When the Prop Department matches the vinyl cover to your outfit: that's amore dedication.
SdL Prop Crew, please never change. Same goes for the Costume Department who unpacked the full Jersey of Fury outfit again. In addition, Belmonte got to unpack her comedy chops with some dead-on assist by Aniorte. (the timing! the mimics!)
I need a heist/spy buddy movie with these two, stat. One where everything goes wrong and we get more of Marta's nervous eye gestures and more of Manuela' dead-pen segues as a result.
But to dig a little deeper: Marta de la Reina going out of her way (and her comfort zone) to put Carmen at ease, unafraid of making herself look like an idiot in the process? Stocking-clad Marta between cheap sherry and kitschy boleros, equal parts awkward and earnest in pretending that she knows how to chill?
That was adorable. As was the idea that she might be able to sit down on a couch with any measure of comfort in that skirt.
Yet there is more about that scene: Marta is in the full Jersey of Fury outfit that is linked to flirting and declarations, in relation to of Fina (photography road trip! “Fina hasn’t cared about my money from Day One!”) - moments of being honest or at ease. And this is another one.
In color dramaturgy, Carmen's teal and Marta's orange are on opposite ends of the spectrum, illustrating their class contrast, but Marta is really trying to bridge it (emphasis on "trying").
Cheers to that! And to more scenes with these three!
(On the Fino sherry: when Marta says it's "diferente" - it took me a minute, but you know where we got such a singled out half-laugh pronounciation plus eyebrow raise of "diferente" from Marta before?
ep. 40 Illescas champagne toast, that's where. Here's to trying new things and adapting!)
Marta may have no idea how that record player works but she took her evening off (no one else to rather spend it with around? No? Interesting), conspired with Manuela, organized some supermarket shelf sherry, took off her shoes, and organized a gift (no opera dress in the box this time):
Look how pleased Marta is at making at least ONE woman working in her shop happy at the moment!
And I love how she gets this scene – this scene about being goofy, and open, and imperfect, and allowing herself that vulnerability because she cares about someone else - with Carmen (and the dead serious accomplice look exchanged with Manuela will keep my laughing until spring (and Fina) is finally here!), and not with Cloe.
And that is another interesting paralleling of dissonance, if we look at the mood of this scene:
In ep. 500, the birthday frolicking between the privileged women’s bodies of Marta and Cloe was offset against the sexual violence suffered by the working class women’s bodies of Fina and Valentina, who both had their lives destroyed in the aftermath (by having to leave their whole lives behind as an ongoing act of violence).
In ep. 501, we had Marta - who apparently slept at home after her hotel date with Cloe? - tease Carmen over breakfast and then later declare, very seriously, to Andrés how she, too, lost the love of her life (Fina) contrasted with a giddy Cloe telling Valentina how in love with Marta she is.
And here, in ep. 504, we get Marta having fun and unwinding (as much as she can), apparently calling it an early night and organizing a gift and conspiring with Manuela to put her sister-in-law at ease – quite an elaborate scheme – while Cloe lives through a harsh, hurtful confrontation with Gabriel, at the other end of the emotional spectrum.
And another thought: this scene between Marta, Carmen and Manuela, staging how awkward and earnest Marta is in trying to let go a little as if she didn't know how to take off shoes and listen to music, at second thought rang a little off.
It did so because we have seen Marta at ease like that before: in her own home with Fina. Fina who has gone on record with the shopgirls saying that happiness is sitting curled up with Marta on the couch listening to the radio.
But perhaps this isn’t forgetfulness in a fast and busy writing room for the sake of making the ever-poised Marta fail at something (and adorably so). Perhaps this is Marta trying to regain an ease in her life that she has had with Fina, but that she has lost to the rigidity and control she has had to exert over herself to not fall apart every day at all hours?
And, again: if so, then whom does Marta choose for that step? It is not Cloe, who would be ready, willing and able (but would have none of the working class connotations). It is Carmen, who shares not only Fina’s former workspace and is one of Fina's closest friends, but who has a similar working class stance on life and luxuries that Marta may reach out to here because it is familiar and because she misses it. Because it is things Fina would have said, too.
And while I know that the plotline will need to push Marta and Cloe more closely together before Fina's return, I will try to remember that these moments of domesticity – the ones the Mafinca explored between slippers and gardening and the apron and cooking and cuddling on the couch – the moments of shoes off, music on, a little awkwardness and much affection – are shown between Marta and Carmen (bonus points for the scheming with Manuela! I need a reaction gif of Manuela’s dead serious nod to Marta!), and not between Marta and Cloe.
Ok i loved so many things about episode 504 (hello comedy Marta!) but I regret to say that this post won't contain much in the way of granular image analysis a la maestra @mrsdaphnefielding because my goodness:
Where is that hand headed, Luz?
