Aftertastes
Episode 8 of From Scratch starts the next morning after Lino has passed away. Amy begins mourning with her family by her side. The grief overwhelms Amy and she is unable to do anything other than stay in bed. Zora tries her best to get her out and at least take a shower. She soon finds the strength to figure out what to do next and decides to go to Sicily with Idalia and honour Lino’s last wish. Lino’s mom holds an intimate mass at home to honour her son. Idalia is sad to learn that they will be burying Lino in Sicily and going back to America. She feels that she is leaving him behind but Amy tells her that is what he wanted. She laments that no one remembers him as her dad, they only remember him as a husband. Amy feels frustrated with all the prying questions and goes out for a drink. She is worried that she is letting down Filomena and is considering staying in Italy. She calls Zora to ask for advice and she tells her it won’t be a bad thing to stay. She is now a single mother and she has to start making decisions for herself and Idalia. Idalia gets sick after eating too many sweets so Filomena and Amy take her to see a doctor. The doctor turns out to be an old friend of Lino. He gives them his condolences and Filomena and Amy are touched by his words. Later, Amy and Filomena bond over the loss of their husbands and they realize they have a lot in common. The next morning, Filomena informs her that she has a meeting with a lawyer to discuss the estate. The lawyer tells her that as the wife of the eldest daughter she and Idalia are the inheritors of the estate. He wants her to sign a document of ownership but she refuses. Amy feels like Filomena is trying to trap her and make her stay in Sicily by giving her ownership of everything. She doesn’t think she belongs in Sicily but after settling a brawl by siding with one of their neighbours, Filomena argues she is one of them. She begs her to reconsider staying in Sicily. Filomena also asks her to invite her family to visit her for her upcoming birthday and to take part in a procession the town is holding. Amy is happy to hear this and agrees to invite them. The family pays them a visit and Filomena welcomes them with open arms. As they enjoy a meal with the whole family, Amy tells Filomena that she will sign the papers because she plans to come back. Filomena is touched and says she wants to show her something in the house. She shows her the clothes would like to be buried in and what she would like at her funeral. She says she wants her as a daughter to know what to do when the time comes.
The Episode Review
After crying our eyes out in the last episode, we get some comedic relief in this one. It is never easy losing a loved one and grief is different for everyone. Lino’s death took a huge toll on both families. For Filomena, she lost her only son and is still grieving her husband. Amy lost her husband, the love of her life and, understandably, she goes through a hard time deciding the next path for her. Idalia lost her father and is trying to come to terms with such a huge loss at a young age. I am glad that through it all, they supported each other like a true family.
