mann i love this scene. there is SO much here. like león asking her if she wants him to come over cause he just wants to be there for her, him asking her how she is and her pretending she's alright and him telling her she doesn't have to put up a front with him and that she needs someone to confide in and that he could be that person

also it's funny how the subtitles have her saying "i can't be weak" and him saying "you're not" when she's actually saying that she has to be strong and he replies with "you are.", idk it doesn't seem like a big difference but i think him reaffirming how strong she is is better. telling her she IS strong but that he wants to help her, hug her and take care of her. and that no matter what he'll be there for her (and he fucking means it because throughout the rest of the season and the series as a whole he continues being there for her even when they're broken up)

and her saying she can feel his voice, his advice, his hugs and that she feels like he's there with her. idk it all just makes me melt. they are just sooo adorable 🥲🥲

also this reminds me of that one scene in 3x30 where it was the day before the wedding and germán basically asks her to be strong and puts a lot of pressure on her to continue being happy and smiley. in general, because of HIM, vilu has this mindset where she feels like she has to ALWAYS be strong, always keep a positive attitude and basically hide her feelings. because she feels like her dad needs her to always be the sweet sunshine that she is. and because of that she constantly feels like she has to put a front and smile through it, even if she's breaking inside. and it's heartbreaking. and it's incredibly unfair and cruel of germán to make his daughter always prioritize HIS happiness over her own. (and i hate how vilu is ALWAYS thinking about her father's happiness while he NEVER thinks about hers. it should be the exact opposite.)

anyway though, because of that, i appreciate león's role in her life even more. and it really shows you the difference between león and germán. because león ALWAYS puts her first and never makes her feel like she has to pretend to be happy. he always makes sure she knows she DOESN'T have to put a front with him. that she doesn't have to bottle up her feelings. he lets her know he can help her with this load, that she doesn't have to carry it all alone.

and then that beautiful scene later this episode as well...

him just showing up for her in all the ways that matter and that hug... 🥲 the way he holds her head gently and the way she lets out this BIG sigh like she's been holding that in for ages and is finally able to let it go and relax, even for just a moment... yeah

i HATE how this show normalizes fathers being weird about their daughters dating

obviously there's germán. but that could've been alright IF the show portrayed it as wrong and other characters were weirded it out by it. but the only people who are weirded out by it and are actively against it are vilu and angie pretty much. in 2x11 angie was incredibly against germán spying on vilu in the restaurant and reprimanded germán for it.

however in that same episode, the restaurant owner, i assume, is at first mad at germán for pretending to be a waiter and being a nuisance but after germán tells him violetta is his daughter, he suddenly isn't mad??? and understands???? and says he has 3 daughters???? which means this guy is either 1 also a creep who would spy or actively DOES spy on his daughters or 2 at the very least is an enabler who doesn't see anything wrong with a man spying on his daughter. and both are just as bad.

and now in 2x16 cardozo says he sees emma as a daughter which means he 'can't see her dating' WHAT? that's an insane thing to say

why is this show trying to normalize fathers being creepy with their daughters and being weird about their love lives. idk it reminds me of those creepy tiktok 'boy moms' who don't want their sons to be with women and it's bordeline emotional incest. it's gross, it's creepy and i hate it.

Sam’s determination to get a pardon for Stephanie’s grandfather was really sweet. The guy was accused of being a Soviet spy in WWII/The Cold War. I immediately felt for him because McCarthyism was so huge everyone was getting called a communist left and right it was like the Salem Witch Trials. Then Nancy from the NSA comes and tells Sam to drop it and even shows him a file—surprising for the government—that proves that he was a spy named Black Water after all. Sam realizes that not everybody is the way you thought them to be. The disillusionment in this episode goes absolutely crazy and I think it’s been one of the best episodes for Sam so far especially with how the story of this girl and her grandfather mirrors Sam’s own struggle with his father having had an affair for like 27-28 years. Except it doesn’t, because Sam doesn’t tell her the truth in order to prevent her own disillusionment and protect the idea that there are still good people in the world, which I don’t necessarily agree with, but it was impactful nonetheless. I also love his outburst at Donna in which she has to correct him in saying “grandfather” because he originally said “father,” a projection of his internal struggle throughout the episode. The episode also starts and ends with “New York Minute” by Don Henley showing that we’ve come full circle. Absolute cinema.