Not ill-advised lower back contact when your wife has just told you her heart breaks when you mention Barcelona, no.
And then Gabriel comes home and I start thinking oh, so Luz wants to kill Gabriel, huh.
Caption: Can you read my eyes? They say if you harm a hair on her head I will kill you. (Both)
But it's not subtext at all because a moment later LUZ TELLS GABRIEL SHE WILL KILL HIM.
Standing ovation, Luz. Everyone on this train will take a turn with the knife, no te preocupes.
(stills and translations courtesy of @caskettmyheart and the Mafin Drive team)
Note: Andrés has completely lost his status as a pretender for Begoña's favor in my book for being uninterested in white knighting for Merche in paquetería. Coward. Cloe, on the other hand? I gotta say, was very brave in that moment.
Thanks also to @clairedsfield for opening my eyes to Luzgoña possibilities.
More spoilers under the cut:
Oooh so Beatriz has a marriage certificate! That's exciting news for viewers of this lovely new villain. I was wondering if they were going the more complicated route of a divorce from Mexico (where it has been legal, and relatively accessible to women for decades by 1959) that would nonetheless preclude another church wedding in Spain. But no, Gabriel is just a regular bigamist. I sure hope Luz finds out!
#504 - honorable mentions (1): murder at the lesbian cottage(core)
Oops, so Gabriel is dead. Felled by this single look of Luz Borrell.
(I squealed.)
But first: look at the lesbian cottagecore! We don't see the dollhouse in this shot, for once, the cottage is not stifling or creepy. Must be the lesbians in the most matching of matching outfits.
And look - nice eagle shot, camera crew - they are the right size for the house for once! Everything fits.
Also, the Costume Department staged yet another lesbian wedding for these two. Look at the synchronous shirts! They could be an Olympic discipline!
Of course Begoña gets properly buttoned cuffs, a narrower fit and silhouette, and the covered placket that has such a fine topstitching it looks like a French placket....
..while Luz gets the more blue-collar flair with the wider fit, rolled-up sleeves, and the separate, reinforced placket with top stitching. And the hearteyes!
But still, that’s your friendly neighborhood lesbian couple in matching outfits. With their baby.
But back to The Murder.
You know what won't win the "Straightest Dialogue Line of the Year" Award?
“I hope to be there for your downfall and to take care of Begoña and the children then.”
Athough it's a toss-up with “At the slightest notion, I will return to finish you off; I won’t let you destroy Begoña.”
And here I thought the "You are my light" (wherever you are!) wedding vows were the pinnacle of writing these two as a lesbian marriage with kids, but. Low and behold. Glitter and be gay. Cottagecore even more.
At this point, I am ready to believe that the entire writing room ships Luzgoña (Costume Department is a given, and I love them for it).
But also the entire conversation between Luz and Begoña about Begoña not daring to run away with Andrés was a conversation about Begoña not daring to run away with Luz, who sat their pleading with her and questioning that level of sacrifice (not in the room: Andrés. I would say "go date Valentina, buddy", but Cloe is giving Valentina such soulful looks that I cannot say that in good conscience, either).
Also Luz's stance. Her stance while she wears an Oxford-style button- down (really, only the collar buttons are missing) under a gay small-check trenchcoat. She could basically Benout Blanc trying to solve the murder of Gabriel (with the added twist of making the evidence disappear because she actually killed him herself to save Begoña and the kids).
Oh, and that stance is not just limited to confronting Gabriel. Behold the store:
My hand-on-hip stance brings all the girls to the dispensary;
they're like, It's better than Miguel's.
I could teach you,
but I'd have to charge my wife would object.
Someone take away my keyboard please this situation will not be improving as long as the Luz Season 3 Glow-Up continues to wreak havoc on my brain.
Digna, seated on Damián's desk with sass and ease, coaching him - who is fretting and stressed out and the more insecure character in this scene - through accepting her loan proposal? Because the lady has sass and cash?
While again clad in a suit that mirrors the color scheme of this office and of the library/study/office at the mansion?
These two are so good together (both the characters in the story at this point, and the performers acting off each other) I cannot even.
And I keep thinking of little parallels - of how Fina (Digna's adopted daughter) entered the office of Marta (Damián's daughter) to ask whether she had eaten something while constantly overworking; of how the "eres la mujer de mi vida" line also appears here; of how (Nancho Novo, hats off to you for that final delivery!) Damián has to cry after his perfect, perfect woman sashays out. Che'f kiss!
And this may seem small, but it matters that while these two get the "we need to take care of our grandkids and keep the family together and we love the garden" storylines, they also get to plan a new joint business venture and throw around innuendo over kisses and the Writing Room insinuates at no points that we are supposed to think they are too old for any of this. Love it.
