User Reviews

Lenu, her Husband Pietro, two kids and Lila's son Gennaro return to Lenu's old Naples hood. They return Gennaro to his Mother Lila. Thank you! Last week's plot involving Lenu's young daughter and him made me uneasy. Lenu only returned him home because he was fighting with her daughter and adding stress to her home life. Later on, there's a birthday lunch/dinner at the mafia family Solaras home (Lenu's little sister is engaged to one of the Solara Brothers). It is the dinner from hell. If looks could kill. The dialogue is sharp and witty and nothing is what it seems. The acting is the best this season. Classism and psychological warfare are at play here. Characters say one thing, while meaning something else. In bed later that night, Lenu's Husband gives a spot-on assessment of all the dinner attendees. The Solaras are evil and arrogant while appearing warm and welcoming. One by one, he sees right through everyone and even makes their flaws sound like compliments. He saves the best (or worst) for last: Lila. He tells Lenu her best friend's charm has ulterior motives and her intelligence is evil. He ends by saying Lila detests Lenu just by the way she looks at her. Finally! Someone tells Lenu the truth about Lila. How does Lenu respond? She calls his opinions nonsense and shuts him down. Her inner monolog tells us the opposite. She believes him, but thinks he's using his criticism of Lila to masks his fascination with Lila. Absolutely true. In a room of people, he did spend the entire evening talking to Lila. It still doesn't make his opinions wrong! Lila and Lenu were rivals and friends as children. It was an unspoken healthy competitive friendship. The friendship ended there. Fast-forward to the teen years. Lila doesn't like Lenu. The Nino betrayal scenario in Season 2 told us that. Lila is naturally brilliant and gifted. Lenu is book smart. Lila was never afforded the opportunities Lenu got and she envies the professional and personal life of Lenu and her educated, sophisticated reputation and social standing. That's why right after telling Lenu how lucky she is to have a handsome and smart Husband, she tells Lenu Nino has moved back to Naples. She knows that Nino is Lenu's weakness and could destroy her family. Lila is not a good person and doesn't wish Lenu happiness and success, while Lenu is still stuck as that little girl who admires and loves Lila and thinks they're in some healthy, loving competition. Those days are long gone Lenu. All that said, I do agree with what Pietro said without saying it: Lila is fascinating.