That last hug! 😭 Lila knows she won't see Lenu again. Even though Lila figured out that the kidnappers may have taken the wrong child, she left out this was most likely caused by the article on the Solaras she asked Lenu to write. Remember....Lenu didn't want to send it in, but Lila forged her signature and sent it. Lila knows all of this, and it's a mixture of grief and guilt that takes her over the edge. Lila is brilliant, but her brilliance can't save her from those terrible emotions. When Lenu says she is only concerned with Pasquale and Lila so that she had forgotten about Dede's exams, she sums up her entire life as a mother. She is focused on other things. She doesn't judge herself. She just states it as a fact. Easy to imagine her girls will grow up to regard her in the same way, second. This series was an absolute masterpiece. TY so much for your recaps and thoughts.
Very well said. Elena never excuses her behaviour she just acknowledges it and moves on. That hug was heartbreaking. Lila wanted to use Elena fame to her own advantage but in the end it may have backfired Thank you for watching
When Lila was scolding Elena about how she did not raise Elsa right because Elsa stole from her mother and betrayed her sister, she seemed to have memory loss. Lila and Elena were like sisters and Lila was the one who betrayed Elena when she first hooked up with Nino. In Ischia when Lila was explaining to Elena that she was falling in love with Nino as if it was just happening to her and she couldn't help it, it sounded hauntingly similar to Elsa's letter to Dede.
I don’t have any friends watching this show so it was nice to have you here for me to visit and hear your comments. Thanks so much for that! Best wishes. 🌻
@mariodimaio9291 Same.. I LOVED this show. I don't understand why Lila wanted to hurt Elena so much. I felt all the emotions and pain of this show. And the face the Solara guy had when he slapped Lila, he hated to do it but he knew it had to be done. I hate that this show is over.
I loathe and love Lila and Lenu for all their nuanced complexities, and marvel at how well this masterpiece series depicted the cultural structures and tragedies that formed them. Lila, forever the enigma, still manages to manipulate the emotions of Lenu, one last time by holding on to the very tie that formed their friendship, the dolls. Was it a demonstration of control or was it a gesture of profound affection. This is the beauty of the writing; it allows us the reader/viewer to weave in our life experiences to fill in the blanks. *Tears* These characters and their brilliantly portrayed lives will live in my memory forever.
I agree. I go back and forth. Sometimes one is unbearable and sometimes the other. The dolls will forever mess with me. As usual we don’t know for sure what Lila is communicating but she knew sending her those dolls would trigger chaos in her brain
"Good books don't make good people; just because you're well educated on paper doesn't mean that you know as much about the world as you think you do." - That, my friend, was brilliant 👏🏼 BRAVISSIMA👏🏼 Thank you for a wonderful 10 weeks of reviews + commentaries - Monday, nights will never be the same 😭😭😭
Thank you for your insightful comments ! I’m so sad I don’t know what to do with myself. 😫😫😫 This is why the binging model doesn’t work you don’t get the sense of community. If you know of other hidden gems please let me know and I’ll cover .
being illiterate doesn’t guarantee your genuineness or goodness either. it may guarantee your living in poverty in a neighbourhood like the rione, filled with drugs, mobsters, abusive husbands and no way out.
I couldn't agree more! I don't think we'll ever find such a captivating and beautiful foreign film series as M.B.F. I wish we could just start all over from the beginning 😭😭😭 I adore foreign films, and I love period pieces even more. M.B.F. checks all the boxes for me. Before Ferrante's masterpiece was turned into a series, only one other foreign film series intrigued and captivated me in a similar way. It is a Spanish film series (another visually striking period piece with an exciting plot and a strong female lead). Are you familiar with this one? The Time In Between
Thank you for making these reviews I wish this show had the spot light in the US right now because it’s so heartbreakingly beautiful and encapsulating of the female experience.
Here from the United States 😊 absolutely obsessed with this series. It’s probably my favorite series in life up to this point. So deeply moving. Sad it’s over.
I want to think Lila found peace. She left the hideous life she had been living for decades and is now seeing the world and finally becoming the person she’d always wanted to be - shades of Lenu (maybe). In the end, Lila has won this game we call “life”. Lenu has not. Thank you so so much for these recaps. They are appreciated and now they’ll be missed. Now, onto reading the novels!
Thank you for watching I agree. There is so much about Lila life we don’t see and I think the ending was a sign that despite everything she has found a way to endure
@ one more thing… I’ve debated countless times over the last several years WHO “the brilliant friend” is… love that you brought this up. It’ll be an age old question!
@TBJaeger I was thinking with Elena’s book everyone is going to focus on how hard Lila’s life is and how Elena really pulls through . Which is exactly what we have been doing Maybe the point of the series was to examine Lila and not Elena. Lila is held to such a high standard by Elena and for that reason we assume she is the brilliant friend. Lila also regards Elena as the smartest person she knows. They are both brilliant but with Lila no one will ever get to appreciate it. Maybe that’s why she writes about her to let the world know about this brilliant friend who had the potential to change the world
@alwayswatching2295 I think that partially Lila's story is about lost potential of many-many women who were denied of education. How many brilliant girls didn't make it because of "girls don't need to study" in the past?
I love hearing your impressions. I will go back and watch all of your videos. And rewatch the series. Is it possible that she sent the dolls to say "I love you forever, my dear friend". I will remember you, our bond, don't forget me. I am with you.
@@alwayswatching2295 these dolls started everything. Lila made don Achile pay for thèm so they could buy the "Little women" That started their dream to become writers. Lenu became one at the end.
For me the ending of the dolls represents just a way of saying that we never met the real Lila in her entirety and that we shouldn't try, and that's okay, I don't think anyone can understand us 100% more than ourselves, because we will never be sincere in our entirety with someone else, even if we think we are and even if others swear that they really know us. Gave one last clue, in case someone doubted, about the sentimental side of Lila that represented with the dolls shows, was always there. I think it was also her way of letting Lenu know that she was okay, knowing that Lenu would be asking herself, because Lenu always looked for her or was keep an eye as soon as she knew that Lila might need her; wanting Elena to be at peace, so that in turn, she could also be at peace. About writing about her knowing that Lila didn't want it, I thought it was her way of for the first time having the courage to do something that Lila wouldn't approve of without hesitating for a moment or being afraid of what she would say and on the one hand telling a story for a "greater good." That people could know a little bit of the Lila that Lenu met, because almost no one else knew little more about that Lila's background and how much she did and suffered, which is a person to admire. Maybe Lila didn't want to be remembered, but she was a person who deserved to be known, I mean if Elena hadn't written about her we wouldn't have met her (like in real life, people are remembered by the stories that others wrote about them and we learn a lot about it, maybe sometimes it's good to have someone else tell your story to have more of an argument and perspective and I think that it is something that Lila would have accepted. I don't think Lila would be angry because Elena write her story, I mean obviously she would get angry because she asked her not to do it and she didn't want to leave a trace, which she complied in the end just as she told her, but she really was a person worth knowing even if it was from someone else's perspective and who better than Elena to write it, and well, Elena could never understand Lila 100% so in part Lila would continue to have that privacy she wanted, since no one as such, not even Elena, knew her in her entirety, just as Lila always decided, she revealed about herself what she wanted people to perceive of her. For me it is a story of friendship and also of love maybe not in a romantic or sexual way, but I think it narrates in a very realistic way what it is really to love someone and have such a strong bond, maybe one in a hundred live times can have a friendship as strong as theirs. They truly were the love of theirs lives, staying faithful and loving a person so much despite sometimes...hate, get angry, distance yourself, even when there is envy, when you have to be honest about what you feel, not liking what you gonna hear but deep down accepting the wisdom that is in those words, lying to each other to protect the other, accepting that you are not thanked directly even though you give everything of yourself to help, knowing that what it does hurts you and still follow through with it but knowing that it is never from a place of genuine hate. Knowing that despite everything that person is the only person in the world who is the closest to understanding you and above all accepting you as you are. Don't get me wrong these are not aspects of a healthy relationship/friendship xd they can be aspects of a very toxic relationship as sometimes we could see their friendship become, it is not right to accept them, but here it is in a different way, I don't know how to explain it, simply watching the series it is remarkable that both Lila and Elena know the reason for their reactions and interactions. Of course Elena could have misinterpreted many things but if she strongly perceived some things in that way and always wondered why Lila's actions, with that type of narrative, for me Lila was brutally sincere in what she said, she may have intentionally said things in a certain way so as never to reveal her truth or what she really wanted to say and prefer to keep it for herself but I think she always provided the necessary explanations. In the end, although we can never know her perspective or the reason for her actions, I am very thankful for everything she represented. Sorry for so much text 🥲😭, but I feel that it is the only place where I can talk about this wonderful series, thank you very much for giving us this space, I really really appreciated being able to come here to watch your videos at the end of each episode, as if I could discuss the series with a friend. Thank you very much ❤
Thank you for this beautiful comment. I’m happy people were able to gather and discuss their feelings . I read all the comments and sometimes think about them for days If you have any recommendations please let me know! In terms of Lila I agree. I think that shot of a young Lila walking to the shadows triggered Elena to pull her out of the shadows. Lila was someone that could’ve changed the world and like so many women before her , life lead her down a different path. I think the contrast between Elena and Lila is interesting in that they both view the other as brilliant. Elena has survived an environment hostile to people from her background and became successful. Lila did the same but in a different way. I thought it was telling how she thrived in the IT sector one normally dominated by men. They were both trailblazers but in different ways. Lila decision to send her dolls after writing the book I think was a way of telling her she always thought her books were good and she was proud of her for making it. I’m torn about Elena ability to write Lila story. People will read it and assume Elena as the brilliant friend that made it and Lila with the hard life . But they both struggled in different ways and succeeded at the end.
