Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
That seems to be Thony’s motto as The Cleaning Lady Season 1 Episode 4 kicks off with her and Fiona’s road trip to Los Angeles in hopes that the doctor will give them the name of the bone marrow donor needed to save Luca’s life.
Naturally, what Thony and Fi asked the doctor to do was illegal and unethical, but Thony already knew it was a far-shot. And her backup plan was to simply sneak into the office and grab the name of the anonymous donor herself. It was definitely convenient that the doctor’s office was open and his computer wasn’t password-protected, but I’ll let that pass because it allowed for a very powerful and moving episode.
Thony’s little road trip ended unsuccessfully when she couldn’t persuade Joe to become a donor to save her son, however, once she told Arman all about it, he took matters into his own hands.
I’m not entirely sure what Thony thought was going to happen when Arman paid Joe a visit. She even told him that she knew what his version of “talking to someone” meant, but somehow when she saw that he kidnapped Joe and was holding him hostage, she was surprised.
There was a lot of tension between Thony and Arman on The Cleaning Lady Season 1 Episode 3. Since both of them said some hurtful things to each other, I assumed it would be addressed at some point, but instead, it was glossed over as a lover’s quarrel as Arman jumped in all too eager to help Thony.
He clearly likes taking care of someone, particularly her, but it was so much more than that — he hated that Joe was using his power and taking advantage of someone in need.
This time, however, the act of connecting with Joe as a human was more powerful as he didn’t respond to threats and fists.
What I truly loved is that Arman went out of his way to fetch Joe for Thony, but he didn’t force her to do anything she wasn’t comfortable with.
When Thony decided she wanted to let Joe go since he wasn’t budging and refused to help save her baby boy, Arman didn’t object. Instead, he sent him off with a warning if Joe even thought about stepping out of line.
It iwas a huge moment because it shows that not only does Arman have full faith in Thony, but he trusts her enough to handle her own situations the way she wants to. He’s just the muscle to her brains.
And though she wasn’t exactly on board with how he handled Joe, Arman redeemed himself as somewhat of a good guy in her eyes who was willing to go the extra mile and help her when she was in need.
There was a mutual trust between them; there’s no denying that they make a really great team.
The heart of the episode happened through the human connection as Thony drove Joe home.
A flat tire led to a very transparent conversation about their families. Thony revealed that her father died before she was born, which is why she went into the medical field. Then, she got a call from Luca asking her to sing him a lullaby before he went to bed.
When Joe heard Thony singing the same song his late wife used to sing to their daughter, Grace, something in him switched. He opened up and explained that he pulled out of being a bone marrow donor because he was afraid he would also die from a “safe and simple” procedure as his wife did.
The moment that Joe and Thony leveled with each other, it was easier to not only understand Joe’s actions but to relate to them. And to forgive him.
It was also the moment where Joe realized he had to put his fears aside and help Thony’s son.
What started as a hostile and fractured relationship blossomed into something beautiful as Joe joined Thony’s family for dinner following the successful transplant.
THE CLEANING LADY: L-R: Martha Millan and ƒlodie Yung in the ÒKabayanÓ episode of THE CLEANING LADY airing Monday, Jan. 31(9:01-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2022 Fox Media LLC. CR: John Britt/FOX
Not only did he keep her secret about working with the hitmen, but she’s forever indebted to him for doing this huge favor for Luca — as the only match out there for her little boy, he was her only hope.
Despite the cards that life has dealt her, Thony is a hopeful, optimistic, and caring person, so she tried to repay Joe by calling his daughter and helping them reconcile.
After all, family is everything.
But it wasn’t all sunshine and good vibes. Thony also played both sides of the field in the FBI’s bust on Eric Knight.
Her double-agent status was juxtaposed so perfectly to paint a picture of a woman torn in two directions without much of a choice.
As Arman was going the extra mile and dishing out kindness to help her save her kid, she was selling him out to the FBI.
Garrett didn’t give her much of a choice as he forced her to become his informant and help him get dirt on Eric’s deal with Arman and his people.
Thony played it slick when she dropped the pen, which was also the recording device, near the table, as proof of a bribe.
However, when the FBI raided Eric’s place, Arman ordered her to go fetch Eric’s laptop from Lexi’s suite as it would “incriminate them.”
Of course, she didn’t really have much of a choice in the matter. Arman ordered her to do it, and if she didn’t, there would be dire consequences.
She thought that no one saw her, but unfortunately, Garrett previously noticed her necklace, which he found on the floor.
The raid was a bust without the laptop, and when someone “took care” of Eric in prison, Garrett seemed hellbent on getting revenge and blaming Thony for his shortcomings.
Here’s my problem with Garrett, however — he hasn’t given Thony any reason to help him.
Sure, he’s threatened her with deportation, but Thony’s only motivation for everything is saving her son. She’ll move mountains to ensure his survival, so unless Garrett leverages that, he’ll never fully have Thony’s cooperation.
There’s no reason why he should be surprised that she helped Arman because right now, he’s the one helping her move those mountains. Her loyalty is with him because he’s not only talking about helping Luca, he’s acting on those promises.
If Garrett really wants Thony to help him, he has to be willing to provide her with the care Luca needs at any given moment.
Thony also knows exactly what Arman will do to her if he figures out that she’s an informant, but Garrett hasn’t really proved to Thony that he’s capable of protecting her from Arman’s wrath.
With Garrett, it’s all talk, but with Arman, it’s all action.
Right now, Garrett needs Thony way more than she needs him. The balance of power isn’t working in his favor. Unfortunately, he’s so motivated to win and prove himself that he’s just going to keep repeating these mistakes thus pushing Thony further and further into the mafia’s trenches, and thus, into Arman’s arms.
Thony has managed to successfully get Luca the transplant that will repair the damage to his kidneys and ensure that he’s back on track for the trial.
This show is proof that you should never underestimate a mother’s love and dedication to her child.
But what does this mean for Thony and Arman’s arrangement moving forward?
Will he begin to realize that there’s a mole in his operation? Will he connect it to Thony?
Or are his feelings for Thony his blindspot?
Fiona also went back on her word and ended up dealing drugs for Brandon in order to pay the retainer for Chris’s immigration lawyer.
On one hand, I was so proud of Fi as she dumped the stack of money wrapped in a glow stick. It was such a boss move and yet another example of a dedicated mother who won’t take no for an answer.
On the other hand, this is one dangerous path to go down. Obviously, the money is good, but in her situation, it’s extremely risky in her situation. One false move means immediate deportation for her and her children.
If I had to take a guess, I think Fi will eventually get caught up and Thony will have to ask Arman to pull some strings for her family, which will force Thony to tell Fi about her secret gig.
The Cleaning Lady is the best drama of the season — it’s riveting and hits all the right notes.
What did you think of the episode? Share your thoughts in the comments below!