Thursday’s Widows – Episode 3 “The Andrade family” Recap & Review

The Andrade family

Thursday’s Widows episode 3 takes us deeper into the life of the Andrade family. We start with Mariana, who had surgery to fit Ernesto’s idea of a perfect woman. Mavi argues that Mariana was born twice, once in natural birth and again after her reinvention. 

Mariana and Ernesto then moved to the most expensive house in  Altos de las Cascadas. Mariana was excited to start a family but sadly miscarried several times. In the end, Mariana adopted two kids to fulfil her dream of being a mom. Ramona was at the age of six when they adopted her, and Pedro was a baby.  The ladies of Cascadas gossiped about the adoption but also believed if Mariana paid for the kids, then she is their mom.

Since Ramona was adopted at age six, she still has memories from her past. She had a hard time settling into her new life. She refused to refer to  Mariana as her mom. She also never accepted her new name, Romina. She also had a unique fashion sense that didn’t sit well with Mariana. Mariana thought that Ramona dying her hair green and refusing to be addressed as Romina was her teenage rebellious phase.  

Ramona tries to stay true to her roots and reminds Pedro of their origins. She also hates that Ernesto is a plastic surgeon, and he keeps hinting at what she needs to do. She refuses to be changed, and that is admirable. 

She often hung out with Juandres, smoking weed, partying and spying on neighbours. Of course,  Matías is always bullying them. He is jealous of their relationship since he has a crush on Juandres. This becomes clear when he kisses Juandres on Halloween night during a dare. 

We learn that Mariana studied International Relations but dreamed of being a mom. This is why she married Ernesto and poured her love into her family.  She treated Ramona with patience and loved the kids wholeheartedly. She also loved that Ernesto was successful; she found that attractive in a man.

Mariana is also authoritative, and this is how she came to lead the Altos de las Cascadas committee. Mavi describes Mariana as assertive and somewhat terrifying. With her at the helm, no one dared to disobey the rules.  

Mariana is many things to many people; she is a mom, wife, friend and boss. Her house help is sometimes disappointed in how quickly she changes her mind, but at the heart of it, Mariana always means well. For example, Mariana gave her a torn blouse and later asked for it back to donate to a charity sale.

The marriage between Ernesto and Mariana was peaceful, but they had their moments. The fact that Ernesto keeps turning Tano’s invite to the men’s Thursday hangouts down brings friction in their marriage. Mariana forces him to go, and Tano keeps inviting him. Teresa also keeps pushing Mariana to make Ernesto show up. 

After several fights with Mariana, Ernesto decides to show up. He notifies Tano that he will show up when they run into each other at the golf club. Ernesto seems much closer to Ronnie, but we don’t know more about their connection. 

As Thursday rolls by, Ernesto visits Tano’s house for the boy’s night. He, however, finds it uncomfortable, given the games they were playing. He refuses to talk about his sex life with his wife. He also refuses to pick a watch, which is Tano’s little tradition. He says the games and the watch are a waste of his time.

He makes it clear he respects his wife enough not to talk about her in such lurid terms and walks away. Out of all the men in Altos de las Cascadas, Ernesto is the only one with a good head on his shoulder. He is a true family man and loves his family. 

Unfortunately, Marian gets pissed when Teresa informs her that Ernesto was rude towards the boys. She tells Ernesto she won’t let him take away her chance to fit into the community. She watched her mom lose everything after her dad died when she was young and promised herself never to lose what mattered to her. Ernesto tries to explain, but she ignores his explanation. 

In the meantime, Ramona has a change of heart after having a conversation with Pedro. She confronts Mariana and asks about her biological mom.  Mariana explains that she is her mother no matter what and her struggle to become a mom. They start getting close, and finally, Ramona starts calling her mom. 

On the fateful night that the men died, Ernesto and Mariana got into a fight. Ernesto refuses to go to Tano’s, and Mariana leaves in anger to meet the ladies. They have a good time drinking, and after dropping Lala off, Teresa tells her about seeing Mavi having an affair. 

Mariana realizes that she should be grateful she has a good husband. She makes up with Ernesto; they are about to have sex when Teresa calls. She informs Mariana about what happened in her house. Mariana and Ernesto quickly rush to be with Teresa. 

Ernesto checks for a pulse on one of the bodies and confirms they are gone. At the time, Ernesto thought it was an accident. The episode ends with them embracing Teresa, trying to comfort her. 

The Episode Review

Of all the couples we have seen so far, Mariana and Ernesto seem more stable. They have their heads on the right priorities and come across as more likeable. Mariana is a good mom and does her best to be there for her family. Of course, she is not exactly a saint; she can sometimes be inconsiderate. 

Ramona’s character is also intriguing. For a young girl, she is so sure about what she wants. She is not swayed by what is expected from her. She insists on being true to herself and says what is in her mind. It was nice seeing her have an honest conversation with Mariana. It helped build their relationship. 

It was interesting to see the argument between Ernesto and Ramona on plastic surgery. It is quite a divisive topic, but I believe people have the freedom to choose what they want to do with their bodies.