@@alwayswatching2295 i would recommend "the best of Youth"/ "la meglio gioventu". although this is actually a 2 part film, it was initially conceived as a mini series and it feels like one in many ways. Also, it unfolds over decades covering many key moment of Italian history, social, political and cultural events of the second half of the 20th century very similarly to My brilliant friend...
@@alwayswatching2295 Thank you for taking the time to respond 💕 As for recommendations, assuming you're referring to other series 😅, honestly right now I'm not really into the history of any other series but there are some that I could recommend that I really appreciated at the time and that I also didn't 't have anyone to talk to, some based on books, I think they're really good despite not being so successful, at least here in Mexico. His Dark Materials The 100 The OA Saint X and as for more recognized shows The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Thank you 🙂
You did such an amazing job unpacking this series. My parents are from Ischia so this show and the characters are so near and dear to my heart. The Neapolitan dialect is authentic. Tina's disappearing was so devastating..almost too hard to watch, wish the ending had closure.
I never said it to you So as it is a final. Thank you for your reviews! We needed this place for discussion. Because when I look at the comments section on instagram or somewhere else many people watch this without diving deep or understanding these flawed complex women. Just hate watching and constantly judging, demonizing everything. Thank you for your piece of mind. P.S: Lila was intended to be such haunting character. Even the biggest tragedy of her life(Enzo's too) doesn't have closure.
I'm brazilian and although my family is italian, I'm ignorant enough to only have got to know Ferrante's work since that fantastic Olivia Colman movie, The Lost Daughter. I discovered this series by chance a few months ago, and I was obsessed with it, as I was obsessed with your weekly reviews! Thank you so much for your work, you're incredible, truly!! To anyone reading this, please check out Alba Rohrwacher's sister's filmography: she's called Alice Rohrwacher, and she's a fenomenal director (Alba is a regular on her sister's movies, also)! My Brilliant Friend has got to be the best drama series of all times, I'm gonna miss it so much!
To understand Li, you need to understand her emotional scars. When she was delivering Tina, she was projecting her father's hatred of her. When she left, she did so because she was finally giving herself the time and space she needed all her life to heal. She needed to be alone to do this because it is a personal journey. The dolls were a message of love and a goodbye because Lenu would only remind Li of her former life, one she has decided to put a line under. This way, she can start new, without the pain and bad memories. Some people can't heal with others around. Li is too independent to do it with support, she was on her own as a child, she needs to be on her own so she can survive anew. Her meanness were just cracks in the amor.
I’m SO sad it’s over 😭😭😭 It was so well done, they brought the books to life brilliantly. I hope she writes a book series about her daughters. I would love to see where they land. I lived in the suburbs for most of my life. When I was a junior in HS, my parents divorced and we moved to my Grandma’s house with my Mom, which was in the HOOD!! My brother succumbed to the crime and drug life. I went the religious route and moved to SoCal. This story really hit home. I resonated with all of it and the characters really felt close to home. A beautiful story, thanks for reviewing it 💜💜💜
I’m in mourning. I don’t know what to do with myself. Thank you for sharing. I do think Elena was lucky that Elsa never used drugs because it seems like everyone was addicted to something in that neighbourhood
To me returning the dolls simply means : i am giving you, your life back. Lila enrolled Elena in her entreprise of fighting the mafia and staying with her. Remenber, Lila didn't want Elena to go to school because she wasn't going herself. Lila was always scared that Elena would go away without her, because she knew Elena was brilliant and could carry on by herself. Lila was always the one who was scared to be trapped and scared of her surrondings , of the neighborhood. Elena is more detached , more relaxed about it . Lila has a fire inside her, she wants to fight the injustice, the Solara. But ... to her downfalls. While Elena accepts it. Lila sees herself in Elena, Elena is a part of Lila. She made it so by throwing Elena's doll into the basement. Elena's doll is elena, by doing that she is saying : now you are mine! now you are my life, we are together forever! and she kept the dolls this whole time. And of corse, Elena sees something special "brilliant" in Lila so she follows her. But I think Lila was scared that she would be left behind , and despite all of her attempts of not being left behind, the attempts of not following a unhappy path, it still happen that way . Lila was always told what to do, so to disapear is to reclaim her individuality. And all the men who wanted her...And so....to give the dolls back ? and not one, not just elena's doll, it means : now you are free elena. I took your life, i've made it so so you can follow me, follow me because i am scared. Now you can live without me, i am giving you your life back. I see it as an apology as well : sorry that i've made follow this path , you could have choosen another one for sure. You could have done something else of your life instead of being clued to me. Elena would have never guessed that Lila kept the dolls, but the fact she is returning them after her disappearence seals that apology. It is biggest and strongest gesture Lila has made for Elena . To me Lila is not so much an egnigma after all,i think the final act means that Lila has reflected on her life and have seen that yes , she has been selfish by keeping elena for herself, by using her even! That's what the two dolls represents to me. A chapter is closed.
For me, the best interpretation of this series. Lila was a ruthless egoist who wanted to keep Elene for herself because she was afraid of losing her, afraid of her successes, afraid of her peace of mind while she was struggling with the chaos in her head to survive. She used many people for her benefits. She was angry and toxic, and when she gave the dolls back, she apologized to Lenu for everything.
Amazing analysis and Alfonso's story, which she exploited to her advantage, resembles a miniature version and hints at her relationship with Lino, especially since Alfonso is generally a weak person, much like Lino. Lila grew up in a family that did nothing but exploit each other; even her brother and possibly her mother didn’t truly care for her. She tried to love Lino without exploitation, but she couldn’t. I think it was an internal struggle for her all along, and Tina's disappearance made her reconsider everything, leading up to that moment of apology, as you mentioned
@askakaska3365 but i cant help thinking that Lila , despite the fact she was selfish , has also shown several times that she wanted of Elena to be succesful and to be accomplished. That she needed to study . So after all Lila's complexities are due to her inner struggle : to the fact that contrary to Elena she couldnt carry on studying ... or going away. She tried with Nino but it was fail attempt. So this is a dynamic to me of a circiling jalousy but also punctuated by moments where Lila was really impressed by Elena and wanted the best for her. A lot of female relationship when very close like that are built on that comparaison dynamic. One can't more advanced than the other; one can not have more thant the other. That's what is shown throughout the show and that's what Elena Ferrante wrote about. We can say Lila is selfish . But we can also spot that Elena is responsible of letting herself trapped in this spider Web. And that is shown multiple times. Elena always comes back : she is therefore reinforcing Lila 's status on here and giving her power. It is ambiguous , complex. That's why I still feel for Lila . Elena also have to face that can be maybe judged as a culprit of being so fascinated by her friend. Lila is mean because she doesnt face someone who can put her in " her place " . I think , like it is said at the end their relationship is shadowy , full of layers and complex. And what bonds them its the violence of their lives and a mutual nderstanding of it . ( sorry for mistakes , I am french)
@@anaislestringuez8292 I also feel sorry for Lili, because it was her own family and surroundings that shaped her. To survive, she had to resort to tricks. She didn't have her own resources, so she used others. She lost herself in the idea of achieving something, of not being inferior. Intrigues, conspiracies, scheming. She fell into her own trap and the punishment for this was Tina's disappearance. Lila immediately realized that it was her fault. It was Lila who forced Elena to write an article about Solars and encouraged her to publish it, but when Elena did not agree, she did it behind her back. I think the kidnappers wanted to punish Elena for this article, but due to terrible bad luck, Elena was with Tina in the photo, not her daughter, and Tina was kidnapped. Lila realized that if Imma was in the photo, she would hurt her best friend in the worst way. The only real person who was with her the whole time. Giving back the childhood dolls was an apology and goodbye to Lenu. I think Lila committed suicide. I'm from Poland and I'm writing with a translator, so I apologize for any mistakes I make.
Lila's life changed when her father threw her out the window and, besides shattering her arm, her dreams of continuing her education were over. I saw Lila as living through Elena's accomplishments; when she did well in school, she did well. Remember, she was studying Latin when Elena was and she encouraged her when she was failing. There was a wonderful reversal when Lila accompanies Lenu to a party where the latter is fawned over. This was a direct contradiction to the party years earlier when Lila was dancing and the center of attention. Throughout the series and books Lenu can not get over her early insecurities about Lila even at the end of this episode when Elena's fears appear at the mere hint that Lila is writing a book. I think the series debut was in 2018 and with the pandemic and scheduling delays, I will really miss looking forward to the next season and your wonderful recaps. I might have to watch it again.
You, my dear, are MY Brilliant Friend. I thought I was pretty smart until your podcast. You and some great contributers (in comments) figured out things that I would never have put together! Bravo.. Will miss you and the series. Question for anyone Italian. There is an Italian young woman in my apartment building and she says no one in Northern Italy where she recently lived will watch this series. I told her just TRY watching one episode. She is not even curious. She thinks Southern Italians are crude and their stories would not be interesting to her. I said it is about friendship.. not about Naples. She said there are a million shows like My Brilliant Friend in Italy. Comments anyone?
If she never seen it she has no way to say there a lot of other shows like that. This is a rare masterpiece. I think it eill get it's fame a recognition later just like the wire.
