as missing.

Highlights

Lila

For nearly the entire series, Lila has been the hook of “My Brilliant Friend.” As the character who lacked privilege and had to fight, more often verbally than physically, to get respect and safety and be seen as brilliant as Elena was because of her education, you easily felt and rooted for Lila. Season 4 is no different because while Elena repeats her mistakes, often showing book smarts don’t necessarily spill over into other intelligences, Lila is different.

For one, Irene Maiorino easily picks up where Gaia Girace left off, and the casting is immaculate. She has the same attitude, vibe, and ability to make you feel like the most important or disgusting person with a look. But, what truly is worth noting is her story. From the computer software company she runs to the games she plays through Alfonso, you see a slightly cruel yet kinder than the Solaras leader.

Then, when you factor in her relationship with Elena? Even though Lila is hard on Elena, you understand it is because she knows what Elena is capable of. Most are in awe of Elena or praise her because of her education and accomplishments, but Lila sees through that. She sees Lila settling for lesser men, not being consistent, and letting her talents and privileges go to waste despite all she can do with it.

In many ways, there is a constant trade between who should be seen as the brilliant friend in the show, and that’s because of Lila. For as much as you may look and point at her, because she did so much despite being given so little, and it often being taken away from her, at the same time, part of her brilliance comes from knowing Elena and her competitiveness, making it so she could never stand them being anything less than equals.

Low Points

Not Being Able To Get Acclimated To The New Actors

The final season of “My Brilliant Friend” begins with new actors playing many familiar roles, and some characters even have multiple actors in this one season. On top of that, it is clearer that years are going by as you see Lila and Elena’s children grow up and the various shifts that happen around them. For me, this presented a challenge since you could never get settled and comfortable with any actor and what they uniquely bring to a character.

Yes, we spend the entire season with Maiorino and Rohrwacher, but they don’t get the same time as their predecessors to own the characters. As noted, when it comes to Lila, you see Maiorino mainly take on what Girace did for the character, and because she gets only one season, compared to Girace being in nearly every season, she doesn’t really get to leave her mark. Add in the time jumps, which seem focused on hitting major plot points from the book, and what you are left with feels like a cliff notes version of an audiobook – across the board.

Growing Tired Of Elena’s Self-Imposed Misery

We have struggled with Elena since the beginning of the show since she is the type whose envy and jealousy often lead her to settle to say she has something. Her relationship with Nino drives this home, and watching her set aside her children and her career for a man who is married and seemingly wants her on the hook as some sort of trophy is infuriating. What makes things worse, though, is that most of the season is Elena going back and forth about how she feels about Nino, until an incident in episode 6. However, by that point, it is easy to understand why anyone would be done, never mind doubtful Elena could win them back.

Which she ends up not doing, as the rest of the season mainly has Elena acting as a witness to what happens to Lila and the neighborhood. This leaves us with Elena seemingly writing the books this show is based on and making it seem, as felt throughout the series, that she injected herself and her stories to prop herself up, even while Lila was the hook.

On The Fence

Feeling Like All Storylines Were Rushed Through

Just as the character development felt rushed, so did the story. Despite two additional episodes, compared to the usual 8, it seemed any storyline that would have allowed us some form of connection to the world or people in it was sped through to cover the final book. Whether it was how the neighborhood changed or even dealing with the major incidents that happen throughout, especially in episode 9, you can rarely enjoy what is going on and not feel like someone is trying to rush to the finish to send you on your way.

This isn’t to say the performances were bad, but there is this feeling that the final book could have used two seasons, but with nearly two years between seasons, the investment was gone. They wanted to finish their obligations, they being HBO and their partners, especially since this may have critical acclaim, but it wasn’t a ratings success nor brought home any accolades.

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