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THE CLEANING LADY | review & custom pop reveal
- Just Another Perfectionist
- Apr 5, 2022
- 4 min read
When whip-smart Cambodian doctor Thony De La Rosa comes to the United States for medical treatment to save her ailing son, she soon discovers her path won't be as straightforward as she had hoped. As the system quickly fails her, pushing her into hiding, she resolves not to allow herself to be beaten down and marginalized, and becomes a cleaning lady for organized crime. Using her cunning and intelligence, Thony forges her own path in the criminal underworld, doing whatever she has to to survive.
Cast & Characters: Élodie Yung as Thony De La Rosa, Adan Canto as Arman Morales, Oliver Hudson as Garrett Miller, Martha Millan as Fiona De La Rosa, Eva De Dominici as Nadia Morales...
Genre: crime drama
The Cleaning Lady was a show I was pretty excited for since when the trailer first dropped, now having watched all episodes I can honestly say it has become my most favorite show up to this day.
I certainly suspected TCL would be good, especially after the trailer and each week I found myself more drawn to it. I can't remember the last time I was that giddy to watch a new episode of anything, I was absolutely invested in the story & characters and would smile like a fool at certain (read as anytime Thony & Arman interacted) scenes.
Part 1 (spoiler free thoughts, I'm definitely trying my best here, lol)
THE PLOT:
The Cleaning Lady had the perfect mix of action, emotional scenes, moments that would have you on the edge of your seat, it's definitely a good recommendation for mafia romance fans out there. The pacing, the storylines, the twists were very well-thought-out, each episode was as exciting as the previous one, if not even better. The show had great cinematography and transitions.
THE CHARACTERS:
- Thony De La Rosa:
Thony is such a strong, intelligent and likable character, she's one of my top favorite heroines for sure. The love, the sacrifices she made for her son, her bravery, loyalty and ability to turn any situation around were immeasurable. Seeing her fight for her son's life and overcome any obstacles in her way was truly an experience.
- Arman Morales:
I'm gonna start this by being snarky and say: this is how you write a mafia hero that's actually redeemable and complex, so many mafia books need a hero like Arman.
In the eyes of many Arman is the "bad guy", the ruthless killer, a criminal, yet when it comes to Thony and her family, you can see that he still has a softer side, a light shines among all the darkness. Thony of course saw that. His cleverness together with good planning (*cough* cunning moves) and strong presence made him such a great character.
Arman is a hero you can't help but adore, from the first episode you can see how much he cares about Thony, as the show progresses it all becomes even more clear.
Arman & Thony had such great chemistry right from the get go, you can feel how much they both cared for each other, the decisions made were always with the other in mind.
Having looked back at scenes multiple times now, I couldn't help but notice how many times Arman would casually watch Thony, the way he looked at her from the start. His face would truly change around her, his smiles when they talked were so genuine, the empathy he felt for her in the most difficult moments, how he was always ready to help and fough the injustices she'd face... just swoon.
I have to say, Adan Canto did such a good job in bringing his character to life.
- Thony's family (excluding Marco, that fool):
I loved the scenes of Thony and her family, Fiona (sister-in-law and bestie) was an amazing character, Luca (Thony's son) was adorable, the moment when Fiona's kids stepped in and told Marco to get lost was priceless.
All of them definitely made me cry a bunch.
- Nadia Morales: a bit of an icon, ngl. We love a snarky, stylish, direct and dedicated female character.
CUSTOM (FUNKO) POP REVEAL:
In 2022 I finally gathered the courage to customize my very first funko (for Lee Yeon from Tale of the Nine Tailed), I plan on making a separate post in the future to show off all the ones I've created so far. I absolutely had to make one for Arman, because he quickly became one of my most favorite characters. I designed a box to go with the pop too. Reference images would be below. I'm so happy with how his pop turned out.
Part 2 (some favorite scenes, potential spoilers if you haven't seen the show), also known as the part where I spam you with gifs I made
a steamy scene exists in the show that's not included in the slideshow
Arman: a king that cries because Thony cries
a charmer who quotes love songs
more gifs also available on my tumblr
END OF SPOILERS
Final thoughts:
The show has a great storyline that keeps you hooked, an amazing cast of characters, thrilling scenes, emotional heartfelt moments and well-written dialogue. It's perfect for fans of mafia romance and crime shows.
The Cleaning Lady is absolutely worth the watch, if you've been eyeing the show, or looking for a new thing to binge, here is your sign to check it out and meet Arman Morales.
Also, also...
to FOX: renew The Cleaning Lady already, don't be shy.
Thank you for reading!
I hope you'd adore the show as much as I did,
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