Thank you for your comments throughout the show! Congratulations for having created a nice place where we could talk about this beautiful work of art. About the ending: I think Lila was so constrained by circunstancies her whole life that she decided to vanish and become a complete unknown, free from any kind of societal expectation, so that eventually she could be her real self. Also, a disappeared person, just like her daughter. By returning the dolls, I think Lila wanted to state three things to Lenù. One, that she is still alive. Two, that she has always been a puppet master. She did know where the dolls were in the attic but lied to Lenù and convinced her to defy Don Achille. That was the beginning of the duo’s love for literature. Once Lila was prohibited to continue her education, she turned Lenù into her double, the one who would achieve, artistically, everything that was denied to Lila. No need to say that Lila’s influence on Lenù’s writing and life was huge. Three, that Lila was cutting for good all her ties to Lenù in order to be, finally, her own self.
Very well said! Thank you for watching! The dolls were a way of freeing them both Both Lila and Elena have been shackled by this neighbourhood and the dolls are a way of saying it’s time to let go
These have been great to watch week after week. I am just about to start book 4 as well. These weekly videos have made me rethink my views on some things. We’re definitely viewing everything through Lenu’s filter, and we know how quickly she can change her view of things, so what is accurate? I like to believe Lila gave Lenu the last physical proof of her existence with the dolls and is allowing that one thing (the doll Nu) to exist with her lifelong friend as everything else that proves her existence (apart from Lenu’s book) is erased from the world. I see the doll return as touching and shows that Lila looked at Lenu the same way as Lenu did her.
Hamza, thank you so much for all your reviews! I love the way this whole story is so haunting. It really stays with you. Saw a video that said the books were actually written by a man, and the author has never been seen. Seems to be one of the themes of the story. They were both brilliant, but Elena seems to me to be less connected to everything, including herself. Lila has all the passion. The mirror of the two daughter going after the same man also was interesting. There is so much to unpack with this that it can't be written here now. When I read the books I will have a better perspective. Brilliant series- if a little depressing- so well done. 💗
Thank you Riva 🤩 The books are depressing 😂 I think as you said they are both brilliant but Lila has always had more passion about life than Elena. Or at least appeared to show more emotions I thought how the daughters turned out was interesting. Elsa stole her sisters man and won😂 I think seeing her with Nino had a horrible effect
I only discovered your channel this season and watched all your MBF recaps.They are the best, so many brilliant insights! Couldn’t subscribe faster. Would love it if you’d continue this series and give your POV from Lila’s perspective. I’ll be always watching for sure :)
For me, the dolls are the key. It is obvious that Lila was the one who took them in the first place, and lied about it to Elena. Why she did it, and how it affected the life of both Lila and Elena, is a matter for the reader/viewer interpretation.
Thank you for your reviews and nuanced analysis. I think I'll watch all the seasons one after another during my time off to get a wider and better perspective on everything. This show is a masterpiece. I hoped they would do two seasons with the older cast. It went too fast and you never had time to bond with the older versions of the characters.
Thank you Melisa💕 the time jump with the characters as crazy . They could’ve aged the old actors I wish I could re watch it again for the first time. I think the second time I watch this series I will definitely pay closer attention to Lila and see how that changes my opinion of Elena
I am so sad that one of my favorite series has ended. I was elated to learn Nino was charged with connections to the Communist Party. He had harsh words for Pasquale but eventually the State charged him in connection with what it assumed to be a dangerous extremist organization. Love your content btw! Great analysis of Elena and how distant she is towards her siblings.
Thank you 🙏🏾 I was also happy to see Nino behind bars. I still think he messed with the wrong man’s wife 😂 he looked to confident going into that police car
Thank you for this really insightful analysis. I also read the books, but so long ago, that watching the series was like discovering it all again for the first time. Masterful writing, masterful production and acting. Many of my friends who read the book refuse to watch the series b/c they think it will lessen it. Au contraire!
Great show, great reviews. I watched the show in real time & would always rewatch the previous season before the new one started so I could see if I missed anything with hindsight being 20/20 & have everything fresh and in context and those re-watches always validated what I thought & how I felt. One thing that remained consistent throughout for me was my relating to Lila more (from episode 1) and not really caring for Elena/Lenu. My mother's viewing experience was the opposite and when I consider our lived experiences, it makes sense that she would be more adverse to someone as unapologetically raw, authentic & from the mud as Lila & more sympathetic to Lenu as "the good girl". We'd discuss & I'd tell her I thought Lenu was a fraud motivated by insecurity, shame & jealously. She totally reinvented herself to become who/ what she thought of as successful and I think that's why she was so delusional and out of touch with the realities of her environment because she saw herself as in it and not OF it. Lila on the other hand was always very clear on who/what she was and firmly planted in the realities of her existence in that society and I really appreciated that about her. Lila didn't see Lenu as competition and genuinely wanted her to tap into & reach her full potential, while Lenu was always threatened by Lila and saw any success of hers as a threat, IMO! Anyway, thanks for covering this consistently dragging raggedy ass Nino for the filth he was😂😂
I’m going to miss dragging Nino! He’s so trash In terms of Lila and Elena . I used to dislike Lila. I thought she was unreasonable. She always wanted to be independent but her environment made it impossible I thought Elena desire to write about her was out of spite. She hated how little Lila cared for her even tho she loved her. Lila never gave Elena the type of validation she wanted and was even confused as to why her opinion mattered so much. I thought her decision to write about the kidnapping was in bad taste. Lila wanted elena to leave Naples and find her voice and instead she trapped herself inside when she had so many ways out
@alwayswatching2295 honestly, a lot of things Elena thought/said/did were in bad taste. Her reaction at the end with, "I'm going to tell your story!" out of spite & to profit off someone she "loved" was not exceptional relative to other, petty & vindictive behaviors she displayed.
Love the Series, brought the books, plan on re-reading them again. Now we are at the end, I believed that the "brilliant friend" was Enzo. Remember in the first book when he was in elementary school, the first scene with Enzo was he was being dragged by the ear by his teacher, being called a "donkey" and Lila made fun of him. Then at the competition, Enzo knew the answers to the questions that were being asked. His teacher made the comment that he flunked several times. Fast forward, Enzo is studying computer programming on his own and became very successful. Also, Enzo was the only man in Lila's that truly loved Lila and Lila really didn't know how to handle it because she is so use to getting "shit" on by all the significant men in her life. I think Lila "brilliance" was overshadowed by all the negativity that happened throughout her life and how she responded to it. The dolls that Lenu received later on was a way of Lila saying to Lenu, I am alive, she loved her, and they will always be together as friends, even though that Lila is not there physically. BTW, what happened to Giola, Michel's wife. In the book she ended up dead just like Alfonso.
I don't believe Lila had the dolls this whole time. Remember they went to the basement to get them and they were gone? I think Alphonso got to them first, kept them hidden away out of shame and then returned them to Lila when they were grown and he felt more free to be himself. Also, I think Lila is the brilliant friend. Elena was successful but wasn't necessarily brilliant, where Lila was brilliant from her first scene, being so advanced in school, her creativity with the shoes, easily understanding computers... there's that saying about geniuses being insane and I think she was always susceptible to snapping and going crazy.
I think you’re right! Alfonso had the dolls. You summarized Elena and Lila well. Lila and even pietro I would say were brilliant but Elena is successful. She never had that natural talent that Lila appeared to possess or passion for life
That makes sense, Alphonso could of found them later and hid them because remember his father kinda of made fun of him. Then later when he was free to be himself especially with Lila's encouragement, he gave them to her. I don't think Lila went back to the basement to secure the dolls, however we well never know.
I thought i would find some type of closure or peace with the end, specially when we come back to the very first scene of the series, when Lila's son calls Lenú, and she starts writing about Lila, but after learning that Lila wanted to leave no trace i felt that Elena was somehow betraying Lila's last wish, i just hope that Lila is finally living and somehow found peace, this is my all time favorite series, thank you for the weekly analysis 🌼
Thank you for watching ! I feel the same way. I don’t know how I feel about Elena writing about Lila especially considering there are so many gaps in their relationship but maybe it was a desperate attempt to pull her out of the shadows
Great analysis as always! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the series! What other series are you going to analyse? Or which other shows or books would you recommend?
PS: I found it so interesting how the show ended the way it began, with the exact same shots from the very beginning of episode 1 (the call from Gennaro, Elena sitting at her desk, little Lila emerging from the shadow).
I always looked as Lila as the brilliant one and the main character of the books, all the books. It is Lila's story, not Elena's but seen from the perspective of Elena.
Lila was the Brilliant Friend. When she was not allowed to pursue her education, she inspired and motivated Elena to achieve her own dreams and thus created in Elena her own Brilliant Friend. I found the children in the series the most compelling. They were marvelously cast and they were always fascinating. It was a lovely and intriguing series, from beginning to end and I will miss seeing it.
@@stuartperry1047 Indeed. I feel de urge to come back to the books and read them again. Actually, I will do better and haul around Audible for the audio versions :) . For Italian speakers I would even recommend reading or listening in the original language they were written.
@@luciacioara This was my first experience with a series in a foreign language and I love the particular style of Italian that was spoken by the characters.
@@stuartperry1047 in fact, it is spoken in Italian with a Neapolitan southern accent (quite strong...you can hear Elena speaking differently than his in-laws) but they are switching to full Neapolitan dialect when they talk between themselves in the neighborhood. In fact, Lila is telling at a certain point to Gennaro: speak Italian, so that the girls and Dede will also understand you.
