Elite season 3, episode 4 recap: Lu

Elite season 3, episode 4 might be bringing us closer to the identity of the killer. But can we trust the witnesses?

Polo is pretty much an outcast at Las Encinas, and he’s dragging Cayetana down with him. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, Cayetana just wants to be one of the gang; but if Polo can’t fit in, neither can she. Fortunately, they have third wheel Valerio to commiserate with.

By the end of this episode of Elite, Polo is in another threesome that isn’t going to end well; Lucrecia’s financial state is no longer a secret, and Polo’s murderer is close to being uncovered.

The Raid

Samuel’s mission from the previous episode of Elite has been a success—Sandra and Rebeca’s home is raided and Sandra is locked up. But that leaves Rebeca without a home and not a cent to her name.

At least Rebeca can turn to Samuel and stay with him and Valerio—though she doesn’t know that Samuel is the reason she’s in this mess. At least, not yet.

But being homeless is only one of her problems. Azucena is told by the parents’ association that they don’t want Rebeca in school because her mother is a drug dealer. Rebeca is given the option of voluntarily withdrawing but she refuses. This school is no stranger to parents being sent to prison—Guzmán’s father was locked away without anyone calling for his expulsion.

Rebeca rightfully kicks up a fuss and is backed by Samuel—likely out of guilt, more than love. Samuel declares that he will leave school with Rebeca. In a startling moment of solidarity, Guzmán joins in, declaring a similar intention, as do Nadia, Ander, and Valerio, for some reason. Azucena is moved by the students’ action and relents.

That isn’t the end of it for Rebeca, unfortunately. She may be in school but she needs to pay her fees to stay. With her mother away, she has nothing. But her mother keeps a stash in their house—which is locked down. Rebeca and Samuel break in—with Rebeca giving Samuel a leg up, which was delightfully subversive. But Rebeca doesn’t find the cash where her mother used to hide it, instead she finds more drugs in a different location.

The only problem is that drugs are hard to move—and Samuel wants nothing to do with it. He’s seen it destroy too many lives. But Rebeca is desperate, and after some back and forth, she decides she has to sell the drugs for money. And Valerio knows the perfect buyers—their schoolmates.

Valentine’s Day Party

Lucrecia has a Valentine’s Day party at her home every year—it’s become a tradition. But not many people know that Lucrecia doesn’t have the money to hold such a gathering. To save face, the ever-resourceful Lucrecia comes up with a new idea—a reverse Valentine’s Day theme.

According to the theme, the ladies will wear tuxedos, and the men won’t wear much. Everyone has to bring their own drinks and food, essentially to dissuade freeloaders, but mainly for Lucrecia to save on costs—she’s a crafty one!

The party is nothing short of a success—aside from a handful of couples, most people come dressed according to the theme and Lucrecia thanks them all for their excellent style.

But Valentine’s Day is all about couples and Lucrecia is all on her own—as is Guzmán. Perhaps they could be alone together? That doesn’t quite work out.

At the party, Guzmán sees Nadia and frankly tells her how he feels. He loves her and he knows she feels the same way. He even went up against her father to earn her some more time to study instead of working in the store.

Love isn’t enough for Nadia—Malick is the safe and right choice for her. He makes her parents happy and he sincerely loves her. She can see a future with him—she can’t with Guzmán, no matter how she feels.

Guzmán understands the rejection but worse is to come—he turns to Lucrecia for companionship but as Lucrecia looks on at the complicated couples at her party, she realises she is happier on her own. Two rejections in one night, but Guzmán is somehow still standing.

Out of Control

Carla finds herself in an odious position—she has to pretend to keep Yeray happy so that he will invest millions in her father’s dying business. Even if it means having to wear a ridiculous dress to Lucrecia’s party—in contradiction to the theme. She is losing control of her life in this season of Elite and needs to find a way out. But how?

Valentine’s Day is also Nadia and Omar’s mother’s birthday. Malick invites Nadia to a private dinner to a Michelin-starred restaurant but changes that to an invite for the whole family, including Omar. But Nadia’s father won’t have it—though he secretly wishes to see his son again.

When Malick and Nadia invite Omar, he refuses—he can’t bring Ander or even talk about him. Why would he go? But Malick speaks to Omar privately later on—explaining that a few lies to keep the peace wouldn’t hurt.

Omar has more things to worry about—he wants to go to Lucrecia’s party and dress up with Ander. But Ander doesn’t want to—he has a fight with Omar instead. It seems Omar can’t do anything right. Guzmán, who has started attending Ander’s chemo sessions, tells Ander to ease off Omar—he is doing his best.

At the birthday dinner, Omar does finally come and his parents are delighted to see him. But the moment he mentions Ander, the happy mood dissipates, even though he talks about Ander’s leukaemia. Finally, Omar can’t take any more and he leaves. Malick is despondent for him.

But at Lucrecia’s party, Malick explains why it matters so much to him that Omar be accepted by his family—Malick isn’t straight, either. In fact, he is very interested in Omar, and demonstrates as much—an act that Lucrecia sees just before Ander can barge in on them.

Though Omar and Ander make up at the party together, as are Nadia and Malick, the atmosphere has distinctly changed. No wonder Lucrecia wants to be alone.

Final Thoughts

The machinations of Elite never cease to amaze—who will betray whom, why are people doing the things they do, and who can the characters trust? One thing is for sure—a lot of people wanted Polo dead and the easiest answer will definitely not be the right one. Are we really getting close to the truth? Or the version that the murderer wants us to know?