'My Brilliant Friend' Season 2 Episode 5: Lila and Lenu's friendly competition has probably reached toxic levels
Spoilers for 'My Brilliant Friend' Season 2 Episode 5 'The Betrayal'
The cat is out of the bag. Lila (Gaia Girace) and Nino's (Francesco Serpico) affair is no longer hidden behind Elena aka Lenu's (Margherita Mazzucco) desperate attempts, no longer hidden behind their temptations of the forbidden. It is now out in the open — to be judged and be repelled by.
But the two have no care in the world. Lenu's attempts at convincing Lila to thwart all her plans of messing around with him are in vain. Actually, in this episode, it is evident that Lila is no longer just messing around with Nino. We had previously argued if she even has any kind of genuine feelings for the young Sarratore boy or whether the sole incentive of her increasing fascination with him was because Lenu liked him.
In the past, she has mentioned more than once how she blatantly disliked Nino. Especially after Professor Galiani's (Clotilde Sabatino) party, when the two were on their way back home, her disgust with him is evident. Accusing Lenu of trying to fit in by donning a pseudo-intellectual avatar, Lila berated her the whole ride home.
Could it be this very initial revulsion that catapults romantic feelings for him?
In Episode 5, Lila has lost all her bearings to sheer passion — or perhaps to the will to revolt against those who have claimed her body and mind (her in-laws, the Carraccis).
Either way, Lila goes all out with Nino making rash decisions without taking into consideration anyone and jeopardizing her and the future of other parties involved.
The constant competition between the two childhood best friends has reached new heights. It could be argued that Lila's sole interest is to prove to Lenu that she can have what she desires — that she can snatch from her anything she likes, anytime she likes.
Throughout the episode, she relies on Lenu to cover up for her, expecting her to lie at every step despite being (kind of) aware of her feelings. At this point, it is more than evident that their friendship is becoming increasingly toxic.
This was the show's darkest episode so far. And it shows the lengths the stubborn Lila can go to in order to get what she wants.
Lenu, in some highly weird, disturbing coping mechanism, has sex with Donato Sarratore (Emanuele Valenti). As heartbreaking as that scene was, it gave her the much-needed force to alienate herself from Lila and Nino.
At the end of the episode, after Stefano (Giovanni Amura) discovers the affair and comes to Ischia to take Lila back home, Lenu makes a decision — once back in Naples, she won't be seeking Lila or Nino anymore: that she will be living only for herself.
While we applaud this, it is better late than never. Episode 5 hints towards their deteriorating friendship and is only a precursor of what is to come.
In fact, Book 2 'The Story of a New Name', which is the inspiration for Season 2, literally begins with Lenu recalling what is perhaps the most difficult, tumultuous period of her friendship with Lila.
"At that time our relationship was terrible, but it seemed that only I considered it that way," the book begins as Lenu looks back — an indication of how the dramatic events during this time tear their friendship apart.
Is it a toxic friendship? Perhaps. Is Lenu right in seeing it so now? Yes.
Episode 6 of 'My Brilliant Friend' will air on Monday, April 20, at 10.15 pm.