@alwayswatching2295 Finally. Lila was not cool in different aspects but I always liked her, specially in her youth because she was always a pain in the ass to the social order at the time. I'm glad with the thought of her being able to live (phisically and psichologically) outside Naples.
@bboynava1812 I wonder if Lila was as bad as Elena says. There’s so much about Lila life we don’t see and considering her upbringing she managed to create a lucrative business and disappear without a trace
@@alwayswatching2295 I think she was bad but Elena couldnt see the whole picture, Lila also supported Alfonse and took care of Immacolata, meaning that she tried to do the best with the tools she had.
Don't agree with your idea that Lenu is doing the same as Nino. She has contacts but they are not corrupt people. Nino is oportunistic and corrupt and so are his political contacts. Also disagree about Lenu nit being involved or interested on her daughters. The story shows the difficulties mothers, specially if they are professionals, have with raising children.
I don't know how to feel about the ending... I thought at first Lila decided to kill herself out of grief. She said earlier she'd rather there be no trace of her. Why cut up the pictures if you wanted to leave your old life behind? Just go travel and explore the life you were denied. Lol. I didn't like some of Lila's manipulative tendencies...just be a friend. I'll have to rewatch i don't remember who Nadia was
I’m torn about the ending as well I think cutting the pictures out was a way of controlling her memory . She told Elena she did not want to be seen again and she wrote about her anyways which I found in bad taste . I don’t think Lila is as bad as Elena made her out to be and as the series went on I was starting to find Elena unbearable. She had no right to write about Lila and tell her story We only have Elena point of view which has not always reliable or even true .
@@alwayswatching2295 but elena wrote to determine lila to reappear again and contradict her, no? it was a provocationtowards lila, who always did what she wanted, at least with elena, and elena usually followed her lead.i don’t think the novel was written by elena to control lila’s image or memory(although inevitably, unless lila had come back and wrote sthg herself, it would end up controlling her memory), but to make her come back and fight back, deny, do something, anything.
Thank you for your excellent analysis of the series, I will definitely miss you, do you think that the photographer who took the photo of Lenu and Tina was an accomplice of the kidnappers? Cheers.
Thank you for watching. You don’t have to miss me. Subscribe and come back 💕💕 Maybe!!! I think anything is possible. If you know any more hidden gems like this show please let me know
the kidnapping of Tina is confusing - the Solaras were suggesting in episode 9 that they have something to do with it but they would not take the wrong child since they knew her. And if somebody took her for the money, they would send a note but it was a good story line. and this last episode and ending was just awesome. really like letting a best friend go. i will miss them. btw should not Gigiola have died? In the book she fell out of a window?
They cut the part with Lenu writing the book about Tina's dissappearance. The thing that ended Lenu and Lila's relationship. I thought it was important.
One thing that I like in the series more than in the book is Nino’s ending, in which he gets arrested and Imma cries. In the book, he’s not arrested. He’s only prosecuted for corruption and doesn’t get reelected. But, just as Lila (always the brilliant friend) anticipates, and contrary to Lenù’s prediction, he gets away with it, turns to right wing politics and gets elected again. So annoying! So Nino! Yes, I know the book’s ending is darker and more realistic and Nino going to jail in the series is kind of soap-opery, but I don’t care! I just hate him! 😅
Is the story criticizing Elena because her ambition and sexual passion took all her energy? So what if you're a lauded author? You failed your children? Like, she wasn't a good woman because she wasn't interested in motherhood?
@boston_octopus_442 I don't think the show is being critical about Lenu, it's just telling the story of what happened. Lenu was made to feel guilty at every turn. For wanting education, for wanting to write and finally by her daughters who tell her more than once that she only cares about Lila and writing. It's what happened. But what to me was remarkable....Lenu doesn't act or feel guilty. She loved her girls, and they know it even if they were critical.
@@alwayswatching2295 Yes! She spent a lot of time in school and reading books, but she didn't seems to have introspection about herself or her rione. My dear, thank you so much for your analyses that I have looked forward to every week! XXOOXXOO I still want to hear from you every week - your opinions and ideas about *anything* :D
I believe Nino abducted Tina. When Nino lead all of the children out ‘to look at the car’, Tina followed. She probably dragged behind, and was easily abducted by the two men who were later shot. In the market place Nino spoke directly to Lila - about nothing - just to keep her distracted. After it’s discovered that Tina is missing, Nino goes missing as well for the remainder of that episode. Remember, Nino’s father forced himself on Elena when Elena was under-age. Like father, like son. Nino was out of control with any woman within twenty feet of him. Nino was always obsessed with Lila. Nino, and everyone else from that neighborhood, all originate from a neighborhood of criminals. We might root for some, hoping they achieve something good and get out. But their families, their background is all criminal. By doing what Nino did, this propelled him with his career. How else could someone who was a so-so Socialist public speaker achieve such political success. When he hobnobbed with those corrupt politicians in the cafe that day it looked too suspicious. Like they were his customers. I believe Elena is involved because the people who did the kidnapping were her brother-in-law, her brother, and Nino - her lover. Which makes her an accomplice by never saying anything, because they were all her family. Also, Elena never did anything to search for Tina, even though Elena's fame really could have helped. Yet when her socialist friend was captured Elena did everything she could to protect him - but never Lila’s daughter. When Lila later asks Elena, “Don’t you think that because my daughter was photographed with you that was why my daughter was captured?” Elena shows no emotion. She just walks over and looks outside the window. I think Lila asks Elena this question because Lila had her suspicions about her. When Nino was arrested neither he, nor his attorney, say anything. Even the look on Ninos face in the police car he looked like he knew he was guilty. And it all goes back to Tina. I am using my husband’s RUclips channel to write these observations. But by watching the show my husband also became addicted to it! And we both watch your channel. Thank you for being open minded while reading other people’s opinions.
Thank you for the comment ! I don’t think Nino or Elena were involved 😫 it’s a stretch . Lila had enough enemies and I’m Sure there were enough creeps around to do the job
@@Tinade5a7 May have been a joint effort, but there's plenty of evidence to suggest it's Domenico. If so, interesting how vividly he writes female perspectives.
That last hug! 😭 Lila knows she won't see Lenu again.
Even though Lila figured out that the kidnappers may have taken the wrong child, she left out this was most likely caused by the article on the Solaras she asked Lenu to write. Remember....Lenu didn't want to send it in, but Lila forged her signature and sent it.
Lila knows all of this, and it's a mixture of grief and guilt that takes her over the edge. Lila is brilliant, but her brilliance can't save her from those terrible emotions.
When Lenu says she is only concerned with Pasquale and Lila so that she had forgotten about Dede's exams, she sums up her entire life as a mother. She is focused on other things. She doesn't judge herself. She just states it as a fact. Easy to imagine her girls will grow up to regard her in the same way, second.
This series was an absolute masterpiece. TY so much for your recaps and thoughts.
Very well said. Elena never excuses her behaviour she just acknowledges it and moves on.
That hug was heartbreaking. Lila wanted to use Elena fame to her own advantage but in the end it may have backfired
Thank you for watching
I think Lila also felt guilty because she was distracted by talking to Nino nonetheless when her daughter went missing
When Lila was scolding Elena about how she did not raise Elsa right because Elsa stole from her mother and betrayed her sister, she seemed to have memory loss. Lila and Elena were like sisters and Lila was the one who betrayed Elena when she first hooked up with Nino. In Ischia when Lila was explaining to Elena that she was falling in love with Nino as if it was just happening to her and she couldn't help it, it sounded hauntingly similar to Elsa's letter to Dede.
@SLAYYY92 I considered Elsa and Dede were new versions of lenu and Lila and Gennaro as Nino
I don’t have any friends watching this show so it was nice to have you here for me to visit and hear your comments. Thanks so much for that! Best wishes. 🌻
Thank you for coming back week after week! 💕
@ Loved every minute of it. Thanks for being there.
You have done such a thoughtful job analyzing this show. Well done!
@@alwayswatching2295fr that’s why I’m here too lol I will miss Lila and lenu
@mariodimaio9291 Same.. I LOVED this show. I don't understand why Lila wanted to hurt Elena so much. I felt all the emotions and pain of this show. And the face the Solara guy had when he slapped Lila, he hated to do it but he knew it had to be done. I hate that this show is over.
Elena Greco may have Ferrante's name and fame but Lila embodies Ferrante's will to live a life incognito 😅
Very true
I loathe and love Lila and Lenu for all their nuanced complexities, and marvel at how well this masterpiece series depicted the cultural structures and tragedies that formed them. Lila, forever the enigma, still manages to manipulate the emotions of Lenu, one last time by holding on to the very tie that formed their friendship, the dolls. Was it a demonstration of control or was it a gesture of profound affection. This is the beauty of the writing; it allows us the reader/viewer to weave in our life experiences to fill in the blanks. *Tears* These characters and their brilliantly portrayed lives will live in my memory forever.
I agree. I go back and forth. Sometimes one is unbearable and sometimes the other.
The dolls will forever mess with me. As usual we don’t know for sure what Lila is communicating but she knew sending her those dolls would trigger chaos in her brain
"Good books don't make good people; just because you're well educated on paper doesn't mean that you know as much about the world as you think you do." - That, my friend, was brilliant
👏🏼 BRAVISSIMA👏🏼 Thank you for a wonderful 10 weeks of reviews + commentaries - Monday, nights will never be the same 😭😭😭
Thank you for your insightful comments ! I’m so sad I don’t know what to do with myself. 😫😫😫
This is why the binging model doesn’t work you don’t get the sense of community.
