My Brilliant Friend Episode Rating Graph

With graduation in sight, Elena is overwhelmed by memories of her past and copes by drafting her first novel. Meanwhile, she finds a new suitor in Pietro Airota, the son of an esteemed academic. After Pietro proposes, Elena entrusts him with her manuscript before heading back to Naples, where she reunites with her family and visits Ada, who updates her on the tempestuous events she's missed. Upon receiving some unexpected good news, she sets out to find Lila, whose circumstances have seen a dramatic change.

On the island of Ischia, Elena runs into the Sarratore family, reigniting her childhood crush on Nino, who is at odds with his father, the charming Donato. Back in Naples, Lila's resistance to Marcello's pressing courtship reaches a breaking point. On the day of Elena's 15th birthday, an unexpected encounter leaves her shaken.

With sales of Cerullo shoes lagging, Stefano cuts a business deal with the Solaras against Lila's wishes. After Elena gets kicked out of a class for voicing her opinion, Nino encourages her to write an article for his magazine about her experience. Later, Elena and Lila get unwelcome surprises.

As Pinuccia returns to Naples, a new secret excites Lila and numbs Elena, who nonetheless becomes embroiled in its coverup. Subdued by Lila's charisma and indifferent to Bruno's flattery, Elena finds herself the keeper of a far darker clandestine series of events involving Donato Sarratore. After the girls encounter Michele and Gigliola, who have come to Ischia on a day trip, Lila seizes the opportunity to throw the whole truth in Stefano's face.

As fourth grade draws to an end, Elena and Lila fight with their families for the chance to continue their education. Later, a trip out of town becomes a day Elena will never forget, and a death changes things in the neighborhood forever.

Now a teenager, Elena grapples with the onset of puberty, her studies, and her friendship with Lila, who now works in her family's shoe-repair store. After a library awards ceremony reveals what Lila has been keeping secret, Elena learns what her friend's grand plans might be. Lila takes a stand against the dangerous Solara brothers.

Entering high school, Elena vows to stay ahead of Lila, academically and romantically. Lila eschews a parade of suitors vying for her affection, choosing instead to focus on her ambitions in the shoe shop. Promising a better future for the neighborhood, Stefano Carracci invites Elena, Lila and their families over for New Year's Eve, but things take a dark turn.

Following news of a murder in Naples, Pasquale and Nadia turn up unannounced at Elena's house in Florence, further fuelling discord with her husband. Meanwhile, Elena suspects all is not right with Lila when she's asked to take Gennaro on their summer beach trip.

Elena's marriage is more and more in crisis, Pietro is distant and she feels treated like a servant. One day, Nino Sarratore shows up at the Airota's door. He and Pietro become friends and say goodbye with the promise to meet again. Elena anxiously awaits their next meeting and finally resumes writing.

After a tense argument about plans for a family, Elena and Pietro marry in town hall, and later, are surprised with a reception organized by Adele. Though she had hoped to concentrate on her next book, Elena gives birth to a daughter and struggles to find time to write.

Elena and Pietro meet Nino's family. Nino gives Elena his feedback on the manuscript, when he discovers that Pietro has not read it he shows hostility towards her, but in a veiled and underhanded way. Pietro's reaction to Nino's passive-aggressive attacks only confirms Elena's doubts about her husband.

Concerned about Lila's worsening health, Elena seeks advice from her future mother-in-law Adele, who encourages her to write an expose on the Soccavo plant and the mounting unrest between rival unions. After several doctors' visits, Lila becomes determined to move back to the neighborhood despite being viewed as a pariah.

The disappearance of her old friend, Lila Cerrullo, causes 60-year-old author Elena Greco to reflect on the early days of their friendship in 1950s Naples, when Elena and Lila are two very different girls at the top of their class. When the girls discover the lair of Don Achille, a criminal figure who controls the neighborhood, they decide to confront him.

After Nino's unexpected appearance at her book presentation in Milan, Elena realizes her childhood crush never really abandoned her, and doubts begin to form about her fiance Pietro. Later, a scathing review leaves Elena questioning herself as a writer.