My Brilliant Friend
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Alas, it was not to be.
(I did spy a little girl at the wedding but her dress wasnt shiny enough to qualify.)
It was moving and real which is sometimes all good television needs to be.
Shes doted on by Stefano.
Shes the object of the entire neighborhoods jealousy.
But instead of dividing Lila and Elena, these differences unite them in silent understanding.
Lilas editing magic, done in her girlish cursive hand, serves a purpose for both girls.
But that doesnt mean she isnt invested in Elenas education.
Youre my brilliant friend, she declares as she makes Elena promise shell go to college.
That sense is buoyed by the wedding-dress fitting, a scene that had me hooting in encouragement.
Complaining about your mother-in-law is practically a requirement for any friendship (except with me.
If youre reading this, I love you, Pam!
No one is left offended or annoyed, but Lila is surprised.
Those Latin declensions and essays have developed into an unforeseen worldliness in her friend.
And then she extracts a second promise, insisting that Stefano keep Marcello away from their wedding.
As for the wedding itself, Ive been to this exact Italian reception several times.
Even the song selection (Marie Mari is a classic Neapolitan love song) rings true.
The show pulls it all off with aplomb.
Lilas gown, an elegant tulle confection, fits her perfectly.
(I want a .gif of, Are you reading any new novels?
Novels dont serve a purpose, so I can watch it and scream.)
Trying to choose between the pestering Antonio and petulant Nino, Elena makes an understandable decision.
The plebs were us.
She continues, When I was a child I aspired to Lilas pace to escape the neighborhood.
From the world of my mother and the neighborhood, not even Lila had been able to get away.
The language is different from the novel, but the sentiment isnt.
Even her most brilliant friend has been trapped inside it.