If you know of other hidden gems please let me know and I’ll cover .
being illiterate doesn’t guarantee your genuineness or goodness either. it may guarantee your living in poverty in a neighbourhood like the rione, filled with drugs, mobsters, abusive husbands and no way out.
I couldn't agree more! I don't think we'll ever find such a captivating and beautiful foreign film series as M.B.F. I wish we could just start all over from the beginning 😭😭😭
I adore foreign films, and I love period pieces even more. M.B.F. checks all the boxes for me. Before Ferrante's masterpiece was turned into a series, only one other foreign film series intrigued and captivated me in a similar way. It is a Spanish film series (another visually striking period piece with an exciting plot and a strong female lead). Are you familiar with this one?
The Time In Between
@@alwayswatching2295Have you seen Patria (the adaptation of F. Aramburu's novel)?
Thank you for making these reviews I wish this show had the spot light in the US right now because it’s so heartbreakingly beautiful and encapsulating of the female experience.
Thank you 💕I wish it was promoted more but maybe one day it will be a cult hit
Here from the United States 😊 absolutely obsessed with this series. It’s probably my favorite series in life up to this point. So deeply moving. Sad it’s over.
The Dolls at the end! I am sad that this has ended. Thank you for your weekly reviews.👏🏼
Thank you for watching !!
I want to think Lila found peace. She left the hideous life she had been living for decades and is now seeing the world and finally becoming the person she’d always wanted to be - shades of Lenu (maybe). In the end, Lila has won this game we call “life”. Lenu has not.
Thank you so so much for these recaps. They are appreciated and now they’ll be missed. Now, onto reading the novels!
Thank you for watching
I agree. There is so much about Lila life we don’t see and I think the ending was a sign that despite everything she has found a way to endure
@ one more thing… I’ve debated countless times over the last several years WHO “the brilliant friend” is… love that you brought this up. It’ll be an age old question!
@TBJaeger I was thinking with Elena’s book everyone is going to focus on how hard Lila’s life is and how Elena really pulls through . Which is exactly what we have been doing
Maybe the point of the series was to examine Lila and not Elena. Lila is held to such a high standard by Elena and for that reason we assume she is the brilliant friend. Lila also regards Elena as the smartest person she knows.
They are both brilliant but with Lila no one will ever get to appreciate it. Maybe that’s why she writes about her to let the world know about this brilliant friend who had the potential to change the world
@alwayswatching2295 I think that partially Lila's story is about lost potential of many-many women who were denied of education. How many brilliant girls didn't make it because of "girls don't need to study" in the past?
Agreed. I wish I made it more clear in the video but there are so many Lila’s whose lives are thrown out of a window
I love hearing your impressions. I will go back and watch all of your videos. And rewatch the series. Is it possible that she sent the dolls to say "I love you forever, my dear friend". I will remember you, our bond, don't forget me. I am with you.
Yes I think this was the point. She wanted her to know that I keep track of you and I love you
@@alwayswatching2295 these dolls started everything. Lila made don Achile pay for thèm so they could buy the "Little women" That started their dream to become writers. Lenu became one at the end.
For me the ending of the dolls represents just a way of saying that we never met the real Lila in her entirety and that we shouldn't try, and that's okay, I don't think anyone can understand us 100% more than ourselves, because we will never be sincere in our entirety with someone else, even if we think we are and even if others swear that they really know us. Gave one last clue, in case someone doubted, about the sentimental side of Lila that represented with the dolls shows, was always there.
I think it was also her way of letting Lenu know that she was okay, knowing that Lenu would be asking herself, because Lenu always looked for her or was keep an eye as soon as she knew that Lila might need her; wanting Elena to be at peace, so that in turn, she could also be at peace.
About writing about her knowing that Lila didn't want it, I thought it was her way of for the first time having the courage to do something that Lila wouldn't approve of without hesitating for a moment or being afraid of what she would say and on the one hand telling a story for a "greater good." That people could know a little bit of the Lila that Lenu met, because almost no one else knew little more about that Lila's background and how much she did and suffered, which is a person to admire.
Maybe Lila didn't want to be remembered, but she was a person who deserved to be known, I mean if Elena hadn't written about her we wouldn't have met her (like in real life, people are remembered by the stories that others wrote about them and we learn a lot about it, maybe sometimes it's good to have someone else tell your story to have more of an argument and perspective and I think that it is something that Lila would have accepted.
I don't think Lila would be angry because Elena write her story, I mean obviously she would get angry because she asked her not to do it and she didn't want to leave a trace, which she complied in the end just as she told her, but she really was a person worth knowing even if it was from someone else's perspective and who better than Elena to write it, and well, Elena could never understand Lila 100% so in part Lila would continue to have that privacy she wanted, since no one as such, not even Elena, knew her in her entirety, just as Lila always decided, she revealed about herself what she wanted people to perceive of her.
For me it is a story of friendship and also of love maybe not in a romantic or sexual way, but I think it narrates in a very realistic way what it is really to love someone and have such a strong bond, maybe one in a hundred live times can have a friendship as strong as theirs. They truly were the love of theirs lives, staying faithful and loving a person so much despite sometimes...hate, get angry, distance yourself, even when there is envy, when you have to be honest about what you feel, not liking what you gonna hear but deep down accepting the wisdom that is in those words, lying to each other to protect the other, accepting that you are not thanked directly even though you give everything of yourself to help, knowing that what it does hurts you and still follow through with it but knowing that it is never from a place of genuine hate. Knowing that despite everything that person is the only person in the world who is the closest to understanding you and above all accepting you as you are.
Don't get me wrong these are not aspects of a healthy relationship/friendship xd they can be aspects of a very toxic relationship as sometimes we could see their friendship become, it is not right to accept them, but here it is in a different way, I don't know how to explain it, simply watching the series it is remarkable that both Lila and Elena know the reason for their reactions and interactions.
Of course Elena could have misinterpreted many things but if she strongly perceived some things in that way and always wondered why Lila's actions, with that type of narrative, for me Lila was brutally sincere in what she said, she may have intentionally said things in a certain way so as never to reveal her truth or what she really wanted to say and prefer to keep it for herself but I think she always provided the necessary explanations. In the end, although we can never know her perspective or the reason for her actions, I am very thankful for everything she represented.
Sorry for so much text 🥲😭, but I feel that it is the only place where I can talk about this wonderful series, thank you very much for giving us this space, I really really appreciated being able to come here to watch your videos at the end of each episode, as if I could discuss the series with a friend. Thank you very much ❤
Thank you for this beautiful comment. I’m happy people were able to gather and discuss their feelings . I read all the comments and sometimes think about them for days
If you have any recommendations please let me know!
In terms of Lila I agree. I think that shot of a young Lila walking to the shadows triggered Elena to pull her out of the shadows.
Lila was someone that could’ve changed the world and like so many women before her , life lead her down a different path.
I think the contrast between Elena and Lila is interesting in that they both view the other as brilliant. Elena has survived an environment hostile to people from her background and became successful. Lila did the same but in a different way. I thought it was telling how she thrived in the IT sector one normally dominated by men.
They were both trailblazers but in different ways. Lila decision to send her dolls after writing the book I think was a way of telling her she always thought her books were good and she was proud of her for making it.
I’m torn about Elena ability to write Lila story. People will read it and assume Elena as the brilliant friend that made it and Lila with the hard life . But they both struggled in different ways and succeeded at the end.
@@alwayswatching2295 i would recommend "the best of Youth"/ "la meglio gioventu". although this is actually a 2 part film, it was initially conceived as a mini series and it feels like one in many ways. Also, it unfolds over decades covering many key moment of Italian history, social, political and cultural events of the second half of the 20th century very similarly to My brilliant friend...
@@alwayswatching2295 Thank you for taking the time to respond 💕
As for recommendations, assuming you're referring to other series 😅, honestly right now I'm not really into the history of any other series but there are some that I could recommend that I really appreciated at the time and that I also didn't 't have anyone to talk to, some based on books, I think they're really good despite not being so successful, at least here in Mexico.
His Dark Materials
The 100
The OA
Saint X
and as for more recognized shows
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Thank you 🙂
You did such an amazing job unpacking this series. My parents are from Ischia so this show and the characters are so near and dear to my heart. The Neapolitan dialect is authentic. Tina's disappearing was so devastating..almost too hard to watch, wish the ending had closure.
Thank you for watching 💕
I never said it to you So as it is a final. Thank you for your reviews! We needed this place for discussion. Because when I look at the comments section on instagram or somewhere else many people watch this without diving deep or understanding these flawed complex women. Just hate watching and constantly judging, demonizing everything. Thank you for your piece of mind.
P.S: Lila was intended to be such haunting character. Even the biggest tragedy of her life(Enzo's too) doesn't have closure.
Thank you for watching! I’m so happy I could facilitate
I'm brazilian and although my family is italian, I'm ignorant enough to only have got to know Ferrante's work since that fantastic Olivia Colman movie, The Lost Daughter. I discovered this series by chance a few months ago, and I was obsessed with it, as I was obsessed with your weekly reviews! Thank you so much for your work, you're incredible, truly!! To anyone reading this, please check out Alba Rohrwacher's sister's filmography: she's called Alice Rohrwacher, and she's a fenomenal director (Alba is a regular on her sister's movies, also)! My Brilliant Friend has got to be the best drama series of all times, I'm gonna miss it so much!
