'My Brilliant Friend' Season 2 Episode 5 turns Lila and Nino into 'despicable characters' as fans cry for Lenu
Spoilers for 'My Brilliant Friend' Season 2 Episode 5 Chapter 12 'The Betrayal'
What an episode! In its darkest installment so far, 'My Brilliant Friend' delivers an exceptionally well-written episode complete with lies, deceit and betrayal.
As Lila Cerullo's (Gaia Girace) desire for Nino Sarratore (Francesco Serpico) reaches new heights, Elena Greco aka Lenu (Margherita Mazzucco) finds herself in constant turmoil throughout the episode. She lies for Lila, who is expecting her to act as her shield - hiding the truth from those around Lila, looking over her shoulder every other minute.
Lila and Nino are no longer hiding behind stolen glances and coy smiles, they are out there complete with their PDA that is enough to make you want to throw up. Really, we spent a lot of the episode disgusted by Lila's actions and her entire approach towards the f***boy that is Nino.
And we're not the only ones. Fans of the show and especially those who favor Lenu were filled with equal disdain for Lila's actions.
"Lila is quickly losing any sympathy for her character. Insecure yet so very arrogant and her cruelty is sharp," tweeted a fan.
At one point, Lila expresses her feelings about Nino to an anxious Lenu. She tells her that this is the first time that she has known what a real kiss feels like, crying about her fate and being married to Stefano Carracci (Giovanni Amura). But this scene failed to get viewers on her side, instead, it just highlighted how much her character has deteriorated.
"No one feels sorry for you Lila," tweeted a fan. "Just awful. Lila carrying on out in the open without a care in the world. Her husband is going to kill her," said another.
"As if Lila was infuriating enough reading through the books, its manifested tenfold being brought to the screen smfh," said a fan.
Could Lila be completely unaware of Lenu's feelings for Nino? Fans don't think so. "I don’t believe for one second that Lila was unaware of how Lenú feels and that she enjoys digging the knife in with a smile, because she feels she deserves more than Lenu."
"Lila and Nino are probably the most despicable characters I’ve ever watched on a show," said a fan.
The episode also had people really upset. 'The Betrayal' finally sees Lenu lose her virginity to Nino's father Donato Sarratore (Emanuele Valenti).
"Please tell me this isn’t happening," pleaded a fan. "Lenu is just so fucking lost I’m so upset," said another. "LENU !!!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW??? " tweeted another. "What the f**k am I watching!!!! Disgusting!!" concurred another.
"I don’t [want] Lenu to be so sad she takes this route. Poor girl is too confused and heartbroken," lamented a viewer.
Nino's father molested Lenu towards the end of the last season. And despite struggling with her feelings about the incident, she never told anyone about it, in fact, the narrator (Alba Rohrwacher), an older Lenu, even mentions that the first time she had found the words to describe her feelings was when she started writing the book.
In the darkest episode of its two seasons, 'My Brilliant Friend' depicts the constant competition that two best friends find themselves in. Only this time, Lenu has made a decision - she will no longer seek Lila once back in Naples.
"I don’t even know what to think about tonight’s episode!! At the end of it I was happy to finally see Lenu put herself first. Can’t wait for next week’s episode," said a fan.
Episode 6 of 'My Brilliant Friend' will air on Monday, April 20, at 10.15 pm.