9.0/10530 votesLoading...#1 - The Blue Fairy
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 3/2/2020
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.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: N/A
8.8/10668 votesLoading...#2 - The Island
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 12/11/2018
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.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: N/A
8.7/10622 votesLoading...#3 - The Promise
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 12/18/2018
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.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: N/A
8.7/10372 votesLoading...#4 - The Fever
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 2/6/2022
A nervous Elena introduces Pietro to her family, and, though he instantly charms his future in-laws, Immacolata rejects their plans for a civil wedding ceremony. Months later, Lila falls ill due to the deplorable conditions at the Soccavo factory and makes Elena promise to take care of her son Gennaro if anything happens to her.
Director: Daniele Luchetti
Writer: Saverio Costanzo, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo, Elena Ferrante
8.6/10785 votesLoading...#5 - The Money
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 11/27/2018
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.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: Saverio Costanzo, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo, Elena Ferrante
8.6/10431 votesLoading...#6 - The Secret Notebooks
Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 3/2/2020
Three years into her time in Pisa, Elena has developed into an elegant and cultured young woman – but still feels like an outsider. After a consequential breakup, Elena falls ill and is visited by her mother, who has come to nurse her back to health. During the night, Elena takes to reading Lila’s diaries, which were entrusted to her for safekeeping; in these tomes, Elena discovers Lila’s dedication to her new role in the face of Stefano’s increasingly violent behavior.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: N/A
8.6/10331 votesLoading...#7 - Becoming
Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 2/20/2022
On holiday, Elena grows increasingly exasperated with Gennaro and after receiving shocking news about her sister Elisa, she cuts the family trip short to travel back to Naples. Later, tensions mount at a dinner with the Solaras, and Pietro shares his unvarnished opinion of Lila with Elena.
Director: Daniele Luchetti
Writer: Saverio Costanzo, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo, Elena Ferrante
8.5/10443 votesLoading...#8 - The Betrayal
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 2/24/2020
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.
Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Writer: N/A
8.5/10407 votesLoading...#9 - Those Who Leave, Those Who Stay
Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 2/27/2022
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.
Director: Daniele Luchetti
Writer: Saverio Costanzo, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo, Elena Ferrante
8.4/10652 votesLoading...#10 - Dissolving Margins
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 12/4/2018
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.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: N/A
8.4/10450 votesLoading...#11 - The Kiss
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 2/17/2020
At Rino and Pinuccia’s wedding, Elena accepts Lila’s invitation to go on holiday, provided the destination is Ischia, where she knows she’ll find Nino. On the island, Elena, Lila and Pinuccia begin to spend more and more time with Nino and his friend Bruno and Lila starts to take a strong interest in Elena’s summer reads. As Lila and Pinuccia exhibit signs of nervousness when their respective husbands come to visit for the weekend, Elena is thrown when Lila comes to her bedroom to make a confession.
Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Writer: N/A
8.3/10661 votesLoading...#12 - The Metamorphoses
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 12/4/2018
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.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: N/A
8.3/10448 votesLoading...#13 - Erasure
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 2/17/2020
Upset that her picture is featured prominently in the new shoe shop Stefano is opening with the Solaras, Lila comes up with a creative solution to deal with the matter and enlists Elena’s help. Though Lila begins working at the Caraccis’ new grocery store, she continues to resent her husband’s business activities and the source of their income. Model student Elena invites Lila to a party at her teacher Ms. Galiani’s house; there, the two girls become acutely aware of the fact that they belong to ever more distant worlds.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: N/A
8.3/10412 votesLoading...#14 - Rage
Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 2/24/2020
Following her formative summer on Ischia, Elena throws herself into her studies and looks towards a future outside of the neighborhood. After a brilliant finals performance, Elena happens upon Lila, who is working at the shoe store and has grand plans for a fresh start. As Elena leaves Naples to commence her prestigious university studies in Pisa, Lila decides to leave Stefano and moves into a modest apartment, but the failings of her plan soon emerge.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: N/A
8.2/10554 votesLoading...#15 - The New Name
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 2/10/2020
With Lila on her honeymoon on the Amalfi Coast, Elena struggles to handle school and her relationship with Antonio. When Lila returns with visible bruises on her body, the two girls revert to their natural closeness and Lila’s will to take revenge against her husband grows. Elena continues to be bewitched by Nino Sarratore’s charisma but chooses not to mention him to Lila.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: N/A
8.2/10461 votesLoading...#16 - The Body
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 2/10/2020
Elena's relationship is threatened when Antonio discovers she has asked the Solaras' help to keep him from doing military service, while Lila remains rebellious in her marriage to the often-violent Stefano. After a photo of her is exhibited at a wedding dress shop in the center of town and becomes the subject of much gossip, Lila makes a bet with Elena about how the whole affair will end.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: N/A
8.2/10300 votesLoading...#17 - The Treatment
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 2/13/2022
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.
Director: Daniele Luchetti
Writer: Saverio Costanzo, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo, Elena Ferrante
8.2/10293 votesLoading...#18 - Cold War
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 2/13/2022
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.
Director: Daniele Luchetti
Writer: Saverio Costanzo, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo, Elena Ferrante
8.1/10920 votesLoading...#19 - The Dolls
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 11/27/2018
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.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: Saverio Costanzo, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo, Elena Ferrante
8.1/10598 votesLoading...#20 - The Shoes
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 12/11/2018
Elena grows tired of Gino, while Lila rejects two potential suitors at a cost. A rare outing into the city turns violent. Elena worries about not being there for Lila after accepting an invitation to spend the summer away from the neighborhood and her family.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: N/A
8.1/10557 votesLoading...#21 - The Fiances
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 12/18/2018
Elena returns to Naples to find Lila has made a romantic connection with Stefano, despite the looming presence of Marcello. As Lila embraces a more glamorous life at Stefano's side, Elena warns her about what people are saying around the neighborhood. Later, in hopes of keeping up with her friend, Elena encourages one suitor and rebuffs the advances of another.
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Writer: N/A
8.1/10282 votesLoading...#22 - Terror
Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 2/20/2022
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.
Director: Daniele Luchetti
Writer: Saverio Costanzo, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo, Elena Ferrante
8.1/10290 votesLoading...#23 - Try Again
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 2/27/2022
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.
Director: Daniele Luchetti
Writer: Saverio Costanzo, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo, Elena Ferrante
8.1/10157 votesLoading...#24 - The Earthquake
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 11/18/2024
Elena and Lila spend the day together in the neighborhood, where Elena sees how well-respected Lila has become...as well as the peril brought on by Marcello’s drug running operation. Later, Lila and Elena desperately try to reunite with their families after a sudden earthquake forces residents to flee the city.
Director: Laura Bispuri
Writer: Saverio Costanzo, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo, Elena Ferrante
8.0/10378 votesLoading...#25 - Indecencies
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 2/6/2022
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.
Director: Daniele Luchetti
Writer: Saverio Costanzo, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo, Elena Ferrante
The Best Episodes of My Brilliant Friend
Every episode of My Brilliant Friend ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of My Brilliant Friend!
When the most important friend in her life seems to have disappeared without a trace, Elena Greco, a now-elderly woman immersed in a house full...
Genre:Drama
Network:Rai 1
Best Episodes Summary
"The Blue Fairy" is the best rated episode of "My Brilliant Friend". It scored 9/10 based on 530 votes. Directed by Saverio Costanzo and written by N/A, it aired on 3/2/2020. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Island".