I loved the lost daughter !
Thank you for coming back to me 💕💕💕🤩🤩
To understand Li, you need to understand her emotional scars. When she was delivering Tina, she was projecting her father's hatred of her. When she left, she did so because she was finally giving herself the time and space she needed all her life to heal. She needed to be alone to do this because it is a personal journey. The dolls were a message of love and a goodbye because Lenu would only remind Li of her former life, one she has decided to put a line under. This way, she can start new, without the pain and bad memories. Some people can't heal with others around. Li is too independent to do it with support, she was on her own as a child, she needs to be on her own so she can survive anew. Her meanness were just cracks in the amor.
I’m SO sad it’s over 😭😭😭 It was so well done, they brought the books to life brilliantly. I hope she writes a book series about her daughters. I would love to see where they land.
I lived in the suburbs for most of my life. When I was a junior in HS, my parents divorced and we moved to my Grandma’s house with my Mom, which was in the HOOD!! My brother succumbed to the crime and drug life. I went the religious route and moved to SoCal.
This story really hit home. I resonated with all of it and the characters really felt close to home. A beautiful story, thanks for reviewing it 💜💜💜
I’m in mourning. I don’t know what to do with myself.
Thank you for sharing. I do think Elena was lucky that Elsa never used drugs because it seems like everyone was addicted to something in that neighbourhood
To me returning the dolls simply means : i am giving you, your life back. Lila enrolled Elena in her entreprise of fighting the mafia and staying with her. Remenber, Lila didn't want Elena to go to school because she wasn't going herself. Lila was always scared that Elena would go away without her, because she knew Elena was brilliant and could carry on by herself. Lila was always the one who was scared to be trapped and scared of her surrondings , of the neighborhood. Elena is more detached , more relaxed about it . Lila has a fire inside her, she wants to fight the injustice, the Solara. But ... to her downfalls. While Elena accepts it. Lila sees herself in Elena, Elena is a part of Lila. She made it so by throwing Elena's doll into the basement. Elena's doll is elena, by doing that she is saying : now you are mine! now you are my life, we are together forever! and she kept the dolls this whole time. And of corse, Elena sees something special "brilliant" in Lila so she follows her. But I think Lila was scared that she would be left behind , and despite all of her attempts of not being left behind, the attempts of not following a unhappy path, it still happen that way . Lila was always told what to do, so to disapear is to reclaim her individuality. And all the men who wanted her...And so....to give the dolls back ? and not one, not just elena's doll, it means : now you are free elena. I took your life, i've made it so so you can follow me, follow me because i am scared. Now you can live without me, i am giving you your life back. I see it as an apology as well : sorry that i've made follow this path , you could have choosen another one for sure. You could have done something else of your life instead of being clued to me. Elena would have never guessed that Lila kept the dolls, but the fact she is returning them after her disappearence seals that apology. It is biggest and strongest gesture Lila has made for Elena . To me Lila is not so much an egnigma after all,i think the final act means that Lila has reflected on her life and have seen that yes , she has been selfish by keeping elena for herself, by using her even! That's what the two dolls represents to me. A chapter is closed.
For me, the best interpretation of this series. Lila was a ruthless egoist who wanted to keep Elene for herself because she was afraid of losing her, afraid of her successes, afraid of her peace of mind while she was struggling with the chaos in her head to survive. She used many people for her benefits. She was angry and toxic, and when she gave the dolls back, she apologized to Lenu for everything.
Amazing analysis and Alfonso's story, which she exploited to her advantage, resembles a miniature version and hints at her relationship with Lino, especially since Alfonso is generally a weak person, much like Lino. Lila grew up in a family that did nothing but exploit each other; even her brother and possibly her mother didn’t truly care for her. She tried to love Lino without exploitation, but she couldn’t. I think it was an internal struggle for her all along, and Tina's disappearance made her reconsider everything, leading up to that moment of apology, as you mentioned
@askakaska3365 but i cant help thinking that Lila , despite the fact she was selfish , has also shown several times that she wanted of Elena to be succesful and to be accomplished. That she needed to study . So after all Lila's complexities are due to her inner struggle : to the fact that contrary to Elena she couldnt carry on studying ... or going away. She tried with Nino but it was fail attempt. So this is a dynamic to me of a circiling jalousy but also punctuated by moments where Lila was really impressed by Elena and wanted the best for her. A lot of female relationship when very close like that are built on that comparaison dynamic. One can't more advanced than the other; one can not have more thant the other. That's what is shown throughout the show and that's what Elena Ferrante wrote about. We can say Lila is selfish . But we can also spot that Elena is responsible of letting herself trapped in this spider Web. And that is shown multiple times. Elena always comes back : she is therefore reinforcing Lila 's status on here and giving her power. It is ambiguous , complex. That's why I still feel for Lila . Elena also have to face that can be maybe judged as a culprit of being so fascinated by her friend. Lila is mean because she doesnt face someone who can put her in " her place " . I think , like it is said at the end their relationship is shadowy , full of layers and complex. And what bonds them its the violence of their lives and a mutual nderstanding of it . ( sorry for mistakes , I am french)
@@anaislestringuez8292 I also feel sorry for Lili, because it was her own family and surroundings that shaped her. To survive, she had to resort to tricks. She didn't have her own resources, so she used others. She lost herself in the idea of achieving something, of not being inferior. Intrigues, conspiracies, scheming. She fell into her own trap and the punishment for this was Tina's disappearance. Lila immediately realized that it was her fault. It was Lila who forced Elena to write an article about Solars and encouraged her to publish it, but when Elena did not agree, she did it behind her back. I think the kidnappers wanted to punish Elena for this article, but due to terrible bad luck, Elena was with Tina in the photo, not her daughter, and Tina was kidnapped. Lila realized that if Imma was in the photo, she would hurt her best friend in the worst way. The only real person who was with her the whole time. Giving back the childhood dolls was an apology and goodbye to Lenu. I think Lila committed suicide. I'm from Poland and I'm writing with a translator, so I apologize for any mistakes I make.
Lila's life changed when her father threw her out the window and, besides shattering her arm, her dreams of continuing her education were over. I saw Lila as living through Elena's accomplishments; when she did well in school, she did well. Remember, she was studying Latin when Elena was and she encouraged her when she was failing. There was a wonderful reversal when Lila accompanies Lenu to a party where the latter is fawned over. This was a direct contradiction to the party years earlier when Lila was dancing and the center of attention. Throughout the series and books Lenu can not get over her early insecurities about Lila even at the end of this episode when Elena's fears appear at the mere hint that Lila is writing a book. I think the series debut was in 2018 and with the pandemic and scheduling delays, I will really miss looking forward to the next season and your wonderful recaps. I might have to watch it again.
You, my dear, are MY Brilliant Friend. I thought I was pretty smart until your podcast. You and some great contributers (in comments) figured out things that I would never have put together! Bravo.. Will miss you and the series. Question for anyone Italian. There is an Italian young woman in my apartment building and she says no one in Northern Italy where she recently lived will watch this series. I told her just TRY watching one episode. She is not even curious. She thinks Southern Italians are crude and their stories would not be interesting to her. I said it is about friendship.. not about Naples. She said there are a million shows like My Brilliant Friend in Italy. Comments anyone?
If she never seen it she has no way to say there a lot of other shows like that. This is a rare masterpiece. I think it eill get it's fame a recognition later just like the wire.
Thank you 💕💕💕💕💕💕
I need a new show. I don’t know what to do now. I wonder if this show is popular in Italy?
You are so right!!! She never even walks on the stradona. I only remember her walking while traveling or to Lila’s door.
literally!!!! she goes up and down those stairs then into a taxi to the airport!
Thank you for your comments throughout the show! Congratulations for having created a nice place where we could talk about this beautiful work of art. About the ending: I think Lila was so constrained by circunstancies her whole life that she decided to vanish and become a complete unknown, free from any kind of societal expectation, so that eventually she could be her real self. Also, a disappeared person, just like her daughter. By returning the dolls, I think Lila wanted to state three things to Lenù. One, that she is still alive. Two, that she has always been a puppet master. She did know where the dolls were in the attic but lied to Lenù and convinced her to defy Don Achille. That was the beginning of the duo’s love for literature. Once Lila was prohibited to continue her education, she turned Lenù into her double, the one who would achieve, artistically, everything that was denied to Lila. No need to say that Lila’s influence on Lenù’s writing and life was huge. Three, that Lila was cutting for good all her ties to Lenù in order to be, finally, her own self.
Very well said! Thank you for watching! The dolls were a way of freeing them both
Both Lila and Elena have been shackled by this neighbourhood and the dolls are a way of saying it’s time to let go
I’m so devastated. What a wonderful series. Thank you for your thoughtful reviews.
Thank you for watching !
So sad this is over, such a brilliant underrated show. And happy I found your channel through it 💛✨
I’m also very sad! Thank you for watching !
These have been great to watch week after week. I am just about to start book 4 as well. These weekly videos have made me rethink my views on some things. We’re definitely viewing everything through Lenu’s filter, and we know how quickly she can change her view of things, so what is accurate? I like to believe Lila gave Lenu the last physical proof of her existence with the dolls and is allowing that one thing (the doll Nu) to exist with her lifelong friend as everything else that proves her existence (apart from Lenu’s book) is erased from the world. I see the doll return as touching and shows that Lila looked at Lenu the same way as Lenu did her.
