My Brilliant Friend's ending closes the gut-wrenching chapter of Elena (Alba Rohrwacher) and Lila's (Irene Maiorino) friendship in the most impactful way possible.
HBO's drama series has had its fair share of ups and downs through four seasons, navigating the intertwined lives of two women who started as best friends before becoming strangers who have shown some form of resentment toward the other.
Despite that, they always find their way back to each other.
My Brilliant Friend's series finale premiered on Max on November 11.
How Does My Brilliant Friend End?
After an eventful penultimate episode where the Solaras are killed and Tina (Lila's daughter) goes missing, My Brilliant Friend's series finale tied up loose ends by showcasing a poignant ending anchored by Elena and Lila's friendship.
The mystery behind Tina's disappearance in My Brilliant Friend continues to be a driving force in Lila's descent into madness, with her growing distant from Elena, her other friends, and her family.
While Lila grows apart from everyone, Elena has issues of her own to deal with in her family.
These include her daughter Dede's (Ludovica Rita Di Meglio) growing feelings toward Lila's son Gennaro (Salvatore Tortora), and the fact that the love of her life, Nino (Fabrizio Gifuni), has completely changed due to being taken over by a corrupt system.
Making matters more difficult, Elena's other daughter Elsa (Adriana Trotta) decides to run away with Gennaro, but she is ultimately retrieved by her mother after a long search with the help of Enzo (Pio Stellaccio).
Lila not helping her best friend find Gennaro and Elsa serves as the final straw that pushes her friendship with Elena to the brink.
As time passes, Dede and Elsa move to the United States, leaving Gennaro and Imma to stay with Elena.
It comes to a point where Elena decides to move to Turin with Imma, ultimately leading to one final and tense conversation with Lila.
Lila, still grieving from losing Tina, strongly blames Elena for her daughter's disappearance, noting that she thinks that Tina was kidnapped in Imma's place.
This revelation makes Elena reflect on her friendship with Lila, contemplating the fact that she is worried that Lila's current state might be her own doing.
Despite everything, Lila bids Elena a heartfelt goodbye that signals a poignant end for the pair's once-strong friendship.
My Brilliant Friend's finale ultimately circles back to the moment from Season 1, Episode 1 where Gennaro calls Elena about Lila's disappearance, which leads to the time when she starts working on her book which chronicles Lila's life.
The final moments of the episode reveal that Lila left two dolls (named Tina and Nu) at Elena's house, which is set years after she disappeared. Upon realizing that it comes from Lila, Elena smiles, knowing full well that she will never see her best friend again.
My Brilliant Friend Book Ending Vs. HBO Show Ending Similarities & Differences
The ending of HBO's My Brilliant Friend and Elena Ferrante's novel are quite similar, leaving Elena at peace with the idea that she will never see Lila again.
Both of the endings also cement the idea that Elena was able to power through with her writing, with her managing to overcome Lila's disappearance from her life.
Lila being distant from everybody after Tina's unexpected disappearance is also showcased accurately between the book and the HBO series' final season.
One major difference between the book and the HBO show's ending primarily focuses on Elena.
Elena Ferrante's novel is written from Elena's perspective, but the HBO show dives deeper into her psyche by showing that she has her flaws too (which is a version of her that is mostly quite hidden from the book).
In the end, HBO's adaptation presents a more objective take on Elena's struggle to let go of Lila, showcasing a far more complex relationship between the two friends than the novel which is limited because of the known fact that the readers know that it comes from Elena's point of view.
All episodes of My Brilliant Friend Season 4 are streaming on Max.
