'My Brilliant Friend' Episode 3 Promo: Lila ‘cheats’ at the grocery store as Lenu becomes her confidante again
After winning the bet in last week's episode, Lila (Gaia Girace) proved once and for all how wrong Lenu, aka Elena Greco (Margherita Mazzucco), was about her husband, Stefano Carracci (Giovanni Amura). The photograph of Lila in a wedding dress, that had become the center of gossip in their neighborhood after being displayed in the dressmaker's window, now has a new home.
Stephano, ever eager to curry favor with the Solara brothers (Elvis Esposito and Alessio Gallo), gives them the picture for their new shoe store. Privately, he might rage at Lila for dolling up to visit their bakery, but publically he is all too eager to use Lila's beauty to further his own petty business interests.
Since he believes he owns Lila as her husband, he also "owns" her beauty. Even Lila's looks and body no longer belong to her after marriage. Even more so, because now she is pregnant with Stephano's child.
Lenu seems to be back on Lila's side in episode 3 as she becomes her confidante again. In the preview clip, we see Lila at Carracci's grocery store. After being ordered to work there, she throws her energy into the store. But despite this new outlet for her energy, Lila is not happy.
When Lenu comes to visit her she cynically says: "Is it clear what kind of scam I'm caught up in?" We also see her hand Lenu cash from the store's register. Those who have read the books know that Lila gives money to Lenu from the grocery store's cash register so that Lenu can buy books for her studies. Lila is determined that Lenu will get out of their poisonous neighborhood, even if she can't.
When Lenu asks her what she is going to do, she replies without hesitation, "Cheat." The trailer even ends with her saying, "don't trust what I say or do." It sets up how Lila's rage against Stephano prompts her to use whatever weapons she has at her disposal to thwart his hold over her, including deception -- after all lying is the most womanly sin of all, used whenever all other escape routes have been blocked.
We also see scenes of a party in the trailer. Lenu brings Lila along to an upper-class party hosted by Professor Galiani, in whose grand house Lila feels out of place. Professor Galiani's daughter is dating Nino (Francesco Serpico), Lenu's current object of affection.
Nino is the reason why Lenu isn't too broken up about splitting from her boyfriend, Antonio (Christian Giroso). But, at the party, it is evident that Nino is stepping out with Professor Galiani's daughter.
While Lenu is jealous of this, Lila has other things to be jealous about. We can imagine what her feelings are about never being able to access this elite world with art and books, except as a guest on the sidelines.
We also see a shot of Lila's wedding photograph burning up in a fire -- another way in which Lila slips away from the grasp of her husband and the Solara brothers. We know that the girls will soon be in Ischia and episode 3 is vital in setting up the girls' escape to the resort town.
'My Brilliant Friend' airs on Mondays at 10 PM on HBO.