I like this interpretation. Maybe she was saying despite her disappearance her love and admiration for Elena will never die
Thank you for watching 🤩🤩
I didn't read the novel. Lila's daughter... no words. So sad. So dark. Her aftermath was so real to me. That loss is the worst kind.
Hamza, thank you so much for all your reviews! I love the way this whole story is so haunting. It really stays with you. Saw a video that said the books were actually written by a man, and the author has never been seen. Seems to be one of the themes of the story. They were both brilliant, but Elena seems to me to be less connected to everything, including herself. Lila has all the passion. The mirror of the two daughter going after the same man also was interesting. There is so much to unpack with this that it can't be written here now. When I read the books I will have a better perspective. Brilliant series- if a little depressing- so well done. 💗
Thank you Riva 🤩
The books are depressing 😂 I think as you said they are both brilliant but Lila has always had more passion about life than Elena. Or at least appeared to show more emotions
I thought how the daughters turned out was interesting. Elsa stole her sisters man and won😂 I think seeing her with Nino had a horrible effect
I only discovered your channel this season and watched all your MBF recaps.They are the best, so many brilliant insights! Couldn’t subscribe faster.
Would love it if you’d continue this series and give your POV from Lila’s perspective. I’ll be always watching for sure :)
Honestly I’m thinking about rewatching and re reviewing at least season 1 and 2
Thank you for watching 💕💕💕
I will miss seeing your analysis on this series! I agree with everything you said, I want to read the books again too. Sending love your way!
Thank you I feel the love 💕 don’t leave come back and recommend something for us to watch
to me was a wonderfull journey to follow this series and characters. This last episode was truly good and touching. I want to read the books now.
I want to re read the books now . It’s so worth it
Yes, the books are fabulous
I loved your reviews about this series. Thank you so much!
Thank you Maria 💕!
Lila was always the brilliant friend. I hate to see this masterpiece go.❤
I still believe that "Enzo" was the brilliant friend :)
For me, the dolls are the key. It is obvious that Lila was the one who took them in the first place, and lied about it to Elena. Why she did it, and how it affected the life of both Lila and Elena, is a matter for the reader/viewer interpretation.
Exactly ! They could mean a million different things
Thank you for your reviews and nuanced analysis. I think I'll watch all the seasons one after another during my time off to get a wider and better perspective on everything. This show is a masterpiece. I hoped they would do two seasons with the older cast. It went too fast and you never had time to bond with the older versions of the characters.
Thank you Melisa💕 the time jump with the characters as crazy . They could’ve aged the old actors
I wish I could re watch it again for the first time. I think the second time I watch this series I will definitely pay closer attention to Lila and see how that changes my opinion of Elena
Thx you for your awesome reviews. Very much appreciated 😊
Thank you 🙏🏾 for watching 💕
Thanks for your reviews, sad to see it end and glad that you're a little confused too...
Yea it felt like I needed more episodes
And thank you for watching 💕
Thank you so much for the reviews ❤
Thank you for watching !
I am so sad that one of my favorite series has ended. I was elated to learn Nino was charged with connections to the Communist Party. He had harsh words for Pasquale but eventually the State charged him in connection with what it assumed to be a dangerous extremist organization. Love your content btw! Great analysis of Elena and how distant she is towards her siblings.
Thank you 🙏🏾 I was also happy to see Nino behind bars. I still think he messed with the wrong man’s wife 😂 he looked to confident going into that police car
Thank you for your in depth look into the series and creating a forum..
Thank you Latifa for your wonderful insights
Dede and elsa are lenu and lila where Gennaro is Nino. I feel if tina hadnt disappeared, imma and tina would be competitive like their moms were.
Very good point I think Tina star power would’ve been too much
Thank you for this really insightful analysis. I also read the books, but so long ago, that watching the series was like discovering it all again for the first time. Masterful writing, masterful production and acting. Many of my friends who read the book refuse to watch the series b/c they think it will lessen it. Au contraire!
Thank you for watching !
Push them to watch! I’m amazing at how loyal they were to the text
Lila is definitely the brilliant friend. In lenu’s eyes she will always be her brilliant friend.
Great show, great reviews. I watched the show in real time & would always rewatch the previous season before the new one started so I could see if I missed anything with hindsight being 20/20 & have everything fresh and in context and those re-watches always validated what I thought & how I felt. One thing that remained consistent throughout for me was my relating to Lila more (from episode 1) and not really caring for Elena/Lenu. My mother's viewing experience was the opposite and when I consider our lived experiences, it makes sense that she would be more adverse to someone as unapologetically raw, authentic & from the mud as Lila & more sympathetic to Lenu as "the good girl". We'd discuss & I'd tell her I thought Lenu was a fraud motivated by insecurity, shame & jealously. She totally reinvented herself to become who/ what she thought of as successful and I think that's why she was so delusional and out of touch with the realities of her environment because she saw herself as in it and not OF it. Lila on the other hand was always very clear on who/what she was and firmly planted in the realities of her existence in that society and I really appreciated that about her. Lila didn't see Lenu as competition and genuinely wanted her to tap into & reach her full potential, while Lenu was always threatened by Lila and saw any success of hers as a threat, IMO! Anyway, thanks for covering this consistently dragging raggedy ass Nino for the filth he was😂😂
I’m going to miss dragging Nino! He’s so trash
In terms of Lila and Elena . I used to dislike Lila. I thought she was unreasonable. She always wanted to be independent but her environment made it impossible
I thought Elena desire to write about her was out of spite. She hated how little Lila cared for her even tho she loved her. Lila never gave Elena the type of validation she wanted and was even confused as to why her opinion mattered so much.
I thought her decision to write about the kidnapping was in bad taste. Lila wanted elena to leave Naples and find her voice and instead she trapped herself inside when she had so many ways out
@alwayswatching2295 honestly, a lot of things Elena thought/said/did were in bad taste. Her reaction at the end with, "I'm going to tell your story!" out of spite & to profit off someone she "loved" was not exceptional relative to other, petty & vindictive behaviors she displayed.
Love the Series, brought the books, plan on re-reading them again. Now we are at the end, I believed that the "brilliant friend" was Enzo. Remember in the first book when he was in elementary school, the first scene with Enzo was he was being dragged by the ear by his teacher, being called a "donkey" and Lila made fun of him. Then at the competition, Enzo knew the answers to the questions that were being asked. His teacher made the comment that he flunked several times. Fast forward, Enzo is studying computer programming on his own and became very successful. Also, Enzo was the only man in Lila's that truly loved Lila and Lila really didn't know how to handle it because she is so use to getting "shit" on by all the significant men in her life. I think Lila "brilliance" was overshadowed by all the negativity that happened throughout her life and how she responded to it. The dolls that Lenu received later on was a way of Lila saying to Lenu, I am alive, she loved her, and they will always be together as friends, even though that Lila is not there physically. BTW, what happened to Giola, Michel's wife. In the book she ended up dead just like Alfonso.
Thank you for your reviews on this series.
Thank you for watching 💕
Thank you for your videos. I too love this series.
Thank you for watching !
Checkmate! Lila's game pieces were the Dolls
I don't believe Lila had the dolls this whole time. Remember they went to the basement to get them and they were gone? I think Alphonso got to them first, kept them hidden away out of shame and then returned them to Lila when they were grown and he felt more free to be himself.
Also, I think Lila is the brilliant friend. Elena was successful but wasn't necessarily brilliant, where Lila was brilliant from her first scene, being so advanced in school, her creativity with the shoes, easily understanding computers... there's that saying about geniuses being insane and I think she was always susceptible to snapping and going crazy.
I think you’re right! Alfonso had the dolls.
You summarized Elena and Lila well. Lila and even pietro I would say were brilliant but Elena is successful. She never had that natural talent that Lila appeared to possess or passion for life
@alwayswatching2295 are you going to watch Like Water For Chocolate? I just started it and it's so good already!
love it, but I still believe that Enzo was the brilliant friend!
That makes sense, Alphonso could of found them later and hid them because remember his father kinda of made fun of him. Then later when he was free to be himself especially with Lila's encouragement, he gave them to her. I don't think Lila went back to the basement to secure the dolls, however we well never know.
I thought i would find some type of closure or peace with the end, specially when we come back to the very first scene of the series, when Lila's son calls Lenú, and she starts writing about Lila, but after learning that Lila wanted to leave no trace i felt that Elena was somehow betraying Lila's last wish, i just hope that Lila is finally living and somehow found peace, this is my all time favorite series, thank you for the weekly analysis 🌼
Thank you for watching ! I feel the same way. I don’t know how I feel about Elena writing about Lila especially considering there are so many gaps in their relationship but maybe it was a desperate attempt to pull her out of the shadows
Great analysis as always! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the series!
What other series are you going to analyse? Or which other shows or books would you recommend?
PS: I found it so interesting how the show ended the way it began, with the exact same shots from the very beginning of episode 1 (the call from Gennaro, Elena sitting at her desk, little Lila emerging from the shadow).
Please recommend something to me! Right now im only reviewing movies .
I haven’t seen anything that has caught my eye.
@@alwayswatching2295I think Like water for chocolate would be a good choice ! We re only two episodes in
Another brilliant recap and analysis. Thank you!
Thank you for watching
I always looked as Lila as the brilliant one and the main character of the books, all the books. It is Lila's story, not Elena's but seen from the perspective of Elena.
