Ep 3. The Metamorphoses

Elena and Lila's friendship is tested in the third episode of My Brilliant Friend season 1, titled "The Metamorphoses," as the girls head into adolescence and begin to develop their own interests. While Elena has always been the more studious of the two, Lila is now focusing on her creative talents, using her skill at making dolls to support herself and her family.

As the two girls grow apart, Elena begins to feel jealous of Lila's talents and resentful of her own lack of direction. She spends more time with her new friend Enzo, a boy from the neighborhood who seems to understand her in ways Lila never has. However, things take a turn when Enzo begins to show interest in Lila, and Elena realizes that her own feelings for Enzo may not be as platonic as she thought.

Meanwhile, Lila faces her own challenges as she tries to navigate her changing relationship with Elena and her own maturing body. She also must confront the reality of her family's poverty, which threatens to cut short her opportunities for success.

As Elena and Lila struggle to find their place in the world, they both begin to feel the pull of Naples itself, with its beauty and brutality pushing them to become the people they will ultimately become. The Metamorphoses captures the complexities of adolescence with unflinching honesty, showing both the joys and the pains of growing up.