#luz borrell

But we need the entire episode context for this farewell sequence.

Begoña is Not In The Mood and dressed in mourning black already over breakfast.

Ah, Begoña. Imagine instead of that tantrum in a suit looking at Luz over coffee every morning. Wouldn't that be the perfect life?

Laupausa gets several exquisite individual goodbyes where the performers allow personal fondness into their portrayals - there is Digna (and Digna is throwing Luz some looks that are short of the plot of Ma belle-mère), but then Begoña enters and Digna tactfully makes herself scarce as Luz immediately throws herself into Begoña's arms.

They do not let go of each other for this entire scene. I described it in a comment under one of @clairedsfield's gifs as playing "the floor is lava", but it's not "the floor" it's "losing physical contact" (they win, of course).

As they look at each other after this hug, barely moving back enough to look at each other, they even get a romantic little soundcue: the motif Marta and Fina got in the warehouse reunion (post-babyplot) over Fina asking "isn't our life already a condemnation?"

And subsequently, luzgoña get the entire Mafin repertoire all wrapped into one scene - all the physical contact that is queer-coded (largely pre-coded by Mafin) that they could put in short of having them make out explicitly. But if you do subtext this well, do you even need canon?

There is extended handholding: all possible hands clapsed together, in constant movement, as if needing to reassure each other that neither of them will let go (ever).

There is the "let me brush your hair back from your face" gesture even though no strand of hair had even been falling foward, and Begoña doesn't do this once, she does it TWICE in this scene. No wonder Luz is looking at her like this (this absolutey counts as a romantic kiss equivalent. The end. - But no! It's not yet the end!)

Look at Begoña in her queer tee sleves cradling Luz's hands in her own, and how they both look at this shared touch, underlining it further - like you would look in wonder at your on hand on a lover's skin. That's the level of reaffirmation we are talking about here (what? if the show is going all out in sending these off in a rainbow sparkle of shared affection, you bet I will do my utmost ot match that - waving at @trying-to-get-somewhere-real here)

We get a final performance of Sánchez doing that thing while she holds onto Luz's hands, and even seated and looking down it has vibes of "I will take care of you, put on your coat babe":

Next, they get to bump foreheads with giddy smiles!

This is it. We have reached lesbian Nirvana. Mafin is standing up to salute you, Luzgoña!

But no. We have no yet reached the highest of celestial spheres yet! There is yet another level of rainbow feels to be unlocked, and that is the way they look at each over dialogue lines that include:

"Being without you will be being with half of me missing" (Plato reference!)

"I've never had a friend like you" (neither did Dorothy, ehum)

"You are mi amiga del alma" (this is, after the Plato reference, already the second allusion to the (highly problematic, yes, I generally despise it, but Luzgoña!) soulmate concept it in this scene - someone in the Writing Room got ALL their luzgoña feels onto the paper/screen and we thank them for their service.)

And they get to exchange these most soulful looks with it:

They are so heartbroken. Also they are so in love and so perfect for each other and nothing in this scene tells me otherwise (yes, at some point Luz says "I need to be with Luis" after her father's funeral and... he is not there. For that off-scene funeral. But who is sitting in black with her on that couch is her wife Begoña.

I was jarred for a second, thinking, "Luis... who was that again?" before I promptly forgot about it again because this is how Luz looks at Begoña: (has she ever looked at whatshisname like this? Or at Jaime? What, never? No, never!)

And it actually happens. I have not seen this with lesbians far less subtextual, anywhere else, but it happens here, on the little afternoon daily soap that could, where two performers played with a chemistry that went so well that everyone else got on board:

"I love you." - "I love you too."

They. Said. It.

(even the canon lesbians on this show haven't gotten there this easily and organically and mutually, at least not lately...!)

And of course they get to hug it out once more, and they still have not let go of each other for a single moment in this entire scene, and, yes, there is sofa space between them but that is no obstacle to the lesbian fairly tale if you just take it as a challenge to throw yourself at your wife and half on top of her:

So. That is the end of this farewell scene (among all, the only Luz farewell that matters - there are other lovely ones, lovely tributes, but this sequence with Begoña is IT).

But the Galaxy Brain Writing Room took it two levels further, again.

First, there's Damián talking to Julia, who is there because her parents had things to do (I am leaving in the subtitles in these final two caps to make my point, thanks to the Mafin Drive cut by @caskettmyheart & her team!) - and Damián immediately says, ah yes, Begoña will spend as much time as possible with Luz before Luz leaves.

And... sorry, but there is no straight explanation for that line.

You don't spend every minute with a friend, dreading the moment of her departure. This is romantically coded and they knew it and what's more, it frames the wider family of Begoña as in on the relationship and approving of it. (if I had a nickel for every time PFlag Damián has blessed a lesbian relationship this season, I'd already have two nickels. So.)

But! Second! This line in the final Luz scene in this episide, when she tells Nieves and Miguel goodbye (interchanging stetoscopes with Miguel was so endearing) - There is this breathless little smile and shake of head (and, yes, of hair) as she is leaving, because. "Begoña is downstairs waiting for me."

Yes, Juliet. I mean, Luz. Fling yourself down the stairs and into the arms of your woman!

If you wait one moment longer, your Romeo will climb up the wall to the dispensary window, and also will make sure you have put your coat on so that you don't catch a cold while she whisks you off into the sunset. The (Happy) End.

---Personally, I will only squint at the final Luz scenes in 530, because this is the "goodbye show (and hello fanfic)" point for me in terms of Luz.

There was absolutely no need to put in in that line. "Begoña is waiting for me downstairs"??? Excuse you???

And there was absolutely no need to deliver the line with that kind of smile. And there is no way to read that line other than romantically - since there is no narrative necessity placed around it, because WHY is Begoña waiting? To carry the suitcase? Drive the escape car? Invite her for lunch? There is no reason mentioned at all.