Lila was the Brilliant Friend. When she was not allowed to pursue her education, she inspired and motivated Elena to achieve her own dreams and thus created in Elena her own Brilliant Friend.
I found the children in the series the most compelling. They were marvelously cast and they were always fascinating. It was a lovely and intriguing series, from beginning to end and I will miss seeing it.
@@stuartperry1047 Indeed. I feel de urge to come back to the books and read them again. Actually, I will do better and haul around Audible for the audio versions :) . For Italian speakers I would even recommend reading or listening in the original language they were written.
@@luciacioara This was my first experience with a series in a foreign language and I love the particular style of Italian that was spoken by the characters.
@@stuartperry1047 in fact, it is spoken in Italian with a Neapolitan southern accent (quite strong...you can hear Elena speaking differently than his in-laws) but they are switching to full Neapolitan dialect when they talk between themselves in the neighborhood. In fact, Lila is telling at a certain point to Gennaro: speak Italian, so that the girls and Dede will also understand you.
Just finished watching and am so sad.
Me too 😫😫
So it is implied that Lila decided at the end to finally be free?
I think she found peace
@alwayswatching2295 Finally. Lila was not cool in different aspects but I always liked her, specially in her youth because she was always a pain in the ass to the social order at the time. I'm glad with the thought of her being able to live (phisically and psichologically) outside Naples.
@bboynava1812 I wonder if Lila was as bad as Elena says. There’s so much about Lila life we don’t see and considering her upbringing she managed to create a lucrative business and disappear without a trace
@@alwayswatching2295 I think she was bad but Elena couldnt see the whole picture, Lila also supported Alfonse and took care of Immacolata, meaning that she tried to do the best with the tools she had.
@@alwayswatching2295 I worry that with her daughter still missing she could never find peace. Maybe she went into the sea. Her life was so hard.
Thank you for watching this show and for sharing your thoughts about it!!
Thank you for coming back to me 💕
I wonder if there are any series that comes close to being as good as this one. What else can we watch now?!?!
I’m actually lost. I’m sure there is a show waiting to be found but where!!!!
Elsa did what Lenu did with Nino when her and Dede were young...minus the theft lol
lol yes but in Elsa defense she at least stole him successfully. Elena never stole Nino . He never left his wife 😂😂
Don't agree with your idea that Lenu is doing the same as Nino. She has contacts but they are not corrupt people. Nino is oportunistic and corrupt and so are his political contacts. Also disagree about Lenu nit being involved or interested on her daughters. The story shows the difficulties mothers, specially if they are professionals, have with raising children.
Great tv show!
The best
I don't know how to feel about the ending... I thought at first Lila decided to kill herself out of grief. She said earlier she'd rather there be no trace of her. Why cut up the pictures if you wanted to leave your old life behind? Just go travel and explore the life you were denied. Lol. I didn't like some of Lila's manipulative tendencies...just be a friend. I'll have to rewatch i don't remember who Nadia was
I’m torn about the ending as well
I think cutting the pictures out was a way of controlling her memory . She told Elena she did not want to be seen again and she wrote about her anyways which I found in bad taste
. I don’t think Lila is as bad as Elena made her out to be and as the series went on I was starting to find Elena unbearable. She had no right to write about Lila and tell her story
We only have Elena point of view which has not always reliable or even true .
Nadia is the rich daughter of the female professor who helped Elena go to university - and she was Ninos girlfriend that he left for Lila.
@@alwayswatching2295 but elena wrote to determine lila to reappear again and contradict her, no? it was a provocationtowards lila, who always did what she wanted, at least with elena, and elena usually followed her lead.i don’t think the novel was written by elena to control lila’s image or memory(although inevitably, unless lila had come back and wrote sthg herself, it would end up controlling her memory), but to make her come back and fight back, deny, do something, anything.
I agree . I can see why she wrote it. She wanted to pull her out of hiding and I think the idea of never seeing her again is too much to bear
I love the books and season 1 2 3. But season 4 was so disappointing. It lost it visual beauty imo
Thank you for your excellent analysis of the series, I will definitely miss you, do you think that the photographer who took the photo of Lenu and Tina was an accomplice of the kidnappers? Cheers.
Thank you for watching. You don’t have to miss me. Subscribe and come back 💕💕
Maybe!!! I think anything is possible.
If you know any more hidden gems like this show please let me know
the kidnapping of Tina is confusing - the Solaras were suggesting in episode 9 that they have something to do with it but they would not take the wrong child since they knew her. And if somebody took her for the money, they would send a note but it was a good story line. and this last episode and ending was just awesome. really like letting a best friend go. i will miss them. btw should not Gigiola have died? In the book she fell out of a window?
Exactly . It wasn’t a ransom and there is no way the brothers could kidnap the wrong girl . Everyone in that neighbourhood knows what she looks like
That's what I said, in the last book, Gigiola has died, Did she die before her husband?
They cut the part with Lenu writing the book about Tina's dissappearance. The thing that ended Lenu and Lila's relationship. I thought it was important.
I forgot about this! . The series made it seem like she was writing about Lila life
@alwayswatching2295 I still think cutting some scenes with Nino's naked ass would have given us more time to show the last chapters of the book
Yea agreed. Nino was suffocating
Could you explain to us what Elena was writing about Tina and why she remembered her story now that she is older?
One thing that I like in the series more than in the book is Nino’s ending, in which he gets arrested and Imma cries. In the book, he’s not arrested. He’s only prosecuted for corruption and doesn’t get reelected. But, just as Lila (always the brilliant friend) anticipates, and contrary to Lenù’s prediction, he gets away with it, turns to right wing politics and gets elected again. So annoying! So Nino! Yes, I know the book’s ending is darker and more realistic and Nino going to jail in the series is kind of soap-opery, but I don’t care! I just hate him! 😅
Disappointed with the ending, need at least one more episode missed seeing Nino old and balding at the funeral o& his mother
Just feel so terrible for Lenu’s daughters. Lenu and Pietro never should have had children. Life was about themselves totally!
Is the story criticizing Elena because her ambition and sexual passion took all her energy? So what if you're a lauded author? You failed your children? Like, she wasn't a good woman because she wasn't interested in motherhood?
@boston_octopus_442 I don't think the show is being critical about Lenu, it's just telling the story of what happened. Lenu was made to feel guilty at every turn. For wanting education, for wanting to write and finally by her daughters who tell her more than once that she only cares about Lila and writing. It's what happened. But what to me was remarkable....Lenu doesn't act or feel guilty. She loved her girls, and they know it even if they were critical.
I don’t think it’s criticizing anyone but it is casting doubt on her ability to narrate her own story
@@paulaelizabethg I like your analysis of the story, rather than think that Lenu was imperfect.
@@alwayswatching2295 Yes! She spent a lot of time in school and reading books, but she didn't seems to have introspection about herself or her rione.
My dear, thank you so much for your analyses that I have looked forward to every week! XXOOXXOO I still want to hear from you every week - your opinions and ideas about *anything* :D
Thank you for watching . This is one of my favourite shows of all time
If you know about other hidden gems let me know
I believe Nino abducted Tina.
When Nino lead all of the children out ‘to look at the car’, Tina followed. She probably dragged behind, and was easily abducted by the two men who were later shot. In the market place Nino spoke directly to Lila - about nothing - just to keep her distracted. After it’s discovered that Tina is missing, Nino goes missing as well for the remainder of that episode.
Remember, Nino’s father forced himself on Elena when Elena was under-age. Like father, like son. Nino was out of control with any woman within twenty feet of him.
Nino was always obsessed with Lila.
Nino, and everyone else from that neighborhood, all originate from a neighborhood of criminals. We might root for some, hoping they achieve something good and get out. But their families, their background is all criminal.
By doing what Nino did, this propelled him with his career. How else could someone who was a so-so Socialist public speaker achieve such political success. When he hobnobbed with those corrupt politicians in the cafe that day it looked too suspicious. Like they were his customers.
I believe Elena is involved because the people who did the kidnapping were her brother-in-law, her brother, and Nino - her lover. Which makes her an accomplice by never saying anything, because they were all her family. Also, Elena never did anything to search for Tina, even though Elena's fame really could have helped. Yet when her socialist friend was captured Elena did everything she could to protect him - but never Lila’s daughter.
When Lila later asks Elena, “Don’t you think that because my daughter was photographed with you that was why my daughter was captured?” Elena shows no emotion. She just walks over and looks outside the window. I think Lila asks Elena this question because Lila had her suspicions about her.
When Nino was arrested neither he, nor his attorney, say anything. Even the look on Ninos face in the police car he looked like he knew he was guilty. And it all goes back to Tina.
I am using my husband’s RUclips channel to write these observations. But by watching the show my husband also became addicted to it! And we both watch your channel. Thank you for being open minded while reading other people’s opinions.
Thank you for the comment !
I don’t think Nino or Elena were involved 😫 it’s a stretch . Lila had enough enemies and I’m Sure there were enough creeps around to do the job
Can we talk about how these books were most likely written by a man, Domenico Starnone 😮
Or maybe his wife, Anita Raja, at the end Ferrante Is living like Lila wanted at the end, I respect that
@@GG-rk1bu I promise you, these books were NOT written by a man.
why? all of ferrantes books have the same style, not only this one
@@Tinade5a7 May have been a joint effort, but there's plenty of evidence to suggest it's Domenico. If so, interesting how vividly he writes female perspectives.
As a Napolitan guy, it is briefly mentioned that Nino was arrested in the context of this:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mani_pulite?wprov=sfla1