MY BRILLIANT FRIEND Season 4 | Finale Review

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I still can’t believe this is it. This is the final article I’ll ever write about My Brilliant Friend. Well, I guess that’s entirely in my hands, isn’t it? I suppose nothing is keeping me from coming back around to these two amazing women at some point. I mean, after the fact retrospect articles are always welcome, right? We shall see if my girls need revisiting at some point down the road, but for now, let’s wrap up what we have left.

The Disappearance

We see Imma (Aurora Grimaldi) struggling. She doesn’t have a relationship with her father, Nino (Fabrizio Gifuni) and I don’t think anyone is much surprised by this. Considering who Nino chooses to be as a person, it’s no shock he doesn’t have a relationship with his child. He doesn’t even have relationships with the women in his life. They are there purely to satisfy him and he moves on if they aren’t fitting the bill. I guarantee Lila (Irene Maiorino) and Elena (Alba Rohrwacher) are the only women to ever stand up to him and tell him to his face what a piece of sh*t he is. But Lenu wants him in his daughter’s life. She even tells him to not focus on the older girls but on her. Only her. Tina (Maria Vittoria Miorin) is excelling at her writing, much to Imma’s jealousy. But after a short visit, it’s time to meet Lila and Enzo (Pio Stellaccio). Elena is still convinced she sees something between Lila and Nino. Girl, your paranoia is exhausting especially since Lila saw him for the piece of sh*t he was before you. You’re the one still convincing yourself to get over him.

And then it happens…where’s Tina? Lila doesn’t panic at first, she’s with the older girls. It’s fine. But Enzo…he panics immediately. And after only moments of wondering and looking, Lila knows. Lila knows she’s gone.

Days go by. Media reports about Tina, inquiring for information. Everyone is searching for her. Stefano (Giorgio Pinto), Lila’s ex and Genno’s (Alessio Galati) father is even out searching with Genno. They find his uncle Rino (Salvatore Striano) having lost the battle with addiction. This is the wake-up Genno needs. He knows his little sister is gone and he can’t lose anyone else, including himself. He really sees how his mother and Enzo have become the saviors of the neighborhood trying to push back against the Solara’s and the drugs.

The Solara’s offer their assistance and boy howdy, was I waiting for Enzo to throw a punch. Throughout the four seasons and many years, Enzo has always been the boy in the neighborhood with a conscience. He was always the stand-up one. And I wanted him to go feral on their asses.; because as he points out, “you guys clearly took her, so if you want to help, give her back.” Who else could possibly be behind this?

Doesn’t matter, because she’s still gone. Lila is mourning her. Having to pick up dead birds left on the memorial by neighborhood boys. I tell you something, if that had been me, I would have chased those little sh*ts and beaten them within an inch of their lives. Or went straight to their mothers so they would beat them within an inch of their lives. Who the hell grows up thinking it’s ok to put a dead bird on a child’s memorial? Oh hell no. But really, the whole thing culminates in Lila becoming the neighborhood crazy woman. The way Melina Cappuccio (Pina Di Gennaro) was the neighborhood crazy woman for Donato (Emanuele Valenti) using her and then leaving the neighborhood with his family. Lila was always defending Melina because it was not entirely her fault. And now, Lila has been doomed to become her, just for another more painful reason.

But with Lila becoming unraveled in her grief, Lenu just doesn’t want to have her watch the girls. Entrusting teen Dede ( Ludovica Rita Di Meglio) instead, Elena leaves the girls to their own devices. In general, I’d say probably not a bad call except we see Elsa (Adriana Trotta) smoking. Sheesh, Dede. Gotta watch better than that. But Lila swoops in, delivers a slap, and drags the girls home. Harsh, but I don’t blame her. She’s scared for her friend’s children. Even if time has gone by, children disappear every day. Elena tries to spend time with her, but she’s becoming more and more unhinged. Can you blame her? Her daughter is gone. She has no answers. And she probably never will. I’d be unhinged too.

But Elena likes feeling needed. She likes people paying attention to her by what she can give them. Usually, it’s through her writing that she finds this pleasure. Now, it’s knowing that she’s caring for a friend who needs it and needs her even if said friend would be loathe to admit it. But Lila is going through more than just grief, something is clearly very wrong. I was kind of irritated that Lenu didn’t push going to the hospital more. “I’ll just go get some aspirin” seems pretty lame when your friend is nearly doubled over in pain. But medicine comes in all shapes and sizes. For instance, a few bullets directed at the Solara’s create a whole new neighborhood dynamic. Especially when we see Pasquale (Eduardo Scarpetta) behind the gun.

Restitution

Time continues on. Lila passes along a computer to Lenu, for her to write and the girls to study. Genno drops it off and Dede is clearly smitten. It’s been developing for a while, but especially now that he’s clean and sober, it’s pretty cute. Less cute is Pasquale’s sister Carmen saying he’s close to being caught. His accomplice, the young rich girl has already been found. Lila laughs. She knows he’s f*cked. She knows the rich girl will get off with a wrist slap and it will be the boy from the projects serving the time. Carmen and Elena scoff, but she’s not wrong. Look at any justice system. And you’ll see injustice. But Carmen is worried for Lila and tells Elena. She sees Lila mourning at the cemetery. Well, where else is she supposed to mourn Carmen? She doesn’t even have a body to have a grave!!! I think she can mourn where she damn well pleases.

Meanwhile, Elsa is running around with older boys, as Dede clues in their mother. Sigh, like mother like daughter. Speaking of daughters, Elena takes Imma to spend more time with Nino. She also wants to ask his help with Pasquale since he’s in government now and they’re all from the neighborhood. And guess what? He’s still a prick. Definitely still f*cking every woman around him as his secretary had nothing but glowing things to say about him. I don’t know any secretary who speaks that highly of their boss unless they’re f*cking them. He’s such the perfect politician, it’s painful. He can lie and manipulate so easily, so carelessly. He becomes quite a condescending prick when women shut him out of their pants as we see him treat Elena. But is anyone surprised? No.

What is surprising is Elena coming home to a crying Dede, who exclaims that Genno has left. You’ll get over your heartbreak, I promise sweetie. Oh wait, he left with your younger sister? Well, that’s a tad f*cking different given he’s an adult and she’s a goddamn minor. As Elena points out, “Your sister has always wanted everything you’ve wanted.” Talk about taking sibling rivalry to a whole new level in stealing a whole person. But also, if he was clearly in love with the minor then he didn’t love you, Dede. And also, do you want to be with someone who would run off with a minor? Listen, no shade on Genno. He genuinely is a character that has gone through a lot and grown up and changed. But my guy, find a girl your age!!! There are lots! In the end, they track down the two of them to the Airota’s. You can always run to grandma.

But we get some really beautiful scenes here with Elena and Enzo. They grew up in the neighborhood together but weren’t close exactly. But his relationship with Lila was beautiful to see because of everything she’d been through. She found a good guy who would ride all the storms with her. But this last one; it broke her. And she’s not coming back. And even now, even when he’s also lost a daughter, even when he’s still hurting, he offers nothing but grace to Lila. He knows she’s dying inside and he can’t help fix it. They’ve been over for a while now, and it’s time to move on. I hope he’s happy. He truly deserves it. He was the best man on this show, by a long shot. And I’ll miss him terribly.

But Elena finally gets to her daughter and gives her a quick lecture not to steal her sh*t. And then we see a growth moment for Elena. I think because she’s gone so much, she often flexes her control once she’s back around. And instead, she chooses to let go. She tells Elsa the two can stay with the grandparents for the summer. But then they’ll come home and she’ll continue with school and Genno can stay around as long as Elsa wants him. She offers her home instead of turning away, and I do believe that’s the proper parenting moment here. She could probably lose her daughter forever if she tried to do something else. And for two years, that’s what they do. They live together.

Eventually, Dede heads to the US to be with their father and study there. After two years with Genno, Elsa follows suit. Genno is welcome to stick around, providing helpful care for Imma but also he prefers staying with Auntie over Mom. Who is still in the neighborhood, crazy lady. But she’s writing now and hopefully, that’s something that can help her process it all. She deserves that. But Elena needs to move on, move out of the neighborhood. She feels too weighed down by it all. Lila gives her blessing but admits why she kept Imma close all those years. She thought they took Tina because of the old article that made it look like she was Elena’s daughter…what if one day they realized their mistake and came back for the right girl? Oh Lila, oh my sweet Lila. She’s always holding back something of herself. She never wants to leave a trace…

We flash forward many years, signaled by the ringing of an iPhone. Genno is calling Elena. Lila has been missing for two weeks. She’s gone downhill since Elena saw her last. Genno’s worried. But Elena isn’t. She’s focused. She sits down and writes their whole story. She’s found the strength now to share their story, their lives intertwined. On her doorstep, arrive two dolls. The last trace of Lila was delivered to her friend for safety. And Elena knows she will never see her friend again…

And now, so do we all move on. I can’t promise not to come back. You can’t spend years of your life with characters and so easily just walk away. I’ve been here since the very beginning and have grown with these women. I have not always agreed with their choices or even how they treat each other, but this show hammers home something I believe is rather fundamental for womanhood. Every woman needs that one friend. That one best friend who champions them, who pushes them, who calls you on your sh*t. And if you’re lucky, very very lucky, you’ll get to keep them for a very long time. I’m so grateful I’ve gotten to watch this show and experience the lives of these two amazing characters. If there’s anything I can take away, it’s to honor my writing like Elena and be a force of good for others like Lila.

Ciao, my brilliant friends, ciao.

(Dedicated to my brilliant friend, Jenn who inspires & challenges me every day)