‘Vida’ Season 3 Episode 4 Recap: Calladita Te Ves Mas Bonita
Episode 4 starts with a problem—a rat problem, that is
Photo: Instagram/vida_starz
Episode 4 starts with a problem—a rat problem, that is. During the opening sequence, Emma and Lyn are cleaning out boxes and papers from Vida’s building when Lyn happens upon a rat. Or rather, Lyn goofs off while Emma works and then she encounters a rat. Emma immediately recognizes this as another problem she’ll need to fix and spends the duration of the episode trying to do just that. But is there more to this rat problem that meets the eye? I’ve got some theories, but it’ll have to wait for a later recap.
Emma Plays Hot And Cold
Emma starts off sure as heck that she’s going to finally move out of Vida’s building and into her own apartment as she’s mentioned in previous episodes. But in a short matter of time, everything changes. Nico (played by Roberta Colindrez whom she met at Cruz’s cousin’s wedding) finally shows up for that drink at the bar, and Emma does not appear to be displeased. But Nico does seem a bit disappointed when Emma just points her in the direction of her bartender to get her beer.
Fortunately, Nico sticks around. We get to know a little more about her: She’s a bartender, and a writer. She grew up in Austin, ran away, and joined the Army. She also really seems to have a sense about the bar, what it needs, and how to get it back off the ground—something Emma notices too. And while we can’t be totally certain that part of Emma’s reasoning isn’t just her obvious physical attraction to her, she decides to offer Nico a job by the end of the episode to consult and work at the bar.
Now, it’s surprising to watch how easily Emma changes from her usual colder, assertive self into someone who is visibly more relaxed, even a bit optimistic perhaps. Nico quite obviously softens Emma’s edges simply with her presence. On the flip side, we see how Emma treats Baco the handyman. Not only is she demanding and demeaning toward him, she also seems to be using him for sex. Not that he seems to mind, but it’s interesting to see Emma regularly take charge around the men (and some women) around her, and then become almost childlike in the presence of a very select few. And since it seems Cruz is out of the picture for good, we’ll have to see how things pan out now with Nico in the mix.
Lyn Is A Peacock
There is never a need to cyberstalk your ex’s new love interest, but for some reason Lyn sets out to torture herself by setting alerts on her phone about Juniper’s Instagram activity. Apparently he’s got himself some hot, blonde, white girlfriend and Lyn can’t help but obsess over it throughout the episode. At one point, she runs into Johnny who’s unsuccessfully trying to fix Karla’s baby shower cake. While she’s able to help him with his cake issue, he also ends up basically telling her to screw off, which doesn’t sit well with Lyn.
Lyn ends up hanging out on the rooftop with Dona Tita, who shares some of her “special” tamales with her (I’ve never heard of pot-laced tamales but hey, why not?) She also stops Lyn from complaining that her mother somehow screwed her up, simply because she would encourage Lyn to find a husband instead of making something of herself.
“Calladita te ves mas bonita (you’re prettier when you’re silent),” the saying goes, but Dona Tita thinks that Vida did imbue some wisdom on her daughter.
“You’re a peacock,” she tells Lyn. “Learn to use your feathers!”
Maybe Tita is right. We’ll have to see if the advice sticks, or if it’s forgotten in the post-tamalweed hangover.
One Final Thing
Mari makes a huge mistake and accidentally washed the only shirt Eddy had left that still smelled like Vida. Smell can be such a distinct way to remember someone and it was beautiful to see how Eddy was still holding on to her wife in this manner. Heartbreaking to see her crumple into herself after this additional loss, but perhaps it will inevitably help her heal and move forward. I’d love to see Eddy become more independent, maybe even meet someone